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Hope: The Thing With Feathers
Coming 2 August 2025!
HOPE: The Thing With Feathers
Stories to bring hope in dark times. Inspired by Emily Dickinson's famous poem, these stories each have a feather motif and a hopeful positive ending.
We all go through hardship from time to time and hope is the ineffable force that keeps us going despite it all. In a time when there seem to be more shadows in the world than we remember these are stories to rekindle the light and help us find our path to a better happier future.
Stories of strange invention
As well as being hopeful in tone, these stories from talented science fiction and fantasy writers will bring you to weird and wonderful worlds of imagination — and feathers!
Contents
The Letter Writers — Chloe Smith
Pitstop at the Lunar Station — Veda Villiers
When an Angel Molts — HL Fullerton
Birdcalls of the Carpathian Mountains — Sam Ruhmkorff
The Lay-by-rinth — Anna Orridge
The City That Listened — Jade Scardham
Echo of the Desert in the Sky — Erin Darrow
What We Had Left — Gabrielle Contelmo
Blood Feathers — S. J. Fry
Queen of Crows — Rachel Ayers
The Song Lives On — Louie Sullivan
The Trash King — Maggie Slater
Magic is Given — Jacy Morris
Shiver Soft Feathers — L'Erin Ogle
A Touch of the Wind — Frances Pauli
The Sky was Made for Wings — Michael Reed
Going Home — Martin Westlake
For All That Is And Still Lives — Lisa Fransson
A Bird Afraid of Feathers — B. Morris Allen
Cover art based on an image by Patricia Talavera
262 pages, ebook
First published August 2, 2025
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
B. Morris Allen
163 books25 followersB. Morris Allen is a biochemist turned activist turned lawyer turned foreign aid consultant, and frequently wonders whether it's time for a new career. He's been traveling since birth, and has lived on five continents. When he can, he makes his home on the Oregon coast. In between journeys, he edits Metaphorosis magazine, and works on his own speculative stories of love and disaster. His dark fantasy novel Susurrus came out in 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2025
In a Nutshell: An imaginative SFF anthology, with the feather motif and the theme of hope being the common thread across the stories. I was looking for a soothing and uplifting read, but many of the entries went too dark for my current state of mind. I think readers might like the anthology better if they go in with the right expectations. Better for older YA/NA readers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry aficionados might be aware of Emily Dickinson’s poem, "Hope is the Thing with Feathers". This book takes inspiration from the two key ideas of that title: hope and feathers, and brings together nineteen stories intertwining both the elements.
I hadn’t even heard of the poem as I have minimal awareness of and liking for poetry. I Googled it before beginning this anthology and understood only the first verse in its entirety. 🤭 Of course, you don’t need to actually search for it. The epigraph of this book contains the entire poem (just three verses!) – a great way of ensuring that readers know the foundation.
The collection begins with an outstanding write-up by the editor. It was so heartfelt, interesting and relevant that I probably enjoyed it more than many of the stories. One intriguing question he raised was: Do we keep hope alive or does hope keep us alive during tough times? I think it needs to be a mutually-sustaining relationship, like a growth loop that feeds on its own output endlessly to deliver more.
What I especially loved learning is that the cover (isn't it outstanding?! 😍) came before the book. The editor saw the artist's work, thought "That would make a great book cover!" and reverse-engineered his way to the conception of this anthology of feather-related, hope-filled stories. Serendipity, that's what it is. Especially considering the timing of the book, when the entire world is in drastic need of hope…
When I read such editors' notes, my expectations from the stories automatically shoot upwards. Perhaps my mind subconsciously anticipates anyone who writes so well to also know how to curate a story collection. Well, many of the stories are indeed written well, but they also contained several elements that do not work for me in general.
Given the feathers theme, a majority of the stories are speculative in nature, mostly covering fantasy but a couple also venturing into science fiction. Despite the SFF undertone, the realism in many of the stories is quite strong, effectively blending the actual and the fantastical. I truly loved the speculative content.
The author bios are presented right after the story, making it easy for us to learn more about those whose stories we enjoyed. There is also a little writeup by each author after their respective bio, talking about what hope means to them and, in some cases, what inspired the story.
However, a lot of the content wasn't what I anticipated from a book centred around hope. I was counting on the book to deliver some happiness and warmth. However, most of the stories have dark themes such as drugs, parental abandonment, mental health issues, and life struggles, and stay dark till almost the end. With such depressing content in most storylines, the endings are bittersweet. Many stories culminate with their characters escaping the problem rather than things actually turning more hopeful. In some cases, I struggled to see any hope in the climax as it was more a teensy glimmer (if at all!) than a powerful beacon. I think I completed the book in a sadder mood than I was at its beginning.
Further, while I was pleased at the thought of the feather being used as a motif, the implementation of this was somewhat mixed and strangely, even repetitive – quite surprising as multiple authors contributed to this anthology and there should have been no overlap as such. A few of the stories really pushed the bar of imagination, no doubt. But the rest were like recycled variations of the same basic dreary structure with the same feathery icons.
Lastly, a majority of the stories had YA characters. Though the writing itself didn’t feel like YA in most cases, I felt like I couldn’t connect better with these protagonists. Then again, if the collection had a greater variety of thematic moods, I wouldn’t have had any issue relating to the predicaments of younger characters. All the YAs were going through the same kind of struggles, which just exacerbated the déjà vu feel.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the nineteen stories, only five of the stories reached or crossed the 4-star mark. A majority of the rest were clustered around the 2.5-3.5 stars mark. Four of the 3.5-star stories – ‘Pitstop at the Lunar Station’ by Veda Villiers, ‘When an Angel Molts’ by H.L. Fullerton, ‘Queen of Crows’ by Rachel Ayers, and ‘Going Home’ by Martin Westlake – would have ranked higher had they offered a little more background to the events or a more satisfying/’hopeful’ ending.
My top favourites were:
Overall, this is a good enough collection, but it probably came in my life at the wrong time. Or perhaps, I picked it up with incorrect expectations. I was *hoping* for something a bit more uplifting. I simply didn’t expect a book titled ‘Hope’ to go into such dark and upsetting content. There’s nothing gory on page, but the premises weren’t of the soothing kind in most cases. Perhaps if you go in acknowledging that hope is most needed during times of despair, the gloominess of the stories won't bother you that much. I needed something more heartwarming and preferably with more adult characters, so it is clearly a case of reader-book mismatch. Take my thoughts with a pinch of salt.
Recommended to YA/NA readers, preferably those who enjoy speculative fiction as well. Given the content, it would be better suited to readers aged 15+.
3.2 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each tale.
My thanks to Plant Based Press for providing a complimentary copy of “HOPE: The Thing with Feathers” via the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poetry aficionados might be aware of Emily Dickinson’s poem, "Hope is the Thing with Feathers". This book takes inspiration from the two key ideas of that title: hope and feathers, and brings together nineteen stories intertwining both the elements.
I hadn’t even heard of the poem as I have minimal awareness of and liking for poetry. I Googled it before beginning this anthology and understood only the first verse in its entirety. 🤭 Of course, you don’t need to actually search for it. The epigraph of this book contains the entire poem (just three verses!) – a great way of ensuring that readers know the foundation.
The collection begins with an outstanding write-up by the editor. It was so heartfelt, interesting and relevant that I probably enjoyed it more than many of the stories. One intriguing question he raised was: Do we keep hope alive or does hope keep us alive during tough times? I think it needs to be a mutually-sustaining relationship, like a growth loop that feeds on its own output endlessly to deliver more.
What I especially loved learning is that the cover (isn't it outstanding?! 😍) came before the book. The editor saw the artist's work, thought "That would make a great book cover!" and reverse-engineered his way to the conception of this anthology of feather-related, hope-filled stories. Serendipity, that's what it is. Especially considering the timing of the book, when the entire world is in drastic need of hope…
When I read such editors' notes, my expectations from the stories automatically shoot upwards. Perhaps my mind subconsciously anticipates anyone who writes so well to also know how to curate a story collection. Well, many of the stories are indeed written well, but they also contained several elements that do not work for me in general.
Given the feathers theme, a majority of the stories are speculative in nature, mostly covering fantasy but a couple also venturing into science fiction. Despite the SFF undertone, the realism in many of the stories is quite strong, effectively blending the actual and the fantastical. I truly loved the speculative content.
The author bios are presented right after the story, making it easy for us to learn more about those whose stories we enjoyed. There is also a little writeup by each author after their respective bio, talking about what hope means to them and, in some cases, what inspired the story.
However, a lot of the content wasn't what I anticipated from a book centred around hope. I was counting on the book to deliver some happiness and warmth. However, most of the stories have dark themes such as drugs, parental abandonment, mental health issues, and life struggles, and stay dark till almost the end. With such depressing content in most storylines, the endings are bittersweet. Many stories culminate with their characters escaping the problem rather than things actually turning more hopeful. In some cases, I struggled to see any hope in the climax as it was more a teensy glimmer (if at all!) than a powerful beacon. I think I completed the book in a sadder mood than I was at its beginning.
Further, while I was pleased at the thought of the feather being used as a motif, the implementation of this was somewhat mixed and strangely, even repetitive – quite surprising as multiple authors contributed to this anthology and there should have been no overlap as such. A few of the stories really pushed the bar of imagination, no doubt. But the rest were like recycled variations of the same basic dreary structure with the same feathery icons.
Lastly, a majority of the stories had YA characters. Though the writing itself didn’t feel like YA in most cases, I felt like I couldn’t connect better with these protagonists. Then again, if the collection had a greater variety of thematic moods, I wouldn’t have had any issue relating to the predicaments of younger characters. All the YAs were going through the same kind of struggles, which just exacerbated the déjà vu feel.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the nineteen stories, only five of the stories reached or crossed the 4-star mark. A majority of the rest were clustered around the 2.5-3.5 stars mark. Four of the 3.5-star stories – ‘Pitstop at the Lunar Station’ by Veda Villiers, ‘When an Angel Molts’ by H.L. Fullerton, ‘Queen of Crows’ by Rachel Ayers, and ‘Going Home’ by Martin Westlake – would have ranked higher had they offered a little more background to the events or a more satisfying/’hopeful’ ending.
My top favourites were:
🕊️ The Letter Writers – Chloe Smith: An ekphrastic low fantasy inspired by an actual painting. Sibling love at its finest. Would have loved some more background details, but even as is, it's a beautiful story. (Pro tip: Google the painting after you complete this story. It's even better than you would have imagined and elevates the story further.) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🕊️ What We Had Left – Gabrielle Contelmo: A story that embodied the theme of "hope in times of darkness" in a realistically scary way. I don't even think I'd have any hope left if this scenario were to happen in real life. Bonus half-star for acknowledging that scooters are awesome! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🕊️ Blood Feathers – S. J. Fry: I wish there had been a bit more information during the reveal. Other than that, a beautiful (partly tragic) fantastical tale. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🕊️ Shiver Soft Feathers – L'Erin Ogle: Man! I'd have loved for this to be a novella! Such a fabulous premise but so many things left unsaid! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🕊️ The Sky was Made for Wings – Michael Reed: Nothing as powerful as a sibling bond in times of despair. A dark and depressing story, but the end was strong. (Not hopeful, mind you. But an apt ending for this kind of story.) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall, this is a good enough collection, but it probably came in my life at the wrong time. Or perhaps, I picked it up with incorrect expectations. I was *hoping* for something a bit more uplifting. I simply didn’t expect a book titled ‘Hope’ to go into such dark and upsetting content. There’s nothing gory on page, but the premises weren’t of the soothing kind in most cases. Perhaps if you go in acknowledging that hope is most needed during times of despair, the gloominess of the stories won't bother you that much. I needed something more heartwarming and preferably with more adult characters, so it is clearly a case of reader-book mismatch. Take my thoughts with a pinch of salt.
Recommended to YA/NA readers, preferably those who enjoy speculative fiction as well. Given the content, it would be better suited to readers aged 15+.
3.2 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each tale.
My thanks to Plant Based Press for providing a complimentary copy of “HOPE: The Thing with Feathers” via the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Facebook ||
August 22, 2025
This is a beautifully curated collection of short stories around the theme of hope and feathers. There’s a variety of genres, characters, and concepts to appeal to every reader.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews