Laksa Anthology: Speculative Fiction Books

Recommended by Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Locus, Foreword Reviews and Quill & Quire. There's a delicate balance between mental health and mental illness . . . Who are the STRANGERS AMONG US? We are your fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and lovers. We staff your stores, cross your streets, and study in your schools, invisible among you. We are your outcasts and underdogs, and often, your unsung heroes. Nineteen science fiction and fantasy authors tackle the division between mental health and mental illness; how the interplay between our minds' quirks and the diverse societies and cultures we live in can set us apart, or must be concealed, or become unlikely strengths. We find troubles with Irish fay, a North Korean cosmonaut's fear of flying, an aging maid dealing with politics of revenge, a mute boy and an army of darkness, a sister reaching out at the edge of a black hole, the dog and the sleepwalker, and many more. After all, what harm can be done… AUTHORS: Kelley Armstrong, Suzanne Church, A.M. Dellamonica, Gemma Files, James Alan Gardner, Bev Geddes, Erika Holt, Tyler Keevil, Rich Larson, Derwin Mak, Mahtab Narsimhan, Sherry Peters, Ursula Pflug, Robert Runté, Lorina Stephens, Amanda Sun, Hayden Trenholm, Edward Willett, A.C. Wise Introduction by Julie E. Czerneda Praise for Strangers Among Us "Strangers Among Us . . . is important, shining a much-needed spotlight on issues that get far too little attention. A wonderful anthology, one of the major SF&F books of the year. Bravo!" -- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Quantum Night "The stories in Strangers Among Us are as varied in tone and approach as their authors. The power of the collection derives from this variety; while each story can be read in isolation, the assemblage of outsiders feels, on a whole, exultant. There is, indeed, strength in numbers, when each individual is accorded space and respect." --Quill & Quire ". . . The 19 stories collected here tackle the idea of people who are other, even to themselves, as a result of mental health issues. The authors, all Canadians, take different approaches, some addressing the concept straight on, some exploring it slantwise, with characters whose differences created challenges or granted fresh insights. The excellent opener, Kelley Armstrong's "The Culling," concocts a dark, resource-starved future in which those who are deemed too unusual are culled from society. In Tyler Keevil's "The Weeds and the Wildness," a man in the grip of extreme paranoia believes malevolent gardeners are stalking his neighbors. And "The Dog and the Sleepwalker" by James Alan Gardner has a hero named "Dog" whose difference might save an entire spaceship's crew. -VERDICT Mental illness is an exciting theme for an anthology, leaving plenty of room for variety. The volume also includes an appendix of mental health resources." -- Library Journal Recommended as one of the "August 2016 Science Fiction and Fantasy Book You'll Want to Read" by Kirkus Reviews. "The writers of these stories address such varied subjects as agoraphobia, depression, schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, and addiction . . . readers who have mental illnesses may find themselves somewhere in these pages and as a result may no longer feel so alone or isolated." -- School Library Journal *2017 Alberta Book Publishing Awards winner (Speculative Fiction Book of the Year) *2017 Aurora Awards winner (Canadian SF&F-- Best Related Work) *2016 Foreword INDIES Finalist (Anthologies) The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 (ed. by John Joseph Adams & Charles Yu): one honorable mention The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection (ed. by Gardner Dozois): six honorable mentions Wilde Stories 2017: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction (edited by Steve Berman): one story selected

Recommended by Publishers Weekly The greatest gift to us is caring. What would the world be like without someone to care for or to care with? Would love survive if we don't care? From the world of twenty-three science fiction and fantasy authors comes a world that can be funny, heartwarming, strange, or sad. Or not what we expect. How can a henchman keep up with a mischievous retired supervillain? Can a dog help a hockey player score again? Will an odd couple with a zany sense of adventure and diminished capabilities survive an earthquake? Where does a stray cat go to find love every night? What secret does a pious monk have with a cargo of sleeping human? Will terrorism in space take out a young apprentice and a blind welder? What does an oracle tell a lover about her final days? Can a "heart of gold" prevent a soldier from crossing the enemy line with the governor's children? These, and many more. 2018 (Canadian SF&F) Aurora Award Winner (Best Anthology/Related Work) 2018 Alberta Book Publishing Award Finalist (Best Speculative Fiction Book) One story selected for Best of British Science Fiction 2017 (ed. by Donna Scott, Aug 2018) One story selected for Best Indie Speculative Fiction, Vol. 1 (Bards & Sages Publishing, Nov 2018) Five stories on Tangent Online Recommended Reading List 2017 One story - 2018 (Canadian SF&F) Aurora Award Short Fiction Winner One story - 2018 WSFA Small Press Award Finalist One story nominated - 2018 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic Short Fiction Shortlist Three stories nominated - 2018 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic Short Fiction Longlist AUTHORS: Colleen Anderson, Charlotte Ashley, Brenda Cooper, Ian Creasey, A.M. Dellamonica, Bev Geddes, Claire Humphrey, Sandra Kasturi, Tyler Keevil, Juliet Marillier, Matt Moore, Heather Osborne, Nisi Shawl, Alex Shvartsman, Kate Story, Karina Sumner-Smith, Amanda Sun, Hayden Trenholm, James Van Pelt, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, Edward Willett, Christie Yant, and Caroline M. Yoachim Introduction by Dominik Parisien Edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law Anthologies in this series ( Strangers Among Us, The Sum of Us, Where the Stars Rise , Shades Within Us ) have been recommended by Publishers Weekly, Booklist (American Library Association), Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Locus, Foreword Reviews, and Quill & Quire. PRAISE FOR THE SUM OF US "A strong collection . . . make it worth reading." - Publishers Weekly "So definitely consider buying a copy, if not for yourself, then for someone who is serving as a caretaker. Hopefully the stories can serve as comfort to them. At the very least, it should make us all appreciate caretakers for all they do." - Lightspeed Magazine "One of the better ones, with no 'howlers' and several thought provoking page-turners." -Tangent

ALL EMOTIONS ARE UNIVERSAL. WE LIVE, WE DREAM, WE STRIVE, WE DIE . . . Follow twenty-three science fiction and fantasy authors on their journeys through Asia and beyond. Stories that explore magic and science. Stories about love, revenge, and choices. Stories that challenge ideas about race, belonging, and politics. Stories about where we come from and where we are going. Each wrestling between ghostly pasts and uncertain future. Each trying to find a voice in history. Orphans and drug-smuggling in deep space. Mechanical arms in steampunk Vancouver. Djinns and espionage in futuristic Istanbul. Humanoid robot in steamy Kerala. Monsters in the jungles of Cebu. Historic time travel in Gyeongbok Palace. A rocket launch in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. A drunken ghost in Song Dynasty China. A displaced refugee skating on an ice planet. And much more. Embrace them as you take on their journeys. And don't look back . . . AUTHORS: Anne Carly Abad, Deepak Bharathan, Joyce Chng, Miki Dare, S.B. Divya, Pamela Q. Fernandes, Calvin D. Jim, Minsoo Kang, Fonda Lee, Gabriela Lee, Karin Lowachee, Rati Mehrotra, E.C. Myers, Tony Pi, Angela Yuriko Smith, Priya Sridhar, Amanda Sun, Naru Dames Sundar, Jeremy Szal, Regina Kanyu Wang (translated by Shaoyan Hu), Diana Xin, Melissa Yuan-Innes, Ruhan Zhao. Introduction by Elsie Chapman Edited by Lucas K. Law and Derwin Mak Praise for WHERE THE STARS RISE " A wealth of stories running the gamut from poignant to mindblowing, rewarding journeys both faraway and familiar." -- Aliette de Bodard, Nebula Award-winning author of Dominion of the Fallen saga " Where the Stars Rise is a hell of a lot of fun. Greatwriters, magnificent storytelling, and worlds I wanted to spend a lotmore time in--no matter how dangerous they were. I had a blast reading it." -- Rob Boffard , author of the Outer Earth series ( Tracer, Zero-G, Impact)

Recommended by Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Locus, and Foreword Reviews . Journey with twenty-one speculative fiction authors through the fractured borders of human migration to examine assumptions and catch a glimpse of the dreams, struggles, and triumphs of those who choose or are forced to leave home and familiar places. WHO ARE THE SHADES WITHIN US? An American father shields his son from Irish discrimination. A Chinese foreign student wrestles to safeguard her family at the expense of her soul. A college graduate is displaced by technology. A Nigerian high school student chooses between revenge and redemption. A bureaucrat parses the mystery of Taiwanese time travellers. A defeated alien struggles to assimilate into human culture. A Czechoslovakian actress confronts the German WWII invasion. A child crosses an invisible border wall. And many more. Stories that transcend borders, generations, and cultures. Each is a glimpse into our human need in face of change: to hold fast to home, to tradition, to family; and yet to reach out, to strive for a better life. Featuring Original Stories by Vanessa Cardui, Elsie Chapman, Kate Heartfield, S.L. Huang, Tyler Keevil, Matthew Kressel, Rich Larson, Tonya Liburd, Karin Lowachee, Seanan McGuire, Brent Nichols, Julie Nováková, Heather Osborne, Sarah Raughley, Alex Shvartsman, Amanda Sun, Jeremy Szal, Hayden Trenholm, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, Christie Yant & Alvaro Zinos-Amaro With An Introduction by Eric Choi & Gillian Clinton Edited by Susan Forest & Lucas K. Law The anthologies in this series ( Strangers Among Us, The Sum of Us, Where the Stars Rise, Shades Within Us) have been recommended by Publishers Weekly, Booklist (American Library Association), Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Locus, Foreword Reviews, and Quill & Quire . Praise for Shades Within Us "Addresses issues surrounding migration and borders at a very poignant moment in history . . . despite being speculative, many of these stories read like they were ripped from present-day headlines . . . this collection do a great job of asking readers not only to reflect on their own lives but also to consider the lives of others." -- Booklist "An engaging collection of poignant travel through time and space. Highly recommended for its breadth of stories that look at having to leave home-or discover it." -- Library Journal "An intriguing addition to short story collections." -- School Library Journal "With each story, the authors expand their settings and reality into a universe of broader potential to make sense of the tensions that plague the twenty-first century. Even as they represent foreign existences, the problems remain the same--family, love, belonging, identity, survival . . . take a fresh approach to their subjects and conjure terrifying futures brought on by climate change, greed, and corruption of power. Political and daring, this collection adds to the future imagined by Philip K. Dick, George Orwell, Margaret Atwood, and Aldous Huxley." -- Foreword Reviews " Shades Within Us is a timely collection that invites us to ask whether we still do (or still should) live in a space of national borders and national definitions of identity. It invites us to use our speculative imagination to think through new ways of understanding selfhood in relation to the borders, boxes, and categories that are placed around us." -- Speculating Canada (Derek Newman-Stille)

What is a life well-lived? How should life be lived? What kind of stories will you leave behind? Recommended by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Foreword Reviews (starred review) Travel with twenty-three speculative fiction authors through the seasons of life to capture the memories, identities, and moments of stepping through the portal of change, as they cope with their own journeys of growing older. From the moment of birth, through each threshold of our lives, to the moment we take our last breath, we age. Some of us leap into a hopeful future, some cling to the knowns of our former selves, some wander obliviously through the minefields and poppies of change. Something is lost, something is gained in each season. Things forgotten, things remembered. A child redefines identity and belonging in post-Soviet Hungary. A girl blossoming to adult awareness exchanges life for death in rural Canada. A college student chooses between the magic of ancient spirits and the magic of daily happiness in modern Japan. In futuristic India, a mother finds joy in the balance between family and career. Under the Andalusian sun, a mathematician consults his older self in affairs of love. In alternate Tanzania, a husband and wife discover wisdom in memory loss. A robot eases an old man's grief, and a grandmother opens her heart when she listens to her child. And many more hopeful stories. Featuring Original Stories by Maurice Broaddus, Vanessa Cardui, C.J. Cheung, Joyce Chng, Eric Choi, S.B. Divya, Alan Dean Foster, Bev Geddes, Maria Haskins, Tyler Keevil, Rich Larson, Karin Lowachee, Brent Nichols, Heather Osborne, Y.M. Pang, Karina Sumner-Smith, Amanda Sun, Patrick Swenson, Bogi Takács, Hayden Trenholm, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, Jane Yolen, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro. With an Introduction by Candas Jane Dorsey Edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law The anthologies in this award-winning series ( Strangers Among Us, The Sum of Us, Where the Stars Rise, Shades Within Us) have been recommended by Publishers Weekly, Booklist (American Library Association), Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Locus, Foreword Reviews, and Quill & Quire . Advance Praise for Seasons Between Us "Featuring a diverse range of protagonists and a wide variety of genre and voice, this anthology nevertheless forms a cohesive whole, united by deep thought, emotional truth, and a hopeful tone. Speculative fiction fans will find it well worth searching out." - Publishers Weekly "VERDICT: This collection is at turns haunting, yearning, and hopeful. An excellent volume of varied voices, both familiar and new." - Library Journal "Through soft and hard science fiction, magical realism, folklore, horror, high fantasy, and alternate history, the 20 stories and two poems tackle aging, loss, change, and adaptation. Like the authors and characters, the settings are diverse... Fans of speculative fiction are well served." -Kirkus Reviews "The dazzling speculative fiction anthology Seasons Between Us features a range of distinct and powerful voices. By stretching the boundaries of what is and what might be, the stories in Seasons Between Us are compelling in addressing choice, identity, and meaning." - Foreword Reviews (starred review)