Borderlanz: Tales From the Edges

by Douglas Smith

Travel to the edges of imagination in this stunning collection of stories from the five-time award-winning author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction.”

There’s something here for every reader. Award winners and finalists. “Best of” selections. Science fiction and fantasy. Mystery and horror. Darkness and humor. Love and revenge.

An immortal defies the Lords of Order and Chaos to save the woman he loves.

A widow plans a special homecoming for the body of her soldier husband.

Strange radio broadcasts haunt a man trying to change the past.

A shapeshifter confronts his dark past as a covert agency hunts him.

Bizarre deaths threaten a private eye’s favorite restaurant.

A woman makes an unexplained stopover on a transatlantic flight.

Disaster strikes a space freighter when bad luck joins the crew.

The House promises wealth and fame...if it doesn’t kill you first.

A thief’s attempt to lift a curse goes less than perfectly.

A boy has a plan to find his brother—a deeply disturbing one.

A new father questions his ability to love his disabled son.

To win her freedom, a woman must prove she’s human.

A shapeshifter must overcome her hatred of humans to help a child.

Four warriors set out to slay the last dragon.

Two young lovers are hunted across dimensions and time.

Welcome to the Borderlanz.


“Doug Smith is quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres. ... His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think.” —Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner

“The man is Sturgeon good. Zelazny good. I don’t give those up easy.” —Spider Robinson, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner

“A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice.” —Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner

“An extraordinary author whom every lover of quality speculative fiction should read.” —Fantasy Book Critic

“Smith’s writing, evocative yet understated, gracefully brings to life his imagined realms.” — Quill and Quire

“Stories you can’t forget, even years later.” —Julie Czerneda

“A master of beginnings … [with] endings that feel satisfying and right.” —Canadian Science Fiction Reviews

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2026

About the author

Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction.”

His latest work is the multi-award-winning YA urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga (The Hollow Boys, The Crystal Key, and The Lost Expedition). Other books include the urban fantasy novel, The Wolf at the End of the World; the collections, Chimerascope, Impossibilia, and La Danse des Esprits (translated); and the writer's guide Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction.

His short fiction has appeared in the top markets in the field, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, InterZone, Weird Tales, Baen’s Universe, Escape Pod, On Spec, and Cicada.

Published in 27 languages, Doug is a 4-time winner of Canada's Aurora Award, most recently in 2023 for The Hollow Boys, as well as the juried IAP Award for the same book. He's been a finalist for the Astounding Award, CBC's Bookies Award, Canada's juried Sunburst Award, the juried Alberta Magazine Award for Fiction, and France's juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.


Buy Doug's books
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Reviews

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of Douglas Smith's writing. He is one of the pre-eminent authors of short fiction of our time. Being a member of his newsletter, I have had the privilege of reading many of the included stories already, but they are deep enough for a second read. Each story is unique, entertaining and often thought provoking. You truly can't go wrong with this collection!

[zh. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skillfully crafted tales, imaginative descriptions, "creatures not entirely describable in only three dimensions", ...
an entertaining and engaging collection of very different tales, all intriguing and rewarding, many thought-provoking, mostly speculative fiction with much variety in themes and stories where the quality stays high all throughout (as to be expected of an author of this caliber), can warmly recommend

Pleasant surprises await in this treasure chest of wonders

Tales of and love and loss, of revenge and of kindness, bravery and curiosity, beauty and darkness, wisdom and fun, with genres ranging from sword&sorcery to scifi and horror and suspense, including the most personal story thus far written by the author who has a knack for creating fascinating worlds and memorable characters, writing compelling stories both heavier and lighter.

Has the reader delighting in the often unexpected turns the stories take as they slowly unfurl the mystery or the journey of discovery (though the pace is not slow, rather just right, reminding us again why these are of high aclaim), the comfort and joy of tenderness, the rage at indifference, the defiance, the sorrow, the suspense, the longing, the --- the range of emotions depicted and awakened in the reader as well, impressive. (and no, even though the name ends in z there is no Swedish dansband inside. however, some of the stories take place in the author's Heroka shapeshifter and the Merged Corporate Entity universes and sometimes the wisest words come from the mouths of fools)

As always, the works of Douglas Smith are easy to recommend. Also, the afterwords bring added value in the form of insights from behind the scenes that many readers will find fascinating. If you're looking for variety, entertainment, or just something short to enjoy for several days in a row, to reawaken your curiosity and imagination, these creative and unpredictable stories will be your companion for a wonderful journey, time well spent. Something to cherish, indeed, and here's to hoping there shall be plenty of such collections in the future as well!

[Peter Ptok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Smith’s collection of short stories is a wonderful read. Each story is packed with full novel feels. The characters, worlds, plots - all feel solid and well crafted. The writing flows and carries you along without rushing. At times, I found myself wondering how Douglas was able to fit so much into so few pages of a story I had just finished reading. The collection is varied and the author’s notes after each story grant you a brief look into his inspirations and astounding imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection!

[Chris Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not hyperbole to say this collection of short stories is perfect. There are Sci-Fi tales, speculative and even one of a more personal nature that thankfully the author chose to share. Each and every story features believable characters set in fully realised worlds. Many stayed with me long after I'd finished reading them that I felt I surely had to read them again. Douglas Smith has included some authors notes after each one to give his readers an insight into how he works. A must-have collection for anyone who loves quality writing.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The anthology is chock-full of great stories. The breadth of types of stories and styles is amazing. I have my favorites but none were disappointing. After reading this collection, it is no surprise that Douglas Smith has also created masterpieces like the Dream Rider Saga.

Definitely worth reading.

[Robert Runte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A four-time winner of the Aurora Award (for Canadian speculative fiction and fantasy) and shortlisted for the Sunburst Award (a more literary, juried Canadian Speculative Fiction Award), Douglas Smith is one of Canada’s most successful speculative fiction writers. I favourably reviewed his Dream Rider Saga in previous issues of ORB, and his stories have been widely reprinted, including internationally in dozens of other languages. Smith has literally written the book on marketing short stories: Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction. If you’re a writer, it’s a must-have guide.
This is Smith’s third short-fiction collection and gives a good cross-section not merely of his career but of the range of speculative fiction. Zombies, werewolves, wizards, ghosts, dragons, spacebar-tall-tales, alien encounters, parallel universes, hard-boiled detectives, and straight-up horror are all represented in one or more of the 15 stories included. With the possible exception of the spacebar story, however, none of them is what you might expect from those labels. Smith always has an original take that elevates his stories above the regular clichés of any of those subgenres. I have almost no interest in zombies, for example, but damn if Smith didn’t come up with something completely new, timely, and genuinely disturbing in “Gypsy Bikers Coming Home”.
I had read several of these stories before, when they originally appeared in On Spec, Pulp Literature, Tesseract6, F&SF Magazine, and so on, and I was surprised how well they have stood up over time and re-reading. It’s not unusual for different readers to each take something different from a story, but only a truly brilliant author can write something where the same reader can discover a new level or a new relevance when re-reading it at different point in their life.
My least favourite story is probably the title story, “Walker of the Shifting Borderland”, in which a god-like being keeps shifting realities. It’s a solid enough short, just not to my particular taste—and I am clearly in the minority because it won that year’s Aurora for short fiction.
My favourite story is . . . a tough call. “If I Should Fall Behind”, about a couple of kids escaping across parallel universes, is filled with inventive word play and emotional depth, even if it left me totally creeped out. Similarly, “Radio Nowhere” is an eerie masterpiece of setting and a haunting story of love and obsession. “Doorways” is a chilling tale of a house controlled by a deceased madman. “Fiddleheads” is about a young boy’s longing for his missing brother and is the most disturbing of them all. I usually stay away from horror, but Smith’s stories are deeply memorable because they always have something more to say about life and love.
“The Stopover” is a short-short everyone can relate to. That’s all I can say because: no spoilers. But it’s perfect.
“The Balance” is the one story in the collection that is not SF, Smith’s personal story of the terror of becoming a new father. That’s probably the story to which I related the most, so another favourite.
It’s not all dark or moody fiction, though. “Murphy’s Law”, the spacebar story, is an explicitly comic piece; “What’s in a Name?” is essentially a satire of the Sword & Sorcery genre; and “Oregon Shooters” is a similarly entertaining mixture of detective noir and alien abduction. These lighter pieces provide a nice break between the more intense stories, while the three shapeshifter stories (parts of a series) provide engaging adventures while still retaining the best of Smith’s lyrical style.
Each story comes with an individual afterword, which adds a nice element. I strongly dislike collections where the author introduces each story, prejudicing one’s perceptions when the story should speak for itself. Afterwords are great, though. I would not have gotten the many musical (Springfield) references, for example, without Smith telling us, and it’s often fascinating knowing where a story comes from.
Novels tend to be an easier sell than short fiction collections, but I’ve never really understood why. The short, sharp punch of a perfectly constructed piece seems like something perfect for a commute, a waiting room, or before bed. Smith’s collection is a good one, guaranteed to take your mind off things while still saying something important about life, the world, and our place in it.

[This review originally appeared in the Ottawa Review of Books, April 15, 2026.

[Kelly]

Borderlanz is the third collection of short stories from author Douglas Smith. I have had the pleasure of reading, and reviewing, the previous two, so I looked forward to cracking the spine on this volume. Borderlanz is a strong collection that displays the diversity of Smith’s talent.

Before I get into the stories I loved the most, a note on the introduction by Charles de Lint: de Lint talks about the musicality of Smith’s writing, from the songs that inspired the stories to the narrative style. This is a wonderful way of describing what I’ve always felt about Smith’s work. Like songs, his stories have structure. Beyond the words, there are themes that repeat, and each story has an emotional centre. Many of the stories deal with grief and lost relationships, but also evident is the joy of connection between friends, lovers and family.

In his own introduction, Smith talks about the title, Borderlanz, and how his stories explore the edges and the spaces in between. He also touches on the thing I love most about his writing: “the challenge of creating an entire world and fully formed characters within the tight confines of a handful of words.” I agree that a short story is much harder to write than a novel, because creating a complete experience in fewer words is so difficult. But that’s why I love short stories. They’re a great way to get a good feel for an author and also visit their worlds, which is how this collection works. Borderlanz serves as a great introduction to Douglas Smith and will entice readers to try his novels.

The first story I’d like to talk about is ‘Gypsy Biker’s Coming Home.’ This is one of the longer stories in the collection, and it does a lot with the extra few pages. Set in Smith’s Merged Corporate Entity universe, this is the story of a love that doesn’t die. After the Gypsy Boys come home in body bags, the women they left behind plan a special surprise for the Boys’ ‘second funeral’, a celebration of their unit that focuses not on the dead, but on the technology responsible for their deaths. The revenge here is not exactly cold. It’s pretty creepy, but very well deserved. In his afterword, Smith promises an upcoming novel in this universe. I can’t wait to read it.

One of my favourite stories is ‘Oregon Shooters,’ which has one of the best opening lines: “For the second time that week, Nick Cabot stood in his favourite restaurant, staring down at a corpse.” ‘Oregon Shooters’ is a detective/science fiction mix, which I always enjoy. Nick has the job of figuring out how patrons of the restaurant end up dead when there isn’t a clear shot to either victim. It’s the tone and the tongue-in-cheek humour that make this story stand out, and I wouldn’t mind a series featuring Nick Cabot and more weird cases.

The shortest story in the collection is another favourite. Called ‘The Stopover,’ this was Smith’s entry for a contest to win a trip to a writing retreat in Iceland. While he felt his message, “Iceland – Hide Here from the Apocalypse,” might not have resonated with the judges, it certainly did with me. I would love to see this expanded.

The absolute standout in the collection, however, is ‘Murphy’s Law.’ I loved this one. It’s presented like a tall tale shared at a bar for the price of keeping the beer flowing, but it has all the elements of a larger story. It’s about a guy nicknamed Murphy who, as you’d guess from the title, wrecks nearly everything he touches. He hires on with a ship bound for a distant colony, hoping that putting himself far, far away will save the universe from his bad luck. The crew of the ship find another way for him to save the universe, and it’s pretty cool.

I also enjoyed ‘What’s in a Name,’ which had me laughing out loud and, yes, I want more of Hari and Louie. ‘Doorways’ is wonderfully inventive, but also creepy. What I liked best about ‘Doorways,’ aside from the maths lesson, yes, really, was Jack’s character arc. The choice he makes at the end, and its reward, are well earned. ‘Fiddleheads’ is again in the creepy group, but ‘The Balance’ shows us where Smith gets his compassion from and why so many of his stories are love stories.

Finally, ‘The Last of a Thing’ is one of those perfect stories that delivers it all. I’m not going to summarise it because that would ruin the beauty of what it is: a story that does double duty as high fantasy and a call to action for today’s environmental crises. Well done.

There are many more stories in the collection that I haven’t mentioned, but I have to limit my review to a handful so that I don’t spoil the entire book. In summary, this is a great collection. Outside of the many nods to the music of Bruce Springsteen, the themes of love and loss, and the diversity of subjects, these stories illustrate Smith’s boundless imagination and his willingness to explore not just the edges, but the spaces in between. Or, as he has decided to call it, the Borderlanz.

[Rick Bevington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Douglas Smith’s “Borderlanz: Tales from the Edges”

Doug’s book consists of several very well written short stories, speculative fiction at its best. All the stories in “Borderlanz: Tales from the Edges” were very well paced and thought provoking. I found myself gripped, right from the very first sentence of the first story, “The Walker of the Shifting Borderland” to the last sentence in the final story “If I Should Fall Behind.”

The character’s in the first story, as in all the following stories, were very well fleshed out. I liked how Doug explored the concept of Law & Chaos in that story. The stories were all interesting page-turners. While I really enjoyed all of the stories in this book, I will briefly mention a few of my favourites.

I loved “Spirit Dance”, which is the prequel to Doug’s fantastic Heroka novel, “The Wolf at the End of the World”.

“A Bird in the Hand” is another great story in Doug’s Heroka Universe.

“Dream Flight” is a stand-alone sequel to “A Bird in the Hand” It was very heartwarming. I can’t wait until Doug produces more stories in that Universe.

“Murphy’s Law” is a humorous Sci-Fi story in which having bad luck can actually be a good thing. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

“If I Should Fall Behind” is a great story about a mysterious force chasing the protagonist through the multiverse.

“Borderlanz: Tales from the Edges” is a very satisfying collection of stories that warrant re-reading and anticipation of Doug’s further works.

[Garry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borderlanz was excellent, I really can't recommend it enough. Although I usually prefer my stories novel length, and was a bit unsure of a book of short stories, I found myself drawn into and engrossed with each and every one of these.

Every tale is so well constructed and satisfying. A series of perfect stories that sucked me into the characters lives straight away. They hooked me from the first lines every time. The author managed to stuff entire stories into very few pages with nothing left out. It felt like I'd read a whole novel each time I finished one. The settings were varied, the prose was excellent and I never grew tired of moving from story-world to story-world. I was almost always left wanting more and sitting for a few moments after each tale thinking about how good what I'd just read was, or simply wanting more.

I did have a favourite story, which I won't spoil, but it was a very hard call to make deciding what I thought was the 'best' story in the collection as they were all so good.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borderlanz: Tales from the Edges by Douglas Smith is a wonderful collection of short stories across a range of genres and themes. Many of these stories will stay with me for a long time and included some of my new favourites! This collection includes background notes on each story which adds further depth and interest for the reader.

Part of the fun of any short story is discovering the themes or surprises so I will try not to give away any spoilers. Smith’s collection includes unique storylines, settings, and characters that you will care about. I look forward to further explorations of some of the worlds and characters introduced here in other works by Smith. In particular, there are a couple of beautiful stories that will resonate with many readers.

I highly recommend this collection and hope you enjoy the stories as much as I did.

Disclaimer note: I received an ARC from the author however the opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful short story collection that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of fiction. The stories are diverse and wonderful, each one so different from the previous, immaculately crafted with tight prose, wonderful characters and settings, and often emotional beats that land and stick with you well after reading.

The more I read this collection, the more I enjoyed each new story and Douglas Smith’s writing. The stories are unique and original, with compelling characters at their core. My favourites include Radio Nowhere, Oregon Shooters, Murphy’s Law, Doorways, The Balance and many others.

It's a beautiful collection of short stories that you won’t regret picking up.

[Kit Daven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Smith’s writing is always wonderful to read, and his latest collection Borderlanz: Tales from the Edges offers a wide range of genres, from sci fi and fantasy to horror and mainstream—and everything in between. This collection will take you on a journey of every emotion imaginable.

No matter the subject Smith explores, he remains consistent in many ways: his mastery of language and worldbuilding, his unbounded imagination, and his exploration of the human condition. Philosophy trickles through everything he writes, too, but his prose never feels heavy-handed or too dense. His are the kinds of stories that are like sipping a fine liqueur, and can be drank—I mean, read—more than once. I know; I have.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borderlanz - a review by Rosemary Kenny.

Borderlanz is an incredible anthology of 15 tales by Douglas Smith, that could belong to another time or realm, or take place here on Earth. It begins with an entertaining fantasy that I found very thought-
provoking, about the entities of Order and Chaos that rule the eponymous Borderlanz...
what happens when their son falls in love with a 'human' woman, whose name means Balance?

Borderlanz has incredible variety, huge entertainment capability and is an amazing value-for-money collection, with tales for every taste and mood - why not see if you'll fall under its spell!

[Ken Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifteen stories you’ll want to read again and again:

Douglas Smith is a mind master, spell making and eye opening writer that can capture you forever in Borderlandz.

If you are a lover/reader of short stories - this book is for you.
If you are a lover/reader of fiction - this book is for you.
If you are a lover/reader of stories that
bring into them ideas that make
you think - this book is for you.
If you are a lover/reader of mixed
up got you twisting plots - this book is for you.

[Karen Hurren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of amazing short stories by the wonderful author, Douglas Smith. Every story is completely different, ranging from fantasy to science fiction, and every story is completely gripping, populated with interesting characters who elicit an emotional response. A really great collection of stories for everyone. Thank you, Douglass!
(I received an ARC copy of Borderlanz in exchange for an honest review.)

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and diverse collection from a wonderful storyteller. Douglas Smith has a nasty sense of humor that he mixes with poignant, even heartbreaking, situations. The charactera feel like real people and the events are delighfully improbable while remaining plausible most of the time.

Read this on as soon as you can

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous set of short stories, such quality writing and an absolute pleasure to read. I loved them all, which is unusual for the contents of an anthology.

Douglas Smith's imagination never ceases to amaze me, and his characters and world building are full and believable. Expect the unexpected, folks!

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection.
These short stories are best read over a period of time. One makes you laugh out loud and another makes you feel sad. They all should be read with a break in between as each one has a deep meaning. they all are very enjoyable. What is very nice is the afterword on each one's inspiration.

[Steph And · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing collection of short stories! Great overview of Smith's writing. Stories range from SF to Fantasy, as well as one very personal piece of contemporary fiction. Highly recommended.

[TheMalerieverse]

I didn't get the chance to read it

[MimiAmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borderlanz is proof positive that Douglas Smith can and does expertly write any genre! Each and every short story in the marvelous anthology is top notch. Highly recommended! I won’t waste any more of your time so you can buy it, enjoy!