I’ve always found anthologies to be something akin to one of those icebreaker sessions on the first day of school, where everyone gathers ‘round and introduces who they are and shares something interesting about themselves. You get the most minuscule idea of the person as a whole, but hey, they seem pretty cool, that’s my new best friend. Lost Lore: A Fantasy Anthology, superbly written and curated by fifteen indie authors who all participated in SPFBO, with an introduction by Mark Lawrence, is one of those anthologies that contains some precious gems hidden within its pages. While some of the short stories may not have completely resonated with me, I was easily able to find something enjoyable in each and every one of them. Each story is as unique as its author - finding something to pique your interest won’t be difficult whatsoever!

This book was my first real journey into the wonderful world of self-published fantasy, and it introduced me to some truly remarkable authors, whose other works were instantly put on my to-read list. Allowing people to get a taste of their writing styles in short story form is, in my opinion, absolutely brilliant - staring down at fifteen full-length books to pick and choose from can be quite intimidating! Oh, did I mention it’s free?! No excuses, go read it!