Shadows on Glass and Other Stories

by Jamie Lackey

Shadows on Glass and Other Stories collects 45 fantasy stories, including 3 previously unpublished tales. Set in worlds only a few steps removed from our own, pushing at the border between the real and the imaginary, Jamie Lackey deftly leads readers down paths just twisted enough to get lost on.

From sentient stuffed animals to haunted terpsitones to friendly toasts, this whimsical and unsettling collection of weird little stories contains something for everyone.

Genres: Fantasy

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 4, 2023

About the author

Jamie Lackey lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their cat. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in 2006 with a degree in Creative Writing. She studied under James Gunn at the Center for the Study of Science Fiction's Writer's Workshop in 2010 and has taken various workshops with Cat Rambo. She primarily writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror short stories.

She has over 200 short fiction credits, and has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and the Stoker Award-winning After Death.... Her fiction has appeared on the Best Horror of the Year Honorable Mention and Tangent Online Recommended Reading Lists, and she's a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Her flash fiction collection, One Revolution, and her zombie novella, Moving Forward: A Novella of Life After Zombies, are available on Amazon.com. Her debut novel, Left Hand Gods, is available from Hadley Rille Books. She also has two short story collections available from Air and Nothingness Press.

She read submissions for the Hugo-winning Clarkesworld Magazine for five years and was an assistant editor for the Hugo-winning Electric Velocipede from 2012-2013. She served as editor for Triangulation: Lost Voices in 2015 and Triangulation: Beneath the Surface in 2016.

She enjoys reading, writing, tabletop role playing games, video games, baking, and hiking. Learn more about her at her website, www.jamielackey.com

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first decided to put together a few short story collections, I divided my stories into three groups. Mythic fantasy, science fiction, and weird. This is the weird one. I'm incredibly proud of these stories, which have appeared in places like Apex Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Daily Science Fiction. It's by far my longest collection to date, and I'm excited to share it with the world!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me. I was hoping for more horror but these stories fall along the lines of dark speculative or literary, rather than genre. There were several flash pieces here, and lots of feel good, and open ended stories. It's a quick read, despite the lengthy TOC. Lackey is a good writer, but her stories are not something I would typically read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Jamie Lackey's writing since I read her novel "Left-Hand Gods". Reading a collection of short stories was such a treat since I hadn't read her short fiction before. The way she describes people and settings is so beautiful--other writers might have described things overly flowery, but Ms. Lackey uses just the right amount of words for impact.

My favorite of the stories was "Your Weatherman".

I look forward to reading more by this talented writer.

[Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Lackey has collected a portion of her sharp, beautiful, and sometimes heart-breaking stories into a collection that’s just as introspective as it is engrossing. Read with a box of tissues as your heart aches for her characters, the worlds she’s created, and the universal truths of every universe that she has deftly put to the page.

[Kate Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each one of Jamie’s stories has a way of pulling you in, making you a part of their respective, bleak universes. Ride a roller coaster of emotions as you make your way through tales that will leave you on the edge of your seat - or questioning your own reality. Wonderfully written and entirely entertaining!

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection - mostly flash fiction, often exploring loneliness. Sometimes a story's protagonist will run off with a sea monster or a ghostly horse, but often the creatures (ranging from scarecrows to animated toast) help the characters connect with the humans around them, which I found particularly moving.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nicely composed collection, with mostly romantic-plot fantasy flash. Meet-cutes and meet-uglies. Bleak and yet warm settings. Sometimes the endings felt a little too ... open? Sudden? I'm not sure. Chewing on that. But if you're into open endings and weirdness and stories where people date, you'll enjoy this beautiful little volume.

[Janel · Rating 4 out of 5]

First work I’ve read by this author, and I found it written very well. A good collection of stories.