Challenge Accepted

by Stephanie Barr, Misha Burnett, Jennifer Busick

A blind spaceship pilot.

Cops and maintenance personnel in wheelchairs.

Taking on bad guys with only one leg or no arms.

It's not what you are that makes you something special. It's who you choose to be.

Seventeen stories about people who rise above anything that tries to stop them, even their own limitations.

With stories by Stephanie Barr, Misha Burnett, J. A. Busick, Adam David Collings, Steve Curry, Scott G. Gibson, Joyce Hertzoff, Jane Jago, Clarence Jennelle, Jeanette O'Hagan, Layla Pinkett, Jen Ponce, Connor Sassmannshausen, Lynne Stringer, E. M. Swift-Hook, Margret Treiber, Andy Zach.

Coordinated by Stephanie Barr with all proceeds to go to the Special Olympics

Genres: Science Fiction

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2019

About the author

Stephanie Barr is a part time novelist, full time rocket scientist and mother of three children and slave to three cats. She has three blogs, which are sporadically updated. Anything else even vaguely interesting about her can be found in her writing since she puts a little bit of herself in everything she writes . . . just not the same piece.

Reviews

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a theme of disabled people being the protagonists and heros of these stories, my first fear would be the authors would overplay them and make them superhuman or mawkish. My fear was not realized. Every story was well-written with gripping characters. This anthology is just plain enjoyable fiction.

If someone thinks this book isn't one of the best because I give it four stars instead of five, let me explain my rating. I reserve five stars for books that are great--and still being read after fifty years. Don't take my rating for any kind of diss. I'll be back in 2069 to up it to five stars.

[Tad Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

Great collection of authors; great collection of stories! A very good read for everyone, young to old. Buy it now!

[Wendy S. Delmater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not just an editor; I’m also an author who has an invisible disability, a dyslexia when typing that is so severe that the only way I could become a writer is if I had dictation software, because something is not wired right between my brain and my fingers. My mother had and one of my sons has very visible disabilities: my mother had an inability to walk and one of my sons has a messed up left arm. Neither of them let their unique challenges stop them.

So when I was offered the opportunity to read and comment on a short story anthology that highlighted disabled protagonists, I leapt at the chance. I think it’s exciting that our society is no longer ignoring those who have disabilities and beginning to celebrate them as the heroes they are. To me at least, anyone facing a disability with grace and courage deserves extra respect because they’re not only vanquishing the usual dragons we all have to slay; they also have to vanquish their own personal challenges before they even get to the dragons that we all must face.

Everyone is different. Certainly there are other people in the world who are more beautiful, or stronger, or cleverer than you or I am. So anyone reading this wonderful book should be able to identify with the characters… because every one of the characters in this book accepted the challenges they were handed. The one thing every disabled person I know is certain of—myself included—is that we are not our disability. We’re people. And people need to overcome whatever obstacles that are in their way.

So here’s to a fantastic collection of stories. (The chick in black on the cover is especially kickass!) Every one of these tales will inspire you, because they’re about people we can identify with and emulate. Theirs are different challenges than you face, perhaps, but they face them as the sort of people we can all hope to be. People who accept whatever challenges life throws at them… and win. RECOMMENDED

[Reneeg1957 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sampler plate of short stories

Lots of tasty treats gathered in an anthology of new to me writers. Could not put it down, I kept wanting to read “just one more story” before going to bed. It’s going to be short night’s sleep but it was worth it!

[Chrissy Garwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology was great. I enjoyed finding some new authors and will definitely be looking to read other works by a few. It was refreshing to have characters who are usually set as the victim or the one needing rescuing as the heroes and heroines.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenge Accepted is a charity anthology (profits go to the Special Olympics). In each of the stories, the heroes and heroines have a disability (or more). One of my Nardva stories 'Space Triage' is included (you'll find it at the end of the book). Basically, my rating and review relate to the other stories in the anthology (I like my story but will leave the reader to judge it).

Seventeen stories from seventeen different authors. All have some sci-fi or fantasy element. While many of the stories had a contemporary or near-contemporary setting, my favourites on the whole were the ones with more speculative settings.

'Waters of Callisto' by J A Busick follows the adventures of a space station mechanic in a wheel chair who uses intelligence, determination and compassion to solve a knotty problem others have ignored. I was immersed in this story from the start, sympathised with Amani and loved her can-do attitude.

'In Bad Seed' by Jen Ponce, Maudie feels like the weak link in her family - an arm-less dirt-mancer (wielder) with a special connection to plants and rock, she discovers her strength when confronted with a villainous blood-mancer and his desperate victim. I liked the magic-system (a different take on wielding elements), how Maudie uses her feet instead of her absent arms, and her down-to-earth wit and courage as she moves from self-doubt to a full realisation of her abilities. I also enjoyed the romantic undercurrents.

'Blind by Fate' by Stephanie Barr has a few parallels with my own story, though they are also quite different. I loved the hard science; a feisty cat companion and the kick-ass blind pilot who shines in this story of political intrigue and subterfuge.

'These are the Things That Bounded Me' by Misha Burnett is a very human story of a paraplegic suddenly left to cope completely on his own when a devastating plague takes out 99.9% of the population.

'Secret Supers - Revealed' by Andy Zach was a fun piece in which a group of kids with different disabilities (cerebral palsy, paraplegia, aphasia, blindness, an amputee) also have new super abilities (telepathy, telekinesis, super strength, etc) that makes them a super team able to take on the local baddies.

Lynne Stringer's ‘The Dominant Hand’ includes a planetary civil war and espionage with a young woman overcoming the stigma of a maimed hand in a society that favours hand fighting. In a situation where her companion's strength becomes a weakness, she shines because of her intelligence, courage, determination and ability to take alternative approaches.

I also enjoyed Adam Colling's 'Hands and Knees' prequel with a new take on the 'wheelchair', futuristic tech (Beam me up, Scotty) and a glimpse of life on the Jewel of the Stars before the earth is invaded by a superior alien force and it is set to roam to stars (in the Jewel of the Stars series).

E M Swift-Hook (The Invisible Event), Jane Jago (Vicious Reality), Connor Sassmannshausen (Blind by Fate) are all fast-paced, action packed stories with great heroines.

Margaret Treiber in ‘Negotiating with Spectres’ has a Schizophrenic (think A Beautiful Mind) and Bulimic detective duo, with lots of witty repartee and fun situations.
Other stories feature PSTD, prosthetic limbs, and blindness as the protagonist overcomes the odds, saves themselves and others.

Overall, Challenge Accepted presents interesting and entertaining stories that explore the human spirit, determination and inventiveness with some memorable heroes and heroines and settings that range from earth to the far reaches of the galaxy, all in aid of a great cause. Recommended.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mix of short stories from terrific authors. Proceeds of sales go towards Special Olympics. You can read great stories for a great cause.

[Geoff Habiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenge Accepted is a refreshingly wonderful anthology edited by Stephanie Barr. This is a themed anthology where all of the stories have a main character has a disability and they have to solve problems without some gimmick or other (able-body) person fixing the problem for them. Stephanie has done a great job of collecting these stories and making them available.

As with most anthologies that I read there are some stories within Challenge Accepted that I really loved, some that were good, and some that I found to be just okay. That's the nature of an anthology, it collects many different voices into one place, and even with the "just okay" stories, I was happy that I had a chance to read them. Every story in the anthology deserves to be here and deserves to be read, but here are the ones that stood out to me.

"The Waters of Callisto" by J.A. Busick is the first story in the anthology and was a great one to lead off the book. The main character, Amani, is a paraplegic, and must overcome not only bigotry and bullying, but physical challenges as well on a space station. Amani faces these challenges with grit and determination, and I really love her attitude and the creative ways she refuses to let obstacles stand in her way.

"The Dominant Hand" by Lynne Stringer is great story that shows not only how one individual can overcome a disability, but how narrow thinking among a larger group of people can lead to its own handicap. Silny is a great character filled with doubts, but also a determination to not let her disability hold her back. I liked the way that Lynne has Silny overcome her disability and use it to show how the status quo and the "we've always done it that way" attitude is its own form of disability.

"These Were the Things That Bounded Me" by Misha Burnett is a fantastic story about a post-apocalyptic world where one disabled man must adjust to a world that is no longer filled with the aids he has come to depend on. Mark is a character who must use is intellect and determination to meet the challenge faced when a pandemic wipes out nearly everybody else in town. I really liked how Mark thinks through the challenges and how to overcome them.

"Inferno of Guilt" by Steve Curry is a story that stood out to me because the main character, Angie's, disability is both physical and psychological as she has PTSD. Steve does a great job of addressing both types of disabilities and showing us not only how Angie suffers from them, especially the PTSD, but how she overcomes them. The fiery antagonist was also very cool. (No pun intended.)

"Angel in Darkness" by Clarence Jennelle was a fun story that explored a familiar trope (the blind person using extrasensory perception to become a fighter - there were a few stories like this in the anthology). Bryce was blinded in a scientific experiment and gained extrasensory abilities, plus another power. Yes, this is a trope that's been done before but what stood out to me was the depth of the character in Bryce. She was strong and willing to use her ability to help others - not reluctantly (as is sometimes the case) - but willingly. Plus, the description of the fight was great.

"Negotiating with Spectres" by Margaret A. Treiber stood out to me because it was the only story that focused on a mental disability for the main character as opposed to a physical one. Gina, the main character has Schizophrenia, and the way the Margaret writes about the way this illness affects a person was well done. Gina is a PI, and how she acknowledges and overcomes the illness was creative and entertaining. Plus, Gina was a kick ass character and fun to read.

Overall, Challenge Accepted is a great collection of stories filled with some amazing stories by some of the best indie authors I've come across recently. There are stories here that will appeal to a wide range of readers, and something for fans of nearly every genre. Plus, it doesn't hurt that getting your own copy helps support Special Olympics.

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a theme of disabled people being the protagonists and heros of these stories, my first fear would be the authors would overplay them and make them superhuman or mawkish. My fear was not realized. Every story was well-written with gripping characters. This anthology is just plain enjoyable fiction.

If someone thinks this book isn't one of the best because I give it four stars instead of five, let my explain my rating. I reserve five stars for books that are great--and still being read after fifty years. Don't take my rating for any kind of diss. I'll be back in 2069 to up it to five stars.

[Joyce Hertzoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology to benefit Special Olympics contains seventeen science fiction and fantasy short stories in which disabled main characters don’t allow their disabilities to prevent them from being heroes. All of the stories, including I hope my own, are well-written, entertaining and diverse. Several are even excellent. The people in them rise above. Their disabilities don’t define them. They don’t need rescuing but instead, save the day. Many kinds of disabilities are represented including loss of a limb, loss of sight, loss of hearing, even mental disabilities.

[Mary Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories with a triumphant, uplifting theme

Should be required reading to expand awareness; each work is a quick snippet of a life fully lived, of perseverance and persistence, of potential being fulfilled. An expansion of a person’s abilities, instead of a focus on inabilities or DIS-abilities.