Strangers Among Us: Tales of the Underdogs and Outcasts (Laksa Anthology Series: Speculative Fiction) - Hardcover

Armstrong, Kelley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 099396964X ISBN 13: 9780993969645

Publisher: Laksa Media Groups Inc., 2016

Synopsis

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

Edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law

Foreword by Lucas K. Law

Afterword by Susan Forest

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 writing is excellent throughout, and even the few not-as-strong stories make for a good read. This is a unique collection that should attract readers of all genres.

--Foreword Reviews

"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

"VERDICT: Mental illness is an exciting theme for an anthology, leaving plenty of room for variety"

-- Library Journal

The anthology is recommended in Kirkus Reviews as one of "The August 2016 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books You'll Want to Read."

"Though this book has some shortcomings, 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

Awards and Honorable Mentions

2017 Alberta Book Publishing Awards Winner (Speculative Fiction Book of the Year)

2017 Aurora Awards Winner (Best Related Work)

2017 Aurora Awards Winner (Best Short Fiction) and 3 other Best Short Fiction finalists

2017 Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic (Short Story category): one short story finalist

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 (edited by John Joseph Adams and Charles Yu): one honorable mention

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection (edited by Gardner Dozois): six honorable mentions

2016 Foreword INDIES Finalist (Anthologies)

About this title

About the Author:

Susan Forest is a three-time Prix Aurora Award finalist and a writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and a freelance fiction editor. Her stories have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Tesseracts, AE Science Fiction Review, On Spec, and The Urban Green Man, among others. Her collection of short fiction, Immunity to Strange Tales, was published by Five Rivers Publishing. Susan is currently co-editing The Sum of Us with Lucas K. Law. She acted as judge for the Endeavour Award, and the Robin Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, and she contributes to Calgary's annual literary festival, When Words Collide. Susan is also the Secretary for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). She teaches creative writing at the Alexandra Centre, and has appeared at numerous local and international writing conventions.

Lucas K. Law is a Malaysian-born freelance editor, published author, engineering consultant and business coach, who divides his time and heart between Calgary and Qualicum Beach. He is currently co-editing The Sum of Us anthology with Susan Forest and Where the Stars Rise anthology with Derwin Mak. He has been a jury member for a number of fiction competitions including Nebula, RITA and Golden Heart awards. When Lucas is not editing, writing or reading, he is a consultant, specializing in mergers and acquisition (M&A) activities, asset evaluations, business planning, and corporate development.

Review:

*** 2017 Alberta Book Publishing Awards Winner (Speculative Fiction Book of the Year) ***

*** 2017 Aurora (Canadian SF&F) Awards Winner (Best Related Work) ***

*** 2016 Foreword INDIES Finalist (Anthologies) ***

*** One winner and three finalists in 2017 Aurora (Canadian SF&F) Awards Short Fiction category ***

*** One finalist in 2017 for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic - Short Story category ***

*** One honorable mention in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 (edited by John Joseph Adams and Charles Yu) ***

*** Six honorable mention in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection (edited by Gardner Dozois) ***

*** One story selected for Wilde Stories 2017: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction (edited by Steve Berman) ***

"Mental illness is an exciting theme for an anthology, leaving plenty of room for variety." (Library Journal)

"The writers of these stories address such varied subjects as agoraphobia, depression, schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, and addiction. Though this book has some shortcomings, 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)

." . . stories do a masterful job of knitting legitimate and painful mental illnesses to characters who still retain agency and power." (Kirkus Reviews)

." . . a solid effort, a mixed SF/fantasy original anthology, with a number of entertaining stories to be found within its pages." (Locus - Gardner Dozois)

"The writing is excellent throughout, and even the few not-as-strong stories make for a good read. This is a unique collection that should attract readers of all genres." (Foreword Reviews)

"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)

"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)

About this edition

• Publisher: Laksa Media Groups Inc.
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 099396964X
• ISBN 13: 9780993969645
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368
• Editor: Forest Susan, Law Lucas K