We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope

by Karen Lord (Editor), Annalee Newitz (Editor), Malka Ann Older (Editor)

From genre luminaries, esteemed organizers, and exciting new voices in fiction, an anthology of stories, essays, and interviews that offer transformative visions of the future, fantastical alternate worlds, and inspiration for the social justice movements of tomorrow.

One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2025
Autostraddle • Ms. Magazine • Reactor • Alta Journal • Library Journal • Bookish Goblin • Gizmodo • LitHub • Fantasy Cafe • Book Riot • Seattle Times • The Root

In this collection, editors Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, and Malka Older champion realistic, progressive social change using the speculative stories of writers across the world. Exploring topics ranging from disability justice and environmental activism to community care and collective worldbuilding, these imaginative pieces from writers such as NK Jemisin, Charlie Jane Anders, Alejandro Heredia, Sam J. Miller, Nisi Shawl, and Sabrina Vourvoulias center solidarity, empathy, hope, joy, and creativity.

Each story is grounded within a broader sociopolitical framework using essays and interviews from movement leaders, including adrienne maree brown and Walidah Imarisha, charting the future history of protest, revolutions, and resistance with the same zeal for accuracy that speculative writers normally bring to science and technology. Using the vehicle of ambitious storytelling, We Will Rise Again offers effective tools for organizing, an unflinching interrogation of the status quo, and a blueprint for prefiguring a different world.

Genres: Short Stories, Nonfiction, Anthologies, Essays, Politics, Adult, Speculative Fiction

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 2, 2025

Reviews

[Chantaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Will Rise Again is such a fantastic, ambitious, hopeful, thoughtful project, and the care with which the editors have taken to really lay out their thesis is evident. Part of me is a bit biased in that I think Malka Older (co-editor) is rad as hell, but this is also genuinely GOOD.

The decision to mix speculative short stories, essays, and interviews with authors and activists (and activist-authors!) was a great one. There's so much to mine here, so much to take away from all these voices. There are times where it's so easy (for those of us with the privilege) to stick our heads in the sand and escape for a while. And there are also times where the world we live in seems to be swirling down the drain with no hope of escape. This anthology chooses to face our world and show us that there is, and always will be, hope in resistance of ANY kind.

This was a much needed balm for a lot of the psychic wounds the world has dealt us all in the last decade, and a reminder to keep moving forward, head high and eyes wide. Very highly recommended, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Many thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for the eARC to review. We Will Rise Again is available now!

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)]

An anthology of sci-fi short stories and essays about protest, resistance, and hope with a wide range of contributing authors and a fantastic editorial team! It's always interesting when you have fiction and nonfiction woven together like this. Some of the stories and essays were really good, some left less of an impression, but together the vision of seeing sci-fi as a way of imagining possible better futures and ways to reach them is important and timely. There were some really thought-provoking pieces. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook (13 hours) narrated by a full cast, including:
Ali Andre Ali
Janina Edwards
Je Nie Fleming
Jackie Meloche
Andre Santana
Editors include:
Malka Older
Annalee Newitz
Karen Lord.
Authors include:
NK Jemisin
Charlie Jane Anders
Alejandro Heredia
Sam J. Miller
Nisi Shawl
Sabrina Vourvoulias
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

The narration and audio are flawless.
There was a separate narrator for each story, although narrators did narrate more than one story. Each one was a great match. Very well done.

I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for this anthology when it came up in my Libby queue, as I had read a couple of non fiction novels and was in the mood for something more fictional. I was pleasantly surprised as I really enjoyed the speculative fiction style of some of the short stories.

This group of talented authors spun entertaining, fantastical stories while maintaining the deep thoughts, meaning and inner stories that they wanted to convey.

Very well done!

[WBTM BOOKSHELF]

Do you need a little hope and entertainment that's inspired by real world activism? Join us this year for a read-at your-own-pace buddy read of this Anthology over at the 'Worlds Beyond the Margins' book club: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

If your library doesn't have it, do your community a favour and request that they purchase it :D

🩶 Please help spread the word on goodreads by 'liking' this review 🩶


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Table of Contents:

0. Introduction - Interview with Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha the editors of Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements

1. 'Other Wars Elsewhere' by R.B. Lemberg

2. 'Originals Only' by Rose Eveleth

3. ESSAY: Rewriting the Old Disability Script (2018) by Nicola Griffith
🔗 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/op...

4. 'Where Memory Meets the Sea' by Laia Asieo Odo
🔗 https://electricliterature.com/where-...

5. INTERVIEW with Kendra Pierre-Louis

6. 'Disruption' by Samit Basu

7. 'The Gray and the Green' by Nisi Shawl

8. 'The Quiet Heroics of Gardening' by Ursula Vernon (aka T. Kingfisher)
🔗 https://reactormag.com/history-discov...

9. 'Perséfoni in the City' by Sabrina Vourvoulias

10. 'A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel' by Jaymee Goh

11. INTERVIEW with Scott Gabriel Knowles

12. 'Aversion' by Malka Ann Older

13. 'Realer Than Real' by Charlie Jane Anders

14. 'The Mighty Slinger' by Tobias S. Buckell & Karen Lord

15. INTERVIEW with L.A. Kauffman & Andrea Dehlendorf

16. 'The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: An Oral History' by Izzy Wasserstein

17. 'Chupacabras' by Vida James

18. 'If I Could Stay with You on Earth' by Alejandro Heredia

19. ESSAY: How Long ’Til Black Future Month? : The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monáe (2013) by N.K. Jemisin

20. 'One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions' by Annalee Newitz

21. 'Blockbuster' by Kelly Robson

22. 'Kifaah and the Gospel' by Abdulla Moaswes

23. 'What Does Joy Look Like : A Documentary Short' by Sam J. Miller

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rec. by: A Goodreads giveaway, via Rachel; theme; editors and authors listed
Rec. for: Anyone who's dissatisfied with the current state of affairs

Resistance, and resilience, are in the air these days, for some reason (for many reasons)... and the all-star editing team of We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope—Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz and Malka Ann Older—know about both. And it's not just a matter of flipping the script to oppress a different group this time.

After all,

The health of a society depends on how that society defends its least powerful members.

We Will Rise Again begins with a dialogue among its editors and Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha, who edited Octavia's Brood—a book I read (a decade ago now?!?) that this anthology's editors acknowledge is "a really important antecedent" (p.3) to the work at hand.

The visions collected here, fictional and otherwise, are "all assertions of the future that we want" (p.6).

*

These are the individual tales, interviews and essays contained within We Will Rise Again, with (as is my usual practice) brief comments about each:

"Other Wars Elsewhere" by R.B. Lemberg
There's always another war somewhere... but Katinka cannot let go of the war she has chosen to oppose.
This one is fantasy, but it's modeled on the very real ongoing war against Ukraine, as one could tell even before Lemberg's Artist's Statement makes it explicit.

"Originals Only" by Rose Eveleth
Oh, the huge manatee...

"Rewriting the Old Disability Script" by Nicola Griffith
This one is nonfiction, about the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves... and about Others.

"Where Memory Meets the Sea" by Laia Asieo Odo (a nom de plume, taken from one of Ursula K. Le Guin’s characters)
Not just another day at the beach—this one is a day to remember.

Interview with Kendra Pierre-Louis
During this interview, veteran climate reporter Pierre-Louis draws a distinction between an "activist" and a "journalist" that I'm not sure does or even should obtain... ¿Por qué no los dos?

"Disruption" by Samit Basu
Crowd management tips from an expert in ...

"The Gray and the Green" by Nisi Shawl
If our story is written in water, then we can change it in an instant from gray into green. This story, from a longtime favorite writer, was one of the most powerful ones in We Will Rise Again for me.

"The Quiet Heroics of Gardening" by Ursula Vernon
Vernon's essay—this one is nonfiction—is

{...}a story of immigrants and refugees, who brought with them the greatest wealth that someone can have—the power to feed themselves in an unknown land.
—p.118

"Persefoni in the City" by Sabrina Vourvoulias
Civil disobedience in the community garden starts small—like a seed—with a single body, unmoving...

"A Brief Letter on the Origins of Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel" by Jaymee Goh
Rather more matter-of-fact than its title would seem to imply.

Interview with Scott Gabriel Knowles
Knowles is a "disaster historian" who (in my opinion quite rightly) decided not to "both-sides the pandemic" (p.162).

"Aversion" by Malka Older
It's all too easy to look away—and Pret's augmentation just made Kai want to look away even harder. But then Kai had an idea...

"Realer Than Real" by Charlie Jane Anders
Flipping the dystopian script with manic glee—mrmee, mrmee...

"The Mighty Slinger" by Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord
You have to play a longer game—much longer—when your contract only lets you out of cold sleep for one year out of every twenty-five...

Interview with L. A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf

"Apparently there were crickets in the air vents at NYPD headquarters for years afterward."
—Kauffman, p.223

"I was the mobilizing coordinator for some of the biggest protests in world history, the protests against the Iraq War in the early 2000s. By any standard, those failed. We did not stop the war. But I still feel it was absolutely worth doing. Someone needed to stand up and say it was wrong, and millions upon millions did."
—Kauffman again, p.228

My wife and I were among the many protesters against a much earlier Iraq war, at the Federal Building in Westwood back in January 1991, carrying signs that read "No More Blood for Oil."
Our outrage then was similarly ineffective, but as Kauffman goes on to say, "at least we did not sit by silently."

"The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: An Oral History" by Izzy Wasserstein

Do you give up on an obviously doomed dream? Logic says yes. But logic says stay in the closet. Logic says keep your head down. Play it safe.
You know the rest.
—Lily, p.238

The VDW isn't a real organization—but maybe it should be.

I'm not wired for optimism. Even if we break the fascists' hold on power, we've lost time we didn't have. The world's burning. Humanity is deeply fucked.
Can we win? You're asking the wrong person. But together we've accomplished things no one would have believed. I know that we had each other's backs.
—Josie, p.244

"Chupacabras" by Vida James
Ofelia is anything but a messy eater—but that's just the delicate skin of the matter, not the juicy meat within this story.

"If I Could Stay with You on Earth" by Alejandro Heredia
We now return you to your regularly scheduled protest—after all, there's no way Remmy from the Bronx is getting to go to Europa.

"How Long 'Til Black Future Month? The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monáe" by N.K. Jemisin
This is the essay, originally published online in 2013, that sparked the eponymous collection How Long 'Til Black Future Month? that I read (and thought was amazing) back in 2019.

I'm not sure this future is the kind of place I'd want to live in, but I definitely wouldn't mind visiting.
—Counterscene, p.291

"One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions" by Annalee Newitz
Privacy Now sounds like... a pretty good idea, actually. As does the right to "peaceful assembly" (you can look that one up)...

"Blockbuster" by Kelly Robson
"You can't just dance the cops out of business."
—Key, p.314
But... what if?
This story, along with Newitz', and Robson's accompanying Artist's Statement later on, help clarify the distinction between privacy and secrecy—and why the latter should not be a right, or a privilege, reserved for any elite.

"Kifaah and the Gospel" by Abdulla Moaswes

{...} the ghosts of ancient knowledge usually haunted old people.
—p.335

But don't you dare take any of that ancient lore as Gospel...

"What Does Joy Look Like: A Documentary Short" by Sam J. Miller
It takes a certain (huge) amount of chutzpah to start out with

"This is the story of how an app saved the world."
—Tyler Morehead, Cofounder and CEO of human2human, p.349

And, indeed, the very next speaker calls Morehead out on that BS. But sometimes change—positive change, that is—happens in spite of the source.

This is a very good question, in general, and a good question in particular with which to end We Will Rise Again:

"What does joy look like?"
—Joo-Hyun Kang, p.361

Then go out and make it so.

*

This time, I've adapted the Table of Contents from the Free Library of Philadelphia

[Venneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do like an anthology that pairs authors with actual activists in the community to talk about how to buckle down for the long term in a deeply hostile state. These authors all would've hit hard on their own, but the additional knowledge added by the activists, and the interviews throughout with community activists allows the speculative futures we get to feel even more grounded. Yes, there's some dark times in here, but there's still hope for the future, and I love the diversity of authors and activists that the editorial board did here. Great read, and highly recommended this fall.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t like this anthology as much as I thought I would, I am very sorry to say.

Part of this was the fault of when I chose to read this. Stories about fighting back against transphobia, racism, colonialism, fascism - they all hit a little too close to home - vague gesture at everything. These kinds of stories are absolutely necessary, but man can it be a drag - especially stories written by veterans of the trenches who know just how much of a demoralizing slog these fights can be. I tried to take inspiration from them, but in the historical moment we’re in they mostly left me tired and discouraged.

But, that being said, there were still some stories and essays that I loved. My favorites, in the order they show up in the book:

“The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: An Oral History” by Izzy Wasserstein - the story of an anarchist commune overrun by police/right-wing militias, told as a series of interviews after the fact. Made a lot of good points about the importance of witnessing, and not letting the fascists control the narrative.

“Chupacabras” by Vida James. This one deals with the related problems of colonization and gentrification in the American colony of Puerto Rico (the term definitely applies). And it asks the question - what if the solution to gentrification is to have a chupacabra eat the gentrifiers? As plans go, it definitely has the virtue of simplicity. This was very viscerally satisfying (pun intended) and much more on the horror end of the spectrum.

“If You Could Stay on Earth” by Alejandro Heredia. A poor, trans, POC student in the Bronx did well enough on a national physics test to earn a spot on a mission to Europa, and is denied on the flimsiest of grounds. A group of his friends come together to fight this, despite the student in question’s lack of enthusiasm for being a cause and a symbol.

“How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?” by NK Jemisin is a nonfiction essay, and not included in her own anthology of the same name, I was surprised to learn. She talks about growing up loving science fiction, but having to look at the very edges of the genre to find stories of people looking like her that were treated as people (as opposed to savages, servants, or exotic sex fantasies). Part of why she became a writer was because those stories didn’t exist, so she set out to make them. And she was and is justifiably angry about this.

“One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions" by Annalee Newitz. This one hit home for me, as I’ve been moderating r/Fantasy for over a decade now. The protagonist here is a person dealing with trauma of having been doxxed by right-wing internet assholes. This deals with the nuances of free speech, and what speech should be tolerated in public and what speech should not. Sure, everyone has the right to share their opinion. What’s been lost in this debate is the right of people to not be forced to listen to it.

[My blog](https://mikeofthepalace.wixsite.com/b...)

[Morgan Beynon (loriwaylittlelibrary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with stories of hope, resilience and empathy, this book is the perfect for those that strive for and believe in social justice and building a better future! Especially at a time that feels so heavy and hopeless.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review

[Drea · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things to love about this anthology, but the combination of social science methods with speculative fiction short stories on social justice have to be it for me.

[Kaity · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self proclaimed anthology hater, we need more of this. We Will Rise Again was such a fantastic listen with a full cast of narrators. I really liked how interviews and essays were interwoven throughout the speculative short stories. Some of my favorites were ‘Where Memory Meets the Sea’ (memory modification used by oppressors to subdue), ‘The Quiet Heroics of Gardening’ (history of some heirloom veggies by T. Kingfisher - I love her voice!), ‘Realer Than Real’ (bots scanning trans people to see if they’re wearing gender appropriate attire), ‘How Long ’Til Black Future Month?’ (Black people in science fiction eg The Jetsons)...

[Meghna S · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Will Rise Again is one of those rare anthologies that understands exactly what speculative fiction is for. Not escapism, not distraction, but a deliberate excavation of our collective future. This collection gathers some of the sharpest minds in contemporary SFF and pairs them with movement organizers, activists, and cultural theorists to build something that is equal parts storytelling and social blueprint.

A conversational, contextual introduction: The extended introduction, framed as a discussion among the three editors, immediately stood out. It functions almost like a round-table seminar: contextualizing the anthology’s goals, dissecting why futurism and justice movements must be in conversation, and setting a tone of intellectual rigor without losing warmth. It is easily one of the strongest and most distinctive openings I have seen in a speculative anthology.

Stories with spine, purpose, and political clarity: The pieces I connected with most were the ones with overt social architecture woven into their narrative DNA. This anthology proves that when speculative fiction takes a stance, when it actively interrogates oppressive systems, it becomes a powerful analytical tool rather than just a narrative exercise.

I also loved the author perspectives following many stories. These reflective add-ons crystallize each writer’s intentions, methods, and their relationship to activism. For an anthology about worldbuilding and social change, these sections feel essential and generous, particularly for readers who enjoy understanding the scaffolding behind a story.

My ranking: from most impactful to least (relative): Here’s how the stories landed for me, not in terms of enjoyment alone but in terms of thematic heft and conceptual ambition:

Disruption by Samit Basu
AI, India, and unmistakable Black Mirror energy. Basu is razor sharp, and this story hit closest to home for me in terms of its sociotechnical accuracy and cultural intimacy.

Aversion by Malka Older
A compelling argument that simply “exposing injustice” is insufficient for dismantling it. Older uses speculative structure to critique real-world activism with clarity and nuance.

Blockbuster by Kelly Robson

Realer than Real by Charlie Jane Anders

If I Could Stay With You on Earth by Alejandro Heredia

Chupacabras by Vida James

Nonfiction that hits just as hard

Two pieces genuinely stunned me:

The Mighty Slinger’s End: An Interview with LA Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf
Moving, incisive, and emotionally grounded. This was one of the sections that lingered long after I closed the book.

How Long 'Til Black Future Month? The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monae by N. K. Jemisin
Jemisin never misses, and this essay is a masterclass in diagnosing what speculative fiction has historically gotten wrong and how visionary artists rewrite the rules.

Other standouts: Originals Only and Other Worlds Elsewhere, both of which expand the anthology’s thematic scope into global, cross-movement contexts.

Overall impression

This anthology succeeds because it refuses to treat activism as metaphor. Instead, it positions speculative fiction as a functional tool for imagining and engineering better systems. Many stories feel painfully relevant to our current moment; others feel like warnings; several feel like sparks of hope.

I came away with a long list of authors whose backlists I’m now eager to explore, and a renewed respect for how fiction can double as a site of praxis. It’s a vibrant, thoughtful, and fiercely contemporary collection.

Thank you to @sagapress for the ARC.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Saga Press, Colored Pages Book Tours, and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review #WeWillRiseAgainTour #coloredpagesbooktours #SagaSaysCrew

This was one of my most highly anticipated speculative fiction releases in the latter half of 2026. A collection of stories and essays that tackle protest, resistance, and the fight for a more just world… how could I resist?

First off, I’m glad that the editors paid proper homage to Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements, and began this anthology with an interview with adrienne maree brown and Walidah Imarisha, who coined the term “visionary fiction” for the type of stories that envision a future guided by social justice movements.

Both the fiction and nonfiction in WWRA imagine different possibilities for the future, from the near future to the centuries-away one. A lot of different topics are covered: ones that stood out to me include fighting conservative antitrans policies with a laughably literal interpretation of the Founding Fathers’ words in the Constitution; a Palestinian mother and son stumbling upon a left-behind AI relic of Israeli settlers who moved to space when life on Earth became too hard; and college students fighting hatred with mutual aid and the push for increased privacy measures.

The stories are varied, and at times challenge us with contradicting ideas about the same theme. For instance, in one story, increased privacy becomes the tool through which spewers of hate are no longer allowed to voice their opinions in public, while in another, it is actually the decrease in privacy that serves as an abolitionist method of publicly shaming crime-doers, thus eliminating the need for police. As with all anthologies, some are stronger than others; some simply lacked the time and word count to be further developed, so I was at times hard-pressed to follow storylines.

I think I preferred the nonfiction essays in this sliiightly more than the fiction; they brought me hope in knowing that people have been fighting for far longer and in much more varied ways than I had anticipated, and some essays even give extremely inspiring and practical advice for steps to take. I think that the interview with L. A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf in particular, which gives such a clear insight into how protests work and succeed, should be a must-read for all of us who wish to be involved but aren’t sure how best to be.

The world needs more books like WWRA right about now. This will be a collection to always keep on hand, for you to flip through to get the right inspiration and advice as you need it.

[Rachel Pollock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this to support the project, but did not expect so many of the stories to be innovative and striking. Even though some contributors do not normally write fiction, it’s an interesting compelling collection.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

N. K. Jemisin, talk to me about Janelle Monaé all the time.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall Review:
-This anthology is excellent, there are no weak stories and many incredible stories. I can’t stop gushing about it to my friends!
- As someone who cares deeply about social justice and finds it hard to read non-ficiton books, this collection was perfect. The balance of mostly fiction interspersed with brief non-fiction essays/interviews and author’s notes worked really well.
- I don’t think i’ve ever read an anthology with such a clear throughline, and I think there were a couple of elements that contributed to that. First, the authors notes after the fiction pieces help make the individual contributors’ perspectives on social justice topics clear. Second, the editors created a very thoughtful order. The non-fiction and fiction pieces that are near each other in the book talk to each other. I wouldn’t have appreciated Ursula Vernon’s piece about gardening as much without the fictional story about a community garden directly following it, and vice versa. The collection ends with some more joyful stories, which I think is a smart way to end, since it helps energize the reader: change is possible!
- I wish every book I read, especially every anthology, was as deliberately inclusive as this one. The intersectionality and diversity of perspectives within and between all of these stories was incredibly well done. We get stories from and about immigrants, trans people, queer people, people outside of the US & Europe, BIPOC authors & characters, and more groups that are usually not as well represented in anthologies as they could and should be.

Notes on individual pieces (standout pieces marked with *):

Introduction: A Discussion with adrienne maree brown and Walidah Imarisha. Lovely to see this collection pay homage to Octavia’s Brood, and I love the promise that this collection too will be grounded in Octavia Butler's work.


1. Other Wars Elsewhere by R.B. Lemberg. I think the portrayal of organizer/activist burnout in this story is so realistic. I liked that the story also has some tender moments and some magical elements: Eating grandmother's jam, the birds that symbolize dead people, the magic gold threads that form a web throughout the city.


2. Originals Only by Rose Eveleth. I found myself relating to the main character of this story, because when I'm brain fogged I feel like he does. Like everything just kinda goes over my head. I liked the manatee metaphor too. Very accessible story, appreciated how easy to read it was, and the more light-hearted tone despite quite serious subject.


3. Rewriting the old Disability Script by Nicola Griffith. This is a powerful, compelling and short non-fiction essay on disability in literature. I loved learning about the Fries test (similar to the Bechdel test but focused on disabled characters), though it is sad how few books actually meet the criterion.


4. *Where Memory Meets the Sea by Laia Asieo Odo. This story hits hard. It is raw and real. Memory blockers and memory erasure may be speculative fiction elements, but the rewriting of history to erase war crimes and genocides has happened and keeps happening over and over again. This is a must read.


5. Interview with Kendra Pierre-Louis. I really appreciated her ability to link pop culture stories, like the expanse and the hunger games, to real world social justice theory. I am not usually able to make those parallels myself (e.g. I had never heard of world systems theory) but her explanations work really well.


6. Disruption by Samit Basu. I liked the premise of this story -- with generative AI being increasingly used it felt very timely. That being said, some of this story went a bit over my head. Some of that is due to my own lack of background knowledge wrt Indian history. However, some of it was also due to the writing style: very long sentences, you are thrown into the deep end with this story.


7. The Gray and the Green by Nisi Shawl. Some of the business stuff in the story went kind of over my head, but the fact that he called all his employees in one role Colin and all his employees in another role Jessie was a fun metaphor for corporate soulless uniformity. The story made me feel uncomfortable about the religion and the relationship with the spiritual mentor -- was it meant to make me feel that way or is that my ingrained capitalism feeling like he was being swindled into becoming a better person? Also, I loved that the main character was a trans man without his transness being the topic of the story. It just was.


8. The Quiet Heroics of Gardening by Ursula Vernon (T. Kingfisher). I learned a lot from this story. It prompted me to do some reading outside of this anthology on the history of seeds being brought along by enslaved and displaced people, and on the danger of monocultures and the Potato Famine. Gardening is not a topic I had necessarily connected with social justice before reading this anthology.


9. *Perséfoni in the City by Sabrina Vourvoulias. This story consisted of an intriguing mix of Greek myths and Guatemalan culture and community organizing. I love that Nemesis is personified as a trans woman. I thought it was also interesting how she is perceived and labeled as a trans woman vs a woman depending on whose perspective we are in. Beautiful story!


10. A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel by Jaymee Goh.
To be honest, I liked the interesting family structure in this novel more than the political stuff. Polyamory, family structures by choice rather than bloodline, inheritance not dependent on blood, a non-binary sovereign. The political content seemed to have some plot holes. If the people in certain municipalities had been struggling for a long time, as is said at a point later in the story, how can all that suffering have happened during a brief time of mourning and the sovereign being absent during that time only? Or was the sovereign negligent?


11. Interview with Scott Gabriel Knowles. I resonated most with what he said about memorials. That reminded me of some of the discussions on mourning in ‘The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs’ by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.


12. Aversion by Malka Older. I struggled with the language in this story, it was hard to read for me, a lot of long sentences and hard words; not accessible prose. I did think several aspects of the story felt very realistic. For example, the meeting where activists can't agree on the method and how far to take it. Another character’s frustration with getting people to care about 'your' issue as much as their own issues was also realistic and spoke to the first story in this collection. I did like the idea for the video game the two activists came up with at the end.


13. Realer than real by Charlie Jane Anders. This story has trans folx dress up in Victorian gender assigned at birth clothing to make a point about originalism. It wasn't my favorite story, because it felt a bit one dimensional compared to some of the other stories in the collection.


14. *The Mighty Slinger by Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord. Very ambitious story, I think it could shine even more as a novella or even a full novel. I hope the authors expand on it, because it was so cool and I wanted to know more in order to understand it better: the cohorts, the technology, the ring project. I loved that it spoke to the power of music in building a resistance. I also thought the ending was well done.


15. Interview with L.A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf. I really appreciated that they emphasized how hard protesting, direct action, and change making is. How you can feel defeated, and even if you 'win' that it's still never enough. I also appreciated the mention of beautiful and memorable protests, protests as an art form to capture attention and the imagination. I ended up searching out pictures of the specific protests mentioned. As a disabled person I really appreciated them calling ways to protest and contribute to movements that don’t necessarily involve marching down a street, e.g. taking care of others in the community as a form of direct action.


16. The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: an Oral History by Izzy Wasserstein. I loved the style of this story, it was reminiscent of ‘World War Z’ in the best way. The story was interesting, perhaps out of all of the stories in this collection it felt the least speculative and the most realistic, like a contemporary dystopia. I was a bit confused about who Z was. I initially assumed Z was Lilly’s nickname for Josie, but near the end she talks about him as having died. Maybe Z only 'died' in the sense of forced detransition because they took his meds away?


17. *Chupacabras by Vida James. I loved this story. It's a horror revenge story where the colonialists get eaten alive. As a white person living in the US it prompted reflection on places I’ve traveled to for vacation and how my tourism has impacted locals.


18. If I Could Stay with You on Earth by Alejandro Heredia. This story was relatively short and sweet compared to some others in the collection, but it managed to focus on a single, well defined cause without feeling one dimensional. I thought the plot was (horribly) realistic, it reminded me of Akwaeke Emezi retracting her submission from a prize due to the transphobic requirements specified after their book was long-listed. Transphobia and racism are two sides of the same coin, so similar to the story’s protagonists I wondered: had the first trans/non-binary writer to get nominated for that prize been white, would these transphobic guidelines have even happened? This story focuses on a single decision that is relatively easy to revert, and it does get reverted, creating a bittersweet ending to the story. I thought this story did an excellent job showcasing intersectionality and how one ‘win’ isn’t the be all end all, there is more work to do.


19. *How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?: The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monáe by N.K. Jemisin. N.K. Jemisin might be the most brilliant writer of her generation. I too have felt what she describes when reading fantasy novels, but whereas I can’t begin to express it Jemisin does so poignantly.


20. One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions by Annalee Newitz. This story addresses trauma in a very thoughtful way. I too experience throat closing, and I think a lot of people who have been told to stay quiet about being marginalized do.


21. *Blockbuster by Kelly Robson. I thought this story was just so joyful! I loved all the burlesque, and how diverse it was too. I liked the tie in with restorative justice. It was interesting too to read two very different stories about privacy one after the other.


22. *Kifaah and the Gospel by Abdulla Moaswes. I loved this story. As the author notes, it captures some of the absurdity of colonization. This story was deeply meaningful and full of symbolism as well as at times funny. Beautiful!


23. What Does Joy Look Like: A Documentary Short by Sam J. Miller. Another story in the ‘World War Z’ format. Felt a bit less realistic than the earlier one, but was very hopeful which I guess was nice to end on. Not the best or most creative story in the collection.

I was provided with an eARC by the publisher of this book, and have tried to write an unbiased review.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating collection, edited by Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz and Malka Older, does something that isn’t done often – or perhaps just not often enough. Because it deals with real world issues explicitly through speculative fiction, it deliberately puts the included stories in dialogue with essays by and interviews with thinkers and especially doers who have experience with the problems raised and carried into the speculative realm.

This collection is also an homage and a continuation of the book Octavia’s Brood, edited by adrienne maree brown and Walidah Imarisha in 2015. It is both right and fitting that interviews with brown and Imarisha are part of the introduction to this current work.

My personal reading of this book focused on the included short stories which were written specifically for this collection, rather than the essays and interviews, many of which have been previously published elsewhere.

R.B. Lemberg – “Other Wars Elsewhere” c2025

This fantasy is a bit about the magic of places to pull at the heart, but is mostly about wars and refugee crises and people’s attention span for caring and giving to people and places that are not their own. It’s also a story about activism, both in the sense of doing it and in the sense of being caught up in the performance of it. And it’s also the story of a young woman learning that just because there’s a new crisis it doesn’t mean that an individual isn’t still emotionally attached to the old one and that sometimes you find your place to help and sometimes you come back to it. Mivka is a stand-in for Ukraine but that is far from all it is. Escape Rating A-

Rose Eveleth – “Originals Only” c2025
On the one hand this SF story has some fascinating things to say about athletes and how they’re viewed and lionized and cut down to size, how their lives are so wrapped up in their sport and prepping for it that they get tunnel vision, how little control they have over their lives and how they’re not prepared for their day in the sun to end – while also talking about how politics weaponizes people and talking points and whatever is top of mind to score off against marginalized groups and play identity politics. The problem with the story is that the protagonist is pretty much a cipher even at the ending. There’s no there there to wrap the story around – which may also be part of the point but leaves a void at the story’s center. Escape Rating B

Laia Asieo Odo – “Where Memory Meets the Sea” c2025

The story is about the erasure of memory and history, but makes it personal, poignant and downright heartbreaking by setting it in a world and specifically a country where individual memory erasure is possible and government sanctioned. The people have one day per year where they can remember and experience their losses, but even that is too much for a repressive government, leaving everyone with holes in their memories, injuries upon their bodies, and missing friends and family they’re not allowed to remember. Because if they did they’d overthrow them all. We know that history is written by the victors, and that counter-narratives to accepted truth get suppressed on the regular, but this puts the whole terrible thing and breaks the reader’s heart with grief and loss – even the ones that we don’t remember. Escape Rating A+

Samit Basu – “Disruption” c2025

This was interesting in that it’s not the first story I’ve read recently about weaponizing history erasure and using accepted truths to push a narrative. This one is a bit different because it also pulls in not just the evils of AI in general and the evils of AI in particular to do this work, but also the evils of letting AI control human behavior. It reminds me a bit of Where the Axe is Buried but is trying a bit too hard to be arch and the keystone doesn’t quite fit. Escape Rating B

Nisi Shawl – “The Gray and the Green” c2025

This one was weird – but that’s appropriate because the protagonist was totally weirded out. The story centers on a rather rapacious business owner who does an excellent job exploiting legal loopholes to make more money with fewer consequences. They start getting messages from their future self, attempting to set themselves on a better, more community-oriented but still highly profitable, path. It was a neat idea but didn’t quite work for me. Escape Rating B-

Sabrina Vourvoulias – “Perséfoni in the City” c2025

This story is about government corruption, community activism and the importance of food security, wrapped up in beautiful poetry and set in a world where food is a kind of magic in ways beyond the obvious. This was a story with a lot of irons in its fire, all of which were stories of their own. It would have worked better for me if it had picked a few of its storylines to follow through on – or if it had been long enough for all those crops to have had time to grow. And for a story intended for a speculative fiction collection, the speculative element was very slight. Escape Rating B

Jaymee Goh – “A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel” c2025

This was fun, somewhat satirical and very pointed. Also feathered and clawed. It’s a story about sanctioned rebellions in a fantasy kingdom with a fascinating political structure where seemingly all marriages are polygamous in all directions, where children can inherit from anyone in the parental group – even the throne, and where outsiders coming in think that their quaint, backwards, “western” ways will hold sway over the Kirani’s very sensible arrangements for things. One pretender to the throne tries to bribe his way to the top, only to be overthrown by a mage who summons harpies to rout his illegal government. She’s in the right, but no good deed goes unpunished so she becomes the official heir AND is endlessly harangued by everyone who has to deal with the damage done by the harpies. The entire story is told in a letter to a friend, begging for at least a visit to help her get away from her onerous, necessary, but unwanted elevation to the crown. Escape Rating A-

Malka Older – “Aversion” c2025

At first, it seems like this story is about technology, kind of a reverse of subliminal advertising, where tech is used to show things people don’t want to see and generally turn their eyes away from. Things like horrific accidents, incidents of terrorism, war and peacetime atrocities. Then it pulls back a bit, and turns into a story about whether the ends of getting people to see the things that make them uncomfortable is worth the means of forcing them to do so. When that devolves into a debate about safety and security and protecting the children, it all sounds familiar but also necessary AND, more importantly, how easy it is to derail anything uncomfortable – if it pokes at the status quo. Then it pulls back again and it becomes a question about why people don’t see the truth of the world and how to get them to turn their attention back ON. This isn’t a fun story, but it is thought-provoking, particularly in that everyone is right but everyone is also very wrong. Escape Rating B+

Charlie Jane Anders – “Realer Than Real” c2025

This was fun, but it also made its point and hit it hard and well. At its heart, its a story that exposes the contradiction among conservatives that they want the US Constitution to be interpreted as the Founding Fathers would have seen it in the late 18th century. And at the same time they want it to enshrine the status quo as it is today – meaning that they want the law to enforce current ‘norms’ whatever those might be. The story takes that contradiction and pushes the envelope in both directions by poking directly at the way that some want to lock people down in their gender presentation based on how they look and how they dress and whether or not that conforms to ‘accepted’ interpretations of male and female. Because the clothing worn in the late 18th century – by the Founding Fathers and Mothers themselves – does not conform to 21st century standards AT ALL. And it doesn’t have to and neither should anyone today or any other day. Watching the drones all go spare and the Supreme Court judges get turned around was funny, but the point still got made and reinforced among the laughs. Escape Rating A+

Izzy Wasserstein – “The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: An Oral History” c2025
This was an ultimately sad story about a failed anarchist revolution. The thing is that it should have worked, but the powers that be that preserve the status quo and stay in power by separating groups couldn’t tolerate the entirely legal and extremely cooperative purchase of all the land in a dying town in the middle of Kansas by a group of anarchists led by a transwoman, so they created a crisis so they could bring in troops and shut it all down. The story is told as a series of interviews with the survivors and its both fascinating and heartbreaking. A part of me wants to say that it wouldn’t happen like this because everything was done ‘right’ and legally, but reality says that it would. Dammit. Escape Rating A

Vida James – “Chupacabras” c2025

This is a story of frustration and rage – and it’s impossible not to feel both while reading. I think it hits even hard now than it did when it was written – or perhaps its that the theme feels realer and closer because it’s no longer just somewhere else but also here – albeit in a different way. The story is set in Puerto Rico, and it’s a story about hypergentrification, about the way the island is treated as a colony instead of a real part of the U.S., the way that the laws are written to favor the mainland instead of the citizens – or even just treating the citizens equally with other U.S. citizens. It’s about activism burnout, about how hard it is to keep fighting when the enemy owns all the battlefields for public awareness – and then it personalizes the whole fight into one woman, one monster and one very bloody possibility for extreme change. I can’t say I liked this story, exactly, but I absolutely did feel it. Escape Rating B

Alejandro Heredia – “If I Could Stay with You on Earth” c2025

This story was surprisingly sweet. It’s also a story where a non-violent protest is successful. And it’s a bit of a love story AND a love-letter to the Bronx at the same time. (And it made me want to go back and read The City We Became with its commentary on the personality of the five boroughs. It’s also a story about the power of an organized group to move the needle towards justice IF they have fair access to the lines of communication. It’s also, just a bit, about the impossibility of getting teenagers to hear the word “No”, but this time in a good way. It’s also a great story to shift the reader into a bit of a more hopeful space particularly after “Chupacabras”. Escape Rating A-

Annalee Newitz – “One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions” c2025

I’ve often said that I’m grateful to have grown up before digital footprints. Whatever mistakes I made – and they were as legion as anyone else’s – are not preserved and regurgitated over the internet. This story, in a way, reflects that era in that it’s about a group of students who want to go back to some of that, the idea that free speech isn’t an absolute right and that people who want to talk about murdering people and groups they hate have the right to say what they want but they don’t have the right to say it where they want. They can hate if they want, but they need to keep it private. Which is kind of the way it used to be before the megaphone of the internet existed. It’s a story about going back to enforcing the old stricture about not shouting fire in a crowded theater. While I loved the idea that it would keep haters from spamming and doxxing people they’ve decided to hate all over the internet, I can’t unsee the slippery slope this leads to. Escape Rating B

Kelly Robson – “Blockbuster” c2025

This managed to be both fun and sad at the same time, because it posits a world – or at least a tiny corner of it – where things are working as they could. And it’s wrapped around street burlesque in Toronto, which is inherently as fun as it is subversive. And it’s immersive, and the story is about one filmmaker who gets immersed and caught up in the possibilities of entertainment as a wedge to create social change even though the money backing his production pushes him towards cutting down the effort and preserving the status quo. The story is a lot bigger than all of this, and I liked what it was doing but didn’t care much for the protagonist or the cookie-cutter villain. Escape Rating B-

Abdulla Moaswes – “Kifaah and the Gospel” c2025

From one perspective, this is a story about AI as a tool of colonialism and the erasure of the cultures that colonialism wipes out in its rapaciousness. From another perspective, it resembles Nnedi Okorafor’s African futurism, even though this is not set in Africa, but rather the idea of the people who were once subjugated, returning to their land and making it their own, again. While, from a third perspective it reads as an attempt at cultural erasure that failed, as it centers around an artifact that, as much as it tells a terrible – and terribly slanted – story about cultural erasure in its historical past, becomes an object of error and derision when its programming forces it to assert that the present that is actually around it doesn’t exist. At the same time, the historical conflict that it references, the conflict that exists in our present between the Arabs and the Israelis in the Middle East is reduced to a simple binary that doesn’t sit right with this admittedly biased reader. I’m not sure I can rate this fairly because I can’t be remotely objective about it. But I’m still thinking about it, and that might be the most important part.

Overall Rating B+: Due to the collection’s mix of fiction and nonfiction, I can’t decide whether the rating should be “Escape” or “Reality”, particularly as even the fiction – or perhaps that’s especially the fiction, is real-world thought-provoking, as intended. However, speaking of the thoughts this collection evoked, I would highly recommend Cadwell Turnbull’s Convergence Saga, recently concluded with A Ruin, Great and Free, as a readalike for We Will Rise Again as his story brings so many of the concepts in this compelling collection to fantastic life.

Originally published at Reading Reality

[Melanie Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schon lange hat mich eine Anthologie nicht mehr so überzeugen können!

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ate this book up in less than a week -- the combination of a real look at where data says we're headed combined with the imagining of what fighting and even triumphing could look like in that future was exactly what I needed.

[Bilal Haque · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOKE IS BACK!!!!!!!!

[Pamela Block · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully conceptualized book with co-creations made by activist authors crossing the borders between fiction and real life and then back again.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the subtitle says, these are "speculative stories and essays on protest, resistance and hope". They offer hopeful visions (and methods) to overcome the systematic oppression of those whom our society marginalizes. The stories feature people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. Many of the LGBTQ stories focus on the T, as it is trans people who are most strongly attacked these days by official policy.

Many of the proposed solutions involve some sort of collective action, a tried and true approach to resist those in power. While there are some stories that seem to achieve a collective consensus a little too readily, there are others (especially those about anarchy) that recognize that the losses will seem to outweigh the wins all too often, and achieving agreement within a group on actions to take can be slow and daunting.

Collective action solutions remind me of the possible solutions offered in Cory Doctorow's new book: "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It". Although Cory's book focuses on technology we use today, and not specifically on marginalized communities (except to the extent we are all marginalized and commodified by tech), he shares a common vision of the types of repression those in power employ against those who seem to have little recourse.

[Ailey | Bisexual Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Saga Press for the gifted ARC! This book was published in the US on December 1, 2025.

“We can unbitter ourselves, you know, but it works better when we help each other.” - R.B. Lemberg

We Will Rise Again is the kind of anthology that doesn’t just ask, “What if?” It asks, “Who are you holding on the way there?” Across stories, essays, and interviews, the collection pairs activists with writers to build futures that feel both startling and familiar, reminding us that imagination is a tool for survival as much as it is a genre pleasure. The editors frame the project as a descendant of Octavia’s Brood, and you can feel that lineage in the book’s steady insistence on collectivity, community care, and the messy work of choosing each other anyway.

Many of the anthology’s strongest pieces grapple with how power is enforced through control of bodies, memory, and narrative, and how communities learn to push back together. Rose Eveleth’s story about an athlete punished for being too good at his sport exposes how supposedly neutral regulations are weaponized against trans and disabled people, while Nicola Griffith’s essay directly challenges the stories we’ve been taught to accept about queerness and disability at all. Samit Basu and Nisi Shawl both interrogate reality management through technology, asking what happens when history, memory, and even the future are curated by systems designed to suppress dissent. Elsewhere, Malka Older and Kendra Pierre-Louis focus on witnessing itself, exploring the fragile line between documentation, activism, and harm, and what it means to listen rather than extract. Taken together, these pieces argue that resistance is rarely singular or heroic; it is collective, iterative, and often born from grief, care, and refusal to look away.

I kept circling back to how often these pieces return to witness. In Laia Asieo Odo’s “Where Memory Meets the Sea,” grief becomes something you practice together, like a ritual that keeps the truth from being confiscated. Sabrina Vourvoulias’s “Perséfoni in the City” turns communal love into a living protest, rooted in soil and refusal. Izzy Wazzerstein’s oral history is tender about imperfection, and that tenderness feels radical. And Abdulla Moaswes’s “Kifaah and the Gospel” hit me hardest with its warning about preprogrammed narratives, and its insistence on believing the people in front of you.

As with any collection, not every piece landed equally for me. A few stories felt like they wanted more room, and some essays felt too brief to fully unfold their arguments. Still, the cumulative effect is powerful: this book holds dystopia and keeps pointing to the thin, stubborn layer of utopia we can build on top of it. It’s a reminder that resistance is not only a march. Sometimes it’s listening. Sometimes it’s organizing. Sometimes it’s helping each other be more sympathetic. This is a book about holding each other through fear, loss, and uncertainty, and about refusing the stories handed to us by power. We Will Rise Again insists that imagination is a form of organizing, that solidarity is built in small, imperfect acts, and that the future is something we shape together or not at all.

📖 Read this if you love: Introspective and politically grounded speculative fiction; stories that center community care over individual heroics; sci-fi that asks what resistance feels like, not just how it looks; or abolitionist, anti-fascist, and anti-colonial frameworks for imagining the future.

🔑 Key Themes: Collective Care and Mutual Aid, Memory and Erasure, Protest and Community Organizing, Technological Control and Resistance, Climate Collapse and Survival, Listening as Praxis.

Content / Trigger Warnings: War (moderate), Grief (minor), Transphobia (minor), Police Violence (severe), Murder (minor), Gun Violence (moderate), Suicidal Thoughts (minor), Pandemic (severe), Death of a Parent (minor), Suicide (minor), Sex Trafficking (minor), Genocide (minor), Cannibalism (moderate), Sexual Assault (minor), Gore (moderate), Blood (minor), Racism (minor), Vomit (minor).

[Michael Daines · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

Countries represented by author or setting: Barbados, Canada, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, India, Malaysia, Palestine, Puerto Rico, U.K., U.S., Ukraine

Table of Contents
- Introduction
- “Other Wars Elsewhere” R.B. Lemberg
- “Originals Only” Rose Eveleth
- “Rewriting the Old Disability Script” Nicola Griffith
- “Where Memory Meets the Sea” Laia Asieo Odo
- Interview with Kendra Pierre-Louis
- “Disruption” Samit Basu
- “The Gray and the Green” Nisi Shawl
- “The Quiet Heroics of Gardening” Ursula Vernon
- “Persefoni in the City” Sabrina Vourvoulias
- “A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel” Jaymee Goh
- Interview with Scott Gabriel Knowles
- “Aversion” Malka Ann Older
- “Realer Than Real” Charlie Jane Anders
- “The Mighty Slinger” Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord
- Interview with L. A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf
- “The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: An Oral History” Izzy Wasserstein
- “Chupacabras” Vida James
- “If I Could Stay with You on Earth” Alejandro Heredia
- “How Long ’til Black Future Month?: The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monáe” N.K. Jemisin
- “One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions” Annalee Newitz
- “Blockbuster” Kelly Robson
- “Kifaah and the Gospel” Abdulla Moaswes
- “What Does Joy Look Like: A Documentary Short” Sam J. Miller

“We Will Rise Again” is an anthology of fiction short stories and nonfiction interviews and essays, with an eye toward resistance and more positive futures. Several of the works give pause for reflection, and several are bound to spark ideas or new ways of thinking about old problems. All of the pieces are good, and some are quite excellent. Definitely recommended.

[Johnsnowwasright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Press for the e-ARC!

We Will Rise Again is a series of speculative/scifi short stories about activism, resistance and equality written by authors both new and experienced in the genre. Interspersed are essaies and interviews with various activist leaders in our own world.

I have to say overall, I really liked the idea of using speculative fiction to explore the complicated nature of activism and fighting for a cause. The collected authors don't shy away from the ugly side of resistance movements or how flawed the people comprising the movement are. Generally I feel that the stories started out weak and became stronger towards the end of the collection. Particular stand outs were: 'A Brief Letter on the Origins on the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel' , 'The Mighty Slinger' , 'Chupacabras', 'Kifaah and the Gospel' and 'Blockbuster'. I'd like full length novels or novellas for each of those please and thank you. They show the power of speculative fiction to reflect the absurdity and unreality of our own world.

The only story that I had issue with was 'Originals Only'. It tells the story of professional sports in the future where bionic enhancements become commonplace to the point where athletes are used to advertise certain enhancement products. The main character is a basketball player who is talented enough to play in the NBA without any enhancements but is continuously harassed to prove he's enhancement free. He accidentally becomes the focal point of a far right campaign to do away with all enhancements despite not wanting that. In the story, he has two trans neighbors who give him shit for not being vocal about his opposition to the movement and how the vague nature of the proposed bill could effect anyone who has their body surgically changed. But at no point is there commentary made on our main character essentially being forced by the NBA to have enhancement procedures so that the controversy can die down. He's given the choice to have the procedures so they can license the products or he be done with basketball which is his only means of income. Like this man is being given so much shit by all of these people and yet NO ONE has issue with him being forced to mutilate his body to make everyone else happy (I can't remember if he is meant to be black but if he was, that's even more fucked up). I just think to not comment on that aspect of the imagined world was a huge miss by the author.

Other than that, most of the stories were strong and I had a good time reading them.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this book, as the promise of the title is one that is much needed right now, and speculative fiction is an excellent medium with which to explore the concepts listed in the subtitle. I think I was expecting something along the lines of Cory Doctorow's writing, along the lines of Radicalized. Unfortunately the entries in this compilation aren't nearly up to that standard. Of course they do vary in quality, and a few of them were pretty good, but most were mediocre at best.

Part of the problem is that having a good idea isn't enough to create a good story. There also needs to be a good story. A couple of the attempts should have stayed as non-fiction essays rather than be tortured into a heavy-handed allegory. Conventional components such as characters, plot, dialogue, etc. are all still important, even when trying to Make A Point.

The language employed takes the much maligned form favoured by leftist academia. There are no concrete objects like places or parties, having been replaced by abstract concepts like spaces, movements, communities. They don't talk about "minorities," but rather "minoritized populations." In this worldview, hashtags MeToo, BLM, FreePalestine are used in place of actual platforms or policies, made even more ludicrous with stories set in places like Malaysia, India, and Ukraine.

The singling out of Israel as the source of many of the world's problems was especially disappointing. None of the world's intolerant theocracies, brutal authoritarian regimes, or heinous human rights abusers are condemned like this, only the Jewish State.
One of the stories is just the old fashioned blood libel dressed up in modern garb, with the author stating his desire for the complete eradication of all "settler-colonial" Jews from "Occupied Palestine." That the editors thought it appropriate to include a piece using the same arguments that motivated the heinous October 7 attacks as representative of their vision for resistance and liberation is terrifying, morally abhorrent, and undermines the legitimacy of the entire effort.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressive. The majority of these stories have compelling premises, but the technique applied in crafting most of these narratives are mediocre. The language is not exciting, the characters feel dry, and the authors appear not to have a solid grasp on balancing exposition/dialogue/info dump. I was left disappointed, bored, and unaffected in many cases.

- Other Wars Elsewhere by R. B. Lemberg: 4 (story)
- Originals Only by Rose Eveleth: 3.5 (story)
- Rewriting the Old Disability Script by Nicola Griffith: 5 (essay)
- Where Memory Meets the Sea by Laia Asied Odo: 4 (story)
- Interview with Kendra Pierre-Louis - good, insightful
- Disruption by Samit Basu: ended up skipping this one, not a fan of big sweeping summary stories with no scenes (story)
- The Gray and the Green by Nisi Shawl: idk dude Nisi Shawl demands a lot from a reader and I didn’t have the energy for her today(story)
- The Quiet Heroics of Gardening by Ursula Vernon: mentions some cool facts, would have liked more in depth (essay)
- Perséfoni in the City by Sabrina Vourvoulias: 2.5 idk, I like the concept but the execution was rather dull (story)
- A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel by Jaymee Goh: ended up skipping this one after a few pages, the epistolary form was not compelling to me (story)
- Interview with Scott Gabriel Knowles: who genuinely cares ??
- Aversion by Malka Older: 2 (story)
- Realer than Real by Charlie Jane Anders: 2.5 felt too cartoonish for the gravity of the theme (story)
- The Mighty Slinger by Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord: skipped this, way too many characters all at once I didnt have the energy jeez (story)
- Interview with L.A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf: eh not enlightening or interesting
- The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas by Izzy Wasserstein: 2.5 (story)
- Chupacabras by Vida James: 4.5 (story)
- If I Could Stay with You on Earth by Alejandro Heredia: 3(story)
- How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? By N.K. Jemisin: 5 (essay)
- One if the Lesser-Known Revolutions by Annalee Newitz: 3 (story)
- Blockbuster by Kelly Robinson: 2.5 (story)
- Kifaah and the Gospel by Abdulla Mdaswes: 2(story)
- What Does Joy Look Like by Sam J. Miller: 2(story)

[Blair (Patchwork Culture) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always have to remind myself that there’s nothing wrong with easily being able to identify fiction’s real-world inspiration. The length of stories alone lends itself more to concept and atmosphere, while I’m a reader who enjoys character and emotion.

We Will Rise Again was an interesting project in which authors took on specific issues and turned them into short pieces. In most cases, the authors’ notes were more engaging than the stories, not to say their contexts weren’t important. I wonder if creative non-fiction would be a more appealing way for me to contemplate these problems and think about how to improve them.

Although I didn’t find any new favorites, I’m glad I finally got the chance to read some recognizable names in the speculative genre. There’s no one I wouldn’t try again.

In my opinion, the editors were successful in curating a selection that looked to the future and focused on solutions. I think they avoided romanticization as planned. Yes, there were hopeful and inspiring elements, with lots of danger and courageous moments too. But many of the protagonists were ordinary people who were fearful and didn’t always have all the answers. It was easy to identify with and root for them as they took one small step forward, looking out for and relying on their communities.

It was empowering to read about adversity without slipping into a defeatist attitude, to imagine that we are capable of action and change. Some of the solutions were unexpected or uncomfortable, and not every ending was happy, conclusive, or neat, which I found challenging and rewarding to consider.

Loved: The Quiet Heroics of Gardening, Ursula Vernon; Interview with L. A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf; The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas: An Oral History, Izzy Wasserstein; Chupacabras, Vida James; If I Could Stay with You on Earth, Alejandro Heredia; How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monae, N. K. Jemisin

Liked: Other Wars Elsewhere, R. B. Lemberg; Originals Only, Rose Eveleth; Rewriting the Old Disability Script, Nicola Griffith; Where Memory Meets the Sea, Laia Asieo Odo; Interview with Kendra Pierre-Louis; Disruption, Samit Basu; Persefoni in the City, Sabrina Vourvoulias; Interview with Scott Gabriel Knowles; Aversion, Malka Older; The Mighty Slinger, Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord; Blockbuster, Kelly Robson; Kifaah and the Gospel, Abdulla Moaswes

Meh: N/A

Need to Reread: The Gray and the Green, Nisi Shawl; A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel, Jaymee Goh; Realer Than Real, Charlie Jane Anders; One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions, Annalee Newitz; What Does Joy Look Like: A Documentary Short, Sam J. Miller

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope edited by Karen Lord, Annalee Newitz, and Malka Older from Saga Press via NetGalley. This book will be published around December 2, 2025.

Here's the truth. I will read anything that Annalee Newitz is involved with period. I love their writing, fiction and nonfiction. When I saw that Annalee was partnering with Karen Lord and Malka Older to edit the anthology, We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope, I knew I had to get my hands on this book immediately. Karen Lord is another favorite of mine. While I was living in Barbados, I kept hoping I would meet her. I didn't, but I did adopt two cats remind me daily of the island.

Fawning out of the way, this collection of stories is exactly what so many of us need right now. Having writers pair up with activists to reflect stories of what the world could be was a brilliant idea. Each story offers a unique perspective on making a difference through collective action. At the end of each fictional story, there is an explanation of the activist that inspired the story. There are also some nonfiction interviews with activists. If you are looking for ways to get involved, I would be shocked if you couldn't find something to inspire you in here. If you find reading or hearing the news currently to be incredibly depressing, you owe it to yourself to give this a read.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Other Wars Somewhere - R.B. Lemberg - 4 stars
2. Originals Only - Rose Eveleth - 3.5 stars
3. Rewriting the Old Disability Script - Nicola Griffith - 3 stars
4. Where Memory Meets the Sea - Laia Asieo Odo - 3 stars
5. Interview with Kendra Pierre-Louis - n/a - 3 stars
6. Disruption - Samit Basu - 2 stars
7. The Gray and the Green - Nisi Shawl - 2 stars
8. The Quiet Heroics of Gardening - Ursula Vernon - 4 stars
9. Persefoni in the City - Sabrina Vourvoulias - 2.5 stars
10. A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel - Jaymee Goh - 2 stars
11. Interview with Scott Gabriel Knowles - n/a - 2.5 stars
12. Aversion - Malka Older - 2 stars
13. Realer than Real - Charlie Jane Anders - 3 stars
14. The Mighty Slinger - Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord - 2.5 stars
15. Interview with L.A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf - n/a - 2 stars
16. The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas - A Oral History - Izzy Wasserstein - 3.5 stars
17. Chupacabras - Vida James - 3 stars
18. If I Could Stay with You on Earth - Alejandro Heredia - 3.5 stars
19. How Long 'Til Black Future Month? The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monae - N.K. Jemisin - 2 stars
20. One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions - Annalee Newitz - 3 stars
21. Blockbuster - Kelly Robson - 3 stars
22. Kifaah and the Gospel - Abudulla Moaswes - 3.5 stars
23. What Does Joy Look Like - A Documentary Short - Sam J. Miller - 4 stars

[Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given how this book was sold as being supremely hopeful and uplifting and about being able to imagine a good future instead of a bad one, I was surprised just how many of these stories were just straight bummers in the vein of the kind of stories I was hoping to finally get away from. Even some of the nicer ones were in the vein of a bunch of bad things happening but with one hopeful note to put a twang on the final vibe, which isn't really what I'm after, either. It's definitely a meaningful book full of writing by very smart, thoughtful, compassionate people - every single entry. But I'm not sure it was what I thought I was being told it was. Something I could read when anxious at night to stop the anxiety, not remind me how realistic the fears and despairs are. I was kind of hoping that I would get a little more realistic "we're going to win".

There were a number of winners in this however, and my favourites that I consider higher than my overall book rating in particular were: Other Wars Elsewhere by R. B. Lemberg; Kifaah and the Gospel by Abdulla Moaswes; A Brief Letter on the Origins of the Harpy Aviary in the Kirani Citadel by Jaymee Goh; How Long 'Til Black Future Month?: The Toxins of Speculative Fiction, and the Antidote That Is Janelle Monae by N. K. Jemisin; One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions by Annalee Newitz; Interview with L. A. Kauffman and Andrea Dehlendorf.