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Rough Passages #1-4
Rough Passages: The Collected Stories
Welcome to a world where your mid-life crisis might cause a national emergency, and getting older means more than going gray.
A third of the population carries the potential to develop superpowers between the ages of thirty-five and sixty, and no one can predict which few will activate.
Passing life’s halfway point might be as easy as blowing out one extra candle…or it might lead to becoming a human fireball, drowning a city, or accidentally teleporting into outer space. This story collection connects five people whose lives are disrupted by the uncertainties of power:
A single mother with two jobs whose new talent improves her ordinary life beyond her wildest dreams.
A Marine captain tasked with investigating the all-too-human crimes superhuman soldiers can inflict on one another.
A lonely woman whose desperate homesickness is matched in strength only by her ability to wreak seismic havoc.
A devout grandmother torn from home and family, abused and imprisoned, who gains godlike powers and must choose between revenge and forgiveness.
A teen, afraid to take the R-factor test that will define her future, who learns there are worse things than a positive result.
A third of the population carries the potential to develop superpowers between the ages of thirty-five and sixty, and no one can predict which few will activate.
Passing life’s halfway point might be as easy as blowing out one extra candle…or it might lead to becoming a human fireball, drowning a city, or accidentally teleporting into outer space. This story collection connects five people whose lives are disrupted by the uncertainties of power:
A single mother with two jobs whose new talent improves her ordinary life beyond her wildest dreams.
A Marine captain tasked with investigating the all-too-human crimes superhuman soldiers can inflict on one another.
A lonely woman whose desperate homesickness is matched in strength only by her ability to wreak seismic havoc.
A devout grandmother torn from home and family, abused and imprisoned, who gains godlike powers and must choose between revenge and forgiveness.
A teen, afraid to take the R-factor test that will define her future, who learns there are worse things than a positive result.
191 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2017
8 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Herkes
18 books64 followersI write, I grow things, I camp and hike, I pacify cats, and I do a lot of research online and off. If our assorted alphabet-soup national security agencies really do monitor citizens based on keyword searches, then I'm probably on all of the criminal watch lists in existence.
Otherwise, I am mostly quiet with a thirty-percent chance of loud, and the rest is subject to change without warning. Professional development has included classroom teaching, animal training, aquaculture, horticulture, retail management, inventory operations, and customer service. Personal development is ongoing.
Otherwise, I am mostly quiet with a thirty-percent chance of loud, and the rest is subject to change without warning. Professional development has included classroom teaching, animal training, aquaculture, horticulture, retail management, inventory operations, and customer service. Personal development is ongoing.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 11, 2018
Rough Passage is a collection of KM Herkhes short stories about people with superpowers. It's an interesting take on the topic that has little in common with the colourful and heroic Marvel universe.
One night in 1943, nearly ten percent of the world's population over age forty developed superpowers. Ever since then, a small but significant number of older adults have discovered strange new talents or undergone physical transformations as they hit middle age. A third of the population carries the potential to "roll into power," but no one can predict which few will activate.
The stories are realistic; the change into a superpowered being isn't always a welcomed one. Characters must deal with anxiety, social stigma, and fear. Each story in the book follows someone who deals with superpower-related crises.
In comic books, powers are usually given to young adults who don’t have settled lives, or to people with nothing left to lose. In Rough Passages, they change/destroy people who had full, ordinary lives with jobs and families. The superpowers in the Rough Passages stories are deliberate violations of the natural order, and they wreak havoc in the lives of people.
While I enjoyed the concept, I wasn't as keen on tight narration. Despite good writing, I wasn't able to relate to any of the characters and I had to push myself to finish the collection.
If you're into superheroes, I'd suggest giving this one a try. It's unlike most books in the genre and if only you'll be able to root for protagonists chances are you'll enjoy it much more than I.
One night in 1943, nearly ten percent of the world's population over age forty developed superpowers. Ever since then, a small but significant number of older adults have discovered strange new talents or undergone physical transformations as they hit middle age. A third of the population carries the potential to "roll into power," but no one can predict which few will activate.
The stories are realistic; the change into a superpowered being isn't always a welcomed one. Characters must deal with anxiety, social stigma, and fear. Each story in the book follows someone who deals with superpower-related crises.
In comic books, powers are usually given to young adults who don’t have settled lives, or to people with nothing left to lose. In Rough Passages, they change/destroy people who had full, ordinary lives with jobs and families. The superpowers in the Rough Passages stories are deliberate violations of the natural order, and they wreak havoc in the lives of people.
While I enjoyed the concept, I wasn't as keen on tight narration. Despite good writing, I wasn't able to relate to any of the characters and I had to push myself to finish the collection.
If you're into superheroes, I'd suggest giving this one a try. It's unlike most books in the genre and if only you'll be able to root for protagonists chances are you'll enjoy it much more than I.
December 16, 2017
Since I rated these stories individually, I feel a little sneaky shelving this collection, but I want to plug this too, since it came out in print format this year.
I haven’t found characters in the Rough Passages series that I love as much as Carl and Parker in Herkes’s Restoration series, but I like the premise of Rough Passages more.
I’m currently reading a late draft of a novel set in this world, and it is roaring along nicely. World building and characterization are Herkes’s forte, and her Rough Passages series is original, whiz-bang stuff.
I haven’t found characters in the Rough Passages series that I love as much as Carl and Parker in Herkes’s Restoration series, but I like the premise of Rough Passages more.
I’m currently reading a late draft of a novel set in this world, and it is roaring along nicely. World building and characterization are Herkes’s forte, and her Rough Passages series is original, whiz-bang stuff.
December 14, 2017
A wonderful take on the superhero genre, the Rough Passages stories are so well grounded in humanity. The characters all feel very real, and you feel for them, their fears in a world where the onset of power gained can be dangerous to those around them, be it family, friends, or the public at large. The powers gained take a backseat to the very human struggle of overcoming prejudice and fear, through love, understanding, and learning that those few that have power are people too.
The Rough Passages shorts are now gathered in one place, with well rounded reoccurring characters that grow and progress throughout. These are no villian of the week stories here. Each of the stories are top notch (I consider Extraordinary to be one of the ten best short stories I’ve read) and hint at the massive potential of further stories yet to come.
The Rough Passages shorts are now gathered in one place, with well rounded reoccurring characters that grow and progress throughout. These are no villian of the week stories here. Each of the stories are top notch (I consider Extraordinary to be one of the ten best short stories I’ve read) and hint at the massive potential of further stories yet to come.
October 17, 2017
The settings and characters in here are so well written it is impossible not to be swept up in the world KM Herkes has created.
I'm not going to give spoilers, but if you like to read stories set in a world where nobody knows if they'll stay human, along with the attendant insight into those affected and how they are treated, then you'll love this book. Put the kids to bed, turn off the TV, curl up on the sofa and immerse yourself.
This is an author to watch.
I'm not going to give spoilers, but if you like to read stories set in a world where nobody knows if they'll stay human, along with the attendant insight into those affected and how they are treated, then you'll love this book. Put the kids to bed, turn off the TV, curl up on the sofa and immerse yourself.
This is an author to watch.
November 7, 2017
The author delivers a new view of mid-life crisis. With responses ranging from compassion, love, suspicion and hate from those around them. This group of stories are exciting, and Herkes astounds with her world building and character death.
March 13, 2018
More than anything else, the stories in Rough Passages have a lot of humanity. Though most of the characters have magnificent powers, that's not what makes this book wonderful - what kept me reading (and loving!) this book were the complicated and realistic characters themselves. Rough Passages includes some great world-building, politics, superpowers, and action scenes, but how those parts of the narrative affect the marvelous characters are the heart of this collection.
March 23, 2019
I picked up Rough Passages because the author was recommended as someone who wrote excellent mother characters - mothers who were not dead or written out of the picture as soon as they had kids. This recommendation turned out to be very accurate and I enjoyed this collection of stories immensely.
Rough Passages is hard to categorize by genre, though. At its base it’s superhero fiction, with strong X-men echoes. Powers exhibit mainly to people in their middle age years because of a virus, which is science-y, but their powers are very fantastical. The fact that many of the characters are in their 40’s or 50’s and have had completely ordinary lives upended puts a very unique spin on a story that might otherwise sound too familiar. But it’s the characterization that really makes the stories shine.
The stories are all interlinked, many of them sharing characters, which makes it seem a little more like reading a novel than reading separate novellas or short stories. My favorites were the first and last. I loved Valerie, the protagonist of the first story - a 42 year old single mom of 2 toddler boys who’s working 2 jobs to support them and her aging mother. And I really liked Elena Moreno, the 13 year old protagonist of the last story, as well as Jack Coby, the 8 ft. tall Marine who shows up in several of the stories.
This is really a little more than 4 stars, I think. If you like excellent characterization and characters that break the fantasy mold, then I highly recommend this book to you.
Rough Passages is hard to categorize by genre, though. At its base it’s superhero fiction, with strong X-men echoes. Powers exhibit mainly to people in their middle age years because of a virus, which is science-y, but their powers are very fantastical. The fact that many of the characters are in their 40’s or 50’s and have had completely ordinary lives upended puts a very unique spin on a story that might otherwise sound too familiar. But it’s the characterization that really makes the stories shine.
The stories are all interlinked, many of them sharing characters, which makes it seem a little more like reading a novel than reading separate novellas or short stories. My favorites were the first and last. I loved Valerie, the protagonist of the first story - a 42 year old single mom of 2 toddler boys who’s working 2 jobs to support them and her aging mother. And I really liked Elena Moreno, the 13 year old protagonist of the last story, as well as Jack Coby, the 8 ft. tall Marine who shows up in several of the stories.
This is really a little more than 4 stars, I think. If you like excellent characterization and characters that break the fantasy mold, then I highly recommend this book to you.
May 7, 2021
This is a great premise (people getting superpowers in their 40s?! What!?!? Who will watch the kids while I get this under control?). The characters are incredibly believable (I've heard versions of those mother-daughter conversations around me), the world is fun, and the story is enjoyable.
I did lose the thread a bit in the middle (when the focus shifts away from the first character), and it took me a bit to get back into it and pull it back together (hence the four stars). Otherwise, this was a fun exploration of a cool concept.
I did lose the thread a bit in the middle (when the focus shifts away from the first character), and it took me a bit to get back into it and pull it back together (hence the four stars). Otherwise, this was a fun exploration of a cool concept.
November 18, 2017
Another excellent work by K. M. Herkes!
Fast paced, with great depth, the stories pull you in. The characters are so real, you expect to run into them at the grocery store, or the movies. So likable, you not-so-secretly hope to. I can’t wait to read more!
Fast paced, with great depth, the stories pull you in. The characters are so real, you expect to run into them at the grocery store, or the movies. So likable, you not-so-secretly hope to. I can’t wait to read more!
July 16, 2018
Terrific collection of stories.
The part of these stories I most enjoy is that they stay focused on the humanity of the characters. They deal with how people stay human, stay themselves, when their lives are upended but changes they cannot control.
You won’t be disappointed.
The part of these stories I most enjoy is that they stay focused on the humanity of the characters. They deal with how people stay human, stay themselves, when their lives are upended but changes they cannot control.
You won’t be disappointed.
July 4, 2018
An enjoyable book! Some of the scenes (particularly the man given wings who never gets to fly) will stick with me for a very long time
June 16, 2020
The interconnected stories and unforgettable characters in Rough Passages really showcase K.M. Herkes' astounding imagination and talent for writing intricate worlds inhabited by people with tremendous emotional depth.
Best of all, these stories reveal that being a hero doesn't come from the powers or skills you wield, but from the humanity and determination that spur you to risk yourself for others.
I bought two copies of this book so I could loan one out and keep the other close. (And I buy up every Herkes title that comes out at least once and am never disappointed.)
The author wrote such a good blurb above that you should read that, instead of my attempt below in brackets at relating the context of the setting. But I'll try anyway.
[SETTING: In an alternate history Earth, 1943 saw the sudden emergence of superpowers mostly among people 35 to 60 (and nearly always fatal when manifesting in someone younger, giving them at best only a couple years to live). The U.S. Department of Public Safety developed regular testing for "R-factor," and the Department of Defense developed training facilities to teach people to control their powers and then place them in appropriate military posts or crisis related posts, e.g., assigning people with water-controlling powers to areas suffering drought.
Manifesting powers could be outlandish or subtle in appearance and effect, and ranged from monstrous strong bodies (with scales or horns and/or berserk-like rage) to psychic abilities (mind reading or illusions) to animal-like qualities (tentacles or fur or wings or prehensile tails or a combination) to elemental powers (controlling fire or air or water or earth) to weird phenomena like teleportation. These powers could could develop gradually or in extreme cases hazardously fast, virtually turning the victim into a human bomb (particularly the elemental ones).]
I already wrote a review on the splendid first story, "Extraordinary" starring steadfast single-mom Valerie, so here I'll focus on the other fantastic tales.
The second, "The Letter," could have served as a prologue but I applaud the writer for putting it second so the characters rather than the setting could draw the reader in. Readers get to see the standard form letter received by "R-factor" positive citizens in all its "bureaucratic double-speak," but with a nameless commentator noting that those who develop powers can expect to be feared and hated by their neighbors or families as dangerous freaks, and may not even survive the official training. (The formal language is an interesting counterpoint to all the casual but well contextualized slang in the rest of the book that greatly adds to the sense of authenticity.)
The third, "Powerhouse," involves two tough and compassionate military officers investigating a (---here's your Content Warning---) rape involving "R-factor" positive Marines in the barracks. Honestly events this dark usually move me to drop a star in my rating, because it lessens my overall enjoyment to study such harsh realities in fiction and brood upon their devastating real world parallels. But this story introduces one of my favorite characters, Captain Malik Jefferson, who manages to bring comic relief in my favorite form (puns, none of which involved the crime, of course) when I need it most. And props to the writer, this story handles its subject matter and the emotional fallout so masterfully---and when the characters like Marine Jack Coby re-appear in later stories this remains true.
The fourth, "Midnight Call," is a transcript of a recorded conversation, and incident report notes, involving a young panicked "R-factor positive" citizen calling a helpline about her too-rapidly progressing powers. It's so sparse yet so suspenseful and fraught with emotion, the loneliness and despair and guilt of grappling with changes that make the people closest to you feel threatened and angry. (It's all ripe for metaphor, much like the X-men comics, as many before me have observed.)
The fifth, "Nightmares," is heartwrenching and one of my other favorites alongside "Extraordinary." It covers a jubilant birthday party for the "T-series" soldiers (T for Troll-like in sheer muscle and monstrous features) that escalates into a thrilling emergency mission to save hundreds of civilian lives. Kris Stanislav (or "Stan" as she was nicknamed by a fellow Marine) grapples with insecurity and traumatic memories and a collar that suppresses her powers when her night begins under the hostile gazes of humans at the bar hosting the celebration. By the end she must decide whether to take a bold risk to prevent a catastrophe AND convince herself she'd be doing so for all the right reasons.
The Sixth, "Roundup," follows a pious grandmother named Ruth submitting to government officers who escort her and other "R-factor" carriers to a labor camp island, with conditions of travel and "discipline" so brutal that many of their number perish. Her burgeoning powers tempt her to an all-too understandable vengeance even as she reflects on the Bible's commands to be peaceful and preserve life rather than taking it. I found the finale surprising and its prose especially luminous.
The penultimate story, "Lockdown," is another favorite, stirring and genuine, and I hope I haven't seen the last of the earnest thirteen-year-old protagonist Elena Moreno. (There is a sequel in the works, The Sharp Edge of Yesterday, so I might get my wish.) Her circle of friends has such believable dynamics and flaws and strengths, and she tries so hard to take care of her unsettling newly furred-and light phobic parent and little sister while staying true to herself, that it was impossible for me not to root hard for her. When faced with a crisis at her school during "R-factor" test day which she planned to skip out on, Elena has scant time to choose whether to risk getting involved.
The final tale, "Interview with a Hero," is a fascinatingly frank interview between a folksy talk show host (who is over 35 and "R-factor" positive and may develop powers) and an eight-foot tall superpowered ex-Marine turned Department of Public Safety employee. I enjoyed the recurring character here but I don't want to spoil who it is. Suffice to say this one ends the collection on a poignant note, particularly by noting how prejudice, more than superpowers, can turn people unpredictable and monstrous.
I cannot recommend this unique and memorable collection of stories, or this author, enough---particularly if, like me, you enjoy speculative fiction and stories heavy on emotional consequences and resonance and nuanced (but fundamentally decent) characters with strong interpersonal relationships.
In closing, one power all readers have is that of leaving an appreciative review that could help other readers find that good read, so...
IF A BOOK OR WRITER AMAZES AND DELIGHTS YOU, SPEAK UP---BOOST THE SIGNAL!
Best of all, these stories reveal that being a hero doesn't come from the powers or skills you wield, but from the humanity and determination that spur you to risk yourself for others.
I bought two copies of this book so I could loan one out and keep the other close. (And I buy up every Herkes title that comes out at least once and am never disappointed.)
The author wrote such a good blurb above that you should read that, instead of my attempt below in brackets at relating the context of the setting. But I'll try anyway.
[SETTING: In an alternate history Earth, 1943 saw the sudden emergence of superpowers mostly among people 35 to 60 (and nearly always fatal when manifesting in someone younger, giving them at best only a couple years to live). The U.S. Department of Public Safety developed regular testing for "R-factor," and the Department of Defense developed training facilities to teach people to control their powers and then place them in appropriate military posts or crisis related posts, e.g., assigning people with water-controlling powers to areas suffering drought.
Manifesting powers could be outlandish or subtle in appearance and effect, and ranged from monstrous strong bodies (with scales or horns and/or berserk-like rage) to psychic abilities (mind reading or illusions) to animal-like qualities (tentacles or fur or wings or prehensile tails or a combination) to elemental powers (controlling fire or air or water or earth) to weird phenomena like teleportation. These powers could could develop gradually or in extreme cases hazardously fast, virtually turning the victim into a human bomb (particularly the elemental ones).]
I already wrote a review on the splendid first story, "Extraordinary" starring steadfast single-mom Valerie, so here I'll focus on the other fantastic tales.
The second, "The Letter," could have served as a prologue but I applaud the writer for putting it second so the characters rather than the setting could draw the reader in. Readers get to see the standard form letter received by "R-factor" positive citizens in all its "bureaucratic double-speak," but with a nameless commentator noting that those who develop powers can expect to be feared and hated by their neighbors or families as dangerous freaks, and may not even survive the official training. (The formal language is an interesting counterpoint to all the casual but well contextualized slang in the rest of the book that greatly adds to the sense of authenticity.)
The third, "Powerhouse," involves two tough and compassionate military officers investigating a (---here's your Content Warning---) rape involving "R-factor" positive Marines in the barracks. Honestly events this dark usually move me to drop a star in my rating, because it lessens my overall enjoyment to study such harsh realities in fiction and brood upon their devastating real world parallels. But this story introduces one of my favorite characters, Captain Malik Jefferson, who manages to bring comic relief in my favorite form (puns, none of which involved the crime, of course) when I need it most. And props to the writer, this story handles its subject matter and the emotional fallout so masterfully---and when the characters like Marine Jack Coby re-appear in later stories this remains true.
The fourth, "Midnight Call," is a transcript of a recorded conversation, and incident report notes, involving a young panicked "R-factor positive" citizen calling a helpline about her too-rapidly progressing powers. It's so sparse yet so suspenseful and fraught with emotion, the loneliness and despair and guilt of grappling with changes that make the people closest to you feel threatened and angry. (It's all ripe for metaphor, much like the X-men comics, as many before me have observed.)
The fifth, "Nightmares," is heartwrenching and one of my other favorites alongside "Extraordinary." It covers a jubilant birthday party for the "T-series" soldiers (T for Troll-like in sheer muscle and monstrous features) that escalates into a thrilling emergency mission to save hundreds of civilian lives. Kris Stanislav (or "Stan" as she was nicknamed by a fellow Marine) grapples with insecurity and traumatic memories and a collar that suppresses her powers when her night begins under the hostile gazes of humans at the bar hosting the celebration. By the end she must decide whether to take a bold risk to prevent a catastrophe AND convince herself she'd be doing so for all the right reasons.
The Sixth, "Roundup," follows a pious grandmother named Ruth submitting to government officers who escort her and other "R-factor" carriers to a labor camp island, with conditions of travel and "discipline" so brutal that many of their number perish. Her burgeoning powers tempt her to an all-too understandable vengeance even as she reflects on the Bible's commands to be peaceful and preserve life rather than taking it. I found the finale surprising and its prose especially luminous.
The penultimate story, "Lockdown," is another favorite, stirring and genuine, and I hope I haven't seen the last of the earnest thirteen-year-old protagonist Elena Moreno. (There is a sequel in the works, The Sharp Edge of Yesterday, so I might get my wish.) Her circle of friends has such believable dynamics and flaws and strengths, and she tries so hard to take care of her unsettling newly furred-and light phobic parent and little sister while staying true to herself, that it was impossible for me not to root hard for her. When faced with a crisis at her school during "R-factor" test day which she planned to skip out on, Elena has scant time to choose whether to risk getting involved.
The final tale, "Interview with a Hero," is a fascinatingly frank interview between a folksy talk show host (who is over 35 and "R-factor" positive and may develop powers) and an eight-foot tall superpowered ex-Marine turned Department of Public Safety employee. I enjoyed the recurring character here but I don't want to spoil who it is. Suffice to say this one ends the collection on a poignant note, particularly by noting how prejudice, more than superpowers, can turn people unpredictable and monstrous.
I cannot recommend this unique and memorable collection of stories, or this author, enough---particularly if, like me, you enjoy speculative fiction and stories heavy on emotional consequences and resonance and nuanced (but fundamentally decent) characters with strong interpersonal relationships.
In closing, one power all readers have is that of leaving an appreciative review that could help other readers find that good read, so...
IF A BOOK OR WRITER AMAZES AND DELIGHTS YOU, SPEAK UP---BOOST THE SIGNAL!
January 12, 2025
Unique vision of how an evolutionary change could be perceived.
Herkes' concept of how humanity might receive or reject the appearance of "superhuman" powers in its population is fascinating! We are introduced to "The Rollover" slowly, first through the eyes of a waitress who's been through the initial diagnosis and change, but is frozen at then point of making a decision on how to proceed with her new life. We see how fear and personal beliefs affect perception: No completely virtuous Kal-el of Krypton or power-hungry volunteers for adaptation here, just people who have been changed and now have to adjust to their place in society all over again.
Great work with character voices and inner dialogue.
I highly recommend for readers of Ilona Andrews, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs.
Herkes' concept of how humanity might receive or reject the appearance of "superhuman" powers in its population is fascinating! We are introduced to "The Rollover" slowly, first through the eyes of a waitress who's been through the initial diagnosis and change, but is frozen at then point of making a decision on how to proceed with her new life. We see how fear and personal beliefs affect perception: No completely virtuous Kal-el of Krypton or power-hungry volunteers for adaptation here, just people who have been changed and now have to adjust to their place in society all over again.
Great work with character voices and inner dialogue.
I highly recommend for readers of Ilona Andrews, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs.
December 29, 2024
I read 50% of it. It was mildly interesting, but not enough to draw me back into it after putting it down. Clever worldbuilding.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews