Paranormal Payback
by Jim Butcher and Kerrie L. Hughes
DETAILS:
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 352 pg.
Read Date: April 1-8, 2026
What’s Paranormal Payback?
This is a collection of twelve Urban Fantasy short stories revolving around the idea of revenge.
I’m not sure what else to say, honestly—after a pair of great introductions by the editors (I mean, really—can we get a collection of essays from Butcher?), we dive in with a Goodman Gray story by Jim Butcher. And boy—did I have fun with that. I don’t want to distract Butcher from The Cinder Spires or The Dresden Files, but man, I’d love a handful of novels featuring this character.
From there, we get stories of witches (of several varieties), ghosts, vampires, ghosts and witches, talking donkeys, and more.
So, what did I think about Paranormal Payback?
Without going into each story—which I briefly considered—it’s hard to really talk about this book in any sort of depth.
This is the second collection from these editors that featured a story from R.R. Virdi’s The Grave Report series—and now I know that I need to read more. I’m curious enough to track down Isla Jewell’s romcom series. Tanya Huff, Faith Hunter, Jennifer Blackstream, and Kevin Hearne all brought their A-game.
The only story that didn’t work for me was from Kim Harrison. But that’s just me—most readers will be fine with it. It’s a prologue to a story arc from her Hollows series that I utterly didn’t care of (and frankly was annoyed by more than I was left ambivalent), so it was almost impossible for her to entertain me with. I did understand that motive for the revenge story here—and found it amusing—but that was it.
But Maurice Broaddus’ “Black Bond” was the star of this batch. You’ve got a tale of friendship, social commentary (sadly needed), and ghosts. There’s some fun to it—and plenty that’s not fun. I want to keep talking about it, but I don’t want to ruin it for you.
Not a disappointment in the bunch (unless you go in with a prejudice like I did). Urban Fantasy readers are sure to have a good time—especially if you’re a fan of the authors/series involved. If not? You may find a new author or series or three to follow.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post, which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.
This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
