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The Other Shore: Stories
From the winner of the 2023 Ursula K Le Guin Prize for Fiction comes a short story collection that radiates from the dark forests of the Pacific northwest. In ten tales, Rebecca Campbell’s exquisite prose channels ancient forest spirits, the lost ghosts of unknown fates, biological and technological transformations, and challenges the ways that colonization and extraction have shaped not only landscapes but how we imagine the future. Campbell zeros in on horrors and hopes, readying readers for the world to come.
About Campbell’s interconnected short stories in her novella Arboreality, the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize selection committee said, “In her masterful and profoundly ethical stories, Campbell asks us what might be saved, what must be saved, and what it will take to do so.” Continuing in this tradition, The Other Shore delves deep into what transformations we need to survive and thrive.
About Campbell’s interconnected short stories in her novella Arboreality, the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize selection committee said, “In her masterful and profoundly ethical stories, Campbell asks us what might be saved, what must be saved, and what it will take to do so.” Continuing in this tradition, The Other Shore delves deep into what transformations we need to survive and thrive.
224 pages, ebook
Published October 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 1, 2025
This collection starts out with some dreamy folklore tales with cool vibes and wandering plots. If those don't land with you, keep reading, because they evolve into a black mirror esque social commentary that I very much enjoyed. Then we end things with a fun little mini series of creepy birth shorts.
Each story has a little author intro which I thought was pretty interesting. The PNW vibes were spot on and the nature themes explored on an almost scholarly level. Overall it was a fun read.
Thank you for the ARC via Netgalley!
Each story has a little author intro which I thought was pretty interesting. The PNW vibes were spot on and the nature themes explored on an almost scholarly level. Overall it was a fun read.
Thank you for the ARC via Netgalley!
July 11, 2025
*Read through NetGalley*
This book had such an interesting mix of nature, eerie vibes, and I was really curious to see where it would go. The themes around the environment and the way the world is shifting were genuinely compelling, and the writing itself was strong and thoughtful throughout.
But in the end, it just didn’t fully land for me. A lot of the stories were super short, and instead of feeling sharp or punchy, they left me kind of underwhelmed. There were a few standouts that had me leaning in, but most didn’t stick with me after I finished. What pulled me out the most, though, were the author’s notes after each story. I totally get wanting to give insight or context, but it kind of broke the momentum and made the whole thing feel more like a draft than a completed book.
That said, I think this would hit differently for someone who’s into slower, more reflective short fiction with a strong environmental aspect.
This book had such an interesting mix of nature, eerie vibes, and I was really curious to see where it would go. The themes around the environment and the way the world is shifting were genuinely compelling, and the writing itself was strong and thoughtful throughout.
But in the end, it just didn’t fully land for me. A lot of the stories were super short, and instead of feeling sharp or punchy, they left me kind of underwhelmed. There were a few standouts that had me leaning in, but most didn’t stick with me after I finished. What pulled me out the most, though, were the author’s notes after each story. I totally get wanting to give insight or context, but it kind of broke the momentum and made the whole thing feel more like a draft than a completed book.
That said, I think this would hit differently for someone who’s into slower, more reflective short fiction with a strong environmental aspect.
August 10, 2025
Rebecca Campbells latest collection centers themes of environmental collapse in this series of stories and shorts. Unfortunately, quite like it was the case with Arboreality, this collection failed to connect with me.
I personally like my short-story collections to feel cohesive, either in style, substance or theme, which this one didn’t. Although there’s a clear overarching theme of “climate”, the separate stories felt disconnected and lackluster in their execution. Many of them are very short (1-2 pages) and are already over before I felt I could get my footing, leading to a disconnected feeling with the book overall.
Adding to this disconnect, is the fact that many of the stories are quite abstract, and lack a clear plot. In a way I appreciate the idea of letting a landscape tell a story by itself, but an entire book filled with this just didn’t work for me.
As I mentioned; I felt quite similar about the authors most well-known climate-fiction novel, and I think it’s partially just a matter of this authors work not being for me. I love Stelliform Press and the voices they center, but I don’t think I will seek out this authors work in the future.
Many thanks to Stelliform Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I personally like my short-story collections to feel cohesive, either in style, substance or theme, which this one didn’t. Although there’s a clear overarching theme of “climate”, the separate stories felt disconnected and lackluster in their execution. Many of them are very short (1-2 pages) and are already over before I felt I could get my footing, leading to a disconnected feeling with the book overall.
Adding to this disconnect, is the fact that many of the stories are quite abstract, and lack a clear plot. In a way I appreciate the idea of letting a landscape tell a story by itself, but an entire book filled with this just didn’t work for me.
As I mentioned; I felt quite similar about the authors most well-known climate-fiction novel, and I think it’s partially just a matter of this authors work not being for me. I love Stelliform Press and the voices they center, but I don’t think I will seek out this authors work in the future.
Many thanks to Stelliform Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
October 30, 2025
These sterling stories are about the possibility of change in the face of crippling belief that nothing can be done to change our course, individually or collectively. They are mainly set around the Salish Sea, Vancouver Island featuring prominently. Each one has some fantastical or science fictional element, but mainly these are character-driven stories about advancing one's life towards goals that may seem unattainable but aren't really.
The changing land (largely due to climate change) features prominently and represents the forces we struggle with in order to reach our goals, which sometimes we don't even realize we want.
Campbell won the Sturgeon Award for her short story 'An Important Failure', and the Ursula Le Guin Prize for Fiction for her book 'Arboreality'. This collection is a welcome addition.
The changing land (largely due to climate change) features prominently and represents the forces we struggle with in order to reach our goals, which sometimes we don't even realize we want.
Campbell won the Sturgeon Award for her short story 'An Important Failure', and the Ursula Le Guin Prize for Fiction for her book 'Arboreality'. This collection is a welcome addition.
October 25, 2025
Great cover, cool concept, LOVED the intro, and enjoyed each story’s notes. The descriptions and imagery of the wilderness (sea, forests) were magical and evoked a longing to be back along the coast.
The stories themselves were a bit hit or miss for me. One I was drawn to “On Highway 18”, really resonated with me as someone who grew up adjacent to the Highway of Tears and lost a childhood friend to a human monster along that stretch. The ending felt a bit muddled to me, and I think clearing up whether Jen was alive or missing or dead would’ve given a bit more closure to the reader.
It’s great to read new-to-me Canadian authors and see another Canadian Publisher. I’ll be looking forward to what Campbell creates next!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Stelliform Press for a copy!
The stories themselves were a bit hit or miss for me. One I was drawn to “On Highway 18”, really resonated with me as someone who grew up adjacent to the Highway of Tears and lost a childhood friend to a human monster along that stretch. The ending felt a bit muddled to me, and I think clearing up whether Jen was alive or missing or dead would’ve given a bit more closure to the reader.
It’s great to read new-to-me Canadian authors and see another Canadian Publisher. I’ll be looking forward to what Campbell creates next!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Stelliform Press for a copy!
August 31, 2025
The winner of the 2023 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction and a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist for her novel Arboreality delivers a truly astonishing collection. My review of this book has been accepted for publication by CALYX Journal.
I thank NetGalley for making the ms available, though I confess I dislike reading on screen and will avoid doing so again, despite how much I loved this book and will order a hard copy once it's released.
Another reviewer: "The stories range from literary greek myth, to magical realism, to eco folk horror, to climate sci-fi, and Rebecca Campbell's writing consistently sets a high bar of quality."
I thank NetGalley for making the ms available, though I confess I dislike reading on screen and will avoid doing so again, despite how much I loved this book and will order a hard copy once it's released.
Another reviewer: "The stories range from literary greek myth, to magical realism, to eco folk horror, to climate sci-fi, and Rebecca Campbell's writing consistently sets a high bar of quality."
August 14, 2025
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley.
This collection of speculative short stories mostly focusses on possible futures and presents set in British Columbia as well as stories about transformation. The stories often focus on nature and humanity and the way the world changes. My favorite stories where A Hole Cut in the Wall, about a scholar interviewing a poet, who finds himself unable to leave when he wants to, The Bletted Woman, about a woman who agrees to partake in a science experiment that keeps her between life and death, but may give her the ability to communicate with mycelium, Such Thoughts Are Unproductive, which follows a call center employee, who finds himself cut off from the outside except for the calls he gets, and Wider Than the Sky, Deeper Than the Sea, about a woman, who has used technology to extend her senses and now tries to figure out what she can use her sensory experience for besides performance.
In general, my favorite stories were the ones that made use of creeping horror and dread, which I think worked very well with the atmospheric writing. Some of the stories did feel a bit short, but all in all I quite enjoyed reading this collection, in particular for exploring strange worlds across genres from explorations of mythology to magical realism, folk horror and sci-fi, mostly with a focus on ecological themes. If you enjoy weird fiction, then I can certainly recommend this collection to you.
My only criticism is that some of the stories were a bit too short to really allow me to dive deeper into the topic and were over before I could really grasp what was going on. And while there was a somewhat overarching theme present in this anthology (ecology and change), the stories did not really flow well into each other all things considered. I decided to take a short break after each short story and that certainly improved my reading experience, but I would not recommend to read the stories quickly one after the other.
And finally, while some people may not enjoy the little author notes before each story, I mostly liked them as I found it interesting to see what the author intended with the stories and how that influenced my reading experience for each short story. However, I do prefer such story notes to be placed behind a short story, as it did keep me from going into each short story unprejudiced and that can be a bit distracting. If I could reread this collection, I would try to skip the author’s notes from the beginning, as my reading experience definitely improved once I started doing so.
The High Lonesome Frontier: This story centers around a song, from its moment of conception to the fame it brought to an artist and finally into space, where it remains as a fond memory for one astronaut. Intriguing and really touching!
*FAV* A Hole Cut in the Wall of the World: A scholar interviews a poet for his dissertation on a small, deserted island. While the poet just wants to enjoy his isolated island life, the scholar dreams of fame. Very lyrical writing style that lulls you into a false sense of security (just like it does the scholar), which worked really well!
Lares Familiares 1981: A family celebration of a family shaped by their trade in the lumber industry receives an unexpected guest, that offers a few of them a trade. Really interesting take on fae and the dangerous lure they offer.
TW: ableism, homophobia, injury, sexism, slurs (f-slur)
On Highway 18: A story about girls hitchhiking on a lonely road, the friendship of two of them and how it changes as they grow up. Touching.
TW: murder
The Other Shore: A waitress watches a group of archeologist divers as they unearth items from her past. Their initial joy at discovery soon turns into confusion as they become aware that time has not passed quite as linear as they expected. Haunting and strange and really atmospheric, I loved that one!
Thank You For Your Patience: Working in a call center is not really fun for the protagonist of this story, who has to deal with high pressure and annoying managers. But worse is the fact that he is completely cut off from the world due to long work hours and a no-mobile-phones-allowed policy keeps news restricted to what he is able to glance from times when costumers drop his calls. I really liked how tense this story!
TW: anti-muslim racism, terrorist attack
*FAV* The Bletted Woman: A woman is offered the opportunity to partake in a new study after she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s like her mother before her. Her choice to rot alive and form a bridge between human life and the afterlife will transform the world. Strange, beautiful, haunting and heartbreaking, I really loved this story!
TW: death, vomit
*FAV* Such Thoughts Are Unproductive: In a world full of surveillance, where people who say or do the wrong thing can be easily disappeared a daughter tries to keep in contact with her imprisoned mother, growing more and more unsure if she is actually talking to her mother or an AI replica. And when an aunt, that cannot be her aunt, shows up to keep her company, things soon become even scarier. Really haunting story!
TW: imprisonment, surveillance
*FAV* Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea: In this story a woman has chosen to extend her senses through technological means far beyond what humans normal perceive for the sake of performances. Now retired, she plans to create a full sensory Salmon Map so people can experience a salmon spawning, but she’s been stuck in a rut for a while now, watching her funds run dry. As she tries to figure out how to make her artistic vision come to life, she reminisces about her time as a performer and the ways she and her troupe pushed their bodies, sometimes too far. Incredibly intriguing take on cyborg technology as a way to get closer to nature, while causing constant sensory overload in human environments and how this might change ones interactions with others.
An Incomplete Catalogue of Miraculous Births, or, Secrets of the Uterus Abscondita: Here the author examines a few historical cases of miraculous births, as well as stories from folklore, including the woman, who birthed rabbits, Gaea and her cyclops babies captured in Tartarus and a hen that laid eggs inscribed with holy words. It was very interesting to see how the author gave a voice to these figures and described their (potential) motivations.
This collection of speculative short stories mostly focusses on possible futures and presents set in British Columbia as well as stories about transformation. The stories often focus on nature and humanity and the way the world changes. My favorite stories where A Hole Cut in the Wall, about a scholar interviewing a poet, who finds himself unable to leave when he wants to, The Bletted Woman, about a woman who agrees to partake in a science experiment that keeps her between life and death, but may give her the ability to communicate with mycelium, Such Thoughts Are Unproductive, which follows a call center employee, who finds himself cut off from the outside except for the calls he gets, and Wider Than the Sky, Deeper Than the Sea, about a woman, who has used technology to extend her senses and now tries to figure out what she can use her sensory experience for besides performance.
In general, my favorite stories were the ones that made use of creeping horror and dread, which I think worked very well with the atmospheric writing. Some of the stories did feel a bit short, but all in all I quite enjoyed reading this collection, in particular for exploring strange worlds across genres from explorations of mythology to magical realism, folk horror and sci-fi, mostly with a focus on ecological themes. If you enjoy weird fiction, then I can certainly recommend this collection to you.
My only criticism is that some of the stories were a bit too short to really allow me to dive deeper into the topic and were over before I could really grasp what was going on. And while there was a somewhat overarching theme present in this anthology (ecology and change), the stories did not really flow well into each other all things considered. I decided to take a short break after each short story and that certainly improved my reading experience, but I would not recommend to read the stories quickly one after the other.
And finally, while some people may not enjoy the little author notes before each story, I mostly liked them as I found it interesting to see what the author intended with the stories and how that influenced my reading experience for each short story. However, I do prefer such story notes to be placed behind a short story, as it did keep me from going into each short story unprejudiced and that can be a bit distracting. If I could reread this collection, I would try to skip the author’s notes from the beginning, as my reading experience definitely improved once I started doing so.
The High Lonesome Frontier: This story centers around a song, from its moment of conception to the fame it brought to an artist and finally into space, where it remains as a fond memory for one astronaut. Intriguing and really touching!
*FAV* A Hole Cut in the Wall of the World: A scholar interviews a poet for his dissertation on a small, deserted island. While the poet just wants to enjoy his isolated island life, the scholar dreams of fame. Very lyrical writing style that lulls you into a false sense of security (just like it does the scholar), which worked really well!
Lares Familiares 1981: A family celebration of a family shaped by their trade in the lumber industry receives an unexpected guest, that offers a few of them a trade. Really interesting take on fae and the dangerous lure they offer.
TW: ableism, homophobia, injury, sexism, slurs (f-slur)
On Highway 18: A story about girls hitchhiking on a lonely road, the friendship of two of them and how it changes as they grow up. Touching.
TW: murder
The Other Shore: A waitress watches a group of archeologist divers as they unearth items from her past. Their initial joy at discovery soon turns into confusion as they become aware that time has not passed quite as linear as they expected. Haunting and strange and really atmospheric, I loved that one!
Thank You For Your Patience: Working in a call center is not really fun for the protagonist of this story, who has to deal with high pressure and annoying managers. But worse is the fact that he is completely cut off from the world due to long work hours and a no-mobile-phones-allowed policy keeps news restricted to what he is able to glance from times when costumers drop his calls. I really liked how tense this story!
TW: anti-muslim racism, terrorist attack
*FAV* The Bletted Woman: A woman is offered the opportunity to partake in a new study after she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s like her mother before her. Her choice to rot alive and form a bridge between human life and the afterlife will transform the world. Strange, beautiful, haunting and heartbreaking, I really loved this story!
TW: death, vomit
*FAV* Such Thoughts Are Unproductive: In a world full of surveillance, where people who say or do the wrong thing can be easily disappeared a daughter tries to keep in contact with her imprisoned mother, growing more and more unsure if she is actually talking to her mother or an AI replica. And when an aunt, that cannot be her aunt, shows up to keep her company, things soon become even scarier. Really haunting story!
TW: imprisonment, surveillance
*FAV* Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea: In this story a woman has chosen to extend her senses through technological means far beyond what humans normal perceive for the sake of performances. Now retired, she plans to create a full sensory Salmon Map so people can experience a salmon spawning, but she’s been stuck in a rut for a while now, watching her funds run dry. As she tries to figure out how to make her artistic vision come to life, she reminisces about her time as a performer and the ways she and her troupe pushed their bodies, sometimes too far. Incredibly intriguing take on cyborg technology as a way to get closer to nature, while causing constant sensory overload in human environments and how this might change ones interactions with others.
An Incomplete Catalogue of Miraculous Births, or, Secrets of the Uterus Abscondita: Here the author examines a few historical cases of miraculous births, as well as stories from folklore, including the woman, who birthed rabbits, Gaea and her cyclops babies captured in Tartarus and a hen that laid eggs inscribed with holy words. It was very interesting to see how the author gave a voice to these figures and described their (potential) motivations.
May 13, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Like most story collections, this one is a mixed bag. It took a minute for me to get fully invested in the collection as the first two stories weren't the strongest. However, there are some real gems in this group that will sit with me for a while. I appreciated the notes that prefaced each story as a look into Campbell's craft and some themes to look out for. Below are my thoughts on each story:
1) "The High Lonesome Frontier:" I love a good fragmentary narrative, but this one didn't hold my attention very well. Maybe a little too abstract for me. 2/5
2) "A Hole in the Wall of the World:" Very interesting imagery, but the story itself didn't grab me. 2/5
3) "Lares Familiares 1981:" Mysterious and beautiful. A lovely take on fae lore. 5/5
4) "On Highway 18:" A poignant story about young people's dreams for the future and consequent descent into adulthood/growing apart. 4/5
5) "The Other Shore:" All vibes, no plot. Not really my jam. 1/5
6) "Thank You for Your Patience:" A hauntingly captivating story about the very particular anxiety around pandemics and natural disasters. 5/5
7) "The Bletted Woman:" Hopeful eco-horror. Beautiful and strange. 5/5.
8) "Such Thoughts are Unproductive:" Instills a quiet dread, and yet I found myself wanting more. 3/5
9) "Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea:" Intriguing concept of sensory body modifications, but didn't quite live up to the exploration of salmon forests promised in the story notes. 3/5
10) "Conclusion: An Incomplete Catalogue of Miraculous Births, or, Secrets of the Uterus Abscondia:" A magnificent title. I greatly enjoyed the Mary Toft thread, but found the others not as interesting. 3/5
Like most story collections, this one is a mixed bag. It took a minute for me to get fully invested in the collection as the first two stories weren't the strongest. However, there are some real gems in this group that will sit with me for a while. I appreciated the notes that prefaced each story as a look into Campbell's craft and some themes to look out for. Below are my thoughts on each story:
1) "The High Lonesome Frontier:" I love a good fragmentary narrative, but this one didn't hold my attention very well. Maybe a little too abstract for me. 2/5
2) "A Hole in the Wall of the World:" Very interesting imagery, but the story itself didn't grab me. 2/5
3) "Lares Familiares 1981:" Mysterious and beautiful. A lovely take on fae lore. 5/5
4) "On Highway 18:" A poignant story about young people's dreams for the future and consequent descent into adulthood/growing apart. 4/5
5) "The Other Shore:" All vibes, no plot. Not really my jam. 1/5
6) "Thank You for Your Patience:" A hauntingly captivating story about the very particular anxiety around pandemics and natural disasters. 5/5
7) "The Bletted Woman:" Hopeful eco-horror. Beautiful and strange. 5/5.
8) "Such Thoughts are Unproductive:" Instills a quiet dread, and yet I found myself wanting more. 3/5
9) "Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea:" Intriguing concept of sensory body modifications, but didn't quite live up to the exploration of salmon forests promised in the story notes. 3/5
10) "Conclusion: An Incomplete Catalogue of Miraculous Births, or, Secrets of the Uterus Abscondia:" A magnificent title. I greatly enjoyed the Mary Toft thread, but found the others not as interesting. 3/5
October 25, 2025
I dnf’d this book at least four times but picked it back up because it was at Netgalley Read. After 4ish months, I'm finally calling it quits.
This collection had one thing that I genuinely loved: many of the short stories implemented elements of Pacific Northwest Indigenous stories, something I appreciated and that pulled me into the stories containing it. Campbell’s introduction lays bare her love and connection to the Salish Sea, Salish Coast, and British Columbia while simultaneously acknowledging the permanent reshaping colonialism has done to the area. She pointedly acknowledges herself as a “settler”, navigating the complexities of being a non-indigenous person, a bringer of the Anthropocene, in a landscape she now calls home. This introduction is honest, raw, and sets the tone for appreciation to the PNW that is strung throughout the collection.
The main gripe I have with this short story collection is how the Story Notes sections are set up. Each story is paired with a one to two page Story Notes section briefly explaining the inspiration or thoughts behind the story. I have never seen this format in a short story collection, where every story has a description before, and I do not like it. It takes away a lot of the speculativeness from almost every story. You have no potential to theorize the author’s intentions, motivations, or inspirations, when it's plainly wrapped up and told to you right before reading. There is too much telling through the story notes rather than showing through the story. A few of them are interesting to read, especially in the case of needing to discuss which Salish story elements were incorporated, but moving them to after each story would be much better to read.
The character work was unfortunately not very strong either. They were not distinguishable within the short stories themselves or from each other within the wider collection, often reading the same or very similarly. The internal thoughts of the characters are not separated from the plot or description and this can make it difficult to understand what is going on. Some stories call for a bit of a disorientation vibe, but not all of them and it was a consistent barrier to smooth reading. Some other traits made the writing often feel stilted, like too-frequent time jumps and too-frequent pov changes within a story. I was frequently frustrated with how stilted, disconnected, and inharmonious the reading experience was.
Overall, I really appreciate that Rebecca Campbell explores the themes and topics of settlers, colonialism, Indigeneity, and place. When it comes to how she does this, I am not going to be one of her ongoing readers.
This collection had one thing that I genuinely loved: many of the short stories implemented elements of Pacific Northwest Indigenous stories, something I appreciated and that pulled me into the stories containing it. Campbell’s introduction lays bare her love and connection to the Salish Sea, Salish Coast, and British Columbia while simultaneously acknowledging the permanent reshaping colonialism has done to the area. She pointedly acknowledges herself as a “settler”, navigating the complexities of being a non-indigenous person, a bringer of the Anthropocene, in a landscape she now calls home. This introduction is honest, raw, and sets the tone for appreciation to the PNW that is strung throughout the collection.
The main gripe I have with this short story collection is how the Story Notes sections are set up. Each story is paired with a one to two page Story Notes section briefly explaining the inspiration or thoughts behind the story. I have never seen this format in a short story collection, where every story has a description before, and I do not like it. It takes away a lot of the speculativeness from almost every story. You have no potential to theorize the author’s intentions, motivations, or inspirations, when it's plainly wrapped up and told to you right before reading. There is too much telling through the story notes rather than showing through the story. A few of them are interesting to read, especially in the case of needing to discuss which Salish story elements were incorporated, but moving them to after each story would be much better to read.
The character work was unfortunately not very strong either. They were not distinguishable within the short stories themselves or from each other within the wider collection, often reading the same or very similarly. The internal thoughts of the characters are not separated from the plot or description and this can make it difficult to understand what is going on. Some stories call for a bit of a disorientation vibe, but not all of them and it was a consistent barrier to smooth reading. Some other traits made the writing often feel stilted, like too-frequent time jumps and too-frequent pov changes within a story. I was frequently frustrated with how stilted, disconnected, and inharmonious the reading experience was.
Overall, I really appreciate that Rebecca Campbell explores the themes and topics of settlers, colonialism, Indigeneity, and place. When it comes to how she does this, I am not going to be one of her ongoing readers.
November 11, 2025
I really fell off my NetGalley wagon. My apologies for the late review.
This was lovely. One reason I took a while is that this isn't a book I could rip right through. I needed to sit with each of the stories, which were truly my favorite kind of spec fic short fiction... with each piece, Campbell asks, "What if ______?" and then takes a few thousand words to explore one possibility.
Many of these stories are dark or bleak or even dystopian, but not in the way you might be thinking. My favorite story, "Thank You for Your Patience," follows someone at a call center who is literally watching the world fall apart and still able to care for the people they know only by voice. In other words, many of these stories are about reaching across sometimes insurmountable barriers to form connections in a world that we are actively destroying. Despite all the bleakness, there is hope, because none of these characters fully abandon the idea of meaningful connections to both the landscapes around them and the people/species who inhabit them. These are stories for people who see the rot around us and keep fighting for a better future, even if they can't envision what future might be worth fighting for.
Campbell's writing is lush, dark, and evocative--give me prose just this side of purple, that brings fantastical dreamscapes to life! I was a big fan of this collection and will almost certainly read it again in the future. At the very least, I'll revisit my favorites, though I enjoyed so many of these that it would be hard to narrow down the list.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for this dark collection. It will crack you open, but it will also leave room for you to put yourself back together. <3
This was lovely. One reason I took a while is that this isn't a book I could rip right through. I needed to sit with each of the stories, which were truly my favorite kind of spec fic short fiction... with each piece, Campbell asks, "What if ______?" and then takes a few thousand words to explore one possibility.
Many of these stories are dark or bleak or even dystopian, but not in the way you might be thinking. My favorite story, "Thank You for Your Patience," follows someone at a call center who is literally watching the world fall apart and still able to care for the people they know only by voice. In other words, many of these stories are about reaching across sometimes insurmountable barriers to form connections in a world that we are actively destroying. Despite all the bleakness, there is hope, because none of these characters fully abandon the idea of meaningful connections to both the landscapes around them and the people/species who inhabit them. These are stories for people who see the rot around us and keep fighting for a better future, even if they can't envision what future might be worth fighting for.
Campbell's writing is lush, dark, and evocative--give me prose just this side of purple, that brings fantastical dreamscapes to life! I was a big fan of this collection and will almost certainly read it again in the future. At the very least, I'll revisit my favorites, though I enjoyed so many of these that it would be hard to narrow down the list.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for this dark collection. It will crack you open, but it will also leave room for you to put yourself back together. <3
August 23, 2025
💫 A meditative set of short stories that range from strange to dystopian to fever dream wild, tinged with environmental horror and all so deeply human.
✏️ The stories are mostly, if not entirely, tied to the Salish Sea -- an estuary system that laps over the Canada-US border in the Pacific Northwest -- and in the words of the author "celebrate change, even when that change is painful, a reminder that we can pick through the detritus of the Anthropocene to find something new and strange. Maybe even beautiful, if we look for it."
❤️ The title story was a particular favorite, with its ancient narrator and its archaeologists and the other shore showing itself in the strata. "Such Thoughts Are Unproductive" was horrifyingly close to the surface of reality, with its dash of Orwell.
"It's difficult to have a conversation when most of what matters is dangerous to say out loud."
"Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea," reminded me of Jeff VandeeMeer in its deft weaving of nature with horror, technology, regression and humanity.
✉️ This is the best of weird short fiction, with heavy environmental themes, a touch of Orwellian horror, but also glimpses of hope.
👥 For fans of VandeeMeer and Ursula K. LeGuin (the author won the 2023 LeGuin prize). For those who can go slowly through a strange landscape, admiring the language and searching for where the words land.
📍 Started in a Bishkek coffee shop and finished, no shit, in the Costco parking lot.
❗Thank you Stelliform Press (@stelliformpress) & SFWA for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
✏️ The stories are mostly, if not entirely, tied to the Salish Sea -- an estuary system that laps over the Canada-US border in the Pacific Northwest -- and in the words of the author "celebrate change, even when that change is painful, a reminder that we can pick through the detritus of the Anthropocene to find something new and strange. Maybe even beautiful, if we look for it."
❤️ The title story was a particular favorite, with its ancient narrator and its archaeologists and the other shore showing itself in the strata. "Such Thoughts Are Unproductive" was horrifyingly close to the surface of reality, with its dash of Orwell.
"It's difficult to have a conversation when most of what matters is dangerous to say out loud."
"Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea," reminded me of Jeff VandeeMeer in its deft weaving of nature with horror, technology, regression and humanity.
✉️ This is the best of weird short fiction, with heavy environmental themes, a touch of Orwellian horror, but also glimpses of hope.
👥 For fans of VandeeMeer and Ursula K. LeGuin (the author won the 2023 LeGuin prize). For those who can go slowly through a strange landscape, admiring the language and searching for where the words land.
📍 Started in a Bishkek coffee shop and finished, no shit, in the Costco parking lot.
❗Thank you Stelliform Press (@stelliformpress) & SFWA for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
August 8, 2025
3/5 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC.
I will start by saying: I love a good weird book, I love women writing creepy and weird things, I love abstract literature, I love short stories collections, and I love nature, anticipation and eco-anxiety themes. And this book? Is all of that in one. So it's a lot to take in. And I highly respect Rebecca Campbell for writing these good, weird stories.
Unfortunately, I believe that in my case, English not being my first language, I, sometimes, did not understood half of the sentence I had just read. The first stories went completely over my head. Perhaps they were supposed to do that. But a lot of the words, I just had no idea what they meant and found myself looking them up in the dictionary, when possible. I'm not saying it's bad. I'm sure it's a really good read for native English speakers. But I can't comment on what I did not get. And I did not always feel like I was supposed to not get it.
The stories I did get, though, I liked. Notably Highway 18, Thank you for your patience, The Bletted Woman, and Such Thoughts are Unproductive. I think Such Thoughts is my favorite, though The Bletted Woman was a lot of what I adore (eco horror? suspiciously unethical 'pharma'? let's go!), I found the hopeless vibes of Such Thoughts incredible.
While this was not as much of a hit as I expected it to be with me, I appreciate weird fiction and our ability and liberty to write and read about it in a world where everything, especially creativity, is more and more sanitized and regulated.
Thank you Netgalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC.
I will start by saying: I love a good weird book, I love women writing creepy and weird things, I love abstract literature, I love short stories collections, and I love nature, anticipation and eco-anxiety themes. And this book? Is all of that in one. So it's a lot to take in. And I highly respect Rebecca Campbell for writing these good, weird stories.
Unfortunately, I believe that in my case, English not being my first language, I, sometimes, did not understood half of the sentence I had just read. The first stories went completely over my head. Perhaps they were supposed to do that. But a lot of the words, I just had no idea what they meant and found myself looking them up in the dictionary, when possible. I'm not saying it's bad. I'm sure it's a really good read for native English speakers. But I can't comment on what I did not get. And I did not always feel like I was supposed to not get it.
The stories I did get, though, I liked. Notably Highway 18, Thank you for your patience, The Bletted Woman, and Such Thoughts are Unproductive. I think Such Thoughts is my favorite, though The Bletted Woman was a lot of what I adore (eco horror? suspiciously unethical 'pharma'? let's go!), I found the hopeless vibes of Such Thoughts incredible.
While this was not as much of a hit as I expected it to be with me, I appreciate weird fiction and our ability and liberty to write and read about it in a world where everything, especially creativity, is more and more sanitized and regulated.
October 26, 2025
Like the forests of the pacific northwest this collection of short climate fiction centres itself around, it is not so much esoteric but elusive and ephemeral… the stories are wisps of cypress and fir scented air: enticing, mysterious and beautifully transformative.
Having been raised in this very same environment, the collection feels at once familiar and evocative. I found myself quietly, wistfully content as each luminous and slightly disquieting story evoked an emotional, visceral response. There is an underlying subtle, amorphous horror to each, as the stories are ultimately the tales of the end of ‘us’ and of our mark left on the natural world, but told with the lush and reassuringly transformative vantage of aeons of time:
The writing is gorgeous and haunting, the pieces intriguing and provocative. I felt like I learned something (historically, scientifically, sociologically) different with each, while simultaneously falling into each individual story.
For me, Rebecca Campbell has become a firm favourite of speculative, weird fiction that also carries hopeful renewal. Somehow, finishing this, I feel a quiet optimism about the natural world’s ability to rebound that I didn’t think was possible.
My thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC.
Having been raised in this very same environment, the collection feels at once familiar and evocative. I found myself quietly, wistfully content as each luminous and slightly disquieting story evoked an emotional, visceral response. There is an underlying subtle, amorphous horror to each, as the stories are ultimately the tales of the end of ‘us’ and of our mark left on the natural world, but told with the lush and reassuringly transformative vantage of aeons of time:
“…this mutability as salvation— that all our errors will, eventually, be re-absorbed…”
The writing is gorgeous and haunting, the pieces intriguing and provocative. I felt like I learned something (historically, scientifically, sociologically) different with each, while simultaneously falling into each individual story.
For me, Rebecca Campbell has become a firm favourite of speculative, weird fiction that also carries hopeful renewal. Somehow, finishing this, I feel a quiet optimism about the natural world’s ability to rebound that I didn’t think was possible.
My thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC.
October 15, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for this ARC.
I feel like, again, it's not a case of the book having any major issues but rather my expectations not being met. This book was labeled (among other genres) as horror, and I started this collection with the wrong assumption. There are horror elements, but they are scarce and far between. This is more speculative fiction that revolves around climate change and how people’s lives would shift to accommodate those changes.
The first story almost made me DNF, as its main theme was music and I always struggle to keep my interest up when that’s involved. Fortunately, I kept reading, because there were some true gems hidden here. Some of the stories were a little too wordy and lyrical without leaving a lasting impact. However, there were two stories I really liked: “Thank You for Your Patience” (sad, corporate env) and “The Bletted Woman” (a death-themed story with some elements of horror). Those two really stood out, striking a good balance between being flowery and engaging.
What I really liked was that the author made me interested in the Salish Sea region. I had never heard of that sea before reading this book, and now I’m curious to learn more.
I feel like, again, it's not a case of the book having any major issues but rather my expectations not being met. This book was labeled (among other genres) as horror, and I started this collection with the wrong assumption. There are horror elements, but they are scarce and far between. This is more speculative fiction that revolves around climate change and how people’s lives would shift to accommodate those changes.
The first story almost made me DNF, as its main theme was music and I always struggle to keep my interest up when that’s involved. Fortunately, I kept reading, because there were some true gems hidden here. Some of the stories were a little too wordy and lyrical without leaving a lasting impact. However, there were two stories I really liked: “Thank You for Your Patience” (sad, corporate env) and “The Bletted Woman” (a death-themed story with some elements of horror). Those two really stood out, striking a good balance between being flowery and engaging.
What I really liked was that the author made me interested in the Salish Sea region. I had never heard of that sea before reading this book, and now I’m curious to learn more.
October 15, 2025
3.5, edging towards a four.
I really like Campbell's voice. Her writing is accessible, particularly with the notes that preceed each story. I appreciate the context and the clear relationship between her and the tales she weaves.
I wished there were some more threads that connect them. Each story doesn't have to be related, of course, but every now and then I would note a possible parallel that wasn't fully fleshed out or perhaps considered, though I really liked the variety (from sci-fi to folklore). They have enough edge and spookiness to create a very "Pacific North West/Canadian Gothic" aesthetic without going kitchy and stereotypical.
Campbell touches on very human issues and social commentary without beating your head with an "obvious" stick, and that, in my opinion, can be hard to avoid with a collection of short stories.
Overall, this was an easy collection to breeze through, and I found myself entertained while prompting deeper thought on land, family history, and the stories (or music) we pass down through generations.
Thank you NetGalley and Stelliform for a digital ARC and the opportunity to review.
I really like Campbell's voice. Her writing is accessible, particularly with the notes that preceed each story. I appreciate the context and the clear relationship between her and the tales she weaves.
I wished there were some more threads that connect them. Each story doesn't have to be related, of course, but every now and then I would note a possible parallel that wasn't fully fleshed out or perhaps considered, though I really liked the variety (from sci-fi to folklore). They have enough edge and spookiness to create a very "Pacific North West/Canadian Gothic" aesthetic without going kitchy and stereotypical.
Campbell touches on very human issues and social commentary without beating your head with an "obvious" stick, and that, in my opinion, can be hard to avoid with a collection of short stories.
Overall, this was an easy collection to breeze through, and I found myself entertained while prompting deeper thought on land, family history, and the stories (or music) we pass down through generations.
Thank you NetGalley and Stelliform for a digital ARC and the opportunity to review.
July 24, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
This collection of creeping short stories from Rebecca Campbell was eerie and unsettling for sure. I found a lot of the themes they worked with (like nature/environment being the main one) really interesting and when it worked, compelling. However, as a whole this collection didn't really land for me. These short stories felt closer to flash fiction and the feeling they left me with as a reader was incomplete. I'm not sure about why all these stories seemed to end way too early, but there was definitely room to better expand on each story's plot and actually end them in a satisfying way. As they currently are, it just feels like a lazy writer's choice hoping that the story leaves an impact because of its brevity, but instead you're left wondering "That's it?"
Overall, I found myself very bored as I read through this collection. The stories were cool ideas but they were executed pretty poorly.
This collection of creeping short stories from Rebecca Campbell was eerie and unsettling for sure. I found a lot of the themes they worked with (like nature/environment being the main one) really interesting and when it worked, compelling. However, as a whole this collection didn't really land for me. These short stories felt closer to flash fiction and the feeling they left me with as a reader was incomplete. I'm not sure about why all these stories seemed to end way too early, but there was definitely room to better expand on each story's plot and actually end them in a satisfying way. As they currently are, it just feels like a lazy writer's choice hoping that the story leaves an impact because of its brevity, but instead you're left wondering "That's it?"
Overall, I found myself very bored as I read through this collection. The stories were cool ideas but they were executed pretty poorly.
August 25, 2025
The Other Shores: Stories by Rebecca Campbell is a haunting, lyrical collection that lingers long after you close the book. Each story feels like a tide pulling you somewhere familiar yet unsettling part speculative, part deeply human.
What stood out most to me was the language. Campbell’s prose is atmospheric and sharp, almost poetic, and it gives weight to even the smallest moments. The stories move between climate anxieties, memory, love, and loss, tying the personal to the universal. Some pieces feel like whispers from the future, while others ground you in the quiet heartbreak of the present.
As with most short story collections, a few resonated with me more strongly than others, but the overall effect is powerful. Campbell doesn’t just tell stories she crafts moods, worlds, and lingering questions.
If you enjoy speculative short fiction with a literary edge something between Ursula K. Le Guin and Kelly Link this collection is worth your time. It’s a book to be read slowly, letting each piece settle like waves on the shore.
What stood out most to me was the language. Campbell’s prose is atmospheric and sharp, almost poetic, and it gives weight to even the smallest moments. The stories move between climate anxieties, memory, love, and loss, tying the personal to the universal. Some pieces feel like whispers from the future, while others ground you in the quiet heartbreak of the present.
As with most short story collections, a few resonated with me more strongly than others, but the overall effect is powerful. Campbell doesn’t just tell stories she crafts moods, worlds, and lingering questions.
If you enjoy speculative short fiction with a literary edge something between Ursula K. Le Guin and Kelly Link this collection is worth your time. It’s a book to be read slowly, letting each piece settle like waves on the shore.
August 8, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC.
This was a very good collection of short stories. I read a short story from this author previously and went looking for other work, and happened upon this.
I like 3-4 stories immensely and felt like they had more to offer and could have been turned into full-length novels. None of the stories were bad, and honestly, the few I didn’t fully understand were due to a lack of research and understanding of the content on my part. The stories I liked the best had some great new concepts to me that I found very intriguing.
The author did well with making each story its own thing and stand out. I did, however, feel like the writing style and tone followed in each story. Which is not a bad thing, but you definitely notice when an author can break out of their writing style and make you feel like a collection of short stories was written by multiple authors.
This is definitely an author I will continue to explore.
This was a very good collection of short stories. I read a short story from this author previously and went looking for other work, and happened upon this.
I like 3-4 stories immensely and felt like they had more to offer and could have been turned into full-length novels. None of the stories were bad, and honestly, the few I didn’t fully understand were due to a lack of research and understanding of the content on my part. The stories I liked the best had some great new concepts to me that I found very intriguing.
The author did well with making each story its own thing and stand out. I did, however, feel like the writing style and tone followed in each story. Which is not a bad thing, but you definitely notice when an author can break out of their writing style and make you feel like a collection of short stories was written by multiple authors.
This is definitely an author I will continue to explore.
August 19, 2025
The Other Shore: Stories has a thoughtful and atmospheric quality that really stood out. Rebecca Campbell’s writing is careful and lyrical and the way she weaves environmental themes into the storytelling feels timely and meaningful. A few of the stories in particular hit that perfect balance of haunting and beautiful and I found myself wishing those had gone on longer.
That said, the collection didn’t always land for me as a whole. Quite a few of the shorter pieces felt more like glimpses or fragments than fully realized stories, and while the author’s notes offered insight, they sometimes broke the rhythm and made the experience feel uneven.
Even so, I think readers who enjoy meditative, environmentally focused short fiction will find a lot to appreciate here. It wasn’t a complete match for me, but I can see the craft and intention behind it, and I’m glad I gave it a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
That said, the collection didn’t always land for me as a whole. Quite a few of the shorter pieces felt more like glimpses or fragments than fully realized stories, and while the author’s notes offered insight, they sometimes broke the rhythm and made the experience feel uneven.
Even so, I think readers who enjoy meditative, environmentally focused short fiction will find a lot to appreciate here. It wasn’t a complete match for me, but I can see the craft and intention behind it, and I’m glad I gave it a try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
July 30, 2025
This collection takes a couple stories to find its rhythm, but picks up steam and delivers a few stellar pieces along the way. The stories range from literary greek myth, to magical realism, to eco folk horror, to climate sci-fi, and Rebecca Campbell's writing consistently sets a high bar of quality. The stories are slow and contemplative. There is a deep appreciation for the natural world throughout the collection, and Campbell's balance of small human moments as part of the natural order against humanity's impact on our world delivers a nuanced and emotional tone about the precariousness of our ecosystem.
Standout stories for me were Thank You For Your Patience - a desperate and earnest apocalypse story - and The Bletted Woman - eco horror about grief, loss, and the afterlife.
Thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for an advanced copy for review!
Standout stories for me were Thank You For Your Patience - a desperate and earnest apocalypse story - and The Bletted Woman - eco horror about grief, loss, and the afterlife.
Thanks to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for an advanced copy for review!
August 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I think this book has an absolutely fantastic heart, and it’s certainly got a lot to say amongst all the themes that it tries to weave together. There were some beautifully woven pieces of prose in here, and some stories that really could have been absolutely shining examples of climate writing.
I do think, however, that there could have been a bit more given to some of these stories. They were so short that they just didn’t have the time to develop the characters and the themes, and that was really disappointing.
I also think there were some stories that were really well developed and constructed with a clear vision in mind, but there were others that just weren’t quite right. There’s a real potential in this book, and I wish it just hit a few more notes with a little more clarity.
I think this book has an absolutely fantastic heart, and it’s certainly got a lot to say amongst all the themes that it tries to weave together. There were some beautifully woven pieces of prose in here, and some stories that really could have been absolutely shining examples of climate writing.
I do think, however, that there could have been a bit more given to some of these stories. They were so short that they just didn’t have the time to develop the characters and the themes, and that was really disappointing.
I also think there were some stories that were really well developed and constructed with a clear vision in mind, but there were others that just weren’t quite right. There’s a real potential in this book, and I wish it just hit a few more notes with a little more clarity.
July 27, 2025
An introspective, funky collection of short stories about technology, climate, and the Pacific Northwest. While compelling in themes and concepts, the actual execution of the stories was lacklustre. I had a hard time grounding myself in each story, which is unfortunate because each story is so short that by the time I oriented myself and really got invested, it was already over.
I will chalk this up to the author's writing style just not vibing with me personally; a touch too abstract, and not as plot-focused as I typically prefer. That being said, I would still recommend reading On Highway 18—it was by far my favourite of the collection.
Thank you to Netgalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC!
I will chalk this up to the author's writing style just not vibing with me personally; a touch too abstract, and not as plot-focused as I typically prefer. That being said, I would still recommend reading On Highway 18—it was by far my favourite of the collection.
Thank you to Netgalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC!
October 17, 2025
I read this book as an ARC through NetGalley, thanks to the publisher for the opportunity
With a title and cover like this one I knew I couldn't pass this book up. This is a collection rooted largely in the Salish Sea area, where the author is from, and it helps make this a cohesive collection. I like how the themes of environmental and gender issues were written into these stories, some obvious and some more subtle. I also appreciated the story notes, which I think can easily go wrong (I have opinions about how forewords and etc. are done). There is horror in here, but it's more of a creeping in the background horror and/or horror that's more folklore in nature.
My favorites were probably A Hole Cut in the Wall of the World and the titular The Other Shore.
With a title and cover like this one I knew I couldn't pass this book up. This is a collection rooted largely in the Salish Sea area, where the author is from, and it helps make this a cohesive collection. I like how the themes of environmental and gender issues were written into these stories, some obvious and some more subtle. I also appreciated the story notes, which I think can easily go wrong (I have opinions about how forewords and etc. are done). There is horror in here, but it's more of a creeping in the background horror and/or horror that's more folklore in nature.
My favorites were probably A Hole Cut in the Wall of the World and the titular The Other Shore.
October 25, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up!
This short story collection was unique with its focus on environmental topics! It seemed to lean heavier into the speculative fiction side versus horror, though many of the stories certainly had a dark side. I found this to be a more challenging read, just because it was pretty scientific at times, and thought provoking. I felt like I learned quite a bit about the PNW ecology. My favorite stories were The Bletted Woman and Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC!
This short story collection was unique with its focus on environmental topics! It seemed to lean heavier into the speculative fiction side versus horror, though many of the stories certainly had a dark side. I found this to be a more challenging read, just because it was pretty scientific at times, and thought provoking. I felt like I learned quite a bit about the PNW ecology. My favorite stories were The Bletted Woman and Wider than the Sky, Deeper than the Sea.
Thank you to NetGalley and Stelliform Press for the ARC!
November 12, 2025
received as a NetGalley arc in exchange for an honest review
The Other Shore is a beautifully chaotic blend of folk-horror, social and environmental commentary, and bleak sci-fi linked through lyrical prose and a defiance towards adequacy and, consequentially, mediocrity. If the first story doesn't hit for you, please keep reading. There is much variety in this short anthology and each story is incredibly atmospheric, as if you were wandering through a dense fog and finding yourself, at times, on a road, in a close forest, or drawn along the sea.
The Other Shore is a beautifully chaotic blend of folk-horror, social and environmental commentary, and bleak sci-fi linked through lyrical prose and a defiance towards adequacy and, consequentially, mediocrity. If the first story doesn't hit for you, please keep reading. There is much variety in this short anthology and each story is incredibly atmospheric, as if you were wandering through a dense fog and finding yourself, at times, on a road, in a close forest, or drawn along the sea.
August 29, 2025
This was a nice collection. The stories had less horror elements than I was expecting. Though 2 of my favorite stories, "Thank You For Your Patience" and "Such Thoughts are Unproductive" were more horrifying. I loved the climate fiction elements, especially as I enjoyed Rebecca Campbell's clifi short story collection Arboreality. I will certainly be watching to see what other things this author writes.
January 15, 2026
Stunningly magnificent collection of short stories from an author who is rapidly becoming a favorite. I read this book with delight, horror, heartbreak, and never ever wanted to stop. Some of the endings made me pound the table and scream with triumph, some of them brought tears, all of them GO there, and then bring you along even further, with fierce love and compassion and daring. I loved this collection so much, my favorite of 2025.
August 13, 2025
A unique collection of environmental, mythic, and compelling short stories. In some cases they didn't land the punch that they needed to and read more like flash. I liked the themes and the overall arc of the stories. Campbell is great at telling stories that relate to nature and the northwest. Overall not a bad read.
March 16, 2026
A really lovely collection of speculative stories centering the pacific northwest. The collection for me peaked somewhere around the middle, as I did find a few of the ones towards the start and end of the collection just a little opaque even with multiple reads. I do appreciate the way though that Campbell infuses such realism into the speculative.
August 10, 2025
I like that we get these stories that blend Indigenous Canadian perspectives with a sort of dark folkloric vibe to them. This feels like it was likely a thesis project with the story explanations that precede each story, but it was still neat to see how the stories themselves played out. Definitely worth your time.
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