Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders

by Susan Forest (Editor), Lucas K. Law (Editor), Seanan McGuire

Journey with twenty-one speculative fiction authors through the fractured borders of human migration to examine assumptions and catch a glimpse of the dreams, struggles, and triumphs of those who choose--or are forced--to leave home and familiar places. Who straddle borders within our worlds--and within us.

Migration. A transformation of time, place, and being . . .

We are called drifters, nomads. We are expatriates, evacuees, and pilgrims. We are colonists, aliens, explorers; strangers, visitors--intruders, conquerors--exiles, asylum seekers, and . . . outsiders.

An American father shields his son from Irish discrimination. A Chinese foreign student wrestles to safeguard her family at the expense of her soul. A college graduate is displaced by technology. A Nigerian high school student chooses between revenge and redemption. A bureaucrat parses the mystery of Taiwanese time travellers. A defeated alien struggles to assimilate into human culture. A Czechoslovakian actress confronts the German WWII invasion. A child crosses an invisible border wall. And many more.

Stories that transcend borders, generations, and cultures. Each is a glimpse into our human need in face of change: to hold fast to home, to tradition, to family; and yet to reach out, to strive for a better life.

Featuring Original Stories by Vanessa Cardui, Elsie Chapman, Kate Heartfield, S.L. Huang, Tyler Keevil, Matthew Kressel, Rich Larson, Tonya Liburd, Karin Lowachee, Seanan McGuire, Brent Nichols, Julie NovAkovA, Heather Osborne, Sarah Raughley, Alex Shvartsman, Amanda Sun, Jeremy Szal, Hayden Trenholm, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm, Christie Yant & Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

With An Introduction by Eric Choi & Gillian Clinton

Edited by Susan Forest & Lucas K. Law

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Anthologies, Speculative Fiction, Fiction, Adult

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2018

About the author

Susan Forest grew up in a family of mountaineers and skiers, and she loves adventure. She also loves the big ideas found in SF/F, and finds fast-paced adventure stories a great place to explore how individuals grapple with complex moral decisions. Aurora Award winners, Bursts of Fire and Flights of Marigold, first books in her Addicted to Heaven series, confront issues of addiction in an epic fantasy world of intrigue and betrayal.

Susan is also an award-winning fiction editor, has published over 25 short stories (Analog, Asimov's, BCS, & more), and has appeared at many international writing conventions. She loves travel and has been known to dictate novels from the back of her husband's motorcycle. http://speculative-fiction.ca/

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book and toyed with the idea of waiting until it was published to grab a copy. Luckily, I decided to take the plunge on NetGalley and was overjoyed to be given a copy! 'Shades Within Us' is a timely speculative fiction anthology and feaures such big names as Seanan McGuire, S. L. Kuang and Tyler Keevil. Each of the twenty-one stories cover different themes, most of which are significantly deeper than your usual speculative fiction or science fiction. These are stories that transcend borders, generations, and cultures. Each is a glimpse into our human need in face of change: to hold fast to home, to tradition, to family; and yet to reach out, to strive for a better life.

The previous books in this series have received widespread critical acclaim and this one i'm positive will be no exception. I haven't read the others so I can't compare them, but I purchased them the second I realised how awesome these stories are! Despite being identified as speculative, most of these stories seem as though they are ripped from today's headlines, and each does a great job in asking the reader to reflect on how they can change their lives for the better, as well as the lives of others. We certainly need some of that right now! There are a few of the stories that fall back on well-worn tropes of the genre, but most are refreshingly original. This is a daring and wonderful collection that adds to the future as imagined by authors such as George Orwell, Margaret Atwood and Philip K. Dick.

The key theme and topical issue that unifies each story is that of immigration. But also explored are identity, belonging and the marginalised. I found most of the tales to be of exceptional quality, with important messages to boot. I simply couldn't pick a favourite as there was such a wide selection and each was indispensable in its own way. A great collection that is well worth investing your time in. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Laksa Media Groups for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This a beautiful and necessary compilation of short stories all telling a different tale of immigration. It's a book everyone can learn from and enjoy. The range of authors ensures that it never feels repetitive despite the subject matter being the same.

I would highly recommend this collection, it's simply stunning (as is the cover)

My favourites were Defender of Mogadun by Alex Shvartsman & Shades of Void by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

[Kayla Silverss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got sent this book in exchange for a honest review, all my opinions are my own and thank you so much to the publishers for sending me this book!

I really liked the different migration stories. I loved hearing from different authors and their point of views in migration and how they interpreted in their stories.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some truly amazing stories in this anthology. It was wonderful to see so many different perspectives, so many different kinds of people from stories set in the past, present and future in countries all over the world, the one thing connecting them all being that they're tales of migration, facing the struggles, prejudices and barriers that come hand in hand with moving their lives across the boarders.

I don't think there were any stories that I particularly disliked, but there were definitely some that stood out more than others. I adored the way that language played a big part in stories like Porque El Girasol se Llama el Girasol by Rich Larson, Inkskinned by Jeremy Szal and Devouring Tongues by S.L Huang. I also really loved Critical Mass by Liz Westbrook- Trenholm and The Travellers by Amanda Sun.

The only real problem I had with this anthologies is as the subject matter can be so upsetting and dark, I found that reading them back to back was really quite depressing. I wouldn't take issue with the book itself, but I would advise readers to take a step back and read something else for a bit of a break, which as they're short stories is very easy to do!

I wholeheartedly recommend this book though. There were beautiful, important and heartbreaking stories throughout the anthology and really show different ways of viewing the world.

[Ceillie Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review here!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you can tell from the subtitle, Shades Within Us is a speculative fiction short story anthology about migration, immigration, and refugees. The collection mixes authors I’m already familiar with (Karin Lowachee, Seanan McGuire, S.L. Huang, Rich Larson) with plenty of authors who are new to me.

I’m going to start positive by going over some of my favorite stories of the collection. Karin Lowachee’s story, “Invasio,” is absolutely stunning, showing off her fantastic prose. During an alien invasion, the main character is forced to flee as the world slowly crumbles to ash.

I really enjoyed Amanda Sun’s “The Travelers,” in which time travelers escape a cataclysmic past by taking refuge in our present. It’s a really cool concept that she executes flawlessly, only going to show that I need to track down more stories by her.

I love S.L. Huang’s longer work, and her inclusion was one of the reasons I decided to pick up this collection. “Devouring Tongues” is the story of a Chinese immigrant in Japan who is trying to learn Japanese and gain a career that will let her provide for her parents, who write and illustrate dangerously political children’s books in mainland China. To speed her way, she has made a deal: her mother tongue for Japanese. But as she loses more and more of the language of her birth, she fears she is losing herself as well. “Devouring Tongues” is a powerful story of language and identity.

One of the most memorable stories is “The Swordmaster of Ravenpeak” by Brent Nichols, even if it ultimately takes a turn for the depressing. A disabled man is able to have friendships and happiness in life through an online gaming community, but his abled family members decide to move him to a different facility… which means he will be moving servers without even the chance to say goodbye to the people who matter most to him. “The Swordmaster of Ravenpeak” might not at first glance be connected to the theme of the collection, but even if the protagonist isn’t changing countries, he is still forced to change his life.

Seanan McGuire likely has the greatest name recognition of all the authors in the collection. Her offering, “Remember the Green,” takes place in a future where the densely packed, urban “grey,” and the agricultural “green.” A family from the green is forced to move by the government, who is relocating farming families to turn them over to mega-farms. I would put “Remember the Green” in the upper half of the collection, but we’re starting to get out of my favorite stories and more into everything else.

Likewise, Alex Shvartsman’s “Defender of Mogadun” is a well-constructed story that I enjoyed reading but doesn’t have a huge amount of staying power. Dragons from other dimensions try to break through the veils of reality and destroy cities… but some guards against them are infinitely reincarnated.

Rich Larson imagines an eerily believable future where people are trying to escape America. The protagonist of “Porque el girasol se llama el girasol” is a little girl whose mother has contracted a coyote to get them past the border wall and detention camps and into Mexico. The coyote operates by moving them outside of our reality for portions of the trip… but walking outside the world is dangerous, and not everyone will survive.

In “Superfreak” by Tonya Liburd, a girl moves from the Carribean to Canada after her parents die and she’s supposed to be left in the care of a predatory and sexually abusive uncle. Unfortunately, the next relative she’s left with isn’t much better, and she soon finds herself in a shelter for homeless teens. Oh, and did I mention? In this world, most everyone has some sort of supernatural power… except for our protagonist.

“The Vagabond of Trudeau High” by Sarah Raughley is another story set in modern-day Canada. A black girl witnesses her father get beat up by the police and makes a deal with a supernatural power to be able to curse people. She decides to use this gift to get revenge on behalf of marginalized people who have been wronged.

Two stories deal with the Holocaust and World War II. In “Critical Mass” by Liz Westbrooke-Trenholm, a Jewish scientist and her niece are trying to get to Canada but find their visas repeatedly denied. “Screen in Silver, Love in Colour, Mirror in Black-and-White” by Julie Nováková follows a movie crew in Prague who are working on the edge of a war.

Some of the stories imagine a future devastated by environmental collapse. In “From the Shoals of Broken Cities” by Heather Osborne, some people have genetically engineered themselves to be able to live beneath the ocean, but they are inundated with refugees from above and divided as a community about how to treat them. “Gilbert Tong’s Life List” by Kate Heartfield follows a teenager in a walled-off refugee community of people from a drowned Pacific island that is kept apart from Canada, with none of the descendants of the original refugees granted citizenship or permission to leave legally. “In a Bar by the Ocean, the World Waits” by Hayden Trenholm has the presumption of a failing planet, but the focus is on a young woman given a choice: be put into an all-immersive virtual reality where she’ll have the experience of a happy, full life… but her organs will be harvested after six months. Is it worth it to live and keep trying to save the world, or should she just give up and accept the happiness before death? “Habitat” by Christie Yant depicts a future where everyone is forced to live in one place to preserve the rest of the planet’s ecology. Those who resist are forcibly relocated.

“The Marsh of Camrina” by Matthew Kressel may be a bit about an environmentally devastated future… but it’s more about a future in which technology has advanced to the point that few jobs or economic opportunities are available. A college graduate with no prospects goes to work in a new type of eco-city.

The last of the “middle of the road stories” is “Shades of Void” by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro. I really don’t have much to say on this one. It’s about space exploration and a relationship, but it blurred pretty quickly with all these other stories I’ve read.

Now we get into the stories I had more negative feelings toward. “How My Life Will End” by Vanessa Cardui isn’t a short story at all — it’s song lyrics, and I’ll admit to skimming or outright skipping them.

“Imago” by Elsie Chapman may have been going for a surrealist approach? I’m honestly not sure what was up with it. There’s a ship that people get on to go to the other end of the world, but the trip’s dangerous and most don’t return.

I felt sort of weird about “Voices” by Tyler Keevil. An American man moves with his wife to her native home of Ireland, and he worries about his son, who is bullied for not following conventional gender norms and speaks to presences that may go beyond imaginary friends. The protagonist has a brother-in-law who is Native American and the source of wisdom and life advice. It kind of coat hangs the “Native wisdom” trope… but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still doing it.

However, the story I was most iffy on was “Inkskinned” by Jeremy Szal, which has aliens moving into a mostly human city and facing prejudice. You get aliens as a stand-in for marginalized people, and it also gave off the message of “be kind to bigots and they’ll be less bigoted.” In my experience, that doesn’t work at all and just leads to a lot of suffering on the part of the people doing the kindness.

But a few stories aside, Shades Within Us was a solid speculative fiction collection, if not the best I’ve read this year. I do find the topic of the collection timely and vital, and many of these stories are well worth reading.

I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.

Review from The Illustrated Page.

[W.L. Bolm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very timely and important book, but I believe the stories within it will stand the test of time. The anthology is about the borders that constrain us and that are thrust upon up by outside forces, and how people navigate these borders. Some of the stories are fantastic in nature, others are genre stories that are one stepped removed from the world we currently live in, but regardless, they illuminate the lived experiences of people struggling with acceptance, survival, and belonging.

The collection as a whole is extremely well curated, but the standouts for me were:

Inkskinned by Jeremy Szal
Defender of Mogadun by Alex Shvartsman
Superfreak by Tonya Liburd
Gilbert Tong’s Life List by Kate Heartfield

Superfreak especially haunted me after I read it.

I also really enjoyed Voices by Tyler Keevil, mostly because it was the work I could most related to because of my lived experiences, both as a nonbinary person and as a person who has considered more than once moving to Ireland.

[Derek Newman-Stille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borders are complex spaces of change and uncertainty where identities are made and also complicated. Lucas Law and Susan Forest’s Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders examines this complex space of border crossing, that ultimate liminality that invites questions about categories. The stories in this collection invite us to interrogate the ways that we divide up our world including, but not limited to geography. These tales ask how borders try to limit us and what it means to transcend those limitations, to question them, and to defy them.

These are tales of displacement, loss, and cultural assimilation, but they are also tales of coming together, of community formation beyond limits, and of speculating the new borders of the future. These tales explore the way that border-crossing can be a painful process, a process of losing person freedoms, having to navigate new ways of defining identity, and interrogating what ideas like “home” and “belonging” mean when we move.

In an era of globalization and yet also an era of increased border control and hegemonic control over who can and cannot come into a country, Shades Within Us is a timely collection that invites us to ask whether we still do (or still should) live in a space of national borders and national definitions of identity. It invites us to use our speculative imagination to think through new ways of understanding selfhood in relation to the borders, boxes, and categories that are placed around us.

As much as Shades Within Us is about the physical crossing of borders, it is more about the psychological borders that we cross, the way that we reconceptualize ourselves and imagine ourselves differently.

To discover more about Shades Within Us, visit http://laksamedia.com/shades-within-u...

To read reviews of a few of the individual stories in this collection, see these posts:

Tonya Liburd’s Superfreak

https://speculatingcanada.ca/2018/02/...

Kate Heartfield’s Gilber Tong’s Life List

https://speculatingcanada.ca/2018/02/...

Rich Larson’s Porque El Girasol se Llama El Girasol

https://speculatingcanada.ca/2018/02/...

Karin Lowachee’s Invasio

https://speculatingcanada.ca/2018/02/...

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most stylish and thought-provoking anthology of speculative fiction I have read in many years. Each story takes a different slant on a question of migration, displacement, refugee camps, or the inner manifestations of those circumstances. As with any collection of diverse authors, the individual stories run the gamut from lean, crisp writing to leisured and beautiful sentences, from straightforward tales of love and loss to complex variations on the theme. Nothing rushed or simplistic. It was a joy to read.

[Tasha Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

To start with i wasnt sure what to expect from this novel, but the premise of it intrigued me endlessly. It turns out that i actually quite enjoyed it adn found the various writing styles to be a refreshing as there were no two stories the same. So, the uniting them of all the amazing short stories in this collection is that of borders and migration. While I found the premise interesting, I expected a collection of 'alien approached border and was refused' along with tales of boat people and illegal immigrants. I dont know why since its a collection of spec fiction. There are stories ranging from aliens finding refuge after a great war, the quest of a mother and daughter through various portals to enter the United States (this one made my heart hurt) to the tale of time travelling refugees to save the world before they destroy it in the future. With hard hitting authors such as Seanan McGuire and Tyler Keevil within this novels alumna, Shades Within Us contains stories which will make you run the gamut of human emotions. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions contained within are that of the author and have not been influenced in any way by the publisher or its affiliates

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew this topic would be a winner for me, and it was.
Some really brilliant gems from some authors familiar to me, and some brand new to me.
Like all anthologies, there were ups and downs but overall this was a brilliant collection.

[Nancy Graben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great book. It is a very poignant read for the times.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating look at our culture and society. The stories in this book open up discussion on migration, the issues that divide us whether they are social mores, skin color, attitudes and many more. Some of the stories are sad, some happy, some introspective, some frightening as the authors take a look at migration--physical, mental, emotional, moral and more. The most important thing about this anthology is that it makes the reader think! It presents the stories and characters in a way that brings the issues up close and personal. It is very relevant in today's world. These stories are, in themselves, springboards for discussion or introspection on our roles in society. I truly enjoyed this book and these are some of the best authors I have read.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories that touches on the ideas of identity and belonging that is very prevalent. This is such a good that I would recommend to everyone as I think they are very important.

[Kamisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This was such a special and fascinating collection of stories! Each story wowed me in different ways and each spoke uniquely on its own. This is a collection of speculative fiction short stories about migrations and borders, and the reasons people seek other places. Each story shows the reader how migrations or the crossing of borders can be more than just physically moving from one’s home, these changes can also be emotional, mental, or cultural. And they impact every person in different ways. All of these stories show us that ‘home’ can be a fluid concept and it is very much a concept that we carry within us in addition to being a physical place.

These stories were all so very impactful and each carries its own message, they truly all felt like the author’s were contributing a part of themselves within these stories. I really enjoyed reading this collection and found myself consuming it slower than I usually do most books, because it felt like I needed time to savor each of these stories. There wasn’t a single story that I rated lower than 3 stars during my reading of this, and the majority of them were all 4 or 5 star reads for me.

A few of the stand out five star reads for me were:

“Porque el Girasol se llama Girasol”- Rich Larson
This story involved a group of migrants essentially quantum walking through borders. Also, there are terrifying monsters that can catch you if you falter while crossing. There is a “wall” mentioned several times in the story, and it definitely hit some eerily similar notes to today’s world. Fear and the need to help your family escape were heavy in this story. The atmosphere of this short story was just so terrifying and important.

“Habitat”- Christie Yant
In this story the inhabitants of Earth have brought upon themselves a self-imposed apocalypse and in order to save what remains of Earth and themselves, they have created Habitat-- a new sustainable living space for survivors. However, the reverse of the situation is turned on its head in this story as we see that denizens of Habitat are constantly sweeping the remains of human tribes on Earth away from their lives out in the open to be force-integrated into life within Habitat. I loved the conservation message of this one.

“Devouring Tongues”- S.L. Huang
An intricate look at the ways that languages help us transcend borders, but how our first language, even if it may not be prominently used culturally, can feel like home to us. A Chinese foreign student in Japan desperately sells parts of her soul to the Reaper, in an attempt to master her multilingual learning and ultimately create safe passage for her family, but along the way realizes she is losing parts of her culture that she cannot afford to lose.

“The Vagabond of Trudeau High”- Sarah Raughley
This ended up being my favorite short story in the entire collection. It carries such a powerful, important and relevant message for all of us today. A young girl of Nigerian immigrants experiences police brutality firsthand when she witnesses her father being brutally beaten one night. Incorporating elements of Yoruba folklore, she is offered a chance at revenge and must decide what is most important to her. At school, amidst the parameters of a patriotic assignment, she struggles to define what being Canadian means for her and those around her who feel anything but “at home” here.


Each of these stories were so very different in particulars, but so unifying in their messages. I loved the aspects of speculative fiction that the authors added to these stories and the fluid genre nature of each story. Though each story has an element of ‘other’ to it, it doesn’t take much to imagine that they all could very well take place in the world we live in right now.

This collection is also extremely special because on publication, the publishing company donated $1,000 to support mental health programs, and a portion of the anthology's net revenue also goes to support mental health programs! This is such an important collection of stories and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Shades Within Us is an anthology of stories around the themes of migrations and borders. Loosely following the other 2 anthologies in the 'social causes' series, this one includes 21 pieces of speculative fiction from both well known and new-to-me authors. As far as I can see from the publisher info, all the stories are original to this book.

I've always had a particular fondness for collections/anthologies because short fiction is spare and technically challenging, so you get a better feel for an author's expertise with the form. Short fiction is less of a time commitment as well, so if one story is not working for you, there's another piece readily available in a few pages. Short fiction anthologies are also a rich source for finding new authors so you can search out their other works.

Released 8th Sept. 2018 by Laksa Media, it's available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

There are a number of standout stories in this anthology which really resonated with me. There's an ever increasing urgency to people's awareness of the fragility of our world and there are also a number of stories which include global warming and environmental damage as central themes. Interwoven throughout is the idea that what binds us together are our shared experiences and the things we have in common rather than our differences.

One of the things that struck me about the other reviews I've read was that although they certainly mentioned the commonalities and themes of borders and immigration and humanity but I couldn't really find anyone else mentioning that this is also a collection of REALLY good stories by really gifted authors writing at the top of their game. There are gems here which will stick with the reader long after they're finished.

Although this is a topical book (border crossings, immigration, 'the other', etc), it's not just a headline-of-the-day collection. These stories stand on their own merit.

Four stars (the stories are all in the 3-5 star range).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

[Adjectiveplusnoun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer- I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
As always, for a more in-depth version of this review (or for my opinions on other books or tropes), feel free to check out my blog.

I don't really know how to review this book, I don't read many anthologies and I had quite varied opinions of the different works. I think for the sake of brevity I'll keep my comments general.

By far my standout favourites were SL Huang's story Devouring Tongues, From the Shoals of Broken Cities by Heather Osborne (I'd never read anything by her, but now I really want to) and Remember the Green by Seanan McGuire to noone's surprise. All three of these stories had a clear message, while still telling an engrossing and believable story.
I also very much enjoyed Imago, Porque el Girasol se llama el Girasol and In a bar by the ocean, the world waits; the worldbuilding in the first two in particular being fascinating to me. I want to read a novel length work by the authors right now!

I really liked the theme of this book, and I think it succeeded in encouraging diverse voices and creative worldbuilding, while also providing timely and relevant commentary on social issues (xenophobia, racism and environmental concerns being common recurring themes).

There are definitely some confronting stories included in this book, I legitimately cried at one point, but I think the messages conveyed by Shades Within Us is an important one. If you enjoy challenging fiction with incredible worldbuilding that doesn't skimp on social commentary, this book is for you.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders is an anthology of twenty-one short stories, which was collected and edited by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law. Twenty-one short stories are penned by a mix of authors well known in the science fiction and fantasy genre.

For the most part, I rather like most if not all of these contributions. Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders is an anthology of twenty-one short stories of speculative fiction through the lens of fractured borders of human migration to examine assumptions and catch a glimpse of the dreams, struggles, and triumphs of those who chooses or forced to leave home to unknown worlds.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions, and Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders is not an exception, but they were the outliers and not the rule as most stories were written quite well. There are a couple of short stories that didn't resonate with me – comparatively speaking, but was written well nevertheless, and didn't hinder my enjoyment of the anthology.

All in all, Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders is a wonderful solid collection of twenty-one speculative fiction short stories that deals and has protagonists who are migrants, who had chosen and forced to leave the place they called home.

[KayW4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, I requested this book because I love Seanan McGuire, particularly her short fiction, but once I'd read her story in here, I carried through and read the others, and found most of them to be pretty good. It's a weird time to be reviewing a collection about migration, if you're based in the US, of course; this collection does nothing to allay anyone's fears about where we might be heading either short- or long-term. But I also welcomed a more global perspective (sometimes extra-global) here where the issues weren't just those afflicting the desperate people unlucky enough to be caught up in the United States' horrific immigration system - but these stories also think through migration elsewhere, through a sci-fi lens that involves aliens, dragons but also non-American issues equally worthwhile of our attention. There were no particular standouts (not even McGuire), but I also didn't find any big duds. Warmly recommended if you can stomach being reminded of the news while reading fantasy/sci fi.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short stories focusing on people migrating to new lands, sometimes legally, sometimes illegally, and the struggle to connect.

This collection's third in a series, the first deal with mental illness, the second with caregivers, and this, now with migration. While the topic was potentially as or more interesting than some of the others, I think overall it's among the weakest, the theme just didn't leave quite as much room for enough different takes to keep from feeling one-note (or perhaps the stories chosen just didn't), and too many felt a little forgettable. And, for my tastes, too many felt like they only tangentially dealt with migration or only tangentially were SF.

Like all anthologies there are some that worked better or worse for my particular tastes. In this case, the standouts were "Gilbert Tong's Life List" by Kate Heartfield, Amanda Sun's "The Travelers", and "The Swordmaster of Ravenpeak" by Brent Nichols.

The collections not bad by any means, it's still pleasant and readable, I just don't think many of the stories are going to stick with me for very long.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rare to have an anthology where the story quality is so consistently high. Of course, given this is a story about refugees and immigration, that means half the time the stories make me want to fling myself off of a bridge. It's a highly relevant theme to explore right now though, especially through the lense of spec fic because, after all, it's not like issues of refugee and immigration are ever going to go away, as long as humanity continues to exist.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this mostly to support some friends that were involved with it. As such, I'm glad I got it. As for quality, it was typical of most anthologies - some stories connected, some didn't and there was at least one that was a complete dud, for me.

(Note: It took me 5 months to read this because I only read it at bedtime and frequently would be sleepy after 2 or 3 pages. :-))

[Shandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read "Remember the Green" by Seanan McGuire - I'm not a big short story reader, but I make an exception for my favorite author. The story itself was okay, if a tad depressing. Not quite as gripping as her usual stories.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to read something that is not my usual genre, but the writing appealed to me very unevenly. Some of the stories were quite a bit better than others.

[Laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

some of these were outstanding, and others i skimmed. an unbalanced collection, but the gems are truly worth your time.

[LaShawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Remember the Green” by Seanan McGuire.

[mo]

A really interesting and timely short story anthology. Review to come.

[Lois Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders" is the latest anthology (Book 4) in the "Laksa Anthology Series: Speculative Fiction." This volume in the series focuses on the concept of migration and identity. Even though this is a work of speculative fiction, the stories within it are very topical. The book contains stories by authors you have heard of, and by authors you have not heard of, but each story is worth the read.

Each story varies from protagonist to protagonist and their characteristics: race, age, ethnicity, sex, gender, education, sexuality, and of course, reason for migration. Each story takes place in a different part of the world, but with the reason each protagonist migrates, he/she/they realize there is a cost that comes along with it, usually a form of identity. At the same time, the protagonist has to find a way to cope with the changes of living in a new place can entail.

The speculative fiction inclusion allows for the reader to gain more understanding into what that cost can equate to, whether or not it is language, folklore and other beliefs, different dimensions, or magic. In addition, this inclusion allows for a better grasp as to what people bring and leave behind when migration occurs. This method of narration allows for more empathy towards the protagonists, their families, and what and who they left behind.

"Shades Within Us: Tales of Migrations and Fractured Borders" is an anthology that will leave you wondering about your family history with how and why certain members migrate either by immigration, or by emigration. It will make readers consider their identity and which part of their family's identity and culture's identity they continue to practice and why. There is a story in this anthology for all readers to enjoy.

I apologize for my late review of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.