Rating: 
Summary: I only bought this because of "Winterfair Gift"
Review: I wasn't familiar with any of the other authors' works, but I am a rabid Bujold fan. Being a Bujold fan, how could I NOT adore Taura being appreciated by someone other than Miles, or getting some more backstory on the endearingly awkward Armsman Roic? The answer: I would have loved to get more of their stories -- but not in lieu of Mile's wedding! Bujold's Vorkosigan series is a complete delight -- witty and insightful, with a hero who is as much a hero for what he isn't as for what he is. The end of "A Civil Campaign" was a huge build up to Miles and Ekaterin's wedding -- but her next book in the series, "Diplomatic Immunity", simply refers to the wedding as a done deal in the past tense, thus cheating thousands of vicarious wedding guests out of a promising spectacle. Alas, "Winterfair Gift" only makes sense if you know and love the characters, already. One will not develop a keen appreciation for Miles' wit and razor-sharp intellect in this book (indeed, he comes across as a bumbling bozo in need of severe babysiting). And Ekaterin's portrayal as a gloomy, weeping bride-to-be is never fully explained. The story gives Taura and Roic a chance to shine, but that chance comes at the expense of our full savoring of The Wedding. Oh, yes, I did try reading some of the other stories, but none of them engaged me enough to motivate me to pick up the authors' other works, so I can certainly understand their fans, unfamiliar with Bujold, would feel the same way. A noble effort -- but, regrettably, flat.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: IRRESISTIBLE FORCES is a collection of six stories from s/f and romance heavy hitters. The best story of the lot, "Winterfair Gifts," is by Lois McMaster Bujold, and features two minor characters from her Vorkosigan novels exploring a most unusual romance amidst a backdrop of mystery and intrigue. Only caveat: I'm unsure if someone who hasn't read much of Ms. Bujold's Vorkoverse would understand this story. Since I've read every single book Ms. Bujold has ever put out, I cannot answer that question. But I enjoyed it very much, and thought it well worth the price of the entire book. (I bought this collection solely for that story, and looked at the other stories as an "added bonus.") Five stars, and I'd give it more if I had 'em. :) After that, the stories get tougher to rate. I liked Catherine Asaro's story, "Stained Glass Heart," much more than I thought I would; it appears to be an outtake from her Skolian universe series, and has two young, apparently doomed lovers, a highly stratified society, and an arranged marriage. Love, family, duty, honor, and "keeping up appearances" are all themes in this story, and all worked. The biggest problem with this story is that the protagonists are very young -- the older of the two is seventeen -- and the two youngsters are dealing with some very adult subjects. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, just a bit offputting considering that every other story in this collection deals with clear-cut adults -- most protagonists are at least twenty-five or so. The plot is one we've seen before, with a few twists (I don't want to spoil 'em, so I won't go into 'em here). However, it's done well here, the science fictional bits are well chosen, and if it's representative of the Skolian universe as a whole, I might have to give Ms. Asaro's work another try. I think this is the best story I've read from Ms. Asaro, and I'd give it three and a half stars, even though I still don't understand the meaning of this story's title (except for the obvious). I enjoyed Jo Beverley's story (I forget the title) that juxtaposed Winston Churchill, the far future, and what happens when heroes return to their homes -- but it took a long, long time to develop and the language used was rather clunky and got in the way of the story. (As far as I know, this is Ms. Beverley's first-ever attempt at a science fiction/fantasy story; it does work. But I think it would have worked better as a novel.) Because the idea was so very strong and because I could see where Ms. Beverley was going with her story, I'd give her story three and a half stars. "The Alchemical Marriage" by Mary Jo Putney was a decent story; it didn't really move me or engage me, but it wasn't a bad effort, exactly. I think the whole subject of how the Spanish Armada was deflected was too big for one short story; perhaps this would have been better suited as a novel subject? And the lovers got together far, far too quickly for my taste. Still, not bad, exactly. Just not right on the money. Two stars for that one. "Shadows in the Wood," by Jennifer Roberson, is another really tough one to rate. I like Ms. Roberson's writing -- I like it a whole lot. I also like the subject matter, how Ms. Roberson plays it out, and what happens in the story -- but once again, the story seems just way, way too short and truncated. I mean, Maid Marian and Robin Hood meet Merlin? In a very short story? At the very end of the book? Why was this story given such short shrift? At any rate, I wish this story had been much longer. It was so enjoyable, I wanted a whole lot more. So, I'd give the idea of the story four stars, and the writing five stars, but the fact that there wasn't enough room for the idea (and not enough room to develop it either) two. I guess I'll give it overall three stars, mainly because I do like the writer and the writing so much. Finally, we come to Deb Stover and her good, but misplaced story "Skin Deep." This is a paranormal romance; it's a good paranormal, albeit very short, and I liked the characters. But alongside three science fiction stories and two fantasies, it doesn't work. It just doesn't. Even if you count the Putney story as historical fantasy, it still doesn't work. I think Ms. Stover's writing is good, and her storytelling is very interesting. She made me laugh more than any other author except for Ms. Bujold (whose writing I know very well from past experience; this was the first exposure I'd ever had to Ms. Stover). I liked her story. But it had no place here. It threw off the tone of the anthology. And it threw the other stories even further off balance (and the anthology was already rather uneven to begin with). Because of this story, I took off one star from the overall anthology rating (because of Ms. Bujold's very strong story, I'd normally have wished to give this anthology four stars, rounding the overall stars upward rather than down as I did here) -- but I'd still recommend this particular story to paranormal romance readers. I know that has to sound odd; in effect, I'd give the story itself a four star rating, but separate it from the other five stories, because it just does not fit. In conclusion, this is an uneven effort, but worth reading despite the unevenness. Three stars, recommended for people who want to branch out from romance to s/f or vice versa. One final note: I wish this anthology hadn't been so long delayed. It was originally set to go in 2003 and was held until 2004, supposedly to make a "big splash" at Valentine's Day of this year, in order to perhaps generate bigger sales. All I know is that the so-called "big splash" didn't happen in my neck of the woods at all, and that I had a hard time finding it in the local bookstore. Barb Caffrey
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven, but worth reading
Review: IRRESISTIBLE FORCES is a collection of six stories from s/f and romance heavy hitters. The best story of the lot, "Winterfair Gifts," is by Lois McMaster Bujold, and features two minor characters from her Vorkosigan novels exploring a most unusual romance amidst a backdrop of mystery and intrigue. Only caveat: I'm unsure if someone who hasn't read much of Ms. Bujold's Vorkoverse would understand this story. Since I've read every single book Ms. Bujold has ever put out, I cannot answer that question. But I enjoyed it very much, and thought it well worth the price of the entire book. (I bought this collection solely for that story, and looked at the other stories as an "added bonus.") Five stars, and I'd give it more if I had 'em. :) After that, the stories get tougher to rate. I liked Catherine Asaro's story, "Stained Glass Heart," much more than I thought I would; it appears to be an outtake from her Skolian universe series, and has two young, apparently doomed lovers, a highly stratified society, and an arranged marriage. Love, family, duty, honor, and "keeping up appearances" are all themes in this story, and all worked. The biggest problem with this story is that the protagonists are very young -- the older of the two is seventeen -- and the two youngsters are dealing with some very adult subjects. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, just a bit offputting considering that every other story in this collection deals with clear-cut adults -- most protagonists are at least twenty-five or so. The plot is one we've seen before, with a few twists (I don't want to spoil 'em, so I won't go into 'em here). However, it's done well here, the science fictional bits are well chosen, and if it's representative of the Skolian universe as a whole, I might have to give Ms. Asaro's work another try. I think this is the best story I've read from Ms. Asaro, and I'd give it three and a half stars, even though I still don't understand the meaning of this story's title (except for the obvious). I enjoyed Jo Beverley's story (I forget the title) that juxtaposed Winston Churchill, the far future, and what happens when heroes return to their homes -- but it took a long, long time to develop and the language used was rather clunky and got in the way of the story. (As far as I know, this is Ms. Beverley's first-ever attempt at a science fiction/fantasy story; it does work. But I think it would have worked better as a novel.) Because the idea was so very strong and because I could see where Ms. Beverley was going with her story, I'd give her story three and a half stars. "The Alchemical Marriage" by Mary Jo Putney was a decent story; it didn't really move me or engage me, but it wasn't a bad effort, exactly. I think the whole subject of how the Spanish Armada was deflected was too big for one short story; perhaps this would have been better suited as a novel subject? And the lovers got together far, far too quickly for my taste. Still, not bad, exactly. Just not right on the money. Two stars for that one. "Shadows in the Wood," by Jennifer Roberson, is another really tough one to rate. I like Ms. Roberson's writing -- I like it a whole lot. I also like the subject matter, how Ms. Roberson plays it out, and what happens in the story -- but once again, the story seems just way, way too short and truncated. I mean, Maid Marian and Robin Hood meet Merlin? In a very short story? At the very end of the book? Why was this story given such short shrift? At any rate, I wish this story had been much longer. It was so enjoyable, I wanted a whole lot more. So, I'd give the idea of the story four stars, and the writing five stars, but the fact that there wasn't enough room for the idea (and not enough room to develop it either) two. I guess I'll give it overall three stars, mainly because I do like the writer and the writing so much. Finally, we come to Deb Stover and her good, but misplaced story "Skin Deep." This is a paranormal romance; it's a good paranormal, albeit very short, and I liked the characters. But alongside three science fiction stories and two fantasies, it doesn't work. It just doesn't. Even if you count the Putney story as historical fantasy, it still doesn't work. I think Ms. Stover's writing is good, and her storytelling is very interesting. She made me laugh more than any other author except for Ms. Bujold (whose writing I know very well from past experience; this was the first exposure I'd ever had to Ms. Stover). I liked her story. But it had no place here. It threw off the tone of the anthology. And it threw the other stories even further off balance (and the anthology was already rather uneven to begin with). Because of this story, I took off one star from the overall anthology rating (because of Ms. Bujold's very strong story, I'd normally have wished to give this anthology four stars, rounding the overall stars upward rather than down as I did here) -- but I'd still recommend this particular story to paranormal romance readers. I know that has to sound odd; in effect, I'd give the story itself a four star rating, but separate it from the other five stories, because it just does not fit. In conclusion, this is an uneven effort, but worth reading despite the unevenness. Three stars, recommended for people who want to branch out from romance to s/f or vice versa. One final note: I wish this anthology hadn't been so long delayed. It was originally set to go in 2003 and was held until 2004, supposedly to make a "big splash" at Valentine's Day of this year, in order to perhaps generate bigger sales. All I know is that the so-called "big splash" didn't happen in my neck of the woods at all, and that I had a hard time finding it in the local bookstore. Barb Caffrey
Rating:
Summary: AN INTERESTING JOURNEY
Review: IRRESISTIBLE FORCES is a compilation of six different love stories set in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. While short stories are not my normal forte I had to try this one out primarily because it had Lois McMaster Bujold's WINTERFAIR GIFTS, the story covering Miles Vorkosigan's marriage. As a recent devotee of the Vorkosigan saga I had no choice but to pick it up and read it, I was not disappointed. While far too short for my tastes it was everything I could have hoped for. For any Vorkosigan fan this one isn't a want to, it's a have to. As far as I'm concerned it made the entire book worthwhile. Thou reader beware, unless you have read the other Vorkosigan books you won't understand half of what is going on and why. Although by writing from the perspective of a new Armsman, one who didn't know most of Mile's history, Ms. Bujold did a an excellent job of filling in pertinent information a newbe reader might need. Not that the other five stories were a disappointment. Actually it surprised me how much I ended up enjoying them. Of course some were better than others but all in all a credible and entertaining job. If you like short stories, especially romance and fantasy/si-fi then I think you will enjoy IRRESISTIBLE FORCES. I RECOMMEND it.
Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars for Bujold, but....
Review: Lois McMaster Bujold and Catherine Asaro are two of my favorite authors, so I have been awaiting this anthology in a veritable fever of impatience. The Bujold story was her usual magnificent work - there's a reason this gal has more Hugos etc. than she can fit on her fireplace mantle (assuming she has one). For fans of the Vorkosigan series, it's a great addition to the tale, though others may want to start with earlier books. The only complaint is that it was TOO SHORT. Something around, say, 500 pages would have been far preferable. The Asaro tale, though solid, was far less imaginative than her usual fare - perhaps she didn't want to frighten off the "romance" readership that this cross-over volume is designed to attract. Unfortunately, the other stories are far less interesting. I have nothing against romance per se (I still enjoy Heyer from time to time), but these are just uncompelling. Since the essence of romance is the reader's vicarious thrill in response to the protagonists' unfolding relationship, it may be that the story arc of a short story is just too short to make for effective romance (at least for those of us not into one-night stands). Although it feels to me as though Bujold pulled it off, my judgment is questionable as all the characters in her story are old friends to me as a reader of the series. It would not astonish me to hear that those without that background have trouble getting used to a female protagonist who is a 7-foot fanged mercenary whose favorite color is pink. On the other hand, I didn't have any problem when Taura and Miles first met down in that basement on Jackson's Whole(which happens years before the current story)... Bottom line: Bujold 5 stars, Asaro 3.5, rest get a raspberry.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting anthology
Review: Overall, I enjoyed the stories in this anthology. There were 3 fantasy stories and 3 sci-fi stories, with 3 written by romance novelists and 3 written by fantasy/sci-fi authors. My favorites were the first and last stories, by Lois Bujold and Jennifer Roberson. I have never read any of Lois Bujold's Lord Vorkosigan series, and her story definitely made me want to find out more. Jennifer Roberson's fantasy featuring Robin Hood and Marian, as well as another famous figure from British legend, was very touching in its description of devoted married love. I will definitely seek out other works by this author, who I also have never read. Mary Jo Putney is one of my favorite romance authors, but I was a little disappointed in her story. I thought it lacked any real character development. It was just too short and everything happened too fast. The premise of the Guardians is a great one, however, and I'm really looking forward to her future books featuring them. The other stories were pretty good, with my least favorites being Catherine Asaro's and Deb Stover's.
Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: Several of us at the house read this anthology. We each had a different favorite. I'm more a science fiction than romance fan. I don't normally read romantic books. This anthology may change my mind, though. I was able to follow the Bujold story fine. You may need to know sf conventions to get the most out of it, but it is a good read. The Putney story was more history than science fiction. I liked it. Sensual and refreshing. The Stover story was a light, humorous read. The Asaro had a poetic feel and was the most SF of the bunch (except Bujold), which made it my type of story. Good read, more idealistic than the others. The other SF story was the one by Beverley. It had solid development of culture and a take not quite like anything I'd read before on the aftermath of war. Well worth the read. The last by Roberson was a real favorite of another reader here. She liked the combination of two legends. All in all an interesting collection of novellas, tied together by the theme of love. A more coherent anthology than many others I've read, perhaps because of this overlying theme.
Rating:
Summary: A must-buy collection
Review: The majority of these stories are romantic speculative fiction, so they don't necessarily have a boy-meets/loses/gets-girl plot line, even though the romantic aspect is extremely important. I'm a dedicated Lois McMaster Bujold fan, so found her contribution worth reading, but I don't think anyone new to her series would -- there are too many characters in too short a space for someone who's unfamiliar with them. Catherine Asaro's entry tells the story of the non-pov characters in her Luna novel, Charmed Sphere, and was intriguing enough that I went right out and bought that book, too. Most other stories were solid and enjoyable -- although I felt the story about the man who came back to reunite his wife with the man he'd stolen her from, while a good paranormal romance, did not belong in the anthology, since it was a standard paranormal element and added nothing to the understanding or discussion of reincarnation or the afterlife, as I would expect of speculative fiction. The surprise entry, as far as I was concerned, was the final story by Jo Beverly. This was a stunning tour de force, correlating the inspirational speeches of Winston Churchill and a far-future fantasyish world, and illustrating on a very personal level the sacrifices of war. Absolutely phenomenal, and well worth the price of the anthology for this story alone.
Rating:
Summary: A must-buy collection
Review: The majority of these stories are romantic speculative fiction, so they don't necessarily have a boy-meets/loses/gets-girl plot line, even though the romantic aspect is extremely important. I'm a dedicated Lois McMaster Bujold fan, so found her contribution worth reading, but I don't think anyone new to her series would -- there are too many characters in too short a space for someone who's unfamiliar with them. Catherine Asaro's entry tells the story of the non-pov characters in her Luna novel, Charmed Sphere, and was intriguing enough that I went right out and bought that book, too. Most other stories were solid and enjoyable -- although I felt the story about the man who came back to reunite his wife with the man he'd stolen her from, while a good paranormal romance, did not belong in the anthology, since it was a standard paranormal element and added nothing to the understanding or discussion of reincarnation or the afterlife, as I would expect of speculative fiction. The surprise entry, as far as I was concerned, was the final story by Jo Beverly. This was a stunning tour de force, correlating the inspirational speeches of Winston Churchill and a far-future fantasyish world, and illustrating on a very personal level the sacrifices of war. Absolutely phenomenal, and well worth the price of the anthology for this story alone.
Rating:
Summary: A Bit of a Disappointment
Review: The stories in this collection were pleasant but rather bland. Of all the author's, Catherine Asaro's work stood out as the best. The trend with these collections seems to be drawing in big names to sell the book; unfortunately, while these authors are accomplished at novel length fiction it is an entirely different matter to produce short stories, and it shows.
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