First published 2015
This collection gathers twelve works that earned places on the 2015 Hugo Awards extended nominee list but fell short of the final five selections. Nine short stories and three novelettes span diverse voices and visions. T. Kingfisher explores cursed speech in "Toad Words." Eugie Foster captures a relationship's final moments in "When It Ends, He Catches Her." Amal El-Mohtar reveals hidden truths about nocturnal hunters. Elizabeth Bear contributes two pieces: "Covenant" and "This Chance Planet." Rachael K. Jones bends time around her protagonist Makeisha. Usman T. Malik examines a Pakistani family's strange disappearance. Aliette de Bodard breathes life into war's aftermath. Max Gladstone gives teeth to romance in his vampire tale. The novelettes include Sam J. Miller's "We Are the Cloud," Tom Crosshill's "The Magician and LaPlace's Demon," and Xia Jia's "Spring Festival," translated by Ken Liu. Award-winning narrators bring these overlooked gems to wider attention. Each story earned recognition from the science fiction community but missed the spotlight of final nomination.
Genres: short-stories, science-fiction, anthologies, fantasy
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, hidden-truths
Period: 2015
Audio CD · Blackstone Audiobooks