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Behind the Sun, Above the Moon

Brooklyn Ray (Goodreads Author) (Editor),

Ziggy Schutz (Goodreads Author) (contributor),

S.R. Jones (Goodreads Author) (contributor),

Paige S. Allen (contributor),

Alex Harrow (Goodreads Author) (contributor),

Emmett Nahil (Goodreads Author) (contributor),

Brooklyn Ray (Goodreads Author) (contributor),

Sara Codair (Goodreads Author) (contributor),

more…

3.93 · Rating details · 41 ratings · 25 reviews

OUT OF PRINT: Please check with the authors for access to individually published versions of these fantastic stories!

A Queer anthology featuring stories inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets, entire galaxies even, live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories will span science fiction, science fantasy, contemp OUT OF PRINT: Please check with the authors for access to individually published versions of these fantastic stories!

A Queer anthology featuring stories inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets, entire galaxies even, live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories will span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism.

● twice-spent comet—On an isolated asteroid, Fer serves out their sentence with a found family of ramshackle criminals. Life takes an exciting turn when they befriend Ophelia, a beautiful humanoid creature with a tail like a comet.

● From Dusk to Dying Sun—Jay Morrison almost believes the rumors of magic and mischief haunting the US-50. But their partner, Luis Inoa, has made a career guarding the dusty Nevada trails. According to him, the only scary things on the highway are the silences, until a group of tourists break open the sun and disappear into a fiery blaze.

● Lost/Found—When Hollis Griffin, a lonely sex worker living in Venice Beach, forms an unlikely friendship with a fallen star, she begins to face the truth about her life, her past, and what the future holds.

● Awry with Dandelions—For thirty seconds every night, a disembodied specter named Mette visits with Orin who has long since written the ghost woman off as a recurring dream. But when Mette suggests meeting in real life, Orin’s inner world turns out to be more substantial than imaginary, and xie embarks on a journey to discover the truth of Mette and their strange connection.

● The Far Touch—A long-standing coven of witches trek to their sacred space and accidentally discover life on another planet when their Solstice celebration interferes with a lone practitioner.

● Ink and Stars—Locked in a contract to steal their ex-lovers ship, Chaz Neoma comes face to face with consequences, lost partnership, and the chance at a future, after discovering they aren’t the last Weaver in the universe.

● Horologium—In the far reaches of the Horologium Supercluster, an astronaux is stranded alone on a long-distance astral ship where they’re visited by three apparitions, telling stories of ancestors who traveled space before them. Coeie must decide whether to follow the ghosts of the past, or forge their own path through the cosmos.

● Death Marked—As chief security officer in the Lunar Guard, Enzi is in charge of the security for their sister’s coming of age ceremony. A fragile relationship with their family doesn’t make keeping Ulsa safe any easier, and neither does a group of pesky drones or a hidden plot to overthrow their sister’s place in the family.

● Weave the Dark, Weave the Light—On a crisp night, Ari, a supposed elemental witch, meets Jonathan Aster, a powerful being they desperately want to understand. As they explore an intense, intimate and passionate relationship, Ari unearths long-hidden mysteries about themself and their magic. ...more

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Published February 1st 2020

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The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

2020 Queer Sci-Fi Fantasy

159 books — 278 voters

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· 41 ratings · 25 reviews

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Feb 23, 2020 Jude in the Stars rated it it was amazing

4.5* – I am not a huge short stories reader. I often feel that by the time I’m into the story, it’s over. Seeing J. S. Fields’ name on the cover of this anthology however made me want to give it a try. I loved the Ardulum series so much, I wanted more of their writing.

Behind the Sun, Above the Moon offers nine definitions, nine interpretations of magic, nine representations of non-binary characters in own voices. The stories take the reader from world to world, universe to universe. Some are set ...more

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Feb 20, 2020 True Loveislovereview rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020, fantasy, sci-fi, lgbtq

A Queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets—entire galaxies, even—live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism, and celebrate Non-binary and Transgender characters.

I started by reviewing each book apart, but after the fourth I got a feeling to describe the whole anthology at once. Then I looked at the blurb and thought what more can I say A Queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets—entire galaxies, even—live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism, and celebrate Non-binary and Transgender characters.

I started by reviewing each book apart, but after the fourth I got a feeling to describe the whole anthology at once. Then I looked at the blurb and thought what more can I say about it than the blurb above already says?
Not every story spoke to my heart, it wasn’t always an easy read, but they all spoke to my imagination.
They all tell a story where my spirit traveled through space and beyond. They gave me a widely free feeling, where all boundaries just vanished. Where everything is possible, where questions stay put but love and acceptance are everything and you are never just ‘just’.
Where magic, stardust, earthly things, moon, sun, constellations, and outer space is reachable. I loved the touch of and feeling of endlessness, without boundaries, where everyone and everything is possible and has a place. Where you can love a mermaid, step into the sun, kiss a star, visit each other in dreams with dragons and special potted dandelions, eternity is behind eyelids, where Weaver’s can’t fix with their magic but instead find their purpose, where you can meet sparkles named It, They and Xie, where the heir is the sister you can save and last but not least where fire can summon ice and one hand can tell a thousand facts, where you beg for a spell and the safe word is Cygnus.
These stories made me feel all different kinds of emotions, excitement, sadness, some of lost, and some made me laugh.
At a point in my life (RL) I had rebirth sessions and my mind got out of my body and traveled through space, among unknown planets. This anthology gave me a piece of that feeling back. Where everything was okay, where everyone is accepted by who we are. Where far away is just in hand reach when you look right. It goes beyond everything. We all have a hand in to make it work.
Every author did a great job to give and bring me in a limitless state of mind with their stories.

So thank you, you all made my day:

#1 Twice-spent comet by Ziggy Schultz
#2 From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S. Allen
#3 Lost/Found by Brooklyn Ray
#4 Awry with Dandelions by J.S. Fields
#5 The Far Touch by S.R. Jones
#6 Ink and Stars by Alex Harrow
#7 Horologium by Emmett Nahil
#8 Death Marked by Sara Codair
#9 Weave the Dark, Weave the Light by Anna Zabo ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Nicole Field rated it liked it

Shelves: enby-characters

This is a sci-fi anthology with a focus on non-binary main characters, including 9 ownvoices authors. The only other anthology I know of that does something close to this is No Man of Woman Born published last year by Ana Mardoll.

Like any anthology, there were definitely stronger and weaker stories. I was surprised, however, that my favourite stories all came from authors whose works I hadn't heard of before.

The anthology starts real strongly with "twice-spent comet" by Ziggy Schutz, a story a ...more

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Feb 27, 2020 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: anthology, queer, sci-fi

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a fan of anthologies, there's always stories that you love, like and dislike in them so it's hard to review/rate them. That being said, I really wanted to pick this one up. A Sci-fi queer anthology with a cast of great authors and a focus on non-binary characters? Hell yeah.

Of course, there's was some stories I loved more than others but there wasn't one I hated! Which is so rare for anthologies. I LOVED ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Devann rated it it was ok

Shelves: a-adult, c-arcs, g-scifi-steampunk, sg-lgbtia, t-anthology, z-20-netgalley, 2-0-star

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

DNF @ 33%

This is a great idea for an anthology but I just couldn't get it into. I read the first three stories and they were okay but ultimately I found them either boring or confusing and I just didn't really connect with any of the characters. These are longer short stories [about 12k each from what I could see] so I would expect them to have a little bit more meat to them but it seemed like nothing was really happening and while I appreciate t ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Ninosleah rated it it was amazing

Amazing book, The stories flow together in a river of joyous fantasy each different but following a similar thread, A brilliant book for anyone wanting to learn more about non- binary without having to read the dull psychology books that fill the non-binary sections of most book stores.

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Dec 18, 2019 Matt rated it it was amazing

What an amazing anthology!

Sci-fi and magic with a focus on nonbinary characters, written by ownvoices authors.
Each story had me captivated! I'm a big fan of the short story form, and I found myself enthralled by the worlds each author managed to create in such a small amount of words.
I haven't read or found anything else out there quite like this anthology, and many of the stories stuck with me for a long time.
Twice-Spent Comet and Weave the Dark, Weave the Light have played in my head ever s ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 leo | 飛べ marked it as no-grazie

After reading a thread on the author's toxic behaviour towards AOC specifically, I'm no longer willing to read this book.

Support trans* Black authors and authors of colour instead. ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 Victoria rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs

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Feb 27, 2020 Jenni rated it liked it

Shelves: anthology, sci-fi, fantasy

"A Queer anthology featuring stories inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets, entire galaxies even, live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories will span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism."

I wanted to like this anthology so much more than I did! A fan of short story collections and a member of the lgbt community, it seems like it would be perfect for me. This isn't my first queer anthology ...more

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Feb 05, 2020 Emmalita rated it really liked it

Shelves: advanced-reader-copy, cbr12, fantasy, gender, netgalley, romance, science-fiction, anthology

I was excited to see Behind the Sun, Above the Moon on NetGalley and delighted to receive it in exchange for an honest review.

A Queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets—entire galaxies, even—live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism, and celebrate Non-binary and Transgender characters.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an I was excited to see Behind the Sun, Above the Moon on NetGalley and delighted to receive it in exchange for an honest review.

A Queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets—entire galaxies, even—live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism, and celebrate Non-binary and Transgender characters.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because Anna Zabo is one of the authors I am diving into this year. I was also intrigued by an anthology of non-binary and transgender characters. I enjoyed all of the stories that I read, but I did not read all of the stories in the anthology. I am having a period of high anxiety and in this state, I react more strongly to body horror. Fortunately, there are content warnings before each story and I skipped the ones that said body horror. They may or may not have ratcheted up my anxiety, but I appreciated the option to skip them.

The stories I did read all deal with the permeability of boundaries. In J.S. Fields’ “Awry with Dandelions”, Orin (xie) and Mette (she) have a magical connection that puts them in each other’s dreams for a few seconds each night, leaving them feeling physically ill and exhausted. Mette figures out a way to sever the connection, but it must be done in a specific place and time. There’s a heist like feel to the adventure as well as a melancholy about separating from someone who has shared your mind.

In S.R. Jones “The Far Touch,” Kel (he), an astronaut, returns to his planet to join his coven for a ritual. Like humans on Earth, the dominant species of his planet seems to be hurtling destruction of the planet. Even back on planet, Kel feels an awareness of the ground under his feet and the space above him. It’s a beautiful meditation on connectedness.

My favorite story was Anna Zabo’s “Weave the Dark, Weave the Light.” Ari (they) is a fire witch who feels like a failure. They go ice skating and while out meet a mysterious and dangerous stranger who appears human, but is not.

But Ari had a heart of knives and a soul of fire. Of course they’d follow.

Ari and Jonathon start an affair that isn’t, they agree, a romance. I’ve read a lot of bad BDSM romances, and I have rarely believed that the author had any idea what they were writing about. Without speculating about Anna Zabo’s private life, they write about bondage and pain play with a realism and ecstasy that I have rarely encountered. Ari and Jonathon may not have been in a romance, but “Weave the Dark, Weave the Light” is a romance with a lovely Happily for Now.

“Tell me about stars.”

Jonathan did, with words that made sense and ones that didn’t, and then whispered truths in a language Ari didn’t know. About loneliness and eternity. Falling to earth. The song of the universe that still echoed in Jonathan’s ears. Ari shuddered and listened. Cold fire wrapped into their marrow, and that at least they understood.

...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Leader of the Pack rated it it was amazing

This was my first time reading an anthology. So many unique voices, all in one book! I highly recommend this collection of stories.

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Jun 17, 2020 Anna added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: stuff-i-wrote

OUT OF PRINT AS OF JUNE 2020.

I plan to release Weave the Dark, Weave the light as a standalone.

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Feb 03, 2020 Adjectiveplusnoun rated it really liked it

If you enjoy this review, please consider visiting my blog for more
I received a free copy in exchange for a review via Netgalley and NineStar Press, all opinions are my own

I think reading two anthologies to review back to back didn’t do this book justice, but I still enjoyed the read and loved the opportunity to read ‘own voices’ works from a variety of people within the LGBTAIQ+ community. I appreciated the thorough content warnings at the beginning of each short story, rather than on the antho ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Jess Crafts rated it it was amazing

An amazing anthology of SFF short stories with trans and nonbinary protagonists. the quality here is amazing, I loved every single one of the stories and some of them left me really hoping they’ll be turned into novels so I can read more!

Twice Spent Comet by Ziggy Schutz *****

Found family of prison convicts on an asteroid and space mermaids. Wonderful. Loved all the characters and their relationships. Loved the tech and world building. Loved the writing.

From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S Allen ** ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 Terri Jones rated it liked it · review of another edition

This anthology is no exception to my ongoing love-hate relationship with anthologies, in that I never like very many of the stories well enough to justify the cost. This one's a charity anthology, though, so that merited a purchase, and time. But it'll take me awhile to work my way through these. I am an impatient reader. I ended up enjoying two, which is not terrible for me.

'twice-spent comet' by Ziggy Schultz: There's a ton of worldbuilding in this dreamy blend of science fiction and fantasy. ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, netgalley, sci-fi, short-stories

Nine short sci-fi stories with an LGBTQ slant. I’ve always thought, given the level of fantastical imagination in the genre, it feels odd to stick to ‘he’ and ‘she’ and things that were considered ‘normal’ 50 years ago o.O So yes, we have a princess marrying not just one but two women, a non-binary witch falling for a star (and I don't mean a famous person!), and pronouns from ‘they’ to ‘xie’.

A couple of the stories didn't quite work for me, but overall this is a great collection full of some in ...more

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May 09, 2020 Dom rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbt, non-binary, owned-elec

3.5/5, rounded up to 4 for the awesome representation.

Like most short story anthologies, no matter how relevant the subject matter to my personal interests, Behind the Sun, Above the Moon was hit and miss for me. I'd also more accurately describe this anthology as primarily science fiction with sci-fantasy blends mixed in.

Some stories I absolutely adored: twice-spent comet, a found family story of inmates jailed on an asteroid mining camp, and Death Marked, a story of two siblings reconciling th ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Joana Morais rated it really liked it

I love reading anthologies, and this one didn't disappoint. It's nice to see so many diversity in one book and all in fantasy stories! I also really appreciated all the stories having trigger warnings at the beginning. My overall rating was 3.6, rounded up to 4. Here's a rating for all the stories:

Twice-spent comet by Ziggy Schutz
3.5 Stars
The writing in this one was so magical and beautiful, I was ready to read a full novel! There’s all kinds of queer representation and poly relationships, and m ...more

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Feb 28, 2020 Joanna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: short-fiction-anthologies

It's rare to find an anthology with this many strong stories! There was really only one that I didn't care for, and I think that was more about personal preference than quality. Most of the stories were on the longer side, which means that the authors got to really take their time building their worlds and characters, which I enjoyed. As a ciswoman, I can't speak to the non-binary rep, but I can say that I found the stories to be varied, well-written, and enjoyable. ...more

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May 09, 2020 Becky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

3.5 stars overall, rounding up for queer and nonbinary rep. I might add individual story reviews later. For now I'll just say some I loved, some I didn't, as expected from an eclectic collection of different styles. I'm glad I picked it up. ...more

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Mar 13, 2020 Kristīne Vītola marked it as listed

Shelves: asexual-and-or-aromantic-mc, lgbtqia, published-20-ace-aro, sff

The story by Anna Zabo has an aromantic non-binary MC
https://twitter.com/amergina/status/1... ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Charlotte rated it really liked it

Shelves: collections, diverse-characters, horror, lgbtq, own-voices-author, paranormal, sci-fi-fantasy

This is a great collection of works! I loved the way there was such a tapestry woven of all the different characters. What a pleasure it was to read stories in which a variety of pronouns were used without great fanfare or explanation

This book is a collection of stories by some well-known authors in the genre. Some names made me immediately interested: Brooklyn Ray and Anna Zabo in particular. I think that Brooklyn's story was one of my favorites. In their story, Hollis Griffen meets Zaniah... a ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 iam added it

Shelves: arc, lgbtqia, ownvoices, nonbinary-genderqueer-fluid, gays-in-space, transgender

Read the full review on the blog

3.5 stars
Lovely queer anthology featuring mostly nonbinary trans characters in stories about magic, stars and the universe.

Short stories are a bit of a hit-or-miss for me, and I have to admit that most of these didn‘t hit the mark for me personally. On the positive side, I didn‘t actively hated any of them (something that occurs quite often for me with short stories,) it was more of a case of me not quite connecting with them, not getting what they were trying t ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Amy rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, arcs-2020, netgalley, trans-nonbinary-rep

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 3 stars

This anthology was super high on my TBR list for 2020. 9 short stories written by non-binary authors, with non-binary MCs? Sounds like a dream. I'm so happy a novel like this exists and that I had the opportunity to read and review.

I'll start off by saying that I don't read a lot of science-fiction, as this was a "science-fiction and fantasy" collection, I thought I'd be alright, but pretty much all the storie ...more

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Nov 10, 2019 Brooklyn Ray rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

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Mar 18, 2020

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Mar 03, 2020

Jan 19, 2020 S R rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

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About Brooklyn Ray

Brooklyn Ray

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Brooklyn Ray (they/them) is a fan of fresh brewed tea, long walks through the woods, and evenings spent reading sexy books. They write Queer Paranormal Romance and Erotica about witches, necromancers, and other magical creatures, and moonlight as a tarot and palm reader in the snowy Northwest. Find them on Instagram @brooklynrayauthor

Professional Inquiries: brooklynraywrites@gmail.com

Signed books, ...more