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Shadow Lab: A Blackstone Publishing Anthology
In Shadow Lab, a brilliant roster of speculative fiction writers pull readers into a diverse and genre-bending collection of stories, each as irresistible as the last.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicholas Sansbury Smith comes X and Miles, a tale of the lost years, set in the world of the Hell Divers series. In the radioactive wastes of what was once known as Earth, a man and his dog fight nightmarish creatures in order to return to their home in the sky.
In Clouds by Brian Francis Slattery, a happily married couple finds their relationship strained when they end up on opposite sides of a brewing conflict in the aftermath of the arrival of an alien species from outer space.
In Her Eyes by Rebecca Webb tells the story of Addie, a woman who discovers a pair of eyeglasses that offer a portal into the minds of their previous owners. Soon her obsession with a reckless woman named Nima begins to change everything …
These stories and more await the curious reader in Shadow Lab, a brand-new anthology from Blackstone Publishing.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicholas Sansbury Smith comes X and Miles, a tale of the lost years, set in the world of the Hell Divers series. In the radioactive wastes of what was once known as Earth, a man and his dog fight nightmarish creatures in order to return to their home in the sky.
In Clouds by Brian Francis Slattery, a happily married couple finds their relationship strained when they end up on opposite sides of a brewing conflict in the aftermath of the arrival of an alien species from outer space.
In Her Eyes by Rebecca Webb tells the story of Addie, a woman who discovers a pair of eyeglasses that offer a portal into the minds of their previous owners. Soon her obsession with a reckless woman named Nima begins to change everything …
These stories and more await the curious reader in Shadow Lab, a brand-new anthology from Blackstone Publishing.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2024
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December 3, 2024
When I was offered an advance copy of the new science fiction anthology “Shadow Lab,” through Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley, I was a bit hesitant. I’d only heard of one author in the collection, Nicholas Sansbury Smith, and my experiences with similar collections in the past had often been disappointments. However, I agreed to do so and was pleasantly surprised. Smith’s story was the best in the collection, but five of the other six stories were enjoyable or better. Further, the anthology contains tales to please fans of any science fiction subgenre.
“Shadow Lab” comprises seven stories, edited by Brendan Deneen, himself an accomplished science fiction author. I’m not sure what Deneen’s contribution to the anthology was other than lending his name. The book has no introduction, editor’s note, forward, or story description and only a one-paragraph biographical sketch of each author as an afterword. The stories speak for themselves, however.
“Shadow Lab” begins with its best work, the novella-length “The Lost Years” by Nicholas Sansbury Smith. It’s a variant of the stranded astronaut scenario in Andy Weir’s “The Martian,” except here, the main character is abandoned on a post-apocalyptic Earth. The author only provides scattered bits and pieces of backstory because “The Lost Years” is part of the author’s “Hell Divers” series (which I have not read). This story is easier to understand for those familiar with the series.
As “The Lost Years” begins, the remaining survivors of World War III live in a giant ark-like airship named “The Hive.” The crew periodically sends skydivers to the planet’s surface to scavenge needed supplies. The protagonist, a man named X (for Xavier), crash lands on one mission and must find a way to survive until rescue. He must avoid the usual toxic environment and various deadly mutant creatures now inhabiting the Earth’s surface. The story recounts X’s years on the planet, aided eventually by a dog he befriends. Although I would have preferred a more detailed backstory, “The Lost Years” has plenty of action and offers an intriguing look at a futuristic scientific facility X finds and lives in for much of the story.
“Lineage X” by Edward Cho presents a futuristic caste system that governs society. The titular Lineage X is an agency that assigns everyone a one- to four-star rating based on their ancestry and any skeletons in the family closet. Four stars have cushy jobs and all the luxuries society can provide. One and two stars are blue-collar and administrative workers, doomed to a menial existence. The narrator’s wedding is put on hold when his fiancée is reclassified as a one star because of some unspecified transgressions her ancestor committed. The story is far more enjoyable for the detailed picture of the star-rating-governed society than the actual plot. However, the author delivers a terrific surprise ending.
“In Her Eyes” by Rebecca Webb is a story that could have been a “Twilight Zone” episode. A woman buys a pair of spectacles at a secondhand store. She learns that, when she wears them, she relives the experiences of previous owners of the glasses. Eventually, she identifies a bit too closely with one previous owner, an adventurous woman with no inhibitions. “Incarnation” by Marie Hoy-Kenny could also be a “Twilight Zone” episode. In a scenario reminiscent of the movie, “Groundhog Day,” a woman relives the same day over and over, interacting with the same four people. However, their stories are different every time. One time, she and the others were office workers. The next, she’s an executive in charge of the others. Later, they all work in the same bar. Some readers might guess the story’s explanation, but it’s good.
In “Red Ice” by Tom Radford, the titular substance is frozen water mined from the surface of Mars and returned to Earth by a multi-billionaire. He intends to bottle it and sell it to the rich and powerful as the ultimate luxury beverage. Some people believe the red ice is hazardous and are trying to stop it from being offered to the public. A woman named Cerise breaks into the bottling plant to steal a sample. Readers won’t be surprised to learn red ice isn’t the harmless status symbol the entrepreneur claims. However, the ultimate revelation of what red ice does makes for an entertaining finale.
“Redshift” by Nick Herbert has a similar title to the previous story, but it’s an entirely different type of story. The narrator is a young woman who’s an outer space racing junkie, taking part in a cross-galaxy rally through the most dangerous areas of the known universe. When her ship is damaged and becomes inoperable, she and her robot co-pilot go in search of another abandoned spacecraft she can use to survive and finish the race. This story has the least amount of hard science or speculative futuristic elements in the anthology. It’s just a survival adventure, but it’s suspenseful and entertaining.
The only story I didn’t like was the last one in the collection, “Clouds” by Brian Francis Slattery. Alien spaceships land on Earth, and the seemingly benevolent inhabitants offer people the chance to become a different, improved life form. I don’t want to give too much away here, but I also don’t want readers to think this is a variant of the classic “Twilight Zone” episode, “To Serve Man.” It’s just difficult to describe what the aliens are offering in a sentence or two and what happens to the people who take them up on the offer. While I can’t explain the story briefly, I can sum up my reaction: a massive shoulder shrug. I know the author’s point, but it didn’t elicit any response from me.
Anthologies like “Shadow Lab” that don’t offer a common theme to their stories often have works that vary wildly in tone and quality. Each of these seven stories is entirely different from the others, besides sharing the broad classification of science fiction. However, six of them are quality works with a few minor flaws. Any anthology should be proud of an 86% success rate. “Shadow Lab” will entertain science fiction fans and introduce many of them to some talented new writers.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
“Shadow Lab” comprises seven stories, edited by Brendan Deneen, himself an accomplished science fiction author. I’m not sure what Deneen’s contribution to the anthology was other than lending his name. The book has no introduction, editor’s note, forward, or story description and only a one-paragraph biographical sketch of each author as an afterword. The stories speak for themselves, however.
“Shadow Lab” begins with its best work, the novella-length “The Lost Years” by Nicholas Sansbury Smith. It’s a variant of the stranded astronaut scenario in Andy Weir’s “The Martian,” except here, the main character is abandoned on a post-apocalyptic Earth. The author only provides scattered bits and pieces of backstory because “The Lost Years” is part of the author’s “Hell Divers” series (which I have not read). This story is easier to understand for those familiar with the series.
As “The Lost Years” begins, the remaining survivors of World War III live in a giant ark-like airship named “The Hive.” The crew periodically sends skydivers to the planet’s surface to scavenge needed supplies. The protagonist, a man named X (for Xavier), crash lands on one mission and must find a way to survive until rescue. He must avoid the usual toxic environment and various deadly mutant creatures now inhabiting the Earth’s surface. The story recounts X’s years on the planet, aided eventually by a dog he befriends. Although I would have preferred a more detailed backstory, “The Lost Years” has plenty of action and offers an intriguing look at a futuristic scientific facility X finds and lives in for much of the story.
“Lineage X” by Edward Cho presents a futuristic caste system that governs society. The titular Lineage X is an agency that assigns everyone a one- to four-star rating based on their ancestry and any skeletons in the family closet. Four stars have cushy jobs and all the luxuries society can provide. One and two stars are blue-collar and administrative workers, doomed to a menial existence. The narrator’s wedding is put on hold when his fiancée is reclassified as a one star because of some unspecified transgressions her ancestor committed. The story is far more enjoyable for the detailed picture of the star-rating-governed society than the actual plot. However, the author delivers a terrific surprise ending.
“In Her Eyes” by Rebecca Webb is a story that could have been a “Twilight Zone” episode. A woman buys a pair of spectacles at a secondhand store. She learns that, when she wears them, she relives the experiences of previous owners of the glasses. Eventually, she identifies a bit too closely with one previous owner, an adventurous woman with no inhibitions. “Incarnation” by Marie Hoy-Kenny could also be a “Twilight Zone” episode. In a scenario reminiscent of the movie, “Groundhog Day,” a woman relives the same day over and over, interacting with the same four people. However, their stories are different every time. One time, she and the others were office workers. The next, she’s an executive in charge of the others. Later, they all work in the same bar. Some readers might guess the story’s explanation, but it’s good.
In “Red Ice” by Tom Radford, the titular substance is frozen water mined from the surface of Mars and returned to Earth by a multi-billionaire. He intends to bottle it and sell it to the rich and powerful as the ultimate luxury beverage. Some people believe the red ice is hazardous and are trying to stop it from being offered to the public. A woman named Cerise breaks into the bottling plant to steal a sample. Readers won’t be surprised to learn red ice isn’t the harmless status symbol the entrepreneur claims. However, the ultimate revelation of what red ice does makes for an entertaining finale.
“Redshift” by Nick Herbert has a similar title to the previous story, but it’s an entirely different type of story. The narrator is a young woman who’s an outer space racing junkie, taking part in a cross-galaxy rally through the most dangerous areas of the known universe. When her ship is damaged and becomes inoperable, she and her robot co-pilot go in search of another abandoned spacecraft she can use to survive and finish the race. This story has the least amount of hard science or speculative futuristic elements in the anthology. It’s just a survival adventure, but it’s suspenseful and entertaining.
The only story I didn’t like was the last one in the collection, “Clouds” by Brian Francis Slattery. Alien spaceships land on Earth, and the seemingly benevolent inhabitants offer people the chance to become a different, improved life form. I don’t want to give too much away here, but I also don’t want readers to think this is a variant of the classic “Twilight Zone” episode, “To Serve Man.” It’s just difficult to describe what the aliens are offering in a sentence or two and what happens to the people who take them up on the offer. While I can’t explain the story briefly, I can sum up my reaction: a massive shoulder shrug. I know the author’s point, but it didn’t elicit any response from me.
Anthologies like “Shadow Lab” that don’t offer a common theme to their stories often have works that vary wildly in tone and quality. Each of these seven stories is entirely different from the others, besides sharing the broad classification of science fiction. However, six of them are quality works with a few minor flaws. Any anthology should be proud of an 86% success rate. “Shadow Lab” will entertain science fiction fans and introduce many of them to some talented new writers.
NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.
Displaying 1 of 1 review