“How far would you go to find where you belong?”
Look, as much as I enjoy exploring new authors and worlds through a short story format, there is simply no denying that frustratingly many SFF anthologies feature similar people from similar backgrounds over and over again, but that is where Together is a Distant Star breaks the mold. See, this is an indie anthology celebrating female, non-binary, queer, and otherwise underrepresented authors scattered across six different continents who have each put their unique spin on the theme of belonging, and it absolutely delivers everything it promises and then so much more.
Now, I always struggle to review anthologies because I want to do every story justice, but I also don’t want to give too much away because I think a huge part of the fun is discovering what each author has waiting for you around the corner. And trust me, there are a lot of surprises packed into Together is a Distant Star, and the imagination on display is genuinely out of this world. One moment you’re on an unexpected intergalactic date, the next you’re dealing with sacrifices in the woods, morally questionable assassins, political intrigue, family drama, shapeshifters, timeline nonsense, and more emotional gutpunches than you could ever expect in so few pages.
Though, what really makes Together is a Distant Star shine for me is how clearly the authors’ diverse backgrounds influence the stories. Not just through the range of genres, although that alone is impressive, but even more so through the different cultural inspirations, sexual/gender identities, perspectives, and experiences woven throughout the collection. I think the main theme of belonging ends up feeling so rich and authentic because every author approaches it from such a uniquely personal angle, with some stories asking what happens when you don’t fit into your family, your society, your body, or even your own expectations of yourself, while others explore what it means to finally find a place where you can exist as you are, and I loved that balance of darkness and hope.
The whole structure of Together is a Distant Star also worked so well for me, not just in terms of the order of the stories, but also because of how each new story was preceded by a raw and honest author’s note giving an insight into their creative process. Some added context that kept me grounded when I was feeling overwhelmed by the action or world building intricacies, others made a story hit even harder emotionally, but every single one of them made me more excited to keep turning the pages and discover what would come next when other anthologies usually lose me after a couple of stories.
I truly think there’s not a single weak link in Together is a Distant Star, but of course there were stories that connected with me more personally than others. For me, these were the ones that captured (or broke) my heart the most:
- Tiiv Kadaan by A.J. Calvin, because it was such a sweet and cozy opening to the anthology as we follow two people from different planets accidentally ending up on a date in an intergalactic restaurant. Absolutely delightful, my only complaint is that I wanted more of it.
- Vätter Child by Karen Lykkebo, which started with a girl being selected as a sacrifice to a monster in the woods and somehow transformed into the most glorious female-rage folk horror experience that absolutely gave me life.
- Polaris by Alyse Steves, because it gave me morally grey sapphic lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers sci-fi thriller energy and the yearning got me embarrassingly good.
- True Colors by Isabelle Wagner, which is a deeply introspective story about sisterhood and mental health that really tugged on my heartstrings, all wrapped in a really fascinating emotion-based magic system that completely captured my imagination.
- This Is the Worst Timeline by Branwen O’Shea, because what in the time-line travelling hell did I just read?! I don’t know if I fully understood how all the logic was logicking, but the banter was just so fantastic that I didn’t even care, and I admired the sheer ambition of it.
Honestly, as I was trying to narrow down my favourites, I found myself wanting to gush about almost every single story in the anthology, but I’ll just let you discover some of those gems for yourself. Though, I do want to give a special mention to Delilah Waan’s story following a tired, jaded, but badass mother as the protagonist, because while it wasn’t one that resonated deeply with me personally, I think it might be one of the strongest short stories on a technical level and it closed out the anthology with an emotionally devastating bittersweet punch.
By the end, every story had left its mark on me for a different reason, and I can already tell I’ll be hunting down more works from all of these authors because I found so many new worlds and imaginations that I want to spend more time with. Together is a Distant Star is a collection full of escapism, emotion, hope, heartbreak, and beautifully diverse perspectives, all tied together by a theme that feels deeply personal and universally relatable at the same time. If you’re looking for an anthology that introduces you to exciting new voices while also giving you plenty of feelings to deal with afterwards, I can’t recommend this one enough.
Authors featured: A.J. Calvin, V. Carvajal Leiva, Nancy Foster, Andrea Marie Johnson, Natalie Kelda, C.B. Lansdell, Karen Lykkebo, Erika McCorkle, Branwen OShea, Alyse Steves, Delilah Waan, and Isabelle Wagner.
