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Tesseracts Anthology #15
Tesseracts Fifteen: A Case of Quite Curious Tales
In this new volume of the long running and popular Tesseracts series, editors Julie Czerneda and Susan MacGregor have selected 21 of the best young adult sicence fiction, fantasy and horror stories from over 300 works submitted .
All of the selected stories are speculative fiction and are rated PG-14.
These stories are filled with "wonder and astonishment" said the editors. They are "stories that engage the imagination, inspire dreams, and leave hope in their wake. They will become the classics for a new generation of readers."
All of the selected stories are speculative fiction and are rated PG-14.
These stories are filled with "wonder and astonishment" said the editors. They are "stories that engage the imagination, inspire dreams, and leave hope in their wake. They will become the classics for a new generation of readers."
274 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2011
About the author
Julie E. Czerneda
105 books768 followersHaving written 25 novels (and counting) published by DAW Books, as well as numerous short stories, and editing several anthologies, in 2022, Julie E. Czerneda was inducted in the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Her science fiction and fantasy combines her training and love of biology with a boundless curiosity and optimism, winning multiple awards. Julie's recent releases include the standalone novel To Each This World, her first collection Imaginings, and A Shift of Time, part of her Night's Edge fantasy series. For more visit czerneda.com Julie is represented by Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency LLC.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 3, 2012
This anthology may be a first for me. I don't ever remember getting to the end and not having even one story that had turned me off or caused me to skip forward to the next tale. They advertised Quite Curious Tales, and they delivered.
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January 25, 2025I came to this as a fan of Czerneda and wasn't aware there were 14 Tesseract collections before this - I figured the number was for the amount of stories it contains (in fact, there are 27). A foreword by Czerneda valorises curiosity. A second foreword, by Susan MacGregor, explains that the call for submissions asked writers to provide stories of 'wonder and astonishment' that 'engaged the imagination, inspired dreams, and left hope in their wake'. Also that this is a collection of young adult fiction (and that MacGregor apparently had some very conservative ideas about what young adult fiction was before co-editing this anthology, expecting it to be below par, fluffy, dreamy, sappy, candy-coated prose, etc.) As a new reader, what I didn't find here was any explanation of what a Tesseracts anthology was (that knowledge is assumed). Google tells me that it is a Canadian Anthology series (1985-current) showcasing both original and reprinted fiction and poetry by authors from Canada.
1) E.L. Chen, "A Safety of Crowds". I quite liked it but unfortunately I didn't understand it. We have two key characters, Jan (recluse, scarred back) and Jenna Crow (influencer, real wings but can't fly). Both are terrified of a man named Charles, who calls them both 'angel' and says he is the only one who knows who they really are and can save them. Jan and Jenna appear to have both been once the same person, but something happened that split them. By slicing off Jenna's wings, he appears to hope to reset them, but instead the cycle continues. Now Jen is wingless and Jan has wings as Janna Crow. Is Jan/Jenna a fallen angel? If so, what were they to Charles. He desperately wants them to remember the past, when they were his-- what? How did this cycle begin? It was an interesting story but I found its refusal to give the reader a little more sense frustrating. 2 stars
2) Amanda Sun, "Fragile Things." A rough farm boy and his Dad have had their hands full since one of their horses foaled what Jack likes to call the Frankengoat and what others are labelling a unicorn. He has a crush on a sickly girl at school and when she asks to visit, Jack's life is changed. I really liked this one. The characterisation and the plot were both convincing and interesting. 4 stars.
3) Erika Holt, "Just Dance". I found this story very uneven. At the start, with a girl reading by lanternlight in a tower, it felt very steampunky, but the arrival of a girl, Kelbee, from her high school (on the yearbook committee no less) who makes fun of Marie Lunie's steampunk clothes shows that the story is set in contemporary times. The disjunction between Marie Lunie's reality (Otherworld, ghouls, magic eyeball, etc.) and Kelbee's (ours) didn't marry well, with Kelbee's arrival at Marie Lunie's house not making much sense and then her squealing and making dumb statements throughout. It also felt like the story was trying too hard to make Marie Lunie tough and 'cool'. It's a pity because it seemed to have the bones of a good plot. What with Marie Lunie's missing eye at birth and her mysterious mother and missing father, this story seemed to be the tip of a much bigger iceberg. 2 stars.
4) Francine P. Lewis, "Adaptation." A poem, using the concept of an x, y, and z axis, to explore human progress. I liked it. 4 stars.
5) Jennifer Greylyn, "Saving the Dead, or The Diary of an Undertaker's Apprentice". A fifteen year old boy has a gift of sensing the thoughts/emotions of the dead, and journeys with the first ship to collect bodies from the Titanic. It brought to life the location of the tragedy (northeast of Halifax). I'd never really thought about the dead, only the survivors, and I never knew they reburied some of the bodies at sea. Very well-written and a powerful story. 4 stars.
6) Nicole Luiken, "Feral". Anybody who has been a teenager could probably relate to the pain of Chloe, who has been left behind as the rest of her peers made the Change. She's part of a werewolf pack where children don't take their wolf forms until sometime around puberty, and for some that change never comes (Duds). I really enjoyed this tale of bullying, determination, and strength of will. 5 stars.
7) Katrina Nicholson, "A+ Brain"
8) Cat McDonald, "The Road of Good Intentions"
9) Leslie Brown, "The Windup Heiress"
10) Kevin Cockle, "The Bridge Builder"
11) Mike Rimar, "My Name is Tommy"
12) Elise Moser, "Darwin's Vampire"
13) Shen Braun, "Costumes"
14) J.J. Steinfeld, "Civility"
15) Michele Ann Jenkins, "Take my Waking Slow"
16) Claude Lalumiere "The Weirdo Adventures of Steve Rand"
1) E.L. Chen, "A Safety of Crowds". I quite liked it but unfortunately I didn't understand it. We have two key characters, Jan (recluse, scarred back) and Jenna Crow (influencer, real wings but can't fly). Both are terrified of a man named Charles, who calls them both 'angel' and says he is the only one who knows who they really are and can save them. Jan and Jenna appear to have both been once the same person, but something happened that split them. By slicing off Jenna's wings, he appears to hope to reset them, but instead the cycle continues. Now Jen is wingless and Jan has wings as Janna Crow. Is Jan/Jenna a fallen angel? If so, what were they to Charles. He desperately wants them to remember the past, when they were his-- what? How did this cycle begin? It was an interesting story but I found its refusal to give the reader a little more sense frustrating. 2 stars
2) Amanda Sun, "Fragile Things." A rough farm boy and his Dad have had their hands full since one of their horses foaled what Jack likes to call the Frankengoat and what others are labelling a unicorn. He has a crush on a sickly girl at school and when she asks to visit, Jack's life is changed. I really liked this one. The characterisation and the plot were both convincing and interesting. 4 stars.
3) Erika Holt, "Just Dance". I found this story very uneven. At the start, with a girl reading by lanternlight in a tower, it felt very steampunky, but the arrival of a girl, Kelbee, from her high school (on the yearbook committee no less) who makes fun of Marie Lunie's steampunk clothes shows that the story is set in contemporary times. The disjunction between Marie Lunie's reality (Otherworld, ghouls, magic eyeball, etc.) and Kelbee's (ours) didn't marry well, with Kelbee's arrival at Marie Lunie's house not making much sense and then her squealing and making dumb statements throughout. It also felt like the story was trying too hard to make Marie Lunie tough and 'cool'. It's a pity because it seemed to have the bones of a good plot. What with Marie Lunie's missing eye at birth and her mysterious mother and missing father, this story seemed to be the tip of a much bigger iceberg. 2 stars.
4) Francine P. Lewis, "Adaptation." A poem, using the concept of an x, y, and z axis, to explore human progress. I liked it. 4 stars.
5) Jennifer Greylyn, "Saving the Dead, or The Diary of an Undertaker's Apprentice". A fifteen year old boy has a gift of sensing the thoughts/emotions of the dead, and journeys with the first ship to collect bodies from the Titanic. It brought to life the location of the tragedy (northeast of Halifax). I'd never really thought about the dead, only the survivors, and I never knew they reburied some of the bodies at sea. Very well-written and a powerful story. 4 stars.
6) Nicole Luiken, "Feral". Anybody who has been a teenager could probably relate to the pain of Chloe, who has been left behind as the rest of her peers made the Change. She's part of a werewolf pack where children don't take their wolf forms until sometime around puberty, and for some that change never comes (Duds). I really enjoyed this tale of bullying, determination, and strength of will. 5 stars.
7) Katrina Nicholson, "A+ Brain"
8) Cat McDonald, "The Road of Good Intentions"
9) Leslie Brown, "The Windup Heiress"
10) Kevin Cockle, "The Bridge Builder"
11) Mike Rimar, "My Name is Tommy"
12) Elise Moser, "Darwin's Vampire"
13) Shen Braun, "Costumes"
14) J.J. Steinfeld, "Civility"
15) Michele Ann Jenkins, "Take my Waking Slow"
16) Claude Lalumiere "The Weirdo Adventures of Steve Rand"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2012
Tesseracts Fifteen is an experiment of sorts. It marks the first time in the Tesseracts anthology series that all the stories are Young Adult. As an experiment I think it works quite well.
The thing about Young Adult stories is, they really cross all genres and, they can be enjoyed by adults as well as younger people. That being the case, this anthology is a fine representation of all things Young Adult.
There are stories that are clearly science fiction, horror, fantasy, adventure some that embody tropes from multiple genres. The main characters could easily be the kids you see on the bus every day.
The individual contributions to the anthology were a fine mix of stories that made me think; many left me wanting more: more time with the characters and more time with the story itself. Most left me thoughtful, exploring both what I thought the authors were saying as well as what they left unsaid.
I have become quite fond of anthologies in general, as of late, because the stories are perfect lengths for my commute. Tesseracts Fifteen is a fine example of the medium, filled with interesting, well thought out and well executed stories.
The thing about Young Adult stories is, they really cross all genres and, they can be enjoyed by adults as well as younger people. That being the case, this anthology is a fine representation of all things Young Adult.
There are stories that are clearly science fiction, horror, fantasy, adventure some that embody tropes from multiple genres. The main characters could easily be the kids you see on the bus every day.
The individual contributions to the anthology were a fine mix of stories that made me think; many left me wanting more: more time with the characters and more time with the story itself. Most left me thoughtful, exploring both what I thought the authors were saying as well as what they left unsaid.
I have become quite fond of anthologies in general, as of late, because the stories are perfect lengths for my commute. Tesseracts Fifteen is a fine example of the medium, filled with interesting, well thought out and well executed stories.
Read
August 29, 2011I don't feel comfortable rating this Young Adult anthology because I have a story in it "Feral", but I read it cover to cover.
My favourite stories were: "A Safety of Crowds" by E.L. Chen
"The Road of Good Intentions" by Cat McDonald, "My Name is Tommy" by Mike Rimar, "The Weirdo Adventures of Steve Rand" by Claude Lalumiere, and "Split Decision" by Robert Runte
My favourite stories were: "A Safety of Crowds" by E.L. Chen
"The Road of Good Intentions" by Cat McDonald, "My Name is Tommy" by Mike Rimar, "The Weirdo Adventures of Steve Rand" by Claude Lalumiere, and "Split Decision" by Robert Runte
December 2, 2011
As usual with an anthology, this is a mixed bag--some stories I liked better than others--but overall a very strong selection of stories and very enjoyable. It's nice to find a group of authors who really "get" writing YA. The editors have done a good job putting these stories together.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews