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Remnants of Relics: An Anthology of Loss & Gain
Remnants of Relics brings you the work of fifteen authors with a curated selection of short stories and poems around the themes of queerness and the importance of parts; be it body parts or more abstractly, concepts like the part identity plays in our lives.
At the heart of this collection are the struggles and joys one works with when losing or gaining a new part of themselves. Pain and joy are close to each other - a constant cycle humanity moves through.
At the heart of this collection are the struggles and joys one works with when losing or gaining a new part of themselves. Pain and joy are close to each other - a constant cycle humanity moves through.
- GenresAnthologies
241 pages, Unknown Binding
Published September 10, 2025
About the author
Jake Vanguard
13 books32 followersJake Vanguard (they/them) is an indie author of queer dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and a slice of erotica. In their stories, they love exploring queerness and contradictions, love and connections, family and friendship.
The first two books of the Deity Chronicles trilogy – FIRST SNOW and FIRST ROSE – are available now, as well as the paranormal series Angelverse – HIGANBANA and KINTSUGI – with more to come.
REMNANTS OF RELICS is their first curated anthology, a product of love and community, about the struggles and joys one works with when losing or gaining a new part of themselves.
When not writing, they love gaming and cuddling their kitties.
The first two books of the Deity Chronicles trilogy – FIRST SNOW and FIRST ROSE – are available now, as well as the paranormal series Angelverse – HIGANBANA and KINTSUGI – with more to come.
REMNANTS OF RELICS is their first curated anthology, a product of love and community, about the struggles and joys one works with when losing or gaining a new part of themselves.
When not writing, they love gaming and cuddling their kitties.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 10, 2025
This anthology was unlike any I've read before (in a great way). It's not just short stories or novellas but there are also poems and art and just so much genuine emotion. A lot of these authors were brand new to me which was amazing because now I get to find all their work elsewhere. The theme of how "parts" play into queerness and queer identity was open enough that each story is diverse but also a look into who the author is and how their journey has shaped who they are as a writer.
September 10, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from the publisher.
I picked up this Anthology of Loss & Gain in part because I knew other works by two authors in here, Niko Silver and Franklyn S. Newton, but also because the idea of parts and queerness sounded intriguing to me. The short stories are from sci-fi, fantasy, horror and contemporary genres and there’s also a few poems in here. Many stories feature trans characters, mostly explicitly transmasculine, but also narratives about disability and queer sexualities are included. I also quite enjoyed that there was some art to go along with a few of the stories, as well as the provision of content warnings in front of the stories for readers who need them!
I enjoyed reading these stories and in particular how despite the often very short length of these stories many authors managed to build incredibly interesting characters. At points the number of stories featured in this anthology as well as the fact that many of them were quite short made a few of them feel too short and as if they could have been better if they were longer. As I also already mentioned there is a big variety in genre, which also exists in the tone and quality of the stories. While I didn’t dislike a single story presented here, some of them did not really appeal to me and I found myself skimming a few. While such unfocused anthologies can be fun sometimes, it unfortunately left me wishing for a bit more cohesion while reading. With the cover, I personally also expected a bit more horror or dark narratives personally.
Despite this I still had a fun time with the stories and like how many different queer voices were presented here and think this is certainly a great collection if you are interested in checking out the works of a few queer indie authors!
Remnants of Relics by Jake Vanguard: A short poem about what makes up a person and their humanity. I liked the layout and the pace.
Love’s Decay by Jaydell: An adult returns to their now-inherited childhood home, ruminating on their past and how dysphoria turned them into an empty husk. Quite short, but the story still managed to grant some insight into what growing up with gender dysphoria can feel like and I loved the derealization the character was experiencing. The ending was touching.
TW: body image issues, disassociation, gender dysphoria, grief, loss, mental health struggles, parental abuse (emotional),
*FAV* The Language of Selves by Obinna Tony-Francis Ochem: Set in an isolated village, a small family struggles with the daily burden of survival while poor and as village outcasts, after the mother refused to marry the man who assaulted her or abort. A very intriguing look into a family that defies cultural norms and the love that exists among them.
TW: abortion, homophobia, infertility, rape, sexual assault
The Fairy’s Hues by Minerrale: A fairy is struggling with the color of her wings, as it is one of the most common colors and she feels it contributes to making her unremarkable and causes her great shame. But when she discovers a story, where all colors are described with positive attributes, her view of herself may change. Cute, but a bit predictable.
*FAV* Immortality in the Marrow by S. Jean: An immortal being is looking for a loved one throughout a few of his rebirths, trying to hold onto the memories that made them so important. One day during a lecture on magic, he is presented with a skeleton that confirms his worst fears. They missed each other again. But maybe with something tangible this time, he can change that fate. Heartbreaking and haunting and with a bittersweet, but positive ending, which I adored.
TW: death, grief, skeleton, past suicide
Backbreaking by Annalisa Ely: The last remaining dragon of a small town is solely responsible for protecting its outer walls from hordes of Undead. When she is injured during a routine mission, she is forced to come to terms with the burden that has been placed on her and try and find a different way of doing things. Very sweet ending, I liked it.
TW: grief, gore, internalized ableism, medical content (vague)
Revenant Heart by Jaydell: A short poem about grieving a lost love, very beautiful imagery!
TW: death imagery, decay, grief, isolation,
Seal, Skinned by Nico Silver: A selkie trapped in a circus witnesses a siren take revenge on her captor, but her revenge ends with the captor wearing the selkie’s skin. During the ensuing chaos in the circus, they regained their skin, but it has now been tainted. Now they must travel in hopes of finding a witch to cleanse it as well as hopefully heal a bit from their trauma. I also liked that the witch was trans. In general, this story was interesting and felt very well thought out with characters that seemed as if they had rich lore behind them. The only part I disliked is that a little person was referred to as dwarf. I understand the use of it is probably supposed to be part of the fantasy setting, but considering the real-life exploitation of little people in circuses it left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.
TW: blood, skinning, sexual assault, suicide (referenced), transphobia (mentioned)
*FAV* Eyes are the best part by Jake Vanguard: A collector finds a new addition to his collection. Gorey, gross and fun, I really enjoyed the combination of sensuality and torture in here.
TW: alcohol, drugging, eyeball licking, eyeball removal, torture
The Finger Painter by Frederick A. Zaberisk: An artist paints (with) his lovers. Gorey and fun.
TW: death, murder, sex, violence
Peel by Franklyn S. Newton: A very short story about reclaiming your body through tattoos. Fun and very well written.
TW: body horror, self harm (past), sexual assault (past)
*FAV* The Trade by Atlas Laika: Set on a space station, a fighter sells their future earnings in order to inhabit a body that suits them better. They don’t expect to meet their body in the ring again. Very fun sci-fi!
TW: body horror, gore, fighting
A Quieter Evolution by A.E. Bratchford: A very short story about a friend coming into their own, very touching
Girl/Boy/Other by Jaydell: A short poem about gender.
Sewing Scissors by Ezra Wren: A trans man’s coming of age story starting with a haircut in his parent’s bathroom and dealing with grief over the untimely death of his father.
TW: death (of a parent), gender dysphoria, self-harm, surgery, transphobia
Fallen by Talli L. Morgan: A short fantasy tale about tricking the devil, fun and very atmospheric.
TW: gender dysphoria
Matters of the Heart by Harper Kinsley: A short and very sweet story about the first date a girl with hyperawareness OCD goes on since school.
TW: hyperawareness OCD, panic attack
Lip Service by Kay Claire: A university student finds himself seated beside another student he’s been secretly admiring the last semester. An unexpected group project might give them a chance to get to know each other better. Very steamy and fun t4t.
Loss of Limb (but not of Life) by A.E. Bratchford: a short poem about a cyborg life
TW: body horror
I picked up this Anthology of Loss & Gain in part because I knew other works by two authors in here, Niko Silver and Franklyn S. Newton, but also because the idea of parts and queerness sounded intriguing to me. The short stories are from sci-fi, fantasy, horror and contemporary genres and there’s also a few poems in here. Many stories feature trans characters, mostly explicitly transmasculine, but also narratives about disability and queer sexualities are included. I also quite enjoyed that there was some art to go along with a few of the stories, as well as the provision of content warnings in front of the stories for readers who need them!
I enjoyed reading these stories and in particular how despite the often very short length of these stories many authors managed to build incredibly interesting characters. At points the number of stories featured in this anthology as well as the fact that many of them were quite short made a few of them feel too short and as if they could have been better if they were longer. As I also already mentioned there is a big variety in genre, which also exists in the tone and quality of the stories. While I didn’t dislike a single story presented here, some of them did not really appeal to me and I found myself skimming a few. While such unfocused anthologies can be fun sometimes, it unfortunately left me wishing for a bit more cohesion while reading. With the cover, I personally also expected a bit more horror or dark narratives personally.
Despite this I still had a fun time with the stories and like how many different queer voices were presented here and think this is certainly a great collection if you are interested in checking out the works of a few queer indie authors!
Remnants of Relics by Jake Vanguard: A short poem about what makes up a person and their humanity. I liked the layout and the pace.
Love’s Decay by Jaydell: An adult returns to their now-inherited childhood home, ruminating on their past and how dysphoria turned them into an empty husk. Quite short, but the story still managed to grant some insight into what growing up with gender dysphoria can feel like and I loved the derealization the character was experiencing. The ending was touching.
TW: body image issues, disassociation, gender dysphoria, grief, loss, mental health struggles, parental abuse (emotional),
*FAV* The Language of Selves by Obinna Tony-Francis Ochem: Set in an isolated village, a small family struggles with the daily burden of survival while poor and as village outcasts, after the mother refused to marry the man who assaulted her or abort. A very intriguing look into a family that defies cultural norms and the love that exists among them.
TW: abortion, homophobia, infertility, rape, sexual assault
The Fairy’s Hues by Minerrale: A fairy is struggling with the color of her wings, as it is one of the most common colors and she feels it contributes to making her unremarkable and causes her great shame. But when she discovers a story, where all colors are described with positive attributes, her view of herself may change. Cute, but a bit predictable.
*FAV* Immortality in the Marrow by S. Jean: An immortal being is looking for a loved one throughout a few of his rebirths, trying to hold onto the memories that made them so important. One day during a lecture on magic, he is presented with a skeleton that confirms his worst fears. They missed each other again. But maybe with something tangible this time, he can change that fate. Heartbreaking and haunting and with a bittersweet, but positive ending, which I adored.
TW: death, grief, skeleton, past suicide
Backbreaking by Annalisa Ely: The last remaining dragon of a small town is solely responsible for protecting its outer walls from hordes of Undead. When she is injured during a routine mission, she is forced to come to terms with the burden that has been placed on her and try and find a different way of doing things. Very sweet ending, I liked it.
TW: grief, gore, internalized ableism, medical content (vague)
Revenant Heart by Jaydell: A short poem about grieving a lost love, very beautiful imagery!
TW: death imagery, decay, grief, isolation,
Seal, Skinned by Nico Silver: A selkie trapped in a circus witnesses a siren take revenge on her captor, but her revenge ends with the captor wearing the selkie’s skin. During the ensuing chaos in the circus, they regained their skin, but it has now been tainted. Now they must travel in hopes of finding a witch to cleanse it as well as hopefully heal a bit from their trauma. I also liked that the witch was trans. In general, this story was interesting and felt very well thought out with characters that seemed as if they had rich lore behind them. The only part I disliked is that a little person was referred to as dwarf. I understand the use of it is probably supposed to be part of the fantasy setting, but considering the real-life exploitation of little people in circuses it left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.
TW: blood, skinning, sexual assault, suicide (referenced), transphobia (mentioned)
*FAV* Eyes are the best part by Jake Vanguard: A collector finds a new addition to his collection. Gorey, gross and fun, I really enjoyed the combination of sensuality and torture in here.
TW: alcohol, drugging, eyeball licking, eyeball removal, torture
The Finger Painter by Frederick A. Zaberisk: An artist paints (with) his lovers. Gorey and fun.
TW: death, murder, sex, violence
Peel by Franklyn S. Newton: A very short story about reclaiming your body through tattoos. Fun and very well written.
TW: body horror, self harm (past), sexual assault (past)
*FAV* The Trade by Atlas Laika: Set on a space station, a fighter sells their future earnings in order to inhabit a body that suits them better. They don’t expect to meet their body in the ring again. Very fun sci-fi!
TW: body horror, gore, fighting
A Quieter Evolution by A.E. Bratchford: A very short story about a friend coming into their own, very touching
Girl/Boy/Other by Jaydell: A short poem about gender.
Sewing Scissors by Ezra Wren: A trans man’s coming of age story starting with a haircut in his parent’s bathroom and dealing with grief over the untimely death of his father.
TW: death (of a parent), gender dysphoria, self-harm, surgery, transphobia
Fallen by Talli L. Morgan: A short fantasy tale about tricking the devil, fun and very atmospheric.
TW: gender dysphoria
Matters of the Heart by Harper Kinsley: A short and very sweet story about the first date a girl with hyperawareness OCD goes on since school.
TW: hyperawareness OCD, panic attack
Lip Service by Kay Claire: A university student finds himself seated beside another student he’s been secretly admiring the last semester. An unexpected group project might give them a chance to get to know each other better. Very steamy and fun t4t.
Loss of Limb (but not of Life) by A.E. Bratchford: a short poem about a cyborg life
TW: body horror
September 5, 2025
this collection of short stories will have such an impact on you it will leave you at loss of words.
I felt the sadness with the characters and found myself cheering for their little wins.
I have to admit through this I could understand better the struggle of some people. I knew it was hard but now I found myself in their position. I saw through their eyes, I understood.
I have to admit I had a few that struck a cord and glued to me. like "Eyes are the best part." this short story made my skin crawl and it made me uncomfortable but not in the wrong way. I can't imagine the talent it takes to write such a cruel character.
and also immortality in the marrow left me with the sorrow of the character. I felt his hurt, his pain, his logging. I just wanted to be able to scotch in and hug him.
"Sewing scissors" just struck my heart. I once again felt the need to Hug the character and just tell him that it's alright.
but that doesn't mean that I didn't totally adored the other stories. THEY WERE BRILLIANT!
I felt the sadness with the characters and found myself cheering for their little wins.
I have to admit through this I could understand better the struggle of some people. I knew it was hard but now I found myself in their position. I saw through their eyes, I understood.
I have to admit I had a few that struck a cord and glued to me. like "Eyes are the best part." this short story made my skin crawl and it made me uncomfortable but not in the wrong way. I can't imagine the talent it takes to write such a cruel character.
and also immortality in the marrow left me with the sorrow of the character. I felt his hurt, his pain, his logging. I just wanted to be able to scotch in and hug him.
"Sewing scissors" just struck my heart. I once again felt the need to Hug the character and just tell him that it's alright.
but that doesn't mean that I didn't totally adored the other stories. THEY WERE BRILLIANT!
October 6, 2025
ARC review
This anthology was filled with a LOT of different types of stories, and all the authors but one were new to me authors.
I loved the format, the fact that it wasnt just short stories and novellas but also poetry - which is not a genre i usually read - and i loved the beautiful raw emotions through the entire anthology. The theme of "parts" in queer identity, mostly trans identity was really interesting to me, and it really made me see some things through a new lens.
Most of the stories were a solid 3 or 4 stars, but i especially loved Kay Claire's Lip Service.
Some of the stories were a little too much for me, but that is absolutely a me problem and doesnt take away anything from the beautiful writing.
This anthology was filled with a LOT of different types of stories, and all the authors but one were new to me authors.
I loved the format, the fact that it wasnt just short stories and novellas but also poetry - which is not a genre i usually read - and i loved the beautiful raw emotions through the entire anthology. The theme of "parts" in queer identity, mostly trans identity was really interesting to me, and it really made me see some things through a new lens.
Most of the stories were a solid 3 or 4 stars, but i especially loved Kay Claire's Lip Service.
Some of the stories were a little too much for me, but that is absolutely a me problem and doesnt take away anything from the beautiful writing.
August 22, 2025
I am one of the authors in this anthology but I also read the other stories and they were all really well done and one made me tear up (the one about the MC with OCD). My other favorites were The Fairy's Hues and Lip Service. Thank you to all the other authors, the editor, artists, and curator!
January 21, 2026
Wonderful
This is only the second anthology I've ever read (as an adult).
I loved the variety of stories and poems. It's really impossible to pick a favourite, when they are all so different.
You could feel all the emotions and passion from the authors as you were reading. This made it so exciting to read as you were not sure what was coming next.
Some of these are a bit darker than others so definitely take note of the content warnings* 😅
*Please don't ask me about ice cream scoops
This is only the second anthology I've ever read (as an adult).
I loved the variety of stories and poems. It's really impossible to pick a favourite, when they are all so different.
You could feel all the emotions and passion from the authors as you were reading. This made it so exciting to read as you were not sure what was coming next.
Some of these are a bit darker than others so definitely take note of the content warnings* 😅
*Please don't ask me about ice cream scoops
September 8, 2025
I got the opportunity to ARC this anthology, and I'm so glad I read it because there were some truly fantastic stories in here by some truly amazing authors (Ezra Wren, Atlas Laika, Kay Claire, to name a few), but unfortunately, there were several stories that really let the anthology down.
The Language of Selves and The Fairy's Hues were badly written and boring, and I found myself skimming them to move on to better stories. The Language of Selves was really the worst story in this anthology--the POV kept shifting between paragraphs without warning, it was confusing, and the prose wasn't beautiful or even clear.
Other stories, like Backbreaking, Peel, and even Fallen I found boring and I just didn't care for. Fallen to me would've made a better novel, and felt a little rushed and squashed as a short story--there was too much going on for such a short piece work, but I enjoyed the characters and the prose.
Most of the other stories were a solid 3 stars, and I enjoyed the poetry, but there were a few stories in particular--The Trade, Sewing Scissors, and Lip Service--that were truly stunning. These three were solid 5 stars and MAGNIFICENT, and honestly made the whole anthology worth it. The Trade reads like a prequel short story to Atlas Laika's upcoming novel, NEXUS REAPING, which I'm FOAMING AT THE MOUTH for. Sewing Scissors has such an adorable meet cute, and the family dynamics between Oscar, his mother, and Papa were realistic and relatable. Ezra Wren is expanding this story into a novel, and I CANNOT WAIT to see how Oscar and Aaron's romance will unfold. Lip Service was just straight up perfection and because of it I will be seeking out the author's other work.
Another honourable mention is Seal, Skinned, a solid 4 star read with a brilliant sapphic relationship at the end and a fantastic trans witch. This anthology really highlighted trans experiences and trans, queer love, something that is so so important, especially in today's political climate.
The Language of Selves and The Fairy's Hues were badly written and boring, and I found myself skimming them to move on to better stories. The Language of Selves was really the worst story in this anthology--the POV kept shifting between paragraphs without warning, it was confusing, and the prose wasn't beautiful or even clear.
Other stories, like Backbreaking, Peel, and even Fallen I found boring and I just didn't care for. Fallen to me would've made a better novel, and felt a little rushed and squashed as a short story--there was too much going on for such a short piece work, but I enjoyed the characters and the prose.
Most of the other stories were a solid 3 stars, and I enjoyed the poetry, but there were a few stories in particular--The Trade, Sewing Scissors, and Lip Service--that were truly stunning. These three were solid 5 stars and MAGNIFICENT, and honestly made the whole anthology worth it. The Trade reads like a prequel short story to Atlas Laika's upcoming novel, NEXUS REAPING, which I'm FOAMING AT THE MOUTH for. Sewing Scissors has such an adorable meet cute, and the family dynamics between Oscar, his mother, and Papa were realistic and relatable. Ezra Wren is expanding this story into a novel, and I CANNOT WAIT to see how Oscar and Aaron's romance will unfold. Lip Service was just straight up perfection and because of it I will be seeking out the author's other work.
Another honourable mention is Seal, Skinned, a solid 4 star read with a brilliant sapphic relationship at the end and a fantastic trans witch. This anthology really highlighted trans experiences and trans, queer love, something that is so so important, especially in today's political climate.
March 9, 2026
This was such a fun and diverse collection! I love how varied all the stories were and how each one stood out. There was no way to predict which genre you would read next, only that it would be a. Very queer and b. very fun. There's something in this anthology for everyone!
The stories that stood out to me, in no particular order, were:
The Language of Selves
The Fairy's Hues
Immortality in the Marrow
Backbreaking
Seal, Skinned
The Trade
Sewing Scissors
Peel
Girl/Boy/Other
Fallen
Matters of the Heart
Loss of Limb (but not of Life)
I'm not saying that these stories were "better" than the others- beauty is in the eye of the beholder-only that they stood out to me personally. But like I said, this amazing anthology has at least story for every reader!
The stories that stood out to me, in no particular order, were:
The Language of Selves
The Fairy's Hues
Immortality in the Marrow
Backbreaking
Seal, Skinned
The Trade
Sewing Scissors
Peel
Girl/Boy/Other
Fallen
Matters of the Heart
Loss of Limb (but not of Life)
I'm not saying that these stories were "better" than the others- beauty is in the eye of the beholder-only that they stood out to me personally. But like I said, this amazing anthology has at least story for every reader!
September 10, 2025
The stories within are varied in so many ways, incredibly emotional, and crafted very well. The artwork included with each story adds a cool touch as well and it was so nice to see everything together.
July 13, 2026
I really appreciated the content warnings. I am not big into gore or body horror, so I could easily skim or skip those stories. I did really enjoy a good handful of the stories. I bought this book because my good friend, Harper Kinsley, has a story in this book. It's wonderful!
April 15, 2026
I am part of the contributor, so I can’t review it! Hehehehe.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews