Blue Plate Special

by Marie Bilodeau, Blake Hausladen (Editor), Deanna Sjolander (Editor)

300 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2025

About the author

Marie Bilodeau is an award-winning science-fiction, fantasy and horror writer. She has been nominated four times for Canada's most prestigious science-fiction literary award, the Aurora Award, for both her novels and her short stories.

Marie is also a performing storyteller. She's told stories to a wide variety of audiences in theatre houses, tea shops, schools, bars and under disco balls. Find out more at www.mariebilodeau.com.

Reviews

[Collin Starkweather · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, this book breaks the mold. It's as if Edward Hopper and Salvador Dali were to collaborate on a masterpiece, then enlist authors ranging from Gabriel Garcia Marquez to Steven King to Agatha Christie to put it to words. It's a grand experiment, and it works.

Exactly which genre to put this in is subject of some debate in my household. Magical realism? Mystery? Fantasy? Horror? In fact, it's a little bit of everything, and you might not try too hard to categorize it. It forces you to simply take it as it is.

Each chapter is written in the guise of a particular character, and what binds them together and keeps the pages turning late into the night is the mystery of the diner in which it takes place.

The reader is taken on a journey as the strange, surreal world of the diner unfolds. It has echoes of a mystery novel in many ways as it compels the reader to think about what lies underneath what is being expressed on the page, though it is by no means a mystery novel.

The juice is well worth the squeeze, and the journey worth taking. I won't say much more to avoid giving away spoilers, suffice it to say this experiment was a success and you can consider the book highly recommended.

I'm told this is the first in a series, and I'm already looking forward to future installments.

I think this would also be fantastic if it returned to a visual medium and hope they make a movie or miniseries, though due to the nuance and complexity of the novel, would imagine it would take a talented filmmaker at the helm.

[Kristopher Campa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when your everyday diner becomes something more sinister? When the world beyond the cosmos comes crashing into our own? The characters and authors in Blue Plate Special show us just how creepy and weird it can really get!

Each of the characters is beautifully written by each individual author. It's a really unique storytelling method, with each chapter written and woven together by the different authors, revealing more and more of the mystery of just what is going on in this world. I had a bit of preference for our two "heroes" of Ginette and Biscuits, and for our antagonist "The Hurt". But I also wonder if the villain is bad, or just a bit misunderstood. Folks will have to judge for themselves.

Filled with unsettling moments, this book blends fantasy, science fiction, and horror to craft a story that I'm excited to see continue. Bravo to the editors for bringing together a cast of authors who knocked it out of the diner with their storytelling.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that this anthology used the concept perfectly to create the dark fantasy feel in each story. It worked well as a opening chapter in the Dark Reflections series and loved how well the stories used the unusual atmosphere of this world. Each author was able to take the prompt and enjoyed getting to read each one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.