I was really looking forward to this anthology, mainly because of the sookie stackhouse story. Perhaps this is why i found myself disappointed. While each story was interesting in its own way, the whole thing felt repetative and a bit dull. I would recommend finding it at your local library.

A collection of short stories by 13 authors featuring vampires and birthdays. The collection is not for everyone, but provides well written stories for people who like this genre of fiction. I had bought the collection earlier, but saved it for my birthday, which just started at midnight.

Like most collections, you will find a variety, and will find some stories that you will like better than others. I particularly liked "It's my birthday, too," by Jim Butcher which had its lighter moments. White magic fights black vampires, with quite a bit of damage as things get in the way. However will you explain things to people? If you try to tell people the truth, they will lock you up in a funny farm.

"Grave Robbed," by P.N. Elrod, is about undead PI Jack Fleming dealing with a fake medium who is victimizing a widow. He has some special investigative skills, such as dematerializing to pass through walls. He does have to work at night.

Some stories are more on the dark side. In "The Wish," by Carolyn Haines, a woman tries to deal with Death, and then tries to thwart Death's plans. The stories are not for the faint at heart, but if you have an interest in tales of vampires, wizards, and goblins, by all means read on.

A collection of short stories by 13 authors featuring vampires and birthdays. The collection is not for everyone, but provides well written stories for people who like this genre of fiction. I had bought the collection earlier, but saved it for my birthday, which just started at midnight.

Like most collections, you will find a variety, and will find some stories that you will like better than others. I particularly liked "It's my birthday, too," by Jim Butcher which had its lighter moments. White magic fights black vampires, with quite a bit of damage as things get in the way. However will you explain things to people? If you try to tell people the truth, they will lock you up in a funny farm.

Most stories are on the dark side. In "The Wish," by Carolyn Haines, a woman tries to deal with Death, and then tries to thwart Death's plans. The stories are not for the faint at heart, but if you have an interest in tales of vampires, wizards, and goblins, by all means read on.

I really enjoyed this book. Especially 'How Stella Got Her Grave Back.' I thought the title was very clever. This book would make a fun birthday present.

Usually books with a number of short stories in them have some big names with great stories and some unknown authors with either surprisingly good or surprisingly bad stories. This was not the case with this book. All of the stories were really good and there was a larger variety of writing styles than I expected given the genre. All of the stories have to deal with vampires and birthdays.

The main reason I read books like this is to get a sampling of some authors I haven't read and get a glimpse into the series that they are writing. This book was a good read and I found a couple new (to me at least) authors to check out from it. Because of this book I will read more of PN Elrod's work, check out the Morganville vampire series, see what else Hallaway and Kelner have written, and possibly check out some of Jeanne Stein's work too. Below is a quick comment/synopsis of each story.

Dracula Night by Charlaine Harris
This story is an addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series and addresses the celebration of Dracula Night by the vampire community. It's a fun read; although there's not a ton of content here.

The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden
The only other book I've read by Christopher Golden is "The Boys are Back in Town"; which I liked pretty well. This story follows a girl as she learns about her unique heritage. I enjoyed it and it was well written and mysterious.

I Was a Teenage Vampire by Bill Crider
This was probably my least favorite story of the anthology. The story was predictable, boring, and seemed quickly and lazily written.

Twilight by Kelley Armstrong
I liked Twilight okay. It was a little boring and moved slowly but it was well-written and dealt with the topic of vampires dying of boredom.

It's My Birthday, Too by Jim Butcher
Fun addition to the Dresden Files series. I enjoyed a story in which Thomas played a main role. I especially enjoyed the role-playing; being a DnD player I thought it was hilarious.

Grave-Robbed by P.N. Elrod
This was my first time reading anything by PN Elrod and I liked it. The main character, Jack Fleming, is a bit campy. Some of it reminded me of Harry Dresden a bit. I enjoyed it and will read more of Elrod's writing.

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Rachel Caine
This was a story that took place in the world of Rachel Caine's young adult vampire series "The Morganville Vampires". This was my favorite story in the book and now I am interested in reading this series. I've read some of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series and that is also a good series.

The Witch and the Wicked by Jeanne C. Stein
This story creeped me out. I believe Stein is the writer of the Signs of the Zodiac series. The writing style wasn't my favorite since it was kind of plain and straight-forward; not as much flare to it as I had hoped. The premise is pretty darn creative and creepy though.

Blood Wrapped by Tanya Huff
This was a nice addition to Henry Fitzroy's world; it was a fun read. It really brought home the fact that I haven't read the last few books in this series yet. I was like, what do you mean Vicki is a vampire?

The Wish by Carolyn Haines
I've never read anything by Carolyn Haines but I did like this story. The story is very sad and yet it is beautifully written and really grabs a hold of you. It is a very beautiful and well-written story, if not as fun as the rest of the book.

Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate Hallaway
I've never read anything by Tate Hallaway before; this was a fun story. I was intrigued by the witch having a demon trapped in her and by the elemental evil forces at work. I could really sympathize with the characters and the cold weather, being from MN myself.

Vampire Hours by Elaine Viets
I really enjoyed this story. I liked that the main character was an older woman dealing with day-to-day issues a lot of women deal with (okay maybe not as extreme as these issues). I liked how the woman cleverly got back at everyone; it was funny and a quick read.

How Stella got her Grave Back by Toni L.P. Kelner
I've never read anything by Toni Kelner, I really liked this story. I liked the idea of vampire dams and I liked the mystery solving that went on in this story. The characters were fun and likable. I really want to know the history between them now.

[...]

Many Bloody Returns is a collection of short stories by multiple writers. The stories are shorter than usual collections offering a buffet of the writing style and characters of each contributor. This gives the reader a choice of whether a particular appetizer is worth going for seconds or not. I would compare it to purchasing a trial size variety pack, where you can decide to purchase a full size item. Standing alone some of the well known authors contributions are short, 20 pages,if unfamiliar with a particular author's characters difficult stand alone.

At first i was very excited to read this book. some of my favourite authors wrote stories in here. but after reading about half of them, i noticed a pattern. None of them felt like they had a complete ending. as for as short stories go, this was horrible! hardly any of them felt like they had any point whatsoever. even my favourite author, KELLEY ARMSTRONG,s "Twilight" seemed to fall short. the vampire Cassandra (those who read her Women of the Underworld books should remember her) goes about trying to force herself into taking a human life, or else hers will surely end. as far as the storyline goes, it seemed promising at first. but then as i read about half the story, i couldnt help being disapointed. there was no real interest in it at all. it turned out to be quite a simple story, with an incomplete ending. this wasnt the only story that seemed really off.
CHARLAINE HARRIS' (while i love her Sookie Stackhouse books) "Dracula Night" was just weird. it was about Eric, the vampire, preparing for Dracula ariving at the annual b-day party they threw in honor of him. Something convinces Eric that Dracula will be attending his party (even though Dracula, apperently, never attends any of the tons and tons of parties various vampires throw in his honour) and is going nuts making everything *just* right. the ending is incredibely dull, and sort of combines the conclusion in one paragraph said by Sookie.
Also, "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" by RACHEL CAINE, the other story i was looking forward to, came up short. focusing on Eve Rosser's 18th birthday (from her Glass Houses series), and the events that unfold from it. it sheds a little light on how Eve came to live at the Glass house with Micheal Glass, but is a pretty pointless and boring story (im sure) for those that haven't read the Glass Houses books.
"The Mournful Cry of Owls" by CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN and "I Was a Teenage Vampire" by BILL CRIDER were probably the most horrible, in my opinion. they were so bad i felt sick at the thought of the wasted paper used to store their short stories. seriously.
There were also various other stories that were a bit wacked, and i couldn't find any of them to be enjoyable. I honestly dont understand why all the positive reviews, and so few negative ones. maybe i missed whatever it was that made this short story collection great, but either way, i would not recomend it, even if you are a fan of some of the authors...

I was really pleased with this collection - there was no truly bad story in it, as the stories range from mediocre to outstanding. In fact, I might seek out books by a couple of authors I have not read before, as I really liked their stories.

the great:
Jim Butcher's "It's My Birthday, Too" where Harry Dresden wants to give Thomas a birthday present; but in the Dresden Files nothing can ever be THAT simple and chaos errupts; this was a really good story, and I think even people not familiar with Butcher's series might like it

Toni L. P. Kelner's "How Stella Got her Grave Back" where two vampires hunt for a human murderer in a small southern town

really really good:
Jeanne C. Stein's "The Witch and the Wicked" where a witch gets the idea of using dead vampire in her face cream as a youth agent; things get even weirder and funnier from there

Kelley Armstrong's "Twilight" where a vampire must face the costs of her immortality

Carolyn Haines "The Wish" where a woman holds a grudge against death.

But as I said, there was not a truly bad story in the bunch. Some new (to me) authors whose books I would like to try as a result of reading their stories are Kelner, Stein, and Elrod.

The paradox of a collection of vampire stories revolving around birthdays is what made me consider buying this, but it was the dedication in this book that convinced me. The authors have dedicated this book to Joss Whedon, a brilliant man whose work has been unequaled in the way it has influenced the genre.

Dracula Night: Think Anita Blake, except that every character is three dimensional and it doesn't leave you feeling dirty afterwards.

The Mournful Cry of Owls: Started off slow, got really good in the middle, and then at the end it became terrible to the point of ridiculousness. The `plot twist' at the end contrived and just plain silly.

I Was a Teenage Vampire: This story was a light and humorous addition to this collection. Think "A Catcher in the Rye" with vampires.

Twilight: Captivating vampire mythology drives the story along through the well-written narration of the main character's thought process.

It's My Birthday, Too: Jim Butcher's story itself is the strongest thus far, offering something for everyone; badass fights, laugh out loud moments, and an honest look into the way men think, without shying away or dwelling on our enormous sex drive.

Grave-Robbed: Though I'm not big on the type of vampires written about here--those that can turn to mist like the old school movies--I thought the way Flemming solved the mystery in this short story was very clever.

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life: A few good moments are bogged down by "my life is an emo song" melodrama.

The Witch and the Wicked: The concept is staggeringly original. A witch decides to get rid of her wrinkles by incorporating the dust of a dead vampire into her skin cream. Wackiness ensues.

Blood Wrapped: Tanya Huff ends this tale wonderfully. Thing is, the build-up to that end was a tad confusing.

The Wish: Finally, a standalone story. Short and sweet.

Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two: Through her main character's witty and quirky narration, Tate Hallaway delivers one of the most enjoyable stories in this volume.

Vampire Hours: An empowering tale about a post-menopausal woman breaking away from the horrible life her cheating, plastic-surgeon husband has fashioned for her.

How Stella Got Her Grave Back: Campy title aside, Toni P. Kelner's story is probably the best this collection has to offer. The birthday theme in this story is stronger than in the others, and it really closes off this collection on a high note.

(For an elaboration on all of these, see the "Comments" section of this review: There, I will give my original review before it had to be edited for word count).

7/10

I bought this simply because of the Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher and Tanya Huff stories that were in it. However, I ended up enjoying almost every other story in it. It caused me to go out and purchase Tate Hallaway's books as well. The Jim Butcher tale was awesome. The Tanya Huff story was cute. It also gave me a new appreciation for Kelley Armstrong, whom I'd previously read but disliked. In general, I don't tend to like short stories, but I absolutely loved this collection and would recommend it to anyone who likes Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Tate Hallway or Tanya Huff.

I bought this simply because of the Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher and Tanya Huff stories that were in it. However, I ended up enjoying almost every other story in it. It caused me to go out and purchase Tate Hallaway's books as well. The Jim Butcher tale was awesome. The Tanya Huff story was cute. It also gave me a new appreciation for Kelley Armstrong, whom I'd previously read but disliked. In general, I don't tend to like short stories, but I absolutely loved this collection and would recommend it to anyone who likes Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Tate Hallway or Tanya Huff.

Many Bloody Returns is an anthology dealing with vampirism and birthdays. It features some of the better known writers in the genre. I found it to be predominately good. There were a couple of stories that were rather so so.

Dracula Night by Charlaine Harris gives us a Sookie Stackhouse story. Sookie and Eric makes for an entertaining story. It was interesting to see another side of Eric.

The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden was different. I'm not sure how this story really ties into vampires. There was just a minor mention of drinking blood. He has a picturesque way with words however, which I appreciated. I love forests and the woods anyway.

I was A Teenage Vampire by Bill Crider was sort of like the B movie the title suggests. A girl turning 18 wants a real vampire at her Halloween party and her brother tries to help her out in exchange for having his homework done for him. The sibling quibbles sound true to life.

Twilight by Kelley Armstrong involves Casandra. I was happy to get a little more background on this character. She's appeared in several of Armstrong's books, but she's been a somewhat enigmatic character. This little short story fleshes her out a bit more. I enjoyed it.

It's My Birthday, Too by Jim Butcher always entertains. Harry tries to deliver a birthday present to his brother, Thomas. As usual for Harry, all hell breaks loose when he gets there. Butcher consistently delivers an entertaining story.

Grave-Robbed by P.N. Elrod involves her vampire character Jack Flemming. I've read a few of the books about him, but when they started going to his maker and the vampire that made her I stopped reading. I enjoyed this story of how Flemming deals with spiritualists in the early part of the last century.

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Rachel Caine deals with the world of her Morganville vampires. I haven't read anything in this series, so I don't have a lot of background. She hit the right notes though with her rebellious teenage character. I found I'd like to know more of what happens to her. I've read other series by Caine, so I guess it's time to pick up this series as well.

The Witch and the Wicked by Jeanne C. Stein is another sort of open ended story. I found I'd like to know where things went after the story ended. A witch caters a birthday party for a vampire. The cake she bakes ends up setting the guest of honor on fire, but is he really dead?

Blood Wrapped by Tanya Huff gives us another Tony and Henry story. I enjoyed the Smoke trilogy. Tony and Henry try to find a kidnapped child. The witness implies that it was a monster. Even as they search for the child they discuss what to get Vicki Nelson for her birthday.

The Wish by Carolyn Haines was a rather surealist story. I had to check back to refresh my memory of it. It seems to deal with a women's fight with death more than vampirism.

Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate Hallaway seems to be something that follows along with some of her books. I haven't read any of her books yet, so I really didn't have all that much background on the characters. The villian of the story was quite unique though. I like how that was handled.

Vampire Hours by Elaine Viets hit the nail on the head with the way older women are treated. I give her kuddos for that.

How Stella Got Her Grave Back by Toni L. Kelner followed along the vampire detective sort of theme. The ending was telegraphed way in the beginning, but it was an interesting journey.

This compilation of stories is amazing! It made me wish that my birthday was in October. In fact, it would make a great birthday gift for anyone who celebrates (or refuses to celebrate!) a birthday. Many Happy Returns!

this was a cool book, some authors i know and some unknown. Nice collection of interesting stories .. some i liked some i did not but hey.. it was fun!
That is what it is all about any how.

I enjoyed most of Many Bloody Returns.

This book is a good way to get a feel for many writers without having to buy a book from each author.

This is an anthology of 13 stories, each containing some sort of supernatural element and birthday theme.

Dracula Night by Charlaine Harris
The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden
I Was a Teenage Vampire by Bill Crider
Twilight by Kelley Armstrong
It's My Birthday, Too by Jim Butcher
Grave-Robbed by P.N. Elrod
The First Day of the Rest of Your Life by Rachel Caine
The Witch and the Wicked by Jeanne C. Stein
Blood Wrapped by Tanya Huff
The Wish by Carolyn Haines
Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two by Tate Hallaway
Vampire Hours by Elaine Viets
How Stella got her Grave Back by Toni L.P. Kelner

I bought this collection of short stories for the tales told by Charlaine Harris and Tate Hallaway as each is part of a their series I read religiously. I had never heard of or read anything by the other 11 authors, but after reading these short stories I will be checking out many of their other books. None of the stories were horrible; in fact almost all were magnificent, leaving only one or two that were just OK. This past week I really didn't have time to read a 'normal' book; this was the perfect book to pick up when I had a few minutes. I found this book wonderfully imaginative and very enjoyable.

**** If you have, like me, always loathed your birthday, whether it's unfortunately placed on the calendar or any other reason, then this is the book for you. A wide range of well known fantasy authors have come together to celebrate how "sucky" birthdays can be. Most of the stories focus on vampires, though one or two do not. Jeanne C Stein's story stands out as one I wish was longer so I could see more where it would go as a witch and a vampire engage in a very unusual partnership. Fans of series will get to visit Morganville, see Sookie Stackhouse take on Dracula, revisit Henry Fitzroy, and catch up with Harry Dresden. Kelly Armstrong provides a story that does not clearly take place in her Women of the Otherworld, but it could. All in all, this is an excellent gift to give yourself or someone who needs an unbirthday present. ****

Amanda Killgore

This assortment of birthday paranormal short stories had me laughing and intrigued and scared, even. I would definitely recommend it to others who enjoy the paranormal fiction genre!

Hated it. Seriously, I wonder if I can take it back? I'm tired of authors using series characters in anthologies and incorporating what happened outside the series into it. I know why they do it but it's annoying, also 3/4's of the stories in it were crap.

I'm tired of being disappointed.

This new anthology from many accredited authors is tremendous! The stories are mostly about vampires celebrating thier birthdays or death-days. Although a few of the stories has the birthday "person" as something else that is otherworldly. Some of the stories coincide with the author's leading series, like Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series or Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. Some of the stories are original works from the author, but don't relate to their leading series, like Jeanne Stein's Anna series, her story follows a witch that isn't involved with Anna whatsoever. No matter the story, all of them are fantastic! If any of your favorites authors are in this book, then you should definitely buy this, even though it's a hardcover, the price is worth it. Even if you've never heard of some of these authors you might find some that you like. I know I already found 1 or 2 considerations!

The reason I bought Many Bloody Returns was because I really like Charlaine Harris novels, and there were other names that I recognized and liked. So to be truthful I haven't read all thirteen. Though I plan too, maybe it was too may paranormal stories to read... one after another each with their own world that stopped me.

I did read Charlaine Harris's and I believed it should have been longer so that I felt a bit cheated, but the one I really liked was Kelly Armstrong's which surprised me because although I like her books I am not a major fan. I liked Rachel Cain's as well, and the rest I still have to read.

So while it may take me while to finish there are thirteen different authors that might be some new find for me as I haven't read half of these authors works before. All in all I believe it was worth the twenty plus dollars I spent.

This anthology features some of the superstars of the paranormal genre writing about their most popular characters - Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse), Jim Butcher (Harry Dresden), Kelley Armstrong (Cassandra du Charme from the women of the Otherworld universe), PN Elrod (Jack Fleming), Tanya Huff (Tony and Henry Fitzroy), and Rachel Caine (Eve Rosser from the Morganville Vampires books) - along with some other fairly recognizable authors such as Christopher Golden and Jeanne Stein. It was the superstars who made this anthology worth buying. Their stories were, with the exception of Ms. Harris' contribution (which seemed quickly thrown together and unsatisfying), well crafted and engrossing, providing deeper insight into the characters which will make reading future installments of their series even more enjoyable. Some of the other stories left me cold (such as The Mournful Cry of Owls) and others, like Jeanne Stein's "The Witch and the Wicked" were so interesting and original I will definitely be looking at the author's other works.

All anthologies have their weak moments but this one has less than usual due to the high caliber of the contributors, with a good 2/3 of the stories being excellent or better. It's a must read for devoted fans of any of the series included.

These thirteen new vampire tales focus on the theme of birthdays (and many happy returns). Although the theme is incredibly narrow and restrictive, the contributors provide fresh interesting tales with no losers and star some of the more famous series characters; this the collection serves as a great introduction (albeit limited) to heroes of the supernatural. The most innovative entry is "Twilight" by Kelley Armstrong in which she insists a vampire's birthday is the day they convert as that is a rebirthing. The rest of the stories make for a fun compilation with the lively authors being superstars in the undead realm such as Jim Butcher (with Harry), P.N. Elrod (with Fleming), and Charlaine Harris (with Sookie), etc. Still singing happy birthday thirteen times even too many series favorites can become a bit long in the tooth and difficult to blow out the zillion candles for some of the recipients; this reviewer suggests leisurely enjoying the anthology over a few weeks.

Harriet Klausner