Do Not Go Quietly – Jason Sizemore & Lesley Conner

Apex Publications | Hardcover | May 21, 2019

For their latest anthology, Do Not Go Quietly: An Anthology of Victory in Defiance, editors Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner have brought together a powerhouse group of diverse writers—several of whom have won Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, Prix Aurora, Mythopeoic, Andre Norton, and Shirley Jackson awards—that unapologetically dive into hot-button topics, including the #MeToo movement, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, immigration, and more.

​The anthology is centered around those who resist. Those who are fighting to be heard, fighting for justice, fighting for what is right. It's packed full of characters screaming, “Not today.” There are chosen ones, bakers, blacksmiths, and word witches. There are skeleton archers and rebellious Alexas and venting machines—yes, venting, you heard right. And of course, there are robots, fairy godmothers, and rats popping out of people’s bellies. As there should be in a science fiction and fantasy anthology!

“THE THING WORSE THAN REBELLION IS THE THING THAT CAUSES REBELLION.” –FREDRICK DOUGLASS

​The true power of Do Not Go Quietly though comes from its wide breadth of perspectives. Gone are the one-sided, stuffy, and worn-out voices of old white guys writing about nobles and knights fighting over a fancy chair. Instead, we meet everyday people (and some everyday robots) who are doing their best to do their part. No matter how fantastical the stories get, they're always grounded by "real" characters who beat to their own drums and who are full of hope—although many of them would prefer not to admit it. So while this anthology may be centered around resistance, there is also an underlying current of hopefulness that will surely give people the strength to act and endure.

These short stories, poems, and pieces of artwork together to perfectly encapsulate the climate of fear and uncertainty people across the globe are currently struggling with. There's no doubt that in years to come this will be an anthology people look to, to truly understand what it's like to live in this particular moment of history. And they'll learn that sometimes the most powerful forms of resistance are actually in small, everyday acts and that they often start with the most "ordinary" people.