Tales of Music

It is no stretch of imagination to say that the world could not thrive without music. It’s what keeps the people going, that soulful artform that knows exactly what mood to hit or what itch to scratch. Without music, we would probably be aimlessly wandering in some mundane lives. There would just be something lacking to the world. So it was a joy to pick up an anthology that focuses its collection on the theme of music and how it can affect the world around us.

Recently, I purchased a copy of Tales from the Guild: Music to your Ears, a furry anthology featuring eight short stories around the topic of music. Now, to those who don’t know what Furry Literature is, it is essentially fiction featuring anthropomorphic animals (AKA Humanized Animals). I won’t lie, the furry writing community has not been something I have been following for awhile, though I have been a silent observer writing poetry in my little corner of this particular world. Tales from the Guild is an anthology put out by the Furry Writers Guild, a guild that seeks to “support, inform, elevate, and promote quality writing and writers of anthropomorphic fiction.” They help several furry writers with publishing opportunities and advice for writing, and are a wonderful resource that authors of furry fiction should look into.

I suppose one should say that you could really feel the music in this collection. Although each piece went off in its own direction with the theme, there was a unity in the collection that made the experience rather enjoyable. Anthologies are difficult to manage as you have maintain the ethos of the collection, but I found no issues here. Transition between the works was well managed, and the selections were very well written and memorable. Which isn’t something I come across too often in anthologies. Usually I find a few good stories or poems and forget the rest, but with Tales I felt that every story had a good amount of value to the collection. There were no placeholders.

Tales from the Guild is an excellent introduction to the world of furry writing, one I would highly recommend. Having knowing a little bit about the community, I found this book to be inviting and fun, and I’m sure other readers are likely to get the same experience out of it. You can purchase a copy of this collection through Rabbit Valley, which also shelves a Weasel Press title. If you’re interested in learning more about writers of furry fiction or to get a good introduction of that world, visit the Furry Writers Guild!