Strangers Among Us: Tales of the Underdogs and Outcasts (Laksa Anthology Series: Speculative Fiction)

Recommended by Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Locus, Foreword Reviews and Quill & Quire.
There's a delicate balance between mental health and mental illness . . .
Who are the STRANGERS AMONG US?
We are your fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, friends and lovers. We staff your stores, cross your streets, and study in your schools, invisible among you. We are your outcasts and underdogs, and often, your unsung heroes.
Nineteen science fiction and fantasy authors tackle the division between mental health and mental illness; how the interplay between our minds' quirks and the diverse societies and cultures we live in can set us apart, or must be concealed, or become unlikely strengths.
We find troubles with Irish fay, a North Korean cosmonaut's fear of flying, an aging maid dealing with politics of revenge, a mute boy and an army of darkness, a sister reaching out at the edge of a black hole, the dog and the sleepwalker, and many more.
After all, what harm can be done…
AUTHORS: Kelley Armstrong, Suzanne Church, A.M. Dellamonica, Gemma Files, James Alan Gardner, Bev Geddes, Erika Holt, Tyler Keevil, Rich Larson, Derwin Mak, Mahtab Narsimhan, Sherry Peters, Ursula Pflug, Robert Runté, Lorina Stephens, Amanda Sun, Hayden Trenholm, Edward Willett, A.C. Wise
Introduction by Julie E. Czerneda
Praise for Strangers Among Us
"Strangers Among Us . . . is important, shining a much-needed spotlight on issues that get far too little attention. A wonderful anthology, one of the major SF&F books of the year. Bravo!" -- Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Quantum Night
"The stories in Strangers Among Us are as varied in tone and approach as their authors. The power of the collection derives from this variety; while each story can be read in isolation, the assemblage of outsiders feels, on a whole, exultant. There is, indeed, strength in numbers, when each individual is accorded space and respect." --Quill & Quire
". . . The 19 stories collected here tackle the idea of people who are other, even to themselves, as a result of mental health issues. The authors, all Canadians, take different approaches, some addressing the concept straight on, some exploring it slantwise, with characters whose differences created challenges or granted fresh insights. The excellent opener, Kelley Armstrong's "The Culling," concocts a dark, resource-starved future in which those who are deemed too unusual are culled from society. In Tyler Keevil's "The Weeds and the Wildness," a man in the grip of extreme paranoia believes malevolent gardeners are stalking his neighbors. And "The Dog and the Sleepwalker" by James Alan Gardner has a hero named "Dog" whose difference might save an entire spaceship's crew. -VERDICT Mental illness is an exciting theme for an anthology, leaving plenty of room for variety. The volume also includes an appendix of mental health resources." -- Library Journal
Recommended as one of the "August 2016 Science Fiction and Fantasy Book You'll Want to Read" by Kirkus Reviews.
"The writers of these stories address such varied subjects as agoraphobia, depression, schizophrenia, autism, anxiety, and addiction . . . readers who have mental illnesses may find themselves somewhere in these pages and as a result may no longer feel so alone or isolated." -- School Library Journal
*2017 Alberta Book Publishing Awards winner (Speculative Fiction Book of the Year) *2017 Aurora Awards winner (Canadian SF&F-- Best Related Work) *2016 Foreword INDIES Finalist (Anthologies)
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2017 (ed. by John Joseph Adams & Charles Yu): one honorable mention
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection (ed. by Gardner Dozois): six honorable mentions
Wilde Stories 2017: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction (edited by Steve Berman): one story selected

Susan Forest is a three-time Prix Aurora Award finalist and a writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror, and a freelance fiction editor. Her stories have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Tesseracts, AE Science Fiction Review, On Spec, and The Urban Green Man, among others. Her collection of short fiction, Immunity to Strange Tales, was published by Five Rivers Publishing. Susan is currently co-editing The Sum of Us with Lucas K. Law. She acted as judge for the Endeavour Award, and the Robin Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, and she contributes to Calgary’s annual literary festival, When Words Collide. Susan is also the Secretary for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). She teaches creative writing at the Alexandra Centre, and has appeared at numerous local and international writing conventions.
Lucas K. Law is a Malaysian-born freelance editor, published author, engineering consultant and business coach, who divides his time and heart between Calgary and Qualicum Beach. He is currently co-editing The Sum of Us anthology with Susan Forest and Where the Stars Rise anthology with Derwin Mak. He has been a jury member for a number of fiction competitions including Nebula, RITA and Golden Heart awards. When Lucas is not editing, writing or reading, he is a consultant, specializing in mergers and acquisition (M&A) activities, asset evaluations, business planning, and corporate development.