This is a wonderful variety of stories throughout different worlds with potent themes throughout. A great collection here with a lot to love.

Was too late to download this book and after that whole mess with a certain author being an asshole I wasn't willing to buy this book myself nor could I because it was pulled. Good choice although I'm sad for the cool authors involved that were betrayed as well.

This non-binary science fiction and fantasy collection combines some of my most favorite subjects, queer characters in otherworldly settings. These stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism and celebrate trans and nonbinary characters in all of their glory. Content warnings: body horror, mention of murder, mention of sexual harassment, violence, pain play, consensual D/s play, BDSM.

I really enjoyed this collection. I did gloss over some of the violent/pain play and BDSM elements, mostly because I was here more for the sci-fi/fantasy elements moreso than the sexual elements of these characters, but you know what, I’m glad they are included, because those are parts of these characters’ lives, and it makes for a richer story.

If you enjoy your fantasy with a touch of queer, particularly queer characters who aren’t as often represented in media, definitely give this collection a go. There are some shorter stories and a few longer works that all leave you wanting more.

I want to thank NetGalley for this e-arc of BEHIND THE SUN, ABOVE THE MOON. A combination of amazing stories. Amazing characters. Stellar displays of character developments. My attention was held the entire time as I was reading this amazing book. I really couldn't put it down. I would recommend this to people who love a good cry by a fire.

I'm going to be honest and say I was very confused by most of these stories. It all seemed very not coherent and I couldn't get into any of them. I stopped about 3/4 through because I was just getting frustrated that I wasn't liking a single one of them.

I've been looking forward to reading this anthology, but after reading about the toxic and abusive behaviour of Brooklyn Ray, I am no longer prepared to read this book. I am so sorry to all the amazing authors whose stories are in this anthology and I hope I get to read them somewhere else.

After reading a thread on Brooklyn Ray's/Taylor B. Barton's/Taylor Brooke's toxic and racist behaviour I'm no longer willing to read their books or support them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was expecting 'Behind the Sun, Above the Moon' for a while. An anthology of short stories about non-binary main characters is pretty unusual and I was very excited to read it. I am actually very very happy to have read it and ever more that it exists, because a little time ago, it would have been almost impossible. If you are a science-fiction lover, like anthologies or are looking for a book with LGBT characters, give it a try!

Me on the other hand, I am not a big sci-fi fan, it is not the usual genre I go to, I think that is why I was not able to connect to some of the stories. However, I loved some of them, such as 'Ink and Stars' by Alex Harrow, but Sara Codair's "Death Marked" was definitely my favourite one.

I'm not sure I've ever encountered a book like this before: a sci-fi, fantasy anthology centered specifically on imaginary protagonists... But I needed this book and it was a great read.

I love reading anthologies, and this one didn't disappoint. It's nice to see so many diversity in one book and all in fantasy stories! I also really appreciated all the stories having trigger warnings at the beginning. My overall rating was 3.6, rounded up to 4. Here's a rating for all the stories:

Twice-spent comet by Ziggy Schutz
3.5 Stars
The writing in this one was so magical and beautiful, I was ready to read a full novel! There’s all kinds of queer representation and poly relationships, and mermaids, and found families. The only downside was I was a little confused throughout, but that might be just me.

From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S. Allen
4 Stars
This felt pretty contemporary up to the last few pages but I loved the characters and the relationships between them so much! It’s also written in second person which I always think is super cool.

Lost/Found by Brooklyn Ray
4 Stars
Imagine falling in love with a star? That’s it, that’s the tweet. But also positive depiction of sex work!
I’d also add a domestic violence TW to the ones listed.

Awry with dandelions by J. S. Fields
3.5 Stars
This was nice! A little long but I really enjoyed the ending.

The Far Touch by S. R. Jones
2 Stars
Unfortunately this wasn’t a favorite. My biggest pet peeve with short stories is being confused way too further in. I just had to skim half of this.

Ink and Stars by Alex Harrow
4 Stars
This kept my interest all throughout and I thought the relationships between the characters were super interesting.

Horologium by Emmet Nahil
2.5 Stars
This was just too complex for a short story in my opinion.

Death Marked by Sara Codair
5 Stars
This was so good! I loved the characters and the pacing I wish it was a full novel

Weave the Dark, Weave the Light by Anna Zabo
4 Stars
That was hot, that’s all ... not but really I loved our main character Ari so much.

This anthology is no exception to my ongoing love-hate relationship with anthologies, in that I never like very many of the stories well enough to justify the cost. This one's a charity anthology, though, so that merited a purchase, and time. But it'll take me awhile to work my way through these. I am an impatient reader. I ended up enjoying two, which is not terrible for me.

'twice-spent comet' by Ziggy Schultz: There's a ton of worldbuilding in this dreamy blend of science fiction and fantasy. Enjoyed it.

'From Dusk to Dying Sun' by Paige S. Allen: This one's fairly short, and yet punchy, the strangest blend of mundane and bizarre skewing hard to the latter by the end. Loved it.

'Lost/Found' by Brooklyn Ray: Pretty. I found it a little hard to follow, but it's very pretty.

'Awry with Dandelions' by J.S. Fields: DNF this one - just did not engage me.

'The Far Touch' by S.R. Jones: Amusing, intriguing, an engaging mix of sf into fantasy, and an ending that was cool.

'Ink and Stars' by Alex Harrow: was unexpected. I loved it.

'Horologium' by Emmett Nahil: I'd have gotten more out of this one had I looked up what the title meant first, instead of last.

'Death Marked' by Sara Codair: this one is about sisters, and pretty good.

'Weave the Dark, Weave the Light' by Anna Zabo: Alas, this one just didn't hold my interest beyond their first meeting.

Lovely queer anthology featuring mostly nonbinary trans characters in stories about magic, stars and the universe.

Short stories are a bit of a hit-or-miss for me, and I have to admit that most of these didn‘t hit the mark for me personally. On the positive side, I didn‘t actively hated any of them (something that occurs quite often for me with short stories,) it was more of a case of me not quite connecting with them, not getting what they were trying to tell me or which feeling they were supposed to evoke.
This might also be a case of me not being in the right mindset when I read them.

Another thing was that the stories didn‘t go where I expected – or wanted – them to go, which is a very personal issue and not on the authors.
Other short stories were amazing, and made me want to read about the settings for entire novels rather than just a short story!

Overall I loved what the anthology stands for, and the stories have a ton of potiential. Their themes, characters and moods are spread widely, and any reader will find something in there they love.

"A Queer anthology featuring stories inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets, entire galaxies even, live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories will span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism."

I wanted to like this anthology so much more than I did! A fan of short story collections and a member of the lgbt community, it seems like it would be perfect for me. This isn't my first queer anthology rodeo. Unfortunately, I felt this collection was slightly clunky. Of the 9 stories included, I only felt two really stood out. Awry with Dandelions by J.S. Field and Death Marked by Sara Cordair. I feel like perhaps some of the joy of nonbinary characters by authors from their own community was lost on me as a cis person, and there may be a bit more joy and wonder for a nonbinary or trans reader. Or perhaps most the stories were just a vein of magical realism that isn't right for me! It's hard to tell. Either way I'm sure this collection will be delightful in the hands of a reader seeking a more specific nb experience!

DNF @ 33%

This is a great idea for an anthology but I just couldn't get it into. I read the first three stories and they were okay but ultimately I found them either boring or confusing and I just didn't really connect with any of the characters. These are longer short stories [about 12k each from what I could see] so I would expect them to have a little bit more meat to them but it seemed like nothing was really happening and while I appreciate the representation I also need some action to hold my attention.

4.5* – I am not a huge short stories reader. I often feel that by the time I’m into the story, it’s over. Seeing J. S. Fields’ name on the cover of this anthology however made me want to give it a try. I loved the Ardulum series so much, I wanted more of their writing.

Behind the Sun, Above the Moon offers nine definitions, nine interpretations of magic, nine representations of non-binary characters in own voices. The stories take the reader from world to world, universe to universe. Some are set on Earth, others are not, in an intriguing mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Some are stories of redemption, some feel like beginnings, others like the end of forever.

They didn’t all work for me on the same level, but I found them all thought-inspiring and captivating. Short stories collection can be very uneven, but this one feels completely coherent, and not repetitive either. Even the story I liked the least – Weave the Dark, Weave the Light by Anna Zabo – is really good. My favourites were twice-spent comet by Ziggy Schutz (a little slow to start but beautiful), Awry with Dandelions by J. S. Fields – surprise! – and Death Marked by Sara Codair.

1- twice-spent comet by Ziggy Schutz
2- From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S. Allen
3- Lost/Found by Brooklyn Ray
4- Awry with Dandelions by J. S. Fields
5- The Far Touch by S. R. Jones
6- Ink and Stars by Alex Harrow
7- Horologium by Emmett Nahil
8- Death Marked by Sara Codair
9- Weave the Dark, Weave the Light by Anna Zabo

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

An amazing anthology of SFF short stories with trans and nonbinary protagonists. the quality here is amazing, I loved every single one of the stories and some of them left me really hoping they’ll be turned into novels so I can read more!

Twice Spent Comet by Ziggy Schutz *****

Found family of prison convicts on an asteroid and space mermaids. Wonderful. Loved all the characters and their relationships. Loved the tech and world building. Loved the writing.

From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S Allen *****

Two POC Highway patrol officers, pretending not to love each other on the long night drives. But then drivers racing the sun, the sun explodes and magic and shit. Where is the ending? A brilliant short story but PLEASE I want more!

Lost/Found by Brooklyn Ray ****

This author always has the most gorgeous writing I’ve ever read. A cam star who meets and falls for someone made of starlight. Less plot than the others but great story,

Awry with Dandelions by J S Fields ****

A dandelion seller who shares dreams with another person crashes a coronation with a plan to stop them. Loved the silvertongued MC and the friendship (though I would have loved MORE of it!), and the worldbuilding though it was confusing at first.

The Far Touch by S R Jones ****

A witch astronaut meeting up with his coven for a ley line ritual. Soft and quiet, loved the mix of space exploration and earth magic and the feeling of love in the funny but serious moments.

Ink and Stars by Alex Harrow *****

Space tattoo magic, living-ish spaceships, turn cloak military officers on the run. Another one I really hope gets turned into a full book because of where it ends. EDIT: the author is writing a novel on it. I’M SO EXCITED!

Horologium by Emmett Nahil ****

A Christmas Carol retelling but on a one person mining space ship in the far reaches of space. Left a little too much unexplained about what was really going on for me to really love it.

Death Marked by Sara Codair *****

A guard at the ball of their younger sister who is about to inherit the sector, attempting to make up and stop her from getting killed at the same time. Great mix of fantasy and tech. Loved the relationships and worldbuilding.

Weave the Dar, Weave the Light by Anna Xabo ****

A fire witch meets a being of starlight and their sexual relationship that grows into other things helps them understand who they are and what they want.

Behind the Sun, Above the Moon, edited by Taylor Barton, is a collection I had high hopes for, and was excited to read, but ultimately chose to abandon.

This was blurbed as a “queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos” that celebrates non-binary characters. It sounded great, and I can appreciate that these are sci-fi and fantasy stories with (as opposed to the more problematic about) non-binary characters, but they just didn’t work for me.

I read through the first four stories, and just couldn’t find one that made me want to keep reading.

This is a collection of nine short sci-fi stories, each with an LGBTQ slant. I’ve always thought, given the level of fantastical imagination in the genre, it feels odd to stick to ‘he’ and ‘she’ and things that were considered ‘normal’ 50 years ago o.O So yes, we have a princess marrying not just one but two women, a non-binary witch falling for a star, and pronouns from ‘they’ to ‘xie’.

Each story does come with content warnings, for violence or body horror, etc. To be honest, the BDSM and web-cam prostitution-y stuff added very little for me to the respective stories (Weave the Dark / Lost/Found), and I found these the weakest in the collection probably because of that. Still, the magic system in Weave the Dark was intriguing.

For the rest, my only issue was the usual one with a good short story: I want more! There are so many fascinating worlds into which we are giving the briefest of tantalising glimpses. I could easily see longer works in the universes of Ink and Stars – where tattoos are used as a form of magic – or From Dusk to Dying Sun, which has such a great atmosphere – a bit X-Files, a lot weird, somehow quite chilling. Twice-Spent Comet has a different take on a futuristic penal system, with inmates used to mine asteroids. The plot didn’t grab me quite as much as the world-building, however, and is the first of several tales here that is about a relationship with a star – as in, a celestial being, not a famous person!

Awry with Dandelions is almost more fantasy than sci-fi, and was a nice change of pace. The main character finds themselves linked to another person, a continent away, every night and sometimes during the day, but only for 30 seconds or so at a time – enough to be horribly disruptive but not long enough to do anything useful with.

A few stories reminded me of other things. Horologium updates a classic – I won’t spoil it! – while Death Marked could almost have been a (Iain M Banks) Culture story (which is high praise!).

Overall, this is a strong collection of short work. Not all of them appealed to me as much as the rest, but that’s the beauty of short stories – there’s something for everyone! And absolutely no shortage of fascinating ideas here, well told.

I enjoyed this book and loved the opportunity to read ‘own voices’ works from a variety of people within the LGBTAIQ+ community. I appreciated the thorough content warnings at the beginning of each short story, rather than on the anthology as a whole, so that readers can make an informed decision if they wish to skip any of the stories because of potentially triggering themes or scenarios. That makes the anthology seem far more explicit than it is—Behind the Sun and Above the Moon simply presents non-binary people as complete individuals, so some of the stories involve sexual content, violence and other realities of human existence.
There are nine short stories in this anthology, and the character building among them is almost entirely fantastic. The genre and tone of the stories is also varied—Ink and Stars is a sci-fi adventure meets family drama, Lost/Found is a romantic and poetic coming of age story, and Horologium is a brief history of non-binary pronouns and expression, which looks hopefully to a more accepting future. Because of the incredible breath of styles represented in the authors of this anthology, I have included individual ‘if you liked x’ style recommendations at the end of each mini review. Enjoy!
Twice-spent Comet by Ziggy Schutz is a fantastic start to the anthology. The story is beautiful, with an amazing amount of character development and world-building given the constraints of the short story format. It also provides one of my favourite lines of the anthology:
“Being part of something bigger didn’t mean more fear. It meant finally finding something that made the fear feel earned.”
The found family trope is one of my absolute favourites, and it’s done spectacularly in Twice-spent Comet.
For fans of: Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid or October Daye novels, and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S Allen is an odd mix of magical realism and incredibly realised scenes. The pacing is fantastic, and the choice of second person seems made for a non-binary narrator.
Similar to: CE Murphy’s Walker Paper series
Brooklyn Ray’s Lost/Found is straight up poetry, and I loved the small, grounding touches that made Hollis come to life. A second read brings to light the exquisite layers of meaning put into this story, and if it sounds like I’m gushing—I am.
Reminiscent of: Erin Morgenstern’s Night Circus or Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle
Awry with Dandelions by JS Fields brings a lighter note to the anthology, reminiscent of Frank Tuttle’s Paths of Shadow series. This is also the first (but not last) story in the anthology to use ‘new’ pronouns—xie, xir etc. The touches of alien world-building in a futuristic alien settlement were a fun touch in an anthology dealing with some heavy subject matter, and it was a nice palate cleanser before moving on to the next story.
Comparable to: Frank Tuttle’s Paths of Shadow
SR Jones contributed The Far Touch, which provides some timely commentary on the ease with which we are now capable of destroying the earth—and the need to resist the urge to distance yourself from the people or institutions most likely to do so. I never knew an alien-astronaut-witch could be so relatable. The interactions between the three main characters smoothly raw the short story along, though I wish the ending had been more concrete.
Read if you enjoy: the work of Liz Williams
Ink and Stars by Alex Harrow was a fun, exciting read, filled with space hijinks, vaguely anti-government/corporation vibes, and interpersonal drama; so obviously I loved it. I’m also going to shout this book out for it’s representation of asexuality in non-sociopathic form, as well as casual polyamorous representation.
For fans of: Anne McCaffrey or Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire trilogy
Horologium by Emmett Nahil is possibly the strangest story in the anthology, as the main plot is a hyper-realistic dream sequence about non-binary genders through the ages. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable, with enough action and character development on Coeie’s (the narrator’s) part to keep the story from seeming absurd.
Reminiscent at times of: RF Kuang’s Poppy War
Death Marked by Sara Codair was another great entry, and I would genuinely read a novel length work set in the world created around Enzi, their job, and their family. The clash of duty and personal standards with social and familial expectations was well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
Similar to: Warbreaker or the Wax and Wayne series by Brandon Sanderson
The final story in the anthology is Anna Zabo’s Weave the Dark, Weave the Light; and definitely one of my favourites in the collection (I feel like I’ve said that about fully half this book, but that doesn’t make it any less true!). The magic system more hinted at than explained in this story is beautiful, and the emotional undercurrents woven into the story are set off perfectly by Ari’s blunt, captivating way of viewing the world.
Read if you enjoyed: Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee or Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series
If you’re a fan of any of the series I’ve listed, or just enjoy sci-fi or fantasy stories with more diversity in gender or sexuality than you might otherwise find, Behind the Sun and Above the Moon will likely appeal.

I was excited to see Behind the Sun, Above the Moon on NetGalley and delighted to receive it in exchange for an honest review.

A Queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets—entire galaxies, even—live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism, and celebrate Non-binary and Transgender characters.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because Anna Zabo is one of the authors I am diving into this year. I was also intrigued by an anthology of non-binary and transgender characters. I enjoyed all of the stories that I read, but I did not read all of the stories in the anthology. I am having a period of high anxiety and in this state, I react more strongly to body horror. Fortunately, there are content warnings before each story and I skipped the ones that said body horror. They may or may not have ratcheted up my anxiety, but I appreciated the option to skip them.

The stories I did read all deal with the permeability of boundaries. In J.S. Fields’ “Awry with Dandelions”, Orin (xie) and Mette (she) have a magical connection that puts them in each other’s dreams for a few seconds each night, leaving them feeling physically ill and exhausted. Mette figures out a way to sever the connection, but it must be done in a specific place and time. There’s a heist like feel to the adventure as well as a melancholy about separating from someone who has shared your mind.

In S.R. Jones “The Far Touch,” Kel (he), an astronaut, returns to his planet to join his coven for a ritual. Like humans on Earth, the dominant species of his planet seems to be hurtling destruction of the planet. Even back on planet, Kel feels an awareness of the ground under his feet and the space above him. It’s a beautiful meditation on connectedness.

My favorite story was Anna Zabo’s “Weave the Dark, Weave the Light.” Ari (they) is a fire witch who feels like a failure. They go ice skating and while out meet a mysterious and dangerous stranger who appears human, but is not.

"But Ari had a heart of knives and a soul of fire. Of course they’d follow."

Ari and Jonathon start an affair that isn’t, they agree, a romance. I’ve read a lot of bad BDSM romances, and I have rarely believed that the author had any idea what they were writing about. Without speculating about Anna Zabo’s private life, they write about bondage and pain play with a realism and ecstasy that I have rarely encountered. Ari and Jonathon may not have been in a romance, but “Weave the Dark, Weave the Light” is a romance with a lovely Happily for Now.

“Tell me about stars.”

Jonathan did, with words that made sense and ones that didn’t, and then whispered truths in a language Ari didn’t know. About loneliness and eternity. Falling to earth. The song of the universe that still echoed in Jonathan’s ears. Ari shuddered and listened. Cold fire wrapped into their marrow, and that at least they understood.