E.J. Stevens is the author of the SPIRIT GUIDE young adult paranormal series, the HUNTERS' GUILD urban fantasy series, and the bestselling IVY GRANGER urban fantasy series.
This anthology is worth reading for Jim Butcher's Curses, Ellen Kushner's Duke of Riverside, Patricia Briggs' Fairy Gifts, and Melissa Marr's Guns for the Dead.
Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy begins strong with a Dresden Files short story, but readers should be forewarned that many of the short stories in this collection are not what most people would consider Urban Fantasy. This does not make the collection bad. There are fantasy and horror elements in many of the stories, just not the combination of paranormals and a kick-ass hero or heroine in an urban environment that is often synonymous with the genre.
Anthologies are difficult to rate, but I give this 3.5 stars for the chance to read the previously mentioned stories as well as the opportunity to try out some new-to-me authors.