The Arcana of Maps and Other Stories

"Reisman (Substrate Phantoms) showcases her mastery of immersive worldbuilding in these 17 speculative short stories, which range from fable to space opera . . . they all center around a theme of connection, whether between lovers, friends, gods, or animals. Readers will enjoy sinking into the strange and lovely landscapes of this collection."         —Publishers Weekly

"Jessica Reisman’s The Arcana of Maps and Other Stories is a night garden seeded with moon-blooming hybrid blooms, nightshade roses and cornflower jasmine, each flower a secret turnkey into another world. Sensual, dreamy, and teeming with fantastical beings, these stories will take you down rain-kissed alleys and haunted oceans, searching for answers to the questions you haven’t dared to ask yet."        —A.M. Dellamonica, author of Child of a Hidden Sea

"The Arcana of Maps should be at the top of everyone's must-read lists. Jessica Reisman's unique lyrical voice powers some of the finest short fiction of this (and really any) century."         —Richard Klaw, editor of Rayguns Over Texas and The Apes of Wrath

"It's wonderful to finally have so many collected in one edition instead of scattered to the winds of magazines and anthologies.  I hope this allows many new readers to discover Jessica Reisman.  She is a writer you can trust with your brain and more importantly, your heart."        —Martha Wells, author of the Murderbot Diaries

“Every piece a chorus of fresh voices, charged with authentic joy and beautiful melancholy, the stories of Jessica Reisman have always been ahead of their time, or of another time entirely—glimpses through that shimmering portal you have long wanted to step through, into a world where aesthetics really matter, the romance of little things charges the wonder, and the architecture of the world is built on a foundation of real community. All powered by the euphonic jazz of one of SF’s greatest living stylists.”         —Christopher Brown, author of Tropic of Kansas

“Stories that cut like a knife. Incandescent prose. Highly recommended."       —Claire O’Dell, Lambda Literary Award winner

"These are the stories that are set in front of you, each in a container unlike any of the others, each a different color (some of which you don't have a name for); you know that some of those things contain joy, some sorrow, some that you can drain to the dregs seeking the last taste of understanding that doesn't—QUITE—come but which is all the more alive because you aren't given it freely. These are the stories that can give you wisdom, give you comprehension, give you life. They can transform you. They can hurt you. They are wonderfully dangerous. You will never stop wanting them, wanting more."       —Alma Alexander, author of Midnight at Spanish Gardens

"I am glad to recommend The Arcana of Maps because it shows I have flawless taste. When you read it and recommend it to your friends, you will understand my feelings. And then you will know I am smart."      —Don Webb, author and reviewer