Anthologies are the perfect way to explore some new authors and read some new works of the favourite authors too. This set of stories has no particular theme, hence unbound. And, as any lover of anthologies will tell you, you'll find some stories that you love and some you won't. However, all the stories had something to say and I enjoyed reading through them.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. I have to admit, I mostly requested this book because of Gladys WHHSSS, and I'm so glad that I did. First of all, this collection of authors is pretty darn awesome. I haven't read all of them before, but I will definitely be exploring more of them after this book. With that being said, however, Gladys and the Whale is still my favorite piece of the collection. I have been curious about this character for two books now, and I needed to know! Her story was lovely, and worth the wait.
My second favorite was Samantha vs the Shadows in the Basement...by Kristen Britain. I've been reading her Green Rider series for years, and tbh, I wasn't aware that she could write something short. Although this did lean a little more towards horror than fantasy, I really enjoyed getting to see something completely different from an author I already enjoyed.
Finally, the world I need more of is The Sheriff's Daughter by Tamora Pierce. Animal mages are right up my alley, and I am a sucker for a smart dog who helps solve mysteries.
Overall, this is a collection well worth getting. I didn't love every story, but there were enough that made me happy, made me think, and made me a little sad to keep me going.

As always, some stories are better than others, but the Kevin Hearne is worth the price of admission. There are some other great ones. Definitely worth picking up.

I love antholgies! They not only give me access to short stories by some of my favorite authors, they allow me small glimpses of the work of authors I have not read before. I have discovered many new favorites and added many more books to my TBR stack from reading antologies. This set of stories has no particular theme, hence unbound. And, as any lover of anthologies will tell you, you'll find some stories that you love and some you won't.
If SciFi/ Fantasy is not your usual genre, this book has stories that represent a wide range of styles and skills that will keep you coming back for more. Another truly great book by editor Shawn Speakman.

Like all collections, this one is a mixed bag. Some of these were really awesome! Some were average. I did DNF a few of the longer ones after the first few pages not grabbing me (Sorry, Jordan Ross!).. My favorites were the Mark Lawrence story, who did a Jorg Ancrath short story, Adrian Tchaikvosky had one of the shortest but most memorable and thought provoking stories to me, and Peter Orullian, Anna Smith Spark, Kristen Britain, Saara El-Anfi, and Django Wexler's stories were all great as well. Shawn Speakman's story, which is last, and is a tribute to his father, was very touching as well.

Really good if you want to sample a lot of different modern fantasy authors!

I picked up this anthology mostly for the Tamora Pierce story, but also because there was a smattering of other authors I enjoy (Kristen Britain, Adrian Tchaikovsky particularly), but unfortunately I don't think there was a single story I actually liked in here! Some were obvious misses - I dislike Mark Lawrence's books, so a linked story was never going to be a hit for me, and there are several linked stories here by authors whose work I don't know - but most of the others also just felt like they were missing something for me. Even the Tamora Pierce story was a disappointment for me, as I was hoping for something a little more like her Tortall or Emelan books.

The stories themselves aren't necessarily bad, so if you're looking for a really varied fantasy anthology, this is definitely worth a try, but I found it lacked cohesion between stories, and just wasn't to my taste.

A really amazing anthology - filled with stories by some of my favourite fantasy writers.

My favourite story was Solomon by Mark Lawrence, which is set in the Broken Empire world. Jorg is being Jorg - as always - but we find the King before us, not the Prince.

However, all the stories had something to say and I enjoyed reading through them. For fans of Dune, I really think you will be delighted with The Imperial Court.

New fantasy voices are always a joy to find - and the story by Saara El-Arifi was a joy.

Honestly, savour every story. From Django Wrexler to Anna Stephens to Anna Smith Spark, the stories are all unique and intriguing in their own ways.

A huge thanks to Grim Oak Press and NetGalley, for the arc of Unbound II compiled by Shawn Speakman in honour of his father, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I discovered Grim Oak Press in 2020 and to my regret did not purchase Unbound, an anthology of short stories that Shawn Speakman compiled in honour of his mother, who died in 2016. When I gained an opportunity to view the advanced copy of Unbound II, nothing and no one was going to prevent me from putting in my request, hopes and prayers to read it.

What a collection of stories from a wide range of authors, established and debut. Each story is new and original and each has its place in this collection. Obviously, I have my own favourite authors and some stories held greater appeal than others but, that is the beauty of this collection and should not be denied.

Having read The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi, I was eager to read The Shadhavar and I was not disappointed, I can definitely say the same for Mark Lawrence’s Solomon. I eagerly anticipated another Jorg outing and he truly delivered, with true Jorg style!

I have always been hesitant about reading Adrian Tchaikovsky but, Sandra and Me had me totally engrossed and I will be stepping further into his work very soon. Other authors I had not previously read, including Kevin Hearne, Anna Stephens, and of course Shawn Speakman’s own heartfelt story will definitely be increasing my book collection.

An impressive collection of talented writers deliver an engaging, thought provoking, imaginative and wondrous collection of short stories, and Shawn Speakman should be proud for putting this brilliant collection together.

I love anthologies like this. I get to enjoy stories by authors I like, like Tamora Pierce,
and try out authors I've heard of as well as authors new to me. Recommended for libraries with strong circulation of fantasy.

I requested this for the stories by Kristen Britain and Tamora Pierce, but stuck around to read the rest of them as well. This was a good and balanced compilation of stories and points of view and I really enjoyed it. If you enjoy any of these authors I would pick up the book, but also keep reading!

As with any anthology, some of the stories in Unbound II resonated with me strongly and others did not. It’s a tall order to try to sample several author’s talents in one tome, and meet every reader’s needs. Happily, I found that the stories that captured me were more abundant than those that did not and Unbound II is host to several very real gems. The strength in this collection is in the title; the authors within are given the opportunity to write what they want to write, no other theme, or constraints beyond space and word count. The stories range from the deepest dyed in the wool fantasy, to playful or dangerous excursions into the unfamiliar, and then on to brief glimpses into the feats of characters from well known series, and again to completely original tales that explore intimate and poignant personal struggles and hard-won victories. I won’t bore anyone with detailed rehashing of specific tales, there are too many, and short stories are best simply experienced without preconception in my opinion. I will say this, if you choose to explore Unbound II, take your time with it. Enjoy a tale or two before bed (or on your lunch break, or wherever you choose to read) most of these are stories that are shared with love and it shows. From the art on the cover to the illustrations within, and the final, deeply personal story in the collection, Unbound II is a wonderful exercise in expression and the joy of imagination.

When I saw NetGalley had this anthology available and Kevin Hearne had a story about Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, I signed up hoped I'd get the Book to review, as you can see I did, and was not disappointed, only to find more authors I will be following up on. I read it slowly to really take in all the various stories and it was an enjoyable experience. Were all fantastic, no, but all were enjoyable and left me something to think about. Well written, quick world building, and good stories. Completely enjoyable.

The title Unbound embraces the authors' freedom in this fantasy anthology to write the short story they truly want to, regardless of theme or subject, so we get Ken Scholes' warm, thoughtful tale of family and mermaids, "Business in Great Waters" up alongside Saara El-Arifi's unsettling African/Arabian-inspired "The Shadhavar." And it works. The variety of stories keeps the flow of the book moving, as the reader wonders what kind of adventure they will be pulled into next.

It's hard to review short stories in an anthology when they take place in an author's pre-existing universe and the reader isn't well-versed in their work -- such was the case with Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson's "Imperial Court," which no doubt would have had a greater impact on me if I was more familiar with Dune. That said, I have been a fan of Kevin Hearne's work for years, with his distinctive, tongue-in-cheek 'voice', so his "Gladys and the Whale," which tells the origin story of side-character Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, was an absolute treat.

In some cases, I wasn't very familiar with an author's work and the short story made me want to read MORE: for example, Mark Lawrence's dip into his Broken Empire universe, which I look forward to revisiting at some point.

The highlights of the anthology though, for me, were the longer pieces, by authors that were completely unknown to me: Moonflower Academy" by Jordan Ross was the real gem, here. In his introduction to the story, Ross says that he wrote it "to honor the magic that happens when we dare to love," and the result is the gorgeous and compelling tale of of a young alchemist seeking redemption for past mistakes, hunting a 'monster' to save her life -- and saving his soul in the bargain.

Honestly, it's a great, varied, group of short stories here. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this anthology.

I requested this book just so I could find out how Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite got her name but I enjoyed most of the stories in the book. There was one clunker that’s I skimmed through but the rest were worth a careful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grim Oak press for this eARC.

I really enjoy anthologies and this one didn’t disappoint. There were some big names here and some I wasn’t so familiar with. One of the main reasons why I love this format is it gives you a taste of the writing style of a variety of authors. At least 4 of these authors I have read their work before but I now have a few more that I plan on trying out!!

Page-turning book of short stories that you will not put down util you have finished it, She stories are action-packed, gripping and entertaining. It is a collection of short stories you will want to have in your library.

I received this ARC from NetGalley.com at no cost and am providing an unbiased review.

Thisis the second book of short stories contributed by several authors in this series, following the success of the Unfettered series Shawn Speakman put out previously. I have been able to read each one Speakman has put out, as the collection of authors are usually some of my favorite writers, versus just some random anthology put out there.

I won't waste a lot of time by writing about each short story, just know that most were entertaining for me. As usual there is one or two that I just couldn't 'get into' but most were well written. I did enjoy Kevin Hearne's 'Ink & Sigil' short, and Django Wexler's addition as well. Overall content is pretty safe - not much in the way of bad language, or other adult situations.