Unfettered II: New Tales
Gunnie Rose #0.0 - The Gunnie
by Shawn Speakman, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Michael J. Sullivan, Janny Wurts, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Mark Lawrence, Seanan McGuire, Peter Orullian, Aidan Moher, Erin Lindsey, John A. Pitts, Anthony Ryan, Scott Sigler, Django Wexler, Rachel Caine, Sarah Beth Durst, David Farland, Terry Brooks
Why You'll Love This
Twenty-one of fantasy's heaviest hitters donated original work to this anthology — and every dollar goes toward cancer research and medical debt relief.
- Great if you want: original stories from Sanderson, Butcher, Novik, and Brooks in one volume
- The experience: varied pacing — epic, intimate, and darkly comic tales back to back
- The writing: each author brings their own voice — no house style, genuine stylistic range
- Skip if: anthology inconsistency frustrates you — quality shifts between contributors
About This Book
Every story in this anthology exists for a reason beyond the page. Editor Shawn Speakman assembled twenty-one original works from some of fantasy's most distinctive voices—Brandon Sanderson, Jim Butcher, Terry Brooks, Naomi Novik, Mark Lawrence, and many others—not as a commercial exercise but as an act of purpose, with all proceeds directed toward eliminating medical debt for fellow authors and funding cancer research. That backstory doesn't just add meaning; it charges the entire reading experience with a kind of urgency and generosity that most collections simply don't carry.
What sets Unfettered II apart as a reading experience is the creative latitude each contributor was given. Freed from series obligations and editorial formulas, these writers delivered work that feels exploratory and personal—side stories from beloved worlds, experiments in tone, quieter character studies that longer novels rarely have room for. The result is 584 pages that shift register constantly, keeping readers alert and rewarded across every section. Contributors like Janny Wurts, Seanan McGuire, and Anthony Ryan bring genuinely different sensibilities to the table, making this feel less like a themed collection and more like a conversation between writers at the height of their craft.