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Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology

Tricia Reeks (Editor),

Kyle Richardson (Goodreads Author) (Editor),

Seanan McGuire (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Aimee Ogden (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Jennifer Pullen (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Michael Milne (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

Lavie Tidhar (Contributor),

Nathan Crowder (Goodreads Author) (Contributor),

more…

3.60 · Rating details · 106 ratings · 51 reviews

Behind the Mask is an exciting collection of short stories about the everyday lives of superheroes. Ranging from laugh-out-loud funny to deliciously dark, these stories are about the ordinary day-to-day challenges facing these extraordinary individuals growing up, growing old, relationships, parenting, coping with that age-old desire to fit in when, let s face it, they don Behind the Mask is an exciting collection of short stories about the everyday lives of superheroes. Ranging from laugh-out-loud funny to deliciously dark, these stories are about the ordinary day-to-day challenges facing these extraordinary individuals growing up, growing old, relationships, parenting, coping with that age-old desire to fit in when, let s face it, they don't.

“Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut” by Cat Rambo, copyright © 2009 by Cat Rambo, originally published in Strange Horizons (October 26, 2009);
“Destroy the City with Me Tonight” by Kate Marshall, copyright © 2017 by Kate Marshall;
“Fool” by Keith Frady, copyright © 2017 by Keith Frady;
“Pedestal” by Seanan McGuire, copyright © 2017 by Seanan McGuire;
“As I Fall Asleep” by Aimee Ogden, copyright © 2017 by Aimee Ogden;
“Meeting Someone in the 22nd Century or Until the Gears Quit Turning” by Jennifer Pullen, copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Pullen;
“Inheritance” by Michael Milne, copyright © 2017 by Michael Milne;
“Heroes” by Lavie Tidhar, copyright © 2016 by Lavie Tidhar, originally published in Strange Horizons (September 19, 2016);
“Madjack” by Nathan Crowder, copyright © 2017 by Nathan Crowder;
“Quintessential Justice” by Patrick Flanagan, copyright © 2017 by Patrick Flanagan;
“The Fall of the Jade Sword” by Stephanie Lai, copyright © 2017 by Stephanie Lai;
“Origin Story” by Carrie Vaughn, copyright © 2016 by Carrie Vaughn, LLC, originally published in Lightspeed Magazine (April 2016);
“Eggshells” by Ziggy Schutz, copyright © 2017 by Ziggy Schutz;
“Salt City Blue” by Chris Large, copyright © 2017 by Chris Large;
“Birthright” by Stuart Suffel, copyright © 2017 by Stuart Suffel;
“The Smoke Means It’s Working” by Sarah Pinsker, copyright © 2017 by Sarah Pinsker;
“Torch Songs” by Keith Rosson, copyright © 2017 by Keith Rosson;
“The Beard of Truth” by Matt Mikalatos, copyright © 2017 by Matt Mikalatos;
“Over an Embattled City” by Adam R. Shannon, copyright © 2017 by Adam R. Shannon;
“Origin Story” by Kelly Link, copyright © 2006 by Kelly Link, originally published in A Public Space (Winter 2006) and reprinted in Kelly Link’s Get in Trouble (Random House; 2015) ...more

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Paperback, 290 pages

Published May 16th 2017 by Meerkat Press, LLC

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Apr 09, 2017 Hannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, fantasy, short-stories

In a nutshell: very well-crafted anthology with lots and lots of amazing, thought-provoking stories, both by established authors (Kelly Link and Seanan McGuire for example) as well as authors who are less well-known. I enjoyed this mix of different voices a whole lot.

I have been thinking about this review all morning and still do not know how to write it. I always find anthologies difficult to assess and to review - there are so many things happening and obviously some stories resonate more wit In a nutshell: very well-crafted anthology with lots and lots of amazing, thought-provoking stories, both by established authors (Kelly Link and Seanan McGuire for example) as well as authors who are less well-known. I enjoyed this mix of different voices a whole lot.

I have been thinking about this review all morning and still do not know how to write it. I always find anthologies difficult to assess and to review - there are so many things happening and obviously some stories resonate more with me than others. Also, for me the stories tend to blend into each other and I cannot always remember each one enough to even have an opinion about it after finishing the whole collection. That said: this was a pretty brilliant anthology. Tricia Reeks and Kyle Richardson obviously put a lot of thought and love and work into collecting these stories and to fit them into a more or less coherent order.

As you can tell from the title, this is a collection of superhero stories focussing on the maybe less often talked about aspects of being a superhero. Interestingly, most stories focus on female superheroes (and some supervillains) and the specific problems they might face (work/life balance, sexism in the workplace, losing your identity etc) and I obviously loved that to pieces. I don't know if this was on purpose or if those just were the stories the authors wanted to tell, but I appreciate it nontheless.

Every author put their own spin on the superhero genre and mostly they greatly succeeded. I did appreciate the newer voices more than the stories by the more established authors. Some standouts for me were Nathan Crowder's "Madjack" - a wonderful homage to David Bowie; Kate Marshall's beautifully imagined and original "Destroy the City with Me Tonight" (with the absolute best ending of all the stories); Aimee Ogden's "As I Fall Asleep" - sad and poignant and very very great; Carrie Vaughn's playful spin on a romantic comedy "Origin Story" (even villains have meet cutes!); and my absolute favourite of the book: Chris Large's "Salt City Blue" - I loved loved loved this one and its beautifully flawed main character and I do not want to spoil it but you should read it.

_____
I received an arc of this book curtesy of NetGalley and Meerkat Press in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that! ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 Lexxi Kitty rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-superhero-prose, format-short-story-collection, netgalley, theme-angsty, lgbt, lesbian-fiction, reviewed, arc2017, lesbian-action, character-type-person-of-color

*I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley in return for a fair review.*

Holy Angst Batman! This sure is an angsty bunch of stories. Super depressing. Anyone who decides to become a hero is stupid (judging by these stories). These are stories of the lives behind the mask. The mask of superheroes. Turns out superheroes have crappy lives, who knew, eh (maybe anyone who has watched most superhero movies and seen how angsty and depressing superheroes are)?

Cat Rambo: Ms. Liberty Gets a Ha ...more

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May 12, 2017 TL rated it really liked it

Edited for mini review:)

*Spread this out a bit by reading a story or two/three each day but not feeling good skewed that a bit haha*
---
Overall, a well done collection with some stories I think would have been/would be great as full length novels or series :). Loved catching the hints and nods to SuperHeroes we all know and love as well.

I hadn't heard of the majority of these authors but I enjoyed getting to know them, so to speak, for the first time in these stories and wouldn't mind reading mor ...more

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Apr 12, 2017 Bandit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Superheroes. Superpowers. I'm a huge fan. Wasn't quite sure how to rate it, but in the end decide to be generous. Not every story in this anthology was a standout, but the quality was notably consistent and some were surprisingly good. Surprisingly, because with exception of 2 or 3 names, most of the authors were unknown to me and I've only read Vaughn previously. Majority of the stories have a female angle, female protagonists, etc. Don't think I should have read them all in a row in two sittin ...more

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Apr 20, 2017 Endlesscribbles rated it really liked it

Shelves: ff-romance, netgalley

An anthology of short stories that show how depressing it is to be a superhero. This book is full of angst and the dark side of doing good.
I have now officially taken Superhero off my bucket list!

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Nov 02, 2020 Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-r2r, netgalley

I ended up enjoying this anthology way more than I thought I would. I was expecting some standard superhero stuff but what we actually get is some really raw and human stories that can be very emotional.
Some of my favorites included:

Fool by Keith Frady – about a villain, Dr. Entropy who finally has the means to destroy the world but may be suffering from a crisis of conscious.

Pedestal Seanan McGuire – about a female superhero who moves to a suburb to try and be anonymous so she can have a normal ...more

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Jun 22, 2019 Syd rated it it was amazing

I....don’t have a single bad thing to say about this anthology. Sometimes a piece of gold is hidden in an anthology. Sometimes you just find a collection of stories that won’t fit together no matter how they’re forced. And sometimes you find Behind the Mask.

It might not be as wonderful if you’re not already a lover of the strange and outrageous but ultimately still human worlds of comic books. But if you are, these stories will speak to you. Most of them quietly broke my heart. Some of them made ...more

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Feb 28, 2017 Simon rated it it was amazing

A strong, varied anthology about superheroes, supervillains, and their regular lives

tl;dr at Overall, as always

The whole point of an anthology is to bring together wildly different styles and ideas, united by a single concept and see if it works. More often than not, it doesn’t. There’s always a varying ratio of duds to gems and it’s very rare to see a book of this kind that accomplishes the herculean feat of being good all the way through.
And yet here we are.

Behind the Mask presents 20 stories A strong, varied anthology about superheroes, supervillains, and their regular lives

tl;dr at Overall, as always

The whole point of an anthology is to bring together wildly different styles and ideas, united by a single concept and see if it works. More often than not, it doesn’t. There’s always a varying ratio of duds to gems and it’s very rare to see a book of this kind that accomplishes the herculean feat of being good all the way through.
And yet here we are.

Behind the Mask presents 20 stories from 20 authors, all about heroes and villains and the way they live or influence normal people or see each other or… There is a wide range of ideas on display here, some more novel than others (The Beard of Truth is a nice story, but “what if your partner couldn’t lie to you?” is far from a fresh take on superpowers), and it is evident that all authors have a deep love of the superhero genre, as they gently poke fun at its conventions or outright skewer the sexist standards set in the last century and upheld out of sheer laziness.
I generally found the stories to be on the same level as a whole, though some stood out with more evocative writing styles and some boasted more unexpected stories that elevated the bland-ish writing. Still, there are some that I’d like to mention specifically, of course.
First, “Madjack”, a touching tribute to David Bowie and the power of music, that manages to evade the dangerous waters of schmaltzy hero worship, viewing its titular rockstar ubermensch through the eyes of his musician daughter. And its all the better for its downbeat, tasteful portrayal of her grief.
Second, “Pedestal”, which is extremely relevant and fun, though I have to admit that it is extremely on the nose at times, but some themes work even when subtlety is lost and this, thankfully, is one of them.
Third, “Salt City Blue”, which suffers only from pretty stale descriptions of sexual encounters that made me feel like the author himself wasn’t too interested in writing them. But the story is stellar and the side of heroes that it explores is new and exciting.
Fourth, “Torch Songs”, which Rosson writes the hell out of, even though the narrative could have used stronger pacing. It’s tough not to love this, as it is one of the better-written tales in the anthology, using vivid imagery and never flinching when the time comes to deliver a description that toes the line between “moody and atmospheric” and “gaudy”, always landing on the right side.
And, lastly, fifth, “Fool”, a tragedy which takes the “loser villain” trope, so often portrayed for laughs in cartoons and more comedic comic books, and plays it straight with a heartbroken man hoping to finally achieve some great dastardly deed and being unable to perform.
That’s not to say that the other stories aren’t good, I greatly enjoyed all of them, with just two stories being not entirely my cup of tea (The Fall of the Jade Sword, Origin Story #2). I would highly recommend this to anybody and everybody.

Overall, versatile and highly creative, this anthology sets some limitations for talented writers and lets us watch them flourish with each new story. A must-read for anybody who even remotely enjoys the concept of superheroes.

ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley ...more

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Mar 23, 2017 Lucille rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I would TOTALLY recommend this anthology. While I didn’t love all of the stories (and it is totally normal and fine), they all had their place in here and I feel that the ones I didn’t connect with still have the potential to be someone’s favourite. This will make everyone see super heroes/villains in another light.

Some stories were lighter than others, some were really dark, but they all complement each other on what it must be to be a super-powered person, live in a world with super-powered be ...more

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Sep 30, 2017 Caro rated it liked it

I wrote mini-reviews for all 20 short stories, so enjoy!

Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut by Cat Rambo

I love superheroes. I've made that very clear multiple times. So I was very happy when I started reading this story about a team of SUPERHEROINES. Our protagonist, Ms. Liberty, is a cyborg writer whose creators made her to not really feel anything, just to have a woman to have sex with. Pretty disgusting to me. This is her journey on how she discovers herself and her true meaning, and what doea life m ...more

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May 16, 2017 Alex Sarll added it

A collection of prose short stories themed, sometimes loosely, around superheroes and their worlds. Contributors such as Kelly Link and Lavie Tidhar were what got my attention more than that, though; if anything, I have the same scepticism of SF and fantasy writers doing superheroes as of litfic writers doing SF and fantasy. There can be the same sense of condescension, the notion that 'I've not been keeping up with this field, but I know better anyway', leading to an awful lot of pale retreads ...more

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Aug 20, 2017 Debbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copy, 2017, anthology-or-collection, superheroes, short-stories

I adore superheroes. They are one of my weaknesses and as soon as I saw this book, I jumped on it. It did not disappoint. The stellar line-up of authors have crafted short stories that all approach superpowers differently, and in often unusual ways. Like the story where gaining superpowers means you end up being forgotten. Or the one where a retired superhero doesn't realized she's retired. A number of the stories showed the human side of superheroes, the stories about those who were in their li ...more

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May 01, 2017 Lianne Burwell rated it really liked it

Shelves: short-stories, superheroes, ebooks, netgalley

Also reviewed on my blog here

Behind the Mask falls into the category of themed collection in that all the stories are variations on superheroes, or at least people with abilities beyond the normal. Most are about characters that could be called superheroes or supervillains (right down to the mad scientist with a hideout in a volcano), but there are also aliens (or the child of aliens), cyborgs, and even some magic realism. I requested this book from NetGalley mainly because I am a fan of Seanan Also reviewed on my blog here

Behind the Mask falls into the category of themed collection in that all the stories are variations on superheroes, or at least people with abilities beyond the normal. Most are about characters that could be called superheroes or supervillains (right down to the mad scientist with a hideout in a volcano), but there are also aliens (or the child of aliens), cyborgs, and even some magic realism. I requested this book from NetGalley mainly because I am a fan of Seanan McGuire, but I was pleased to find that the majority of the stories worked well for me.

Among my favorite stories were:
Ms Liberty Gets a Haircut by Cat Rambo, which was a look at a female superhero who was created as a sex object, trying to take control of her life.
Destroy the City With Me Tonight by Kate Marshall, where random people become city guardians when maps of the city appears etched literally on their bones, and everyone who knew them as individuals forget they ever existed.
Pedestal by Seanan McGuire, where a heroine tries to have a private life in an era of internet stalkers. Set in the world of her short story series about a different heroine named Velveteen
As I Fall Asleep by Aimee Ogden speculates about what if an aging superhero develops dementia
The Fall of the Jade Sword by Stephanie Lai is a steampunk story in Australia with an Asian heroine dealing with prejudice and family expectations.
Eggshells by Ziggy Schutz uses superheroes to look at post-concussion syndrome.
The Beard of Truth by Matt Mikalatos made me laugh in his story of a world where people are randomly developing powers, and a young man learns that if he grows a beard, everyone around him is forced to tell the truth.
Over an Embattled City by Adam R Shannon has the interesting idea of a comic book writer who makes superheroes and villains disappear by finding out their origins and writing them into comic book characters.

By the end of the collection, there were only three stories out of the twenty that didn't work for me, and for a multi-author collection, that is an excellent ratio. ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Shomeret added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, my-reviews, anthology, science-fiction

I started reading superhero comic books when I was a mere sprout in the 1960's. I still love them-especially female superheroes. That's why I immediately jumped at the chance to read and review an ARC of Behind The Mask: A Superhero Anthology from Net Galley.

Sixteen of the twenty stories that appear in this volume are original to the anthology. Only four are reprints. The stories I liked best have never appeared anywhere else. Other stories were well-written but didn't appeal to me. There also w ...more

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Sep 05, 2017 Josh rated it it was amazing

A collection of really powerful superhero short stories. These stories are not your run of mill super hero tales - but rather a look at superhero's after the bad guys have been fought. Or at the families of superheroes. Or the tough loses that superhero's face. And maybe a villain tale or two.

Very good read - most are very powerful stories. i wish a coupla could be expanded into full novels.

*I got this book through GoodRead's Giveaways - an excellent source of interesting books!
...more

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Aug 18, 2018 Kaitlyn Ferrier rated it liked it

Kind of a miss. I liked the idea and I enjoyed some of the stories more than others but I was expecting it to be funny and it had a very somber tone.

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Apr 24, 2017 Tehani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, anthology, short-stories, superheroes

I'm a fan of superhero stories. I rarely read comics these days, but I seem to enjoy an awful lot of prose novels that take the superhero genre and give it a little twist. In Behind the Mask, there are 20 stories that play with what it is to be a superhero (or supervillain, in some cases). Some could come straight out of the existing comic universes we know, others are far more subtle and different. All are, without exception, highly engaging reads. From stories that are (at least on the surface I'm a fan of superhero stories. I rarely read comics these days, but I seem to enjoy an awful lot of prose novels that take the superhero genre and give it a little twist. In Behind the Mask, there are 20 stories that play with what it is to be a superhero (or supervillain, in some cases). Some could come straight out of the existing comic universes we know, others are far more subtle and different. All are, without exception, highly engaging reads. From stories that are (at least on the surface) played with an edge of humour to those that swing deep into the pits of despair, these stories take on such a variety of aspects that there simply wasn't time to get bored or tired of reading.

It is very unusual for me to immerse in and like (if not love) every single story in an anthology. Statistically, it's unlikely, to say the least. But I genuinely did enjoy each of the stories in this book (16 original works and four reprints, two of them confusingly with the same title!), and can't recommend it enough. But even though I liked them all, I definitely had some favourites.

"Pedastal" by Seanan McGuire - I love Seanan's work, and her Velveteen series is a favourite of mine, so it's no surprise that I really liked this story. It's so very domestic, but still manages to deal with some bigger issues, very gently.

I don't know if I read it with an influenced eye, but "As I Fall Asleep" by Aimee Ogden put me in mind of the journey of Professor Xavier in the recent Logan film. Quite heartbreaking.

In the interests of transparency, I note that I have published stories by Stephanie Lai, but regardless of that, I loved her piece "The Fall of the Jade Sword" - it's very contained, but offers so much to unpack.

Possibly my very favourite story in the anthology was "Eggshells" by Ziggy Schutz. It is definitively young adult in feel and construction, and works just beautifully. Gorgeous characters and a gentle journey of a plot.

Honestly, though I have pulled out just a handful to mention by name, I really did like all the stories, and could go on to discuss each of them! If I have one complaint, it is that I came away from several stories wanting far more than I got! I would love to see novels come out of many of these stories (or at least a series of novellas, ala Tansy Rayner Robert's forays in her Cookie Cutter Superhero world), they were that well built and readable. As complaints go, it's a good one to have about an anthology, I reckon. Kudos to the editors on making a great selection of well rounded, thought-provoking set of stories. ...more

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Mar 10, 2017 Martu Castro Vallejo rated it really liked it

Full review on: http://inkyreviews.blogspot.com.ar/20...

4.5 out of 5 stars

"Superhero" can mean different things depending on who you ask. If you ask your Grandpa, he'll probably recall reading about superheroes in comics when he was your age; if you ask a kid, he'll probably say his Dad is a superhero. The official definition, however, states it is a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; or an exceptionally skillful or successful person.

I think "exceptionally skillful person" ...more

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Jun 25, 2017 Elizabeth Fitzgerald rated it liked it

Behind the Mask is a solid collection of short stories that nevertheless left me feeling ambivalent. Since I'm not much of a short story reader, this could definitely be more a reflection of my reading taste than the anthology itself. However, I didn't find myself hurrying back to it.

The stories often focused on the domestic and the personal, which I rather enjoyed. They're less about the big, flashy battles--though those make the occasional appearance, such as in Seanan McGuire's story Pedestal ...more

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Jun 26, 2017 Rina Reviews rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Super hero lovers

Thank you to to Xpresso reads for providing this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating 8.5/10 Stars

I really enjoyed this anthology. I felt that all the stories were well written and edited. Reading each story was like sampling a fancy cheese tasting plate. Some I liked more than others, but Behind The Mask provided a diverse and enjoyable array of different styles, subject matters and tones. Each story was unique and interesting in it’s own right. My personal favourites inclu ...more

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May 11, 2017 Marzie rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-net-galley

I received this book from Net Galleyi. Exchange for an honest review.

First let me be straight up and say that short story anthologies aren't always my thing. Their usual unevenness bothers me. I was interested in this anthology because of the A-List of authors involved. It doesn't disappoint but it doesn't enthrall, either. For the most part, the stories are interesting, and some, for example Kate Marshall's "Destroy The City With Me Tonight," and Ziggy Schutz's "Eggshells," have stayed with me ...more

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Mar 09, 2017 MyBookishRealm rated it it was amazing

I haven’t read short stories since my teenage years and I must say I have been missing out.

What a great collection this was, we are introduced to a myriad of new superheroes, villains with a range of quirky powers. I especially loved the truth serum beard; this particular one had me laughing out loud. We follow these characters as they not only try to save or destroy the world but also their daily struggles of whether they should change their appearance, listen to their guilty conscience or if t ...more

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Apr 02, 2017 Cora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: anthology, fantasy, superheroes, early-reviewer

Behind the Mask is an anthology of 20 short stories about superheroes and/or supervillains. There are a variety of stories by authors that are both familiar to me and new to me. Besides the super powers, one thing all the stories had in common were that they were more about the superhero as a person rather than their exploits fighting crime. They were stories about people that happened to have super powers rather than stories that focused on those powers. I really liked all the stories in the co ...more

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May 25, 2017 Lauren rated it it was amazing

Stunning smorgasbord of super stories

These stories are bite-sized and range from light-hearted to heart-breaking. The superhero genre is an old one by now, but these authors each manage to put their own spin on the people behind the masks. Some of them made me uncomfortable with the angsty 'reality' that superheroes would bring, others were a total mind-screw. My favourites were those that kept the optimism of the genre alive, but through a different lens.

Standouts for me – though others can a ...more

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May 12, 2017 Monica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's hard to fairly review an anthology as they're are so many different stories but the best thing I can say is that these stories were all unique! I loved almost all of them, only one or two which I didn't really enjoy as much. I liked the general theme of the whole anthology, I mean who doesn't give superheroes? Each author interpreted the term "superhero" differently so there was a diverse set of characters. The stories themselves and their specific themes were diverse as well. Some stories ...more

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Mar 10, 2017 Alison C rated it really liked it

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I received an ARC of "Behind the Mask: A Superhero Anthology," edited by Tricia Reeks and Kyle Richardson, through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. As the title advertises, this is an all-original anthology of short stories about superheroes, a few by authors whose names I recognize (Cat Rambo, Lavie Tidhar, Carrie Vaughn, Kelly Link) and most by people I haven’t read before. As with all anthologies, any given reader will like some s ...more

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Apr 11, 2017 Tejas Kotak rated it really liked it

Behind the scenes stories of superheroes and villains give readers a view into a world beyond the glamour, action, and drama seen in comics and movies. The tales range from the wry comedy of mundane glimpses into job interviews or the woes of aspiring sidekicks to the more existential questions of what heroes and villains want and need from each other.

The anthology is a great read for anyone who enjoys the superhero genre, and can introduce them to intriguing new authors.

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Jan 23, 2019 Xander rated it liked it

I don't think it really fits as a superhero anthology, as there wasn't much heroic. There was a lot of dysfunction, but it didn't feel like the characters were really heroic, just costumed. The stories involved either deal with some form of dysmorphia, physical or sexual, or some level of existential dread. The more interesting stories dealt more with supervillains than heroes. ...more

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Apr 22, 2019 Stacie rated it really liked it

(This review is for Seanan McGuire's "Pedestal.")

I really loved this one. I'm a huge fan of The Incredibles, so I really enjoy seeing what's "behind the mask." (Yes, the anthology is aptly named.) This story was perfectly crafted and paced and the little snippets of gossip/paparazzi talk were perfect as an opening and closing.

This story nicely addresses the topic of celebrity and access, which is an ever more important issue. It's done in a way that should easily click for most while still bei ...more

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May 24, 2017 Suzanne Moses rated it really liked it

I often find short story anthologies uneven, but I was really pleased with this one. The stories are different and distinct but seem to share an overall tone and reflect well off each other.

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