Stacia Kane's "Home" is probably one of the best short stories I have ever read -- or at least one of the ones I have most enjoyed. There is always so much going on in the Downside Ghosts novels, so much action and adventure, that it is easy to forget how wonderfully vivid Kane's characters really are. Their relationships are complex and complicated; their emotions deeply felt. Yet, even though Chess and Terrible are what brings me back to Kane's books time and time again, Kane's masterful storytelling constantly shifts my attention to other things.

Then comes "Home." In this sweet, but not saccharine, short story we really get a chance to see Chess and Terrible when their lives are not burdened by trying to save the world. Chess is able to show some emotions that are not forced out by circumstance, and I like her the better for it. It was also nice to see her on a (mostly) routine job -- so often in the full length novels the jobs are just the tip of an apocalyptic iceberg!