THE ABILITY FOR people to control fire was a major step forward in human evolution, but when fire eludes or escapes our control it is also one of the most destructive forces on earth. Associated with passion, power, transformation, and purification, fire is a ferocious element with an unquenchable appetite. Fire is dramatic. It is bold. Powerful. Beautiful. Terrifying. It can consume everything in its path or push back the darkness so you can see the terrors which loom all around you. It can purify or purge. Brand or bless. I wanted this anthology to explore the many facets of this beautifully furious element and the creatures associated with it.
When it comes to fiery beasties, we’ve got phoenixes, superheroes, aitvaras, demigods, hellhounds, sentient fire, ifrits and, of course, demons, dragons, and djinns. And when it comes to tone, style, and theme, these stories run the gamut as well. Even the settings are manifold—the Arctic circle, fantasy lands, Alberta highways, Hollywood, crematoriums, London during the Blitz . . .
There are some really interesting intersections too, perhaps as a result of the wishlist I posted on my blog during the submissions window. In it, I asked for some very specific kinds of stories that I’d like to see . . . but here’s the thing. I do a wishlist for pretty much every anthology I edit, and usually I see a handful of stories in the submissions that clearly reflect what I asked for in it. This time was different. I don’t know why, but for some reason instead of three or four submissions that included settings, characters, or topics I asked for in the wishlist, there was like thirty or forty of them. It was beautiful. Magical. And also a nightmare. Because then I was tasked with having to cut amazing stories that were exactly what I’d asked for. That was extremely difficult, but I was aiming for as much diversity as possible in this anthology so, for example, I could only include one story about fiery shapeshifters who live on Mars and work as haberdashers even if I got three that were amazing. I didn’t get any stories of that specific description, but you know what I’m saying . . .
Even with that idea front of mind as I was crafting the Table of Contents, I still ended up with some similarities. For example, two of the stories potentially take place on the exact same night in the exact same city. Two others involve superheroes. Another pair of stories are both set in the tundra. Belonging was a recurring theme, as was acceptance, purification, and the problems of genie wishes.
Still, overall, I think I achieved my goal of including as many different fiery creatures and characteristics of fire as I could possibly pack into an anthology. And best of all? Not only do they work together as a collection, but each story is also pretty special all by itself. Of course, that might be my bias showing . . . but I don’t think so.
Rhonda Parrish
Edmonton
2/7/2018