Fans of historical fiction will want to read “The Ring,” an anthology of short stories that stretches from 44 BCE to present day. The one detail that links them all is a gold ring that brings its wearer luck — good and bad. Created over 2000 years ago in Rome, the ring was inscribed with the name and symbol of Fortuna, the capricious goddess of fate.
All profits from the book’s sale will benefit The Reading Agency, a UK-based charity that “inspires social and personal change through the proven power of reading.” In keeping with that mission, “The Ring” is dedicated to librarians.
Follow Fortuna’s journey with those who wear the ring in different parts of the world via the anthology’s ten interconnected stories, which makes for an interesting read.
Alistair Forrest’s “The Wheel of Fortune” starts the series with a Roman patrician in 44 BCE. In other stories, a knight removes the ring from the enemy he killed. A soldier gives his ring to a child during the Thirty Years War.
Here’s a bit from Graham Brack’s “A Matter of Balance,” set in 1386 in England, that hints at what might happen to the ring William is wearing. William slid the ring off once more. It came off easily because William had slender fingers. “Damsel’s fingers,” his father used to say. “Good for embroidery perhaps but nought else.”
The ring moves here and there until a jeweler brings it with him when he emigrates to New York City in 1872 — in Robert Bordas’s story, “The Bequest.” The man who pawned it never came back. He claimed the ring had magical power, bringing luck to its deserving owner but destroying those who are not worthy.
Of course, my interest in reading and reviewing this anthology increased when I learned Val Penny contributed a story using characters from her Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, including one of my favorites, D.I. Hunter Wilson.
I am eagerly waiting for Val to release her next book in that series, so I was happy to read about Hunter’s connection to Fortuna. He and Meera Sharma are visiting New York City, an engagement trip financed by a very wealthy person, when the ring enters his life. I am not going to spoil what happens but “Hunter’s Luck” is a fine conclusion to Fortuna’s stories in this anthology.
Contributors for this anthology are: Alistair Forrest, Fiona Forsyth, Jacquie Rogers, Alistair Tosh, Graham Brack, Eleanor Swift-Hook, Mark Turnbull, Maggie Richell-Davies, Robert Bordas and Val Penny.
Here are the links to buy “The Ring” on paperback and Kindle.
US readers: https://www.amazon.com/Ring-anthology-historical-short-stories-ebook/dp/B0F3DV7BPG
UK readers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-anthology-historical-short-stories-ebook/dp/B0F3DV7BPG
This review is part of the Reading Between the Lines blog tour. No compensation was given for this review.
