What do you think?
Rate this book
[Re]Awakenings, an anthology of Speculative Fiction
Expect a life-changing experience
[Re]Awakenings are the starting points for life-changing experiences; a new plane of existence, an alternate reality or cyber-reality. This genre-spanning anthology of new speculative fiction explores that theme with a spectrum of tales, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal; in styles from clinically serious to joyfully silly. As you read through them all, and you must read all of them, you will discover along the way that stereo-typical distinctions between the genres within speculative fiction are often arbitrary and unhelpful. You will be taken on an emotional journey through a galaxy of sparkling fiction; you will laugh, you will cry; you will consider timeless truths and contemplate eternal questions.
All of life is within these pages, from birth to death (and in some cases beyond). In all of these stories, most of them specifically written for this anthology, the short story format has been used to great effect. If you haven’t already heard of some of these authors, you soon will as they are undoubtedly destined to become future stars in the speculative fiction firmament. Remember, you read them here first!
This is a collection of short stories from exciting new voices in UK speculative fiction, compiled by guest editor PR Pope. It contains the following
Alison Dreamers; Intervention; Mirror mirror; Podcast.
Neil The Adventures of Kit Kidnapped!
The Dragon and the Rose.
Robin The Merry Maiden Wails.
PR Afterlife; Courtesy Bodies; On the Game.
Alexander BlueWinter; Dreaming Mars; Exploring the Heavens; Worth it.
Peter If you go into the woods today…
[Re]Awakenings are the starting points for life-changing experiences; a new plane of existence, an alternate reality or cyber-reality. This genre-spanning anthology of new speculative fiction explores that theme with a spectrum of tales, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal; in styles from clinically serious to joyfully silly. As you read through them all, and you must read all of them, you will discover along the way that stereo-typical distinctions between the genres within speculative fiction are often arbitrary and unhelpful. You will be taken on an emotional journey through a galaxy of sparkling fiction; you will laugh, you will cry; you will consider timeless truths and contemplate eternal questions.
All of life is within these pages, from birth to death (and in some cases beyond). In all of these stories, most of them specifically written for this anthology, the short story format has been used to great effect. If you haven’t already heard of some of these authors, you soon will as they are undoubtedly destined to become future stars in the speculative fiction firmament. Remember, you read them here first!
This is a collection of short stories from exciting new voices in UK speculative fiction, compiled by guest editor PR Pope. It contains the following
Alison Dreamers; Intervention; Mirror mirror; Podcast.
Neil The Adventures of Kit Kidnapped!
The Dragon and the Rose.
Robin The Merry Maiden Wails.
PR Afterlife; Courtesy Bodies; On the Game.
Alexander BlueWinter; Dreaming Mars; Exploring the Heavens; Worth it.
Peter If you go into the woods today…
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2011
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 25, 2012
I initially bought this book so I could dip in and out of it between longer novels (as I am inclined to do with short story collections). However as soon as I started it, I really couldn't put it down and had to continue until I was finished. Each story is as interesting as the last. My personal favourite was Podcast. Brilliant collection. Highly recommended.
November 25, 2011
Lovely collection of short stories. I enjoyed all of them, and hope there are more in the pipeline.
June 16, 2012
[Re]Awakenings: An Anthology of New Speculative Fiction is a fascinating and versatile anthology of fantasy, horror and science fiction stories. The common theme for these stories is awakening, but each author approaches this subject in a different way.
Here's a bit of information about the stories and my thoughts about them:
Podcast by Alison Buck
- A story about a woman who has been kidnapped by aliens and has to live inside a pod.
- The ending of this story is excellent, because it reveals what's going on.
Worth It by Alexander Skye
- An interesting story about a man who takes an insurance to secure his family's needs if he happens to die.
- A well written story.
The Merry Maiden Wails by Robin Moran
- A good horror story about a small village and a statue of Merry Maiden.
- I think that everybody who enjoys reading horror stories will like this story.
If You Go into the Woods Today... by Peter Wolfe
- An excellent dark fairy tale for adults about a woodcutter who gets lost in the woods.
- I recently read an ARC version of Laird Barron's The Croning and was impressed by the use of an old fairy-tale as the basis for the story. This story is a bit similar to that dark fairy tale.
Afterlife by P. R. Pope
- A story about a woman who dies and has to decide where she wants to go in the afterlife.
- An interesting and totally different kind of a vision about afterlife.
Dreamers by Alison Buck
- An excellent fantasy story about a young girl who can talk to people who have been badly injured.
- This is a touching and beautifully written story.
Courtesy Bodies by P. R. Pope
- A brilliant story about a couple who have been in a car accident and get to spend a holiday in new bodies.
- The ending is simply brilliant.
Dreaming Mars by Alexander Skye
- A story about Anna who returns home after being several years in space.
- The author writes fluently about Anna's feelings.
Mirror Mirror by Alison Buck
- A story about a person who is captured by aliens and has to endure tests.
- The ending is excellent.
The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped! by Neil Faarid
- A humorous and slightly satirical story about Kit Brennan, who's a space pilot.
- When I finished reading this story, I thought that it would be nice to read more about Kit Brennan's adventures.
BlueWinter by Alexander Skye
- An interesting story about virtual reality.
- The author writes fluently about the happenings.
Intervention by Alison Buck
- A story about Mac and Gibbs who run away from Stalkers.
- This story takes an interesting turn near the end when everything is revealed to the reader.
On the Game by P. R. Pope
- Tim has become a gigolo and he thinks about his new life and duties.
- I liked the way the author wrote about the happenings and Tim's situation.
Exploring the Heavens by Alexander Skye
- A short, but extremely well written story about meeting a new alien race.
- The author writes about aliens and religious things in an interesting way.
The Dragon and the Rose by Gingerlily
- A humourous, sarcastic and a bit different kind of a fairy tale, which will appeal to several readers.
- I enjoyed this story very much.
I was very pleased with these stories, because they were good and well written stories. To be honest, I was impressed by how excellent these stories were. These stories had unexpected turns and twists, the prose was good and the authors had used lots of imagination to create unforgettable happenings, so I liked all of these stories.
I think it's great that P. R. Pope has chosen several different kind of stories to this anthology, because each story is unique and offers lots of enjoyment to its reader. Some of these stories are thought-provoking (for example, Worth It is a thought-provoking story), but others are simply entertaining (The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped! is a good example of an entertaining story).
Each author has his/her own writing style and when you read all the stories, you'll notice how many different styles there are in this anthology. I hope that these authors continue to write more speculative fiction, because they have lots of potential (I'd like to read more stories from them, because they're talented authors).
It's nice that the stories range from fairy tales to fantasy and from horror to science fiction, because there's something for everybody in this anthology. These stories contain almost everything from wonders to heartbreak. The wide range of emotions experienced by the characters will delight several readers.
I was very impressed by Peter Wolfe's If You Go into the Woods Today... I've always loved dark fairy tales and dark fantasy stories, so this fantastically written fairy tale made a huge impression on me. It would be nice to read more stories like this one. (Although this story doesn't contain any teddy bears and the happenings are dark, the strange atmosphere reminded me of the lyrics of a well known song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic": If you go down to the woods today you're sure of a big surprise...")
[Re]Awakenings: An Anthology of New Speculative Fiction is an entertaining anthology, which is full of good stories. It can be recommended to readers of speculative fiction. If you enjoy reading well written and fascinating stories, this anthology won't disappoint you.
Highly recommended!
Here's a bit of information about the stories and my thoughts about them:
Podcast by Alison Buck
- A story about a woman who has been kidnapped by aliens and has to live inside a pod.
- The ending of this story is excellent, because it reveals what's going on.
Worth It by Alexander Skye
- An interesting story about a man who takes an insurance to secure his family's needs if he happens to die.
- A well written story.
The Merry Maiden Wails by Robin Moran
- A good horror story about a small village and a statue of Merry Maiden.
- I think that everybody who enjoys reading horror stories will like this story.
If You Go into the Woods Today... by Peter Wolfe
- An excellent dark fairy tale for adults about a woodcutter who gets lost in the woods.
- I recently read an ARC version of Laird Barron's The Croning and was impressed by the use of an old fairy-tale as the basis for the story. This story is a bit similar to that dark fairy tale.
Afterlife by P. R. Pope
- A story about a woman who dies and has to decide where she wants to go in the afterlife.
- An interesting and totally different kind of a vision about afterlife.
Dreamers by Alison Buck
- An excellent fantasy story about a young girl who can talk to people who have been badly injured.
- This is a touching and beautifully written story.
Courtesy Bodies by P. R. Pope
- A brilliant story about a couple who have been in a car accident and get to spend a holiday in new bodies.
- The ending is simply brilliant.
Dreaming Mars by Alexander Skye
- A story about Anna who returns home after being several years in space.
- The author writes fluently about Anna's feelings.
Mirror Mirror by Alison Buck
- A story about a person who is captured by aliens and has to endure tests.
- The ending is excellent.
The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped! by Neil Faarid
- A humorous and slightly satirical story about Kit Brennan, who's a space pilot.
- When I finished reading this story, I thought that it would be nice to read more about Kit Brennan's adventures.
BlueWinter by Alexander Skye
- An interesting story about virtual reality.
- The author writes fluently about the happenings.
Intervention by Alison Buck
- A story about Mac and Gibbs who run away from Stalkers.
- This story takes an interesting turn near the end when everything is revealed to the reader.
On the Game by P. R. Pope
- Tim has become a gigolo and he thinks about his new life and duties.
- I liked the way the author wrote about the happenings and Tim's situation.
Exploring the Heavens by Alexander Skye
- A short, but extremely well written story about meeting a new alien race.
- The author writes about aliens and religious things in an interesting way.
The Dragon and the Rose by Gingerlily
- A humourous, sarcastic and a bit different kind of a fairy tale, which will appeal to several readers.
- I enjoyed this story very much.
I was very pleased with these stories, because they were good and well written stories. To be honest, I was impressed by how excellent these stories were. These stories had unexpected turns and twists, the prose was good and the authors had used lots of imagination to create unforgettable happenings, so I liked all of these stories.
I think it's great that P. R. Pope has chosen several different kind of stories to this anthology, because each story is unique and offers lots of enjoyment to its reader. Some of these stories are thought-provoking (for example, Worth It is a thought-provoking story), but others are simply entertaining (The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped! is a good example of an entertaining story).
Each author has his/her own writing style and when you read all the stories, you'll notice how many different styles there are in this anthology. I hope that these authors continue to write more speculative fiction, because they have lots of potential (I'd like to read more stories from them, because they're talented authors).
It's nice that the stories range from fairy tales to fantasy and from horror to science fiction, because there's something for everybody in this anthology. These stories contain almost everything from wonders to heartbreak. The wide range of emotions experienced by the characters will delight several readers.
I was very impressed by Peter Wolfe's If You Go into the Woods Today... I've always loved dark fairy tales and dark fantasy stories, so this fantastically written fairy tale made a huge impression on me. It would be nice to read more stories like this one. (Although this story doesn't contain any teddy bears and the happenings are dark, the strange atmosphere reminded me of the lyrics of a well known song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic": If you go down to the woods today you're sure of a big surprise...")
[Re]Awakenings: An Anthology of New Speculative Fiction is an entertaining anthology, which is full of good stories. It can be recommended to readers of speculative fiction. If you enjoy reading well written and fascinating stories, this anthology won't disappoint you.
Highly recommended!
December 22, 2011
Short story collections and speculative fiction have a long and grand tradition, a tradition that's been somewhat on the wane in recent times. When you read [Re]Awakenings you realise what a pity it is that such volumes don't get the recognition that they deserve. This is a fantastic collection of stories. Fantastic in both senses of the word, collectively they represent a great read and, individually, they're strange, thought provoking and not entirely of this world.
One of the principal pleasures of such a collection is the chance to read through the work of several different writers and have the opportunity to revel in their individual ideas, styles and quirks, P.R. Pope deserves praise for having gathered and presented such a diverse and eclectic mix. We have the deceptively smooth and graceful Alison Buck, whose work I've previously championed and this outing only goes to confirm my impression of her all-round prowess; the refreshingly satirical Neil Faarid; Alex Skye, who mixes razor sharp technical prowess with genuine emotion; not to mention the delightfully meta-fictional Gingerlily; we have Peter Wolfe whose excellent grasp of the mechanics of fairy tales, allows him to twist them into new and unusual shapes; Robin Moran who can create fear from handful words, yet whose reality is so clearly our own that you feel than you will never wake from her nightmares and, of course, Pope's own contributions which are gems, rich in both language and meaning.
These stories will be the first introduction for many to these writers and it's a damn good one. I'd happily read more from any or all of them, be it in the short form or as novels. I just hope that more people are willing to give this collection a try, there are riches and wonders, terrors, heartbreak and joy lurking within. As they say... what's not to like?
One of the principal pleasures of such a collection is the chance to read through the work of several different writers and have the opportunity to revel in their individual ideas, styles and quirks, P.R. Pope deserves praise for having gathered and presented such a diverse and eclectic mix. We have the deceptively smooth and graceful Alison Buck, whose work I've previously championed and this outing only goes to confirm my impression of her all-round prowess; the refreshingly satirical Neil Faarid; Alex Skye, who mixes razor sharp technical prowess with genuine emotion; not to mention the delightfully meta-fictional Gingerlily; we have Peter Wolfe whose excellent grasp of the mechanics of fairy tales, allows him to twist them into new and unusual shapes; Robin Moran who can create fear from handful words, yet whose reality is so clearly our own that you feel than you will never wake from her nightmares and, of course, Pope's own contributions which are gems, rich in both language and meaning.
These stories will be the first introduction for many to these writers and it's a damn good one. I'd happily read more from any or all of them, be it in the short form or as novels. I just hope that more people are willing to give this collection a try, there are riches and wonders, terrors, heartbreak and joy lurking within. As they say... what's not to like?
May 23, 2013
I like cross-genre short story anthologies. They give me an opportunity to read stories in genres I don’t usually seek out, broadening my horizons without forcing me to commit to an entire anthology that I might not enjoy. They also have the potential to avoid a common pitfall of single genre anthologies: predictability.
[Re]Awakenings is the first (and, possibly, last) anthology from my publisher, Elsewhen Press. The basic idea is that each story features some form of awakening, whether it is physical, spiritual or otherwise. There is a problem with this theme: any story that takes place over a long enough period can involve characters who sleep and are awoken, which can happen without being central to the story being told. I think one or two of the stories in the anthology avoid dealing with the central theme in this way. Other than that cavil, though, I found the book a lot of fun.
The opening story, Alison Buck’s “Podcast,” was well conceived, with a twist ending that is nonetheless inherent in all that came before it. Neil Faarid’s “The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped!” was quite the romp, with a central character that has the potential to propel an entertaining series of stories. Perhaps my favourite story in the anthology, “The Dragon and the Rose,” by Gingerlily, reworks traditional fairy tales in a variety of amusing ways.
[Re]Awakenings is a solid anthology with a lot of entertaining stories. I would definitely recommend it.
[Re]Awakenings is the first (and, possibly, last) anthology from my publisher, Elsewhen Press. The basic idea is that each story features some form of awakening, whether it is physical, spiritual or otherwise. There is a problem with this theme: any story that takes place over a long enough period can involve characters who sleep and are awoken, which can happen without being central to the story being told. I think one or two of the stories in the anthology avoid dealing with the central theme in this way. Other than that cavil, though, I found the book a lot of fun.
The opening story, Alison Buck’s “Podcast,” was well conceived, with a twist ending that is nonetheless inherent in all that came before it. Neil Faarid’s “The Adventures of Kit Brennan: Kidnapped!” was quite the romp, with a central character that has the potential to propel an entertaining series of stories. Perhaps my favourite story in the anthology, “The Dragon and the Rose,” by Gingerlily, reworks traditional fairy tales in a variety of amusing ways.
[Re]Awakenings is a solid anthology with a lot of entertaining stories. I would definitely recommend it.
April 23, 2012
I confess that my lack of knowledge as to how to define 'speculative fiction' probably deterred me from reading this collection sooner. Serve me right! I have had a wonderful experience with these very different stories and I think it's an idea of genius to choose a theme (re-awakenings) around which to build it. Some authors had more than one story in the collection and it was surprising what different interpretations and emphases were possible. In any anthology it is difficult to choose a favourite and they seemed mainly to fall within two of my favourite genres, science fiction and fantasy so I am totally spoilt for choice. I especially enjoyed (in the order they appear in the book) The Merry Maiden Wails (Robin Moran), Dreamers (Alison Buck) Courtesy Bodies (PR Pope) and The Dragon and The Rose (Gingerlily). They were all enjoyable, but each reader brings his or her own tastes and preferences to the experience.
The writing on the whole was good and the balance of stories, both in content and length was excellent. I would like to see another theme chosen and a second anthology produced. More power to all these elbows!
The writing on the whole was good and the balance of stories, both in content and length was excellent. I would like to see another theme chosen and a second anthology produced. More power to all these elbows!
May 2, 2012
I was not sure what to expect from 'Speculative Fiction' if I am honest but I have to say that I enjoyed every one of the stories in this Anthology. I loved the idea of having a theme that all of the stories were based on and seeing the very different interpretations of the theme was very interesting. I really hope there is another one in the pipeline.
July 4, 2012
When I started this I had absolutely no idea what 'Speculative Fiction' was and on finishing it, I'll admit, I still don't have a clue.
I really enjoyed the start of this collection. The stories where brilliant and each had a very unique plot and most had an amazing twist, although the last few stories totally didn't appeal to me. They weren't bad, I just didn't enjoy them as much.
My favourite had to be Alison Bucks 'Dreamers' which I could of easily read a full novel based on that concept. It was absolutely amazing.
I really enjoyed the start of this collection. The stories where brilliant and each had a very unique plot and most had an amazing twist, although the last few stories totally didn't appeal to me. They weren't bad, I just didn't enjoy them as much.
My favourite had to be Alison Bucks 'Dreamers' which I could of easily read a full novel based on that concept. It was absolutely amazing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews