Introduction
On every journey there is a path you choose to follow or the path you choose to make.
Decisions, decisions—life is full of them, and many stories revolve around them. Hence the concept for the anthology you hold in your hands. The idea was gifted to me by my friend and fellow editor, Jennifer Brozek, whose own story herein is one of my favorites of her stories ever. I expanded the concept to cover a range of time and genres—not just stories of science fiction but also fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror—as well as writers both known for writing young adult stories and writers who aren’t. Before YA became a genre designation, there were always stories about young people—some called them “juveniles” or various other titles. And the stories you’ll find here include some really good ones involving such characters, but because not all of them might be stocked in a bookstore as specifically YA, you might miss them. Twelve of the twenty stories here are making their first appearance in an anthology with this collection. Six are brand new originals, others are reprints. All have in common decision points that affect their outcomes.
The stories include some from popular series such as Lois McMaster Bujold’s long running Vorkosigan Saga, Orson Scott Card’s Ender series, Jonathan Maberry’s Rot and Ruin series, and Steven Gould’s Jumper series. Then there are stories from newer series like my own Saga of Davi Rhii space opera series, Kate Corcino’s Spark series, and K.D. McEntire’s Lightbringer Urban Fantasy series, inspired by Peter Pan. Others stand alone, including several from very popular young adult authors like Alethea Kontis, Cory Doctorow, Nnedi Okorafor, and Eugene Myers. All have been chosen for their variety in tone, plot, and even moral (if they have one). The idea here is to give you choices as well about what you’re in the mood for each time you pick up the book. Or perhaps to just guarantee you a different reading experience each time you decide to open these pages. However the book touches you, I hope it’s as rewarding for you as it was for me during the three years I spent putting it together.
The decision point is now yours—you already made one by deciding to open this book. More decisions follow—some thrilling, some frightening, some heartwarming, some more somber. All of them enjoyable in their own way. This book is intended to offer a lot of variety, not just to make you think and question, but to entertain you; to be the kind of book you can pick up and read one story a day and find a different experience each time. So allow me to step back out of your way and let your journey begin. I hope you find it an enjoyable one.
Bryan Thomas Schmidt
Ottawa, Kansas
January 2016
We begin with a long awaited origin story from Jonathan Maberry’s bestselling Rot and Ruin series, wherein two sisters face the kind of impossible choices that those living in a zombie-infested world must face as they fight to survive.