Whether Change: The Revolution Will Be Weird

This anthology of 12 incisive, politically engaged works of weird fiction delivers on the promise made by its subtitle. At under 200 pages, it packs a punch in a relatively short space, with the strongest pieces focusing on the smaller-scale upheavals of personal revolutions. In “Float Day” by S.B. Divya, a supernatural manifestation of class division drives a rift between three school friends. An ornate pocket watch endows the protagonist of “The Mystery Watch” by Gerald L. Coleman with a strange ability. “Sacred She-Devil” by Craig Laurance Gidney finds a trans woman summoning the spirit of a murdered sister so the two of them can seek revenge. And in the standout finale, Margaret Killjoy’s voicey and energetic “A Field, a Shadow, Indeed a Shadow,” two childhood friends and self-described “weird girls” sabotage a golf course development and stumble into the middle of a transdimensional conflict. Gable and Dombrowski (who previously collaborated on the anthology Nowhereville) employ their selections to artfully toe the line between genre- and reality-defying weirdness while also depicting an astute understanding of real-world political and social dynamics. This will appeal to readers of SFF magazines such as Uncanny and Fireside, and anyone with an interest in well-wrought weird fiction. (Aug.)