Of Enchantment, Enigma, and the Infinite: An Anthology

by Jendia Gammon (Editor), Gareth L. Powell (Editor)

Of Enchantment, Enigma, and the Infinite is an anthology with magical themes edited by Jendia Gammon and Gareth L. Powell, featuring fantastical short stories from masters of speculative fiction.

Contributing Authors Include:

Ai Jiang, Alice James, Angela Sylvaine, Anne Corlett, Chris Panatier, Cynthia Pelayo, D.K. Stone, Dana Gricken, David Quantick, Dennis K. Crosby, Eddie Robson, Eliane Boey, Eugen Bacon, Guido Eekhaut, Helen Glynn Jones, Ian Green, J.L. Worrad, James Bennett, Jenny Rae Rappaport, Jonathan Maberry, Kali Wallace, KC Grifant, Khan Wong, Lili Hayward, Lizbeth Myles, Mya Duong, P.A. Cornell, Ren Hutchings, Renan Bernardo, Sarah L. Miles, and Somto Ihezue.

Genres: Fantasy

346 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Jendia Gammon is a Nebula and BSFA Awards finalist author of fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels and short stories. She is also CEO of Roaring Spring Productions, LLC and Editor-in-Chief of its publishing imprint, Stars and Sabers Publishing. She has also written under the pen name J. Dianne Dotson. Born in Southern Appalachia, Jendia now lives in Los Angeles with her family.

Jendia conducts workshops and participates in panels on creative writing for conventions around the world. She holds a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Jendia is also a science writer and an artist.

Reviews

[Scarlett Kouyou · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ 0🌶️

(Spoiler-free as always)
I always find it hard to rate anthologies- do I decide to rate the entire thing in its structure and organization or by each story individually? Ultimately, for me there were 3⭐️ stories in here but quite a few 4⭐️ and 5⭐️ as well. However I will say this, I loved the structure and order in which the stories were presented. Overall my thoughts kept coming to one thought; how amazing is it that we have magic not only in magical worlds and in stories but in real life too. Little sparks of magic are everywhere, if only we knew where to look.

Thank you to the Editors Jendia Gammon and Gareth Powell as well as MTMC tours for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine anthology - focussing on fantasy this time around. 31 short stories - for me two stand out, for different reasons.

Hex Education by Alice James - a very short riff on the Vegan Teacher (and social media in general) as an apprentice mage ('I wanted to be the first person in my coven to graduate from uni') grapples with finding cruelty-free alternatives to standard potion ingredients ('Eye of newt and toe of frog', for instance). Splendid riff on that Shakespearean 'recipe', too.

Rat King by Ian Green - more for the description of East London's Greenway (Bazalgette's sewer for north London, leading to the Thames, which is now a raised walk- and cycleway) and the splendidly ornate Victorian pumphouse I used to pass on the tube daily. Also a potted history of London's underworld, using the rat king as a narrative hook.

[woodsy.reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is full of magical tales that inspire, reflect, make you laugh, and even want to cry.

With over 31 short stories with mystical themes, this is THE collection for your bookshelf.

With tales of family, love, heartache, deception, survival, mayhem, and chasing a better future, there are stories for everyone!

Ideal for all lovers of fairy tales and fantasy.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - this is the second anthology I've read from Stars and Sabers and I've enjoyed them both immensely. A great variety of authors, many of whom I am reading for the first time and will definitely look for more work from them.