PREORDER: Strange People, Stranger Places (available 10/20/2026)

AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER

Delivery Date 10/20/2026

The winner of more short fiction awards than any other modern writer in science fiction, Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes across the spectrum of the genre. From her first published short stories, “Skin Deep” and “Sing,” to stories written in the last few years, this collection takes an overview of her shortest work. 

The stories here appeared in best-of-the-year collections and gathered readers’ choice awards. Some stories sparked heated discussions. In this collection, aliens search for Louisa May Alcott, teenagers cling to rockets, and adventurers survive harsh interplanetary conditions. Fourteen stories that run the gamut from humorous to heartbreaking, each tale proves why Kristine Kathryn Rusch deserves all of her accolades.

“Kristine Kathryn Rusch may be one of the most sure-footed authors in science fiction, never straying from the path of good story-telling as she dissects her characters and their situations for the reader’s benefit.”

— Science Fiction Weekly

“Rusch is a great storyteller—easily the equal of Patterson or Koontz.”  —Analog

“Rusch knows how to construct a science fiction thriller that’ll keep you turning pages right up until the end.”

—Astro Guyz