Justin C. Key

Black Mirror meets Get Out in this gripping story collection reminiscent of the work of Octavia E. Butler, which deftly blends science fiction, horror, and fantasy to examine issues of race, class, and prejudice--an electrifying, oftentimes heartbreaking debut from an extraordinary new voice. Justin C. Key has long been obsessed with monsters. Reading R. L. Stine's Goosebumps as a kid, he imagined himself battling monsters and mayhem to a triumphant end. But when watching Scream 2, in which the movie's only Black couple is promptly killed off, he realized that the Black and Brown characters in his favorite genre were almost always the victim or villain--if they were portrayed at all. In The World Wasn't Ready for You, Key expands and subverts the horror genre to expertly explore issues of race, class, prejudice, love, exclusion, loneliness, and what it means to be a person in the world, while revealing the horrifying nature inherent in all of us. In the opening story, "The Perfection of Theresa Watkins," a sci-fi love story turned nightmare, a husband uses new technology to download the consciousness of his recently deceased Black wife into the body of a white woman. In "Spider King," an inmate agrees to participate in an experimental medical study offered to Black prisoners in exchange for early release, only to find his body reacting with disturbing symptoms. And in the title story, a father tries to protect his son, teaching him how to navigate a prejudiced world that does not understand him and sees him as a threat. The World Wasn't Ready for You is a gripping, provocative, and distinctly original collection that demonstrates Key's remarkable literary gifts--a skill at crafting science fiction stories equaled by an ability to sculpt characters and narrative--as well as his utterly fresh take on how genre can be used to delight, awe, frighten, and ultimately challenge our perceptions. Wildly imaginative and powerfully resonant, it introduces an unforgettable new voice in fiction.

Stories

The World Wasn't Ready for You

Yoon Ha Lee

S. Qiouyi Lu

Melissa Marr

Charlie Jane Anders

Stephen Graham Jones

Usman T. Malik

Sarah Pinsker

Brian Evenson

K.M. Szpara

Lavie Tidhar

Maria Dahvana Headley

Rich Larson

Tamsyn Muir

Fran Wilde

Carrie Vaughn

Rachel Swirsky

C. L. Polk

Maureen F. McHugh

Naomi Kritzer

Katharine Duckett

Zin E. Rocklyn

G. V. Anderson

Carolyn Ives Gilman

M. Rickert

Matthew Pridham

Gregory Norman Bossert

Claire Wrenwood

Jeremy Packert Burke

A collection of some of the best original science fiction and fantasy short fiction published on Tor.com in 2020. Includes stories by: Charlie Jane Anders G. V. Anderson Gregory Norman Bossert Jeremy Packert Burke Katharine Duckett Brian Evenson Carolyn Ives Gilman Maria Dahvana Headley Stephen Graham Jones Justin C. Key Naomi Kritzer Rich Larson Yoon Ha Lee S. Qiouyi Lu Usman T. Malik Melissa Marr Maureen McHugh Tamsyn Muir Sarah Pinsker C. L. Polk Matthew Pridham M. Rickert Zin E. Rocklyn Rachel Swirsky Lavie Tidhar Carrie Vaughn Fran Wilde Claire Wrenwood At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A Tor.com Original

Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2020 Edition

Justin C. Key's "The Perfection of Theresa Watkins" is a skillful speculative exploration of the intersection of race, mental illness, and the American prison system. Darius and Theresa Watkins confronted death once as fellow cancer survivors. Their lives are full and productive, their love a shield against Darius's bouts of anxiety and Theresa's occasional flare-ups. Yet when tragedy strikes, Darius will try everything to save his wife...even against his fears that she may have transformed into an entirely different person—literally. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Perfection of Theresa Watkins

Spider King

Jonathan Maberry

Josh Roberts

James A. Moore

Brian Keene

Joe R. Lansdale

Rena Mason

Jonathan Janz

Allison Pang

Wile E. Young

Mary SanGiovanni

Hailey Piper

Mike Oliveri

Steven L. Shrewsbury

L. C. Mortimer

Heath Amodio

Glenn Parris

Scott Schmidt

JimmyZ Johnston

Charles R. Rutledge

Aaron Conaway

It was an age of adventure.An age of sorcery.An age of unrelenting horror.Sword and sorcery and pulp horror go hand-in-hand. Sinister enchanters working foul magic. Hideous beasts lurking in shadowy dungeons. Blasphemous elder gods uncoiling from forgotten and forbidden templesSWORDS IN THE SHADOWS features twenty-one stories with a bloody stake driven into the heart of both the horror and fantasy camps. Herein, you will find fantasy worlds, brave warriors, fabulous creatures, wondrous magic. But you will also uncover bloodcurdling chills, spine-tingling horror, and an examination of those things that truly terrify.

Swords in the Shadows

Justin C. Key

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