Another Region

A different land can mean exotic nature, but also different customs, unusual habits and laws, different people, ideas, and destinies. The anthology “A Different Land” is a selection of short stories from the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror genres, yet it deals with themes that move the modern world. Problems of personal identity, environmental protection, family difficulties, or intensive poultry farming. Mermaids swim among plastic bags, mages experiment on mentally disabled children, a tribe living on a giant ice floe flees their homeland because the time of melting is coming… The content of the stories is often critical and warning, but more than once a spark of hope flickers at the end. Or at least an adorable kitten. “This anthology is proof that Czech speculative fiction is by no means a genre lapsing into ossification. Against the backdrop of interesting worlds and imaginative societies, one can encounter much more than just well-worn, clichéd schemas. ‘A Different Land’ refutes this notion from start to finish: it presents diverse, primarily serious and weighty themes concerning not only family or social issues, but also environmental risks arising mainly from humanity's dubious relationship with the environment. And every single author has succeeded in skilfully intertwining contemporary problems of human society with fantasy and horror motifs. From my point of view, this is a truly successful endeavour, as all the selected stories are extremely readable and chilling. Most of them might even make you feel uneasy.” (https://sarden.cz/2023-05-02-1113/recenze-jiny-kraj-ed-tereza-matouskova-tereza-kadeckova) “Eleven short stories in the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror genres with themes that resonate with the contemporary world, written by eleven Czech authors, none of whom are newcomers to speculative fiction.” (ludek. n - databazeknih.cz) “From horror to sci-fi to brutal slaughter and gore, this anthology will never cease to surprise you. The authors have managed to put together a range of diverse stories with a clear message: to highlight modern-day problems!” (Nikola Mrázová Erlebachová - knihydobrovsky.cz)