My motivation for reading this was the title story, To Hold The Bridge. I'm rereading the series but wanted to do it chronologically. This was a nice little story that gives some background to the lore of the world of the Abhorsen series. I don't think you need to read it to enjoy the main trilogy (or Clariel), but if you are a big fan of the world, then I think it's worth adding to the larger picture. What I would really love is an Old World shorts collection - I know there are a couple other shorts out there that aren't published in books, plus there's another story in Across the Wall; it would be nice to have them all in one volume.

Anyway, this is a decent collection. There were some stories I really loved, others that were fine, and a couple that I just didn't gel with, mostly for "being unable to properly visualize the world or understand the terms reasons." There were none that I deeply disliked, though I will say the sci-fi group of stories were the ones I connected with the least. For me, Nix's strong suit lays more towards fantasy.

Some faves:
Vampire Weather - an interesting look at modern vampires paired with a community who scorns technology and modernity
Old Friends - elder beings (gods, even?) living in our modern world, but waging a war across time; it was a little melancholy, but the ending gives hope
A Handful of Ashes - witches who must also work as servants in a magical boarding school (there are more schools for wizards than witches, so their opportunities are even more rare) discover a plot to bring back some old ways that could bring doom to the school; wow I really loved this and feel it could easily be a novella, if not a full-length novel. I was interested in the magic system and types of magic and I just want more!
Infestation - another twist on vampires, but with a dash of sci-fi; here's another one I'd love to read more of. I liked the main character and once he reveals what's going on with the vampires, I was interested in learning more about the history of how they came to be on Earth and this particular hunter's travels.
Holly and Iron - a gender-bent, extra-magical take on The Sword in the Stone; I appreciated how different types of magic were woven into this story and the main character's family
...Moondawn Daffodils Murder - a mini murder mystery case to be solved by the cousin of Sherlock Holmes and one "almost doctor" sidekick; this brings an occult twist to Sherlock's realm and I really wanted to know more about the cousin, Magnus. Again, I need more!
An Unwelcome Guest - a lighthearted, humorous look at Rapunzel where the witch isn't the villain; this was cute and creative and once again, I'd love to spend more time in this world.
A Sidekick of Mars - Snippets from the adventures of John Carter of Mars, but told by the unmentioned Lam Jones; I don't know jack about John Carter - I vaguely remember a movie preview and I don't plan to read the books. But honestly, I would read a whole book from Lam's perspective. I might have looked up the synopsis for the first book way back in the day and decided Carter wasn't someone I cared to read about and I feel like Lam confirmed that with his tale of their initial meeting. I liked the old west vibes and Lam's down to earth (LOL) perspective. I also appreciated how this tale ended. ( )