Ellora's Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis Volume IV

By: Anya Bast,Charlotte Boyett-Compo, Lena Matthews, Kris Starr, N.J. Walters & Ravyn Wilde

Ellora's Cave, 2006

Reviewed By:: Elise Logan

I love these anthologies – if for no other reason than they introduce you to a number of authors you might not otherwise read. In this collection, the stories run from fantasy to contemporary; from paranormal to the guy next door. The stories are very strong individually, with Anya Bast's Getting Slayed and N.J. Walters' Shadows Stir being the strongest offerings.

Getting Slayed by Anya Bast

Bast's contribution is one of the most entertaining stories I've read in a long while. It's a definite twist on the “hero slays dragon to win the princess” fairy tale, and it is by turns hilarious and hot.

Sting of the Wind by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Charlotte Boyett-Compo offers a different vision of vampire romance. The heroine is older than most romantic heroines, but that makes her more interesting. This story introduces a second male into an existing couple's relationship, but the focus is really more on the existing relationship. The story is lovely and touching, which is what makes it such a good read.

Temperature Rising by Lena Matthews

Lena Matthews tells the story of a man interested in his best friend's sister. The object of his affection has him, unknowing, in her sights. This story has a lot to offer, although there are a few very predictable clichés that crop up. These don't prevent this interracial romance from being a fun read, however.

Virtuosity by Kris Starr

Kris Starr gives us a nice story about a young widow trying to move past her loss. She creates a computer simulation to ease some of her frustration and help her move on with her life. It works better than she had hoped, which poses something of a problem. Now she is falling for the simulation. It's a different take on the Pygmalion myth, and an enjoyable story.

Shadows Stir by N.J. Walters

N.J. Walters introduces an exciting new world of Shadow Warriors in Shadows Stir . I can only hope that this short story is the first in a new series, because this story was fantastic. The characters, the plot, the dialogue were all dead-on. This is a precious gem of a story – to be enjoyed and treasured and looked at over and over again.

Passionflower by Ravyn Wilde

Finally, the last story in the anthology is a sci-fi short from Ravyn Wilde. It was, in my opinion, the weakest offering of the anthology. The basic idea is interesting, but the execution could have been better – there are a number of issues left unresolved, and while the heroine is interesting, the hero is essentially flat. I suspect the problem is not that this story is less than stellar, but rather that the other offerings in the anthology are so strong that even this intriguing story suffers in comparison.