Otherness. The very idea invokes everything from fascination, to suspicion, to abject terror. But who is "the other?" A hero, come to save us? A villain, bent on destroying us? A mirror, meant to show us the best and worst of ourselves?

This short story anthology contains science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction from some of the inland northwest's finest writers, both emerging and established. Through compelling prose and inventive storytelling, it explores the concept of otherness, and our very human responses to those things that lie just beyond our understanding.

A sheriff investigates murder on an alien planet. A Catholic priest is almost killed by a falling angel. A half-fae teenager dates a faun against her parents' wishes. A soldier is assigned to save the world - by killing a defenseless boy. Vivid characters wind through tales that range from delightfully off-beat to gritty and poignant. In a myriad of ways, we are challenged to face our humanity, examine our preconceptions, and redefine what it means to belong.