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Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite
Unavailable
Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite
Unavailable
Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite
Audiobook12 hours

Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

You're invited…to a celebration of vampires by a baker's dozen of favorite authors. Sink your teeth into thirteen original stories, each one a fresh and unique take on what birthdays mean to the undead. From Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse attending a birthday party for Dracula to Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden battling bloodsucking party crashers, these suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous stories will ensure you'll never think of vampires or birthdays quite the same again.

"Experienced genre hands ensure the high quality of thirteen stories about birthdays and vampires." - Booklist

"Thoroughly enjoyable…a toothsome collection of birthday treats you will not want to miss." - Monsters and Critics
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 15, 2010
ISBN9781441862600
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Many Bloody Returns: Tales of Birthdays with Bite
Author

Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over thirty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. She has written four series, and two stand-alone novels, in addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and graphic novels (cowritten with Christopher Golden). Her Sookie Stackhouse books have appeared in twenty-five different languages and on many bestseller lists. They’re also the basis of the HBO series True Blood. Harris now lives in Texas, and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously. Her house is full of rescue dogs.

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Reviews for Many Bloody Returns

Rating: 3.5342638807106597 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

394 ratings26 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very merry undead birthday to you..... This is a collection of short stories centering around vampires and birthday celebrations. Many of which have redeeming qualities.

    My favorite had to be the one where upon her 18th birthday a young woman is forced to make allegiance to a horrendous vampire in order to live out the rest of her natural life in safety. Upon refusing to do so, her family disowns her and she finds herself running for her life and seeking shelter with a young man she barely knew in school. I'm not going to tell you the rest of the story.

    The offerings are suspenseful, oft times creepy, and well written. They certainly held my attention.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dracula Night: anther Sookie Stockhouse short story. Ok.The Mournful Cry of Owls: Donika's 16th birthday is approaching. He mother will have to reveal the truth about Donika's birth. It has to do with a different kind of Vampire.I was a Teenage Vampire: Kate want to have a vampire themed birthday party. Her brother invites a "real" vampire. Carleton doesn't believe in vampires. He finds out how wrong he was.Twilight: A vampire struggles to make a kill in time.It's My Birthday Too: Harry just want to give his brother a birthday present. Thomas just once to have a nice night. But of course trouble finds them.Grave-Robbed: Jack Fleming helps a young girl who widowed sister is being taken advantage of by a fax medium. Very good and funny story.The First Day of the Rest of Your Life: I was dissatisfied with the ending. What is Michael's story? Why is Eve safe at his house?The Witch and the Wicked: I figured out that Mr. Deveraux's death was no accident right away. It was funny how things worked out for Sophie.Blood Wrapped: Henry tires to find a birthday present for Vicki and becomes involved in a missing child case.The Wish: a woman is obsessed with the death of her child.Fire and Ice and Linguine for Two: I had never heard of the idea that being born on Christmas was bad - that your parents engaging in earthly pleasures at the same time of year the Virgin Mary had been divinely conceiving. The guy stated his birthday was Thanksgiving really spoiled the end for me. Thanksgiving does not fall of the same day every year.Vampire Hours: Katherine gets revenge on her husband who wants to leave her.How Stella Got Her Grave Back: Stella and Mark become involved in solving the mystery of her grave and a Jane Doe.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This anthology contains 14 stories from famous authors that mix vampires and birthdays. Some of my favorite stories were the funny ones, such as "I Was a Teenage Vampire" by Bill Crider, and the mystery ones, such as "Grave-Robbed" by P. N. Elrod. Of course, I really enjoyed the funny mystery "How Stella Got Her Grave Back" by Toni L. P. Kelner, which was the perfect ending to the collection.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very enjoyable anthology built around the twin themes of vampires and birthdays. The stories range from comedy to romance to tragedy and all are well done in their own different ways. Recommended, if this is the kind of thing you like, you will like this.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Great new Jim Butcher story, and another disappointing Charlaine Harris short story solidifies my opinion that she should stick to the longer works. Other authors were ok, but I didn't encounter anyone I hadn't already put on my list. A fun book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was ok , it has short stories based on vampires and similar creatures. It was about 50 /50 for me, I liked about half the stories and the other half I didn't.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    There were thirteen short stories, all involving vampires and some sort of birthday. It wasn't terrible, but I found it dull. I guess I just don't really like this genre. Those who do, would probably enjoy it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Another anthology read for a Sookie Stackhouse entry. Thematically not only were we dealing with birthdays, but vampire birthdays. In the end, the two restrictions may have been a bit much for some of the authors, as this anthology just felt phoned in and, in some cases, bottom-of-the-drawer rejects from another time.Dracula Night by Charlaine Harris The Sookie Stackhouse entry doesn't really forward anything in that world, but it presents the boyish and hopeful side of Eric as he prepares the bar for the celebration of Dracula's birthday and hopes that the real Dracula will show up at Fangtasia this year. Having Pam describe it to Sookie as Eric's Great Pumpkin moment is perfect. Although a fun entry, there are moments where Sookie's behavior is out of place for the sake of the story. The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher GoldenGolden provides the one not-a-vampire tale in the bunch. Part of me wishes the story could have been pushed to the middle, because I might have given it more of a chance in that whole, "hey, a break from vampires, I'll like this more!" kind of way. I wanted to like this story more, but between being set in the 70s and the main character's old-school European immigrant mother that led her own cloistered life, I found much of the setup very forced and the gamble ultimately didn't pan out for me. I Was a Teenage Vampire by Bill CriderJust bad. This felt like a high-school creative writing class entry where the assignment was "write a story involving birthdays and vampires this weekend." Definitely one of the entries that felt like it had been sitting in a drawer for a long time. It's partly teen revenge fantasy against the popular kids, homage to 50s horror, 80s slasher flick and a sort of bad joke that you can see coming a million miles away all rolled into one. If that doesn't sound attractive, it isn't.Twilight by Kelley ArmstrongIt's a shame about the name (this was published in 2007, so this would have likely been written before and being put together as that series was taking off), as that + vampires has a connotation. Fortunately, this manages to rise above the connotation. In Armstrong's world, a vampire has to kill at least one human before their vampire birthday each year to continue living. As Cass is fast-approaching her day, she's finding a hard time doing what should come easily to her. We go through her hunt process (she does not kill indiscriminately), the guilt she feels at realizing she's amassed a theater-full of victims over the centuries and the realization that her natural vampire life could be at an end (in Armstrong's mythology, vampires are only good for 350-400 years).It's My Birthday, Too by Jim ButcherAn entry from the Dresden Files. We have a new apprentice and a birthday gift that needs to go to Harry's vampire brother who has decided to hire himself out to a group of LARPers (Live Action Role Players) for the night at a deserted mall. Unfortunately, said LARPers once ignored the wrong girl and she's now become one of the undead herself and she's back for some very angry revenge. Harry and his assistant are no longer dropping off a quick package and we have an action-packed story with plenty of room for humor. A fun entry mostly due to Harry Dresden and the shoe elves. Grave-Robbed by P.N. ElrodA good entry. Our vampire is a private investigator hired by a woman to help discredit a phony medium that is taking advantage of her older sister's grief over her husband's sailing accident. The medium has gone to extreme lengths to prove that he's in contact with the dead husband, so Mr. Fleming is going to offer the kind of revenge that her sister needs as the medium has a special seance planned for her birthday.The First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Rachel CaineThis story is really a beginning to a much bigger story as our protagonist is turning 18 in Morganville. In Morganville, the town is run by vampires and turning 18 means you sign as an adult with your family's vampire protector or a new vampire...or you risk it all to go without a vampire protector. It's not a good situation any way you look at it, and the story really ends with the choice, but it's a good build-up. Enough that I felt like putting one of the books from the series on reserve at the library.The Witch and the Wicked by Joanne C. SteinSlightly uneven, but tipping towards charming. Sophie is a catering witch in the unfortunate position of catering to vampires (they're cheap, demanding and can party well into the day in this version). This birthday party ends with one burnt vampire but no guests that care and Sophie looking for a new career mixing youth creams for the open market - so why not use vampire ash? They're immortal and young...couldn't hurt? When we get down to the action of the experiment, the story takes hold and is fun...and actually too short.Blood-Wrapped by Tanya HuffAs I write this, I barely remember the story. I know a vampire was turning 40 as this was discussed too many times in the story to the point where one never really found out if it actually mattered to her. Things interrupted it, stuff happened, other supernatural beings were involved. Very much phoned in.The Wish by Carolyn HainesThe shortest entry in the lot, but probably one of the stronger entries for the economy of words. A story of a mother's grief and determined revenge against death at any cost after her two children died in the same car accident she survived. Self-contained and really well done.Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate HallawayAnother halfway decent entry. A birthday dinner for a witch and a vampire with a vampire that's convinced his birthday is cursed. As all manner of small nuisance stops them on their way to the restaurant in the middle of the harsh Minnesota winter. Of course, this is nothing compared to the bad that really awaits them. A great deal of fun and enough shifts in the action to keep this from falling into a simple solve problem a, move to problem b, magically solve problem c-type plot.Vampire Hours by Elaine VietsI really would have liked to have liked this story more, but it tried to hard to be so much more than it was. Our main character was supposed to be a woman of a certain age that was special because she had forgone the plastic surgery her husband could provide for free, because she was no longer attached to the sun of Florida or the boring life of food. Of course, the vampire fantasy happens to involve getting to your ideal weight, getting back your youthful skin and getting to kill people while working out your petty revenge fantasies at the same time. But you have to prove you're above all of it to get all of it first. Ugh.How Stella Got Her Grave Back by Toni L. P. KelnerI went back and forth on this one. The setup to get Stella back to her hometown was thin at best and the mystery was even thinner, but parts of it really worked. I don't know why. The story even gives a direct nod to Nancy Drew and quite a few knowing winks to Scooby Doo - and maybe this is why it kind of worked out in the end.It's not the strongest anthology every, but if you find yourself reading a favorite author's in-between story for a series you love, you should just read the other stories to see if there's something new you might like. And read the rest to thank your author for giving you something good and dependable on a regular basis when you read the clunkers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this for the Jim Butcher story, but it was a surprisingly good anthology. Some stories were creepy, some sad, some humorous. I particularly enjoyed the stories by Christopher Golden, Kelley Armstrong, P. N. Elrod, Rachel Caine, Elaine Viets, and, of course, Jim Butcher. Like in any anthology, a few stories weren't so enjoyable, like the ones by Bill Crider and Jeanne C. Stein. And the rest were somewhere in the middle. But, in general, the good stories outweighed the bad, and even the bad ones were relatively painless due to their short length. It was entertaining, fun to read, and has given me a few new authors to keep my eye on. I think anyone who likes supernatural tales or any of these authors would like this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Usually books with a number of short stories in them have some big names with great stories and some unknown authors with either surprisingly good or surprisingly bad stories. This was not the case with this book. All of the stories were really good and there was a larger variety of writing styles than I expected given the genre. All of the stories have to deal with vampires and birthdays.The main reason I read books like this is to get a sampling of some authors I haven't read and get a glimpse into the series that they are writing. This book was a good read and I found a couple new (to me at least) authors to check out from it. Because of this book I will read more of PN Elrod's work, check out the Morganville vampire series, see what else Hallaway and Kelner have written, and possibly check out some of Jeanne Stein's work too. Below is a quick comment/synopsis of each story.Dracula Night by Charlaine HarrisThis story is an addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series and addresses the celebration of Dracula Night by the vampire community. It's a fun read; although there's not a ton of content here.The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher GoldenThe only other book I've read by Christopher Golden is "The Boys are Back in Town"; which I liked pretty well. This story follows a girl as she learns about her unique heritage. I enjoyed it and it was well written and mysterious.I Was a Teenage Vampire by Bill CriderThis was probably my least favorite story of the anthology. The story was predictable, boring, and seemed quickly and lazily written.Twilight by Kelley ArmstrongI liked Twilight okay. It was a little boring and moved slowly but it was well-written and dealt with the topic of vampires dying of boredom.It's My Birthday, Too by Jim ButcherFun addition to the Dresden Files series. I enjoyed a story in which Thomas played a main role. I especially enjoyed the role-playing; being a DnD player I thought it was hilarious.Grave-Robbed by P.N. ElrodThis was my first time reading anything by PN Elrod and I liked it. The main character, Jack Fleming, is a bit campy. Some of it reminded me of Harry Dresden a bit. I enjoyed it and will read more of Elrod's writing.The First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Rachel CaineThis was a story that took place in the world of Rachel Caine's young adult vampire series "The Morganville Vampires". This was my favorite story in the book and now I am interested in reading this series. I've read some of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series and that is also a good series.The Witch and the Wicked by Jeanne C. SteinThis story creeped me out. I believe Stein is the writer of the Signs of the Zodiac series. The writing style wasn't my favorite since it was kind of plain and straight-forward; not as much flare to it as I had hoped. The premise is pretty darn creative and creepy though.Blood Wrapped by Tanya HuffThis was a nice addition to Henry Fitzroy's world; it was a fun read. It really brought home the fact that I haven't read the last few books in this series yet. I was like, what do you mean Vicki is a vampire?The Wish by Carolyn HainesI've never read anything by Carolyn Haines but I did like this story. The story is very sad and yet it is beautifully written and really grabs a hold of you. It is a very beautiful and well-written story, if not as fun as the rest of the book.Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate HallawayI've never read anything by Tate Hallaway before; this was a fun story. I was intrigued by the witch having a demon trapped in her and by the elemental evil forces at work. I could really sympathize with the characters and the cold weather, being from MN myself.Vampire Hours by Elaine VietsI really enjoyed this story. I liked that the main character was an older woman dealing with day-to-day issues a lot of women deal with (okay maybe not as extreme as these issues). I liked how the woman cleverly got back at everyone; it was funny and a quick read.How Stella got her Grave Back by Toni L.P. KelnerI've never read anything by Toni Kelner, I really liked this story. I liked the idea of vampire dams and I liked the mystery solving that went on in this story. The characters were fun and likable. I really want to know the history between them now.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is an anthology of short stories and novellas by many of the leading paranormal and fantasy writers of today. There are two common though rather disparaging themes that run through all the stories -- vampires and birthdays. Some are sad and poignant, a couple are funny, and at least one of them is just way too "out there" for a stodgy old housewife like myself. I picked it up because it promised to have a Sookie Stackhouse story in it by Charlaine Harris, and that one didn't disappoint. A few of the others were quite dated, and though I hadn't read them before, they just struck me as tired old stories. I've seldom found an anthology that didn't include at least one or two real oinkers, so I can't say I was terribly disappointed in the book. And the last story, "How Stella Got Her Grave Back" by Toni L.P. Kelner, was worth wading through a couple of the other ones to get to.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I got this collection of short stories from my local library to read the Dresden Files story. I think Jim Butcher is a fantastic author and I love his Dresden Files. The story featuring Harry Dresden was a highlight of the collection. Unfamiliar with Charlaine Harris, other than to say I know she is a popular vampire fiction writer, I was let down by the consistently poor writing and compilation of the stories in this anthology.If you're fishing for new authors this is only worth a read for Jim Butcher's story. Whatever you do, don't buy this book. Borrow it from your local library.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a collection of short stories on the unlikely theme of birthdays and vampires. I wasn't that interested in the theme, but was interested in the editors, Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, and others of the authors. Harris is one of my favorites, along with Tanya Huff, Kelley Armstrong, and Jim Butcher. The quality of the authors is high, and as usual with such a collection, I found out about one or two authors I'd like to read again, such as Tate Hallaway.Fun collection!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Some stories are much better than others (I loved Jim Butcher's Dresden Files story), but it's a great read for vampire lovers! It also made me curious about some authors I'd never read before - P.N. Elrod - and/or had never heard of - Tate Hallaway and Toni Kelner, especially...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Collection of modern vampire tales by several well-known authors and other not-so well-known. I enjoyed most of the stories, particularly PN Elrod and Jim Butcher's contributions. Charlaine Harris' story, set in the Sookie Stackhouse universe, was a disappointment."How Stella Got Her Grave Back" was a good one as well.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As with any anthology, some stories are better than others, but none were totally bad and some were outstanding. I've come away with a list of more authors I want to try.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really great collection of short stories focused on the meaning of a birthday to those who live forever. Special treats: a new story about Henry from Tanya Huff, and Tony Kelner's "How Stell Got Her Grave Back."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Slick, sometimes funny stories, sometimes scary. I found a couple of authors that I would be interested in reading their writings more. Great book for a birthday present !
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent short story collection. I discovered several new authors as a result. I particularly enjoyed the Jim Butcher story. The partial destruction of Woodfield Mall tickled me more than it probably should have.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    My favorite stories were Vampire Hours, The First Day of the Rest of Your Life, and The Mournful Cry of Owls.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    A collection of short stories, mostly from the big guns of the paranormal romance/urban fantasy genre (Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, Kelly Armstrong...), all relating to vampires and birthdays. They weren't bad short stories, but after reading it last night I can't remember a single one that really interested me. Mostly I think it's because the authors are used to writing novels (and series novels, at that) and aren't used to having so little space. The other problem is most of the authors chose to use characters from their series, so I'm introduced to characters I'm supposed to already care about. Since I don't, and since I don't have any vested interest in whether Character A makes up with Character B, I was bored and frustrated with many of these stories.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Good little stories about unusual birthdays
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's a collection of vampire stories about birthdays. A lot of the authors seem to be having fun with the limits and they also play with the concept of birthday as well, vampires can regard two days as birthdays, the day they were born as a vampire is often used as a birthday as well.Charlaine Harris has a Sookie Stackhouse story here, Sookie is invited to a birthday party for Dracula, known as Dracula Night, Dracula goes to one of these parties every year, will he be at Eric's, Eric certainly hopes so.The Mournful cry of Owls by Christopher Golden is a different story, a story of a stolen skin of a strega and a mother overwhelmed by grief who makes choices that will come to roost on her daughters birthday.I was a teenage Vampire by Bill Crider - a girl wants a vampire for her party, her brother knows someone who knows someone. This will not end well for anyone. The last few paragraphs left me wondering.Twilight by Kelley Armstrong featured a vampire having to deal with their life bargain. It was one of the better stories.Jim Butcher's It's my Birthday, Too was fun, Dresden realises that it's his brother's birthday, his brother is at a LARP (where I met my husband) when some vampires with a vengeance come to play. I liked this one the most.Grave Robbed by P. N. Elrod - a vampire detective uses his powers to investigate a medium who appears to be trying to rob a widow.The first day of the rest of your life by Rachel Caine is the story of Eve moving into the Glass House as featured in the Morganville vampires series.The Witch and the Wicked is about a witch catering for a vampire party and vanity getting in her way, a story that makes me want to read more by Jeanne C Stein, it was a clever story.Blood Wrapped by Tanya Huff is a story with Henry and Tom and with Vicki, or rather her birthday, featuring in the background. Justice for a missing girl is delivered.The Wish by Carolyn Haines - A haunting story of a woman who could see death choosing not to go with death when it's her time.Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate Hallaway features a nordic vampire and a Christmas birthday that goes badly. A different vampire featuresVampire Hours by Elaine Viets is about a woman whose ageing challenges her husband and her decision to get her revenge on him.How Stella got her Grave back is a vampire going back to her home town and getting her grave back from a murder victim.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A so-so collection of vampire tales, some better than others but none of them particularly memorable. Glad I checked this one out rather than purchased, and it definitely won't be on my re-read list.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This review is specifically for "It's My Birthday, Too," the short story by Jim Butcher in this collection. I would highly recommend NOT reading this until you've read earlier Dresden books (it's set after White Night). The premise of this story is based on a detail that is not revealed until several books into the series. WARNING: The rest of my (short) review below contains spoilers. This was a fun tale focusing on Harry and his brother Thomas. Of course an occasion for a birthday can't help but devolve into mayhem when Harry's involved. Harry was resourceful as ever, Thomas was in fine form, and their sibling relationship might be stronger for it. There's nothing like fighting side by side for a wizard and his vampire half-brother.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oddly enough (as the Sookie series is one of my most favorites), the story I liked the least was Dracula Night by Charlaine Harris. The whole premise was so out-of-character for Eric it was silly. Eric has a bad case of hero-worship to the point of being fooled by an imposter? Ridiculous. And it reads even worse. That said several stories were very enjoyable. My favorites included It’s My Birthday, Too by Jim Butcher (never read anything of his before but you can bet I will now), Grave-Robbed by P.N. Elrod, Blood Wrapped by Tanya Huff, and Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate Hallaway. Twilight by Kelley Armstrong and How Stella Got Her Grave Back by Toni L.P. Kelner get honorable mentions. I always attempt to read every story in an anthology but this time was the exception. I was just not interested in the YA stories I Was a Teenage Vampire by Bill Crider or The First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Rachel Caine. I must mention here that I enjoy Rachel Caine’s adult novels. Overall, this is one of the better urban fantasy anthologies I’ve read.