A neglected boy clings to an action figure like a lifeline. A trans man meets his childhood hero. An introvert finally finds her voice at a protest. In Redshirts Sometimes Survive, the outcasts, the rebels, the bullied, and the weird find themselves, one other, and a place to call home.
Spanning moments of humour, grief, joy, and resistance, these interconnected flash stories are populated by queer fans, lonely children, awkward convention-goers, and disillusioned adults who seek out their favourite starships and captains for solace and strength.
By turns moving, thoughtful, and wry, Redshirts Sometimes Survives offers connection and comfort for fans of Star Trek, and for the rest of us. Being a redshirt doesn't mean you're doomed. Sometimes, it means you survive.
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"I simply adore this book! It's a celebration both of Star Trek and of love in all its many forms. This bouquet of heartfelt flash fictions captures, better than any other work I've ever read, why Star Trek has endured as a cultural force for sixty years now: it's all about how, in this wide, wonderful universe of ours, there's a place for everybody. Written with empathy and wit, Redshirts Sometimes Survive moved me to both tears and laughter. Finnian Burnett is a national treasure." -Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of The Downloaded
"A love letter to all of us in the Bridge Crew who found family in other Trek fans. Both funny and heartbreaking." - Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Giller Prize finalist and bestselling author of The Cure for Death by Lightning
"Queer found family and crushes, a child put through the system, a nonspeaking disabled elder who recalls the TOS days, the desire for fat bodies sharing adventures, and even Star-crossed fandoms. A must-have collection for geeks of all generations." - Cait Gordon, award-winning author of Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space!
"Hilarious, harrowing, and kind." - Michelle Butler Hallett, disabled novelist and deep Trekkie, winner of the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, Constant Nobody