Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Naked City

By: Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Bear, Holly Black, Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, John Crowley, Jeffrey Ford, Ellen Datlow - editor
Narrated by: Eliza Foss, Nicola Barber, Richard Topol
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.74

Buy for $24.74

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In this thrilling collection of original stories, some of today’s hottest paranormal authors delight, thrill and captivate readers with otherworldly tales of magic and mischief.

In Jim Butcher’s ”Curses”, Harry Dresden investigates how to lift a curse laid by the Fair Folk on the Chicago Cubs. In Patricia Briggs’ “Fairy Gifts,” a vampire is called home by magic to save the Fae who freed him from a dark curse. In Melissa Marr’s “Guns for the Dead,” the newly dead Frankie Lee seeks a job in the afterlife on the wrong side of the law. In Holly Black’s “Noble Rot,” a dying rock star discovers that the young woman who brings him food every day has some strange appetites of her own.

Featuring original stories from 20 authors, this dark, captivating, fabulous and fantastical collection is sure to have readers coming back for more.

The complete list of authors includes: Ellen Datlow (editor), Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Bear, Holly Black, Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, John Crowley, Jeffrey Ford, Christopher Fowler, and Caitlin R. Kiernan.

©2011 Ellen Datlow (P)2011 Macmillan Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Naked City

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    157
  • 4 Stars
    122
  • 3 Stars
    115
  • 2 Stars
    38
  • 1 Stars
    23
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    174
  • 4 Stars
    115
  • 3 Stars
    77
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    125
  • 4 Stars
    112
  • 3 Stars
    106
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    20

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I truly enjoy this book from start to finish!

short stories were very well written! each one kept you on the edge of your seat!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Horrible

It wasn't short stories it was mostly unfinished stories don't waste a credit most of the story hardly made any sense

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

There was just one issue with this book when you're listening to the last story on end of book 1 it cuts off and starts a new story on book 2 you never know what happens to the end of the story and it never pick up again, I hate that part, but ... overall this book with it's variety of stories are wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mostly Enjoyable

Groups of short stories are always a bit of a roll of the dice. A majority of the stories are good with a few by the big name authors really good. There are a few that just seemed unfinished. Over all I enjoyed this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good, but not all urban fantasy

If I were to review this book purely by the quality of the stories, I would give it 5 stars. All of the stories (with the possible expection of "On the Slide", which was so obvious that I wondered what the point of staying until the end) were well- written, many moving and thoughtful. As a reader with two advanced English degrees, I loved the word-craft. However, this book has a big problem: it's supposed to be collection of urban fantasy, but a full third of those included are not urban fantasy.

Some, like "Picking Up the Pieces" would be better catagorized as magical realism, while "Weston Walks" and "Duke of Riverside" lack any fantasy or magical element at all. "Projected Girl" at least leaves us with the thought that something truly magical happened, though I would still say it's not really urban fantasy. The definition of fantasy in this context requires the inclusion of mythological creatures/beings and/or Harry Potter magic; not merely 'fantastical' in the sense that the events are uncommon. Therefore, this collection fails to be a true collection of urban fantasy, and as such, was a disappointment.

That said, there were some great examples of urban fantasy. "Curses" and "Priced to Sell" were delightful rides. "Noble Rot" and "Fairy Gifts" were sweet and had nice twists. "Bricks for Gelecek" and "Colliers' Vensus" (nice works of literary fiction) were thought-provoking.

All in all, it was a good book, but not entirely urban fantasy. And for that reason, I can only give it 3 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Some good and some bad

There are some decent and some stories I would not recommend due to they are not my style

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mixed Review

Performance was excellent.
But like many anthologies the content varied between excellent and not so good.
A great way to sample writers you may not have experienced before.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

inconsistent quality of writing and narration.

A completely mixed bag. The great writers were predictably great and some of the unknowns were pleasant surprises but many were, while perhaps not terrible, stiff, lacking compelling characters and dull.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mostly Great

Most of the stories were good and a few were amazing. Only one or two I genuinely disliked.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stories and storytellers

I really enjoyed this listen. All of the narrators were great. And I enjoyed all of the stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!