Among Ghosts is such a perfect book. I loved Tess of the Road so much because of how Rachel Hartman writes these slow, character-focused and trauma-informed standalone fantasy books. So when I heard there was a new standalone story in the same world, and it was about ghosts, that was all I needed to know. I didn’t look at the synopsis, so I had no idea what I was going into, and I’m very glad I got to experience the story that way.

First of all, I was not expecting so much death. From the very first chapter onwards, there are countless awful ways that people die on and off page. This book deals really unflinchingly with messed up characters. But what I loved was that it always took the emotional depth of the characters deeper, to the point where you can even feel pity for people who have done terrible things. Obviously, this book is about real ghosts that do haunt people, but most of the book is about the ways that people are haunted by their regrets and the ghosts of their trauma. I could definitely tell that the author had a lot of fun using ghost themed words to describe the very mundane ways characters had to live with their pasts.

It was so easy to root for the main characters. They were so well fleshed out and complicated. I also loved the way the queer representation was done. It’s never outright said how any character identifies, but it is demonstrated and never seen as out of the ordinary, except in a couple snide comments by bigots. The main character is a young trans boy, and his mom is polyamorous, so he has essentially three co-parents. All of his role models really emphasize being a pacifist, because all of them have had to learn the hard way the cost of regret and violence. And the main character is now at the point where he’s realizing that there are threats and dangerous people out there in the world, and he is drawn to violence because he wants to protect himself and his town. But what he’ll have to learn is that there are some problems that violence just can’t solve, like building a strong community or helping a loved one’s health.

I also continue to love the worldbuilding. Apparently this book is set a hundred years before Tess of the Road, and although it is unflinching in a lot of ways, there is also a certain whimsy to the way the world is described. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the town of St Muckles. The world is also built on the way that the new standardized Saints religion has sought to wipe out the pagan traditions of the past. Several of the villains of the book played a direct hand in past massacres, and the knowledge of how to work with ghosts is considered superstition. The lore around the ghosts and the pagan beliefs of this world were so fascinating. The climax of the story was so fast paced, and I was completely on the edge of my seat. I would have liked a bit more falling action or resolution, but I understand why the story ended where it did. The whole book had a complete grip on my emotional state, and it was so cathartic to read. I’m so glad I read it.

I’m so happy this book exists. I love the collaborative approach and the story behind how this book was put together. I’m always interested in using sci fi to imagine achievable futures we actually want to fight for. The majority of the stories in this collection are directly about protests, direct action, and mutual aid. Additionally, many of these stories came from speculative fiction writers being paired with community organizers, which produced such fascinating and timely stories. Like any anthology, there were some stories or writing styles that didn’t grab me, but the ones that I loved, I really loved. My favorites were: Perséfoni in the City by Sabrina Vourvoulias The Mighty Slinger by Tobias S Buckell and Karen Lord The Rise and Fall of Storm Bluff, Kansas by Izzy Wasserstein One of the Lesser-Known Revolutions by Annalee Newitz Kifaah and the Gospel by Abdulla Moaswes

Perséfoni in the City was definitely my overall favorite. It is a retelling of Persephone’s story, but it centers Demeter, or Demetria, who founds a community garden that’s a space for Mexican and Central American immigrants. The whole story has a noir aesthetic, with a mysterious detective trying to take down the shady corporation that wants to buy up the communal garden. I love this story because it’s steeped in protest but also in mysticism. It’s so poetic and I was completely entranced.