Sunspot Jungle

October 28, 2019
The encyclopedic first volume of Rosarium’s planned thousand-page “SFF mixtape” celebrates the diversity of speculative short fiction. Campbell’s editorial skills are on display in this wide-ranging anthology as he seamlessly connects stories from Lebanon, Senegal, Canada, and Ethiopia through shared imagery, and arranges steampunk adventures, near-future techno-thrillers, and fairy tales to smoothly transition between genres. Standout work includes Jeffrey Ford’s brutal yet tender dystopia, “Blood Drive”; Malagasy author Johary Ravaloson’s brooding political ghost story, “Water in the Rice Fields Up to My Knees!”; John Chu’s exuberant, action-packed road trip, “How to Piss Off a Failed Super Soldier”; and Csilla Kleinheincz’s witchy, dreamlike “Rabbits.” Less successful pieces—including Juan Martinez’s “The Spooky Japanese Girl Is There for You” and Eve Shi’s “A Different Mistake”—feel underdeveloped or, as with K. Tempest Bradford’s “The Copper Scarab,” bogged down by backstory. This comprehensive survey of contemporary speculative fiction is ideal for readers exploring their tastes and anyone looking to get a feel for the impressive breadth of genre storytelling today.