Transcendent 4

The fourth Transcendent anthology of transgender speculative fiction features a veritable smorgasbord of genre-twisting entries, including the pre-apocalyptic “The Sixth World” by Kylie Ariel Bemis; the claustrophobic, postapocalyptic, AI-featuring “When the South Wind Whispers” by H. Pueyo; and the fantastic and fantasy-leaning killer mermaid tale “Into the Gray” by Margaret Killjoy. Among other standouts are L Chan’s “The God of Small Chances,” a tale of endangered gods and slumbering, hidden dragons, and Blue Neustifter’s “Ghosts,” the story of a life-affirming, disembodied spirit. There are also contributions from PW reviewers Nibedita Sen and Nino Cipri. Many entries tend toward a somewhat cloudy outlook, and they don’t shy from portraying abuse or violence visited on trans people from numerous sources, but all the works display tremendous creativity and originality in pacing or style that will carry the reader through these trials. This robust, varied anthology is often grim but well worth reading. (Oct.)