Despite his ability to control the ambient digital cloud, a foster teen falls for a clever con-man. Luring bullies to a quarry, a boy takes clearly enumerated revenge through unnatural powers of suggestion. In the aftermath of a shapeshifting alien invasion, a survivor fears that he brought something out of the Arctic to infect the rest of the world. A rebellious group of queer artists create a new identity that transcends even the anonymity of death.
In Shirley Jackson and Nebula Award-winning author Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut short-fiction collection, queer infatuation, inevitable heartbreak, and brutal revenge seamlessly intertwine. Miller shows his savage wit, unrelenting candor, and lush imagery in this essential career retrospective, taking his place alongside luminaries of the short-fiction form such as Carmen Maria Machado, Carson McCullers, and Jeff VanderMeer.
► Sam J. Miller is my hero: a fearless visionary whose stories are at once vivid, electrifying, brutal, and full of heart. ◄ Sarah Pinsker, author of A SONG FOR A NEW DAY
► An outrageous journey which skillfully blends genres and will haunt you with its original, poetic voices.◄ Grimdark Magazine
► A nuanced and beautiful exploration of masculinity and the many faces of love, touching on romance, desire, family, and friendship. ◄ A. C. Wise, author of THE KISSING BOOTH GIRL
CONTENTS
Introduction • essay by Amal El-Mohtar
1. Allosaurus Burgers • (2014) • short story
2. 57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides • (2013) • short story
3. We Are the Cloud • (2014) • novelette
4. • Conspicuous Plumage • (2018) • short story
5. Shattered Sidewalks of the Human Heart • (2019) • short story
6. Shucked • (2019) • short story
7. The Beasts We Want to Be • (2013) • short story
8. Calved • (2015) • short story
9. When Your Child Strays from God • (2015) • short story
10. Things with Beards • (2016) • short story
11. Ghosts of Home • (2015) • short story
12. The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History • (2015) • short story
13. Angel, Monster, Man • (2016) • novelette
14. Sun in an Empty Room • short story
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xiv+304pp
Cover art by Jennifer O'Toole
Introduction by Amal El-Mohtar