In Search of and Others

Just a few days ago I mentioned a newly published anthology edited by some former Stonecoast students of mine (Futuredaze: An Anthology of YA Science Fiction). Well, today I get to mention another!

The marvelous Will Ludwigsen has just published a collection of short stories called In Search of and Others. I don't know if I've read any of these stories or not, but I loved the stuff I read of his when he was at Stonecoast. Quirky. Humorous. Gothic.

Here's the jacket copy:

A house inches eight hundred miles to confess its horrible crime. The last resident of a mental institution discovers he's not alone. A middle-schooler performs an experiment to determine how much time we fit in dreams. Boys looking for wonder find more than they're expecting in the Adirondacks with Charles Fort. A detective learns everything he's ever wanted to know...and some things he hasn't. In Will Ludwigsen's short stories of strangeness and mystery, the universe has a way of being weird in just the ways we need it to be. There are answers to many of our deepest questions...and they're usually far more personal than we expect. What are you in search of? And what is in search of you?

Hey, wait, I definitely did read that story about a house inching eight hundred miles to confess a horrible crime! It's terrific.

Publishers Weekly gave the collection a starred review, saying:

In this hauntingly beautiful collection of nine reprinted and six original stories, Ludwigsen issues an invitation to look past preconceived notions of self and ways of being, and to take a journey to the dark side of imagination. “The Speed of Dreams” begins as a lighthearted tale told from the perspective of a teen girl but takes an abrupt turn to a resonating and viscerally powerful conclusion. “We Were Wonder Scouts” echoes the irrepressible spirit of a Heinlein protagonist while twisting it ever so slightly. The variety of viewpoints and alternation between short and long stories allow the reader to catch a breath just before being pulled deep beneath the surface of chilling wonder. Each story’s concepts remain fully accessible while still challenging the reader, and exquisite craftsmanship makes this a timeless classic for those seeking asylum from formulaic prose.

Congrats, Will.