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Never Too Old to Save the World

ebook
1 of 2 copies available
1 of 2 copies available

Once every generation there is a Chosen One, who will stand between humanity and darkness.

But why is the Chosen One so often a teenager? Why do only children get swept through portals to save the fantastic world on the other side? Whose idea was it to put the fate of the world in the hands of someone without a fully developed prefrontal cortex?

In Never Too Old to Save the World, nineteen authors explore what would happen if the Chosen One were called midlife. What would happen if the Chosen One were:

  • a soccer mom
  • a cat lady
  • a nosy grandmother
  • a social worker
  • a retiree
  • an aging swordmaster?
  • The Chosen One could be anyone—because when the universe calls, the real question is whether the hero will take up the mantle and answer their midlife calling. Sometimes the world needs a hero who's already been in the thick of chaos and survived. In those cases, age does matter.

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      • Publisher's Weekly

        December 12, 2022
        These 19 clever stories reimagine the Chosen One trope, giving the mantle to older, more experienced heroes. Among the strongest pieces are “The M.A.M.I. Incident” by Guadalupe García McCall, in which bioengineered M.A.M.I.s oversee childbearing in a future in which humans are barren; “Jackolope Wives” by Ursula Vernon, a desert fantasy wherein a grandmother must clean up her reckless grandson’s mess; and “By the Work of Her Hands” by LaShawn M. Wanak, about a mother who follows her son through a portal into a war-torn land. King and Abbott do a good job pulling together an impressive and diverse group of authors—other contributors of note include Maurice Broaddus, Kathryn Ivey, and Vaseem Khan—who explore their mature characters’ conflicted response to being chosen. This thoughtful, subversive approach saps the trope of some of its usual fun, but it’s still a refreshing change of pace. There’s lots to chew on here.

      • Library Journal

        Starred review from February 1, 2023

        The "Chosen Ones" here are all middle-aged if not a bit older and have lives and careers that they are expected to set aside for a destiny that they may have wanted, once upon a time, but no longer do. The many ways in which they manage this destiny anyway, on their own terms, make this a marvelous read for SF/F fans of all ages. The standout stories here are Jim C. Hines's science-fictional "Launch Day Milkshakes," featuring a woman getting back at her misogynistic boss with the help of a brainship, an elderly cat lady, and all of her many cats; "Lean In: The Lord of Hell Is Coming" by Ericka Kahler, a Buffy-esque take on outmaneuvering both heaven and hell with the power of stock options and meaningful work; and the only previously published work in the anthology, T. Kingfisher's award-winning "Jackalope Wives," a fable about the power of having versus wanting and knowing at the end that the road taken was the right one. VERDICT Highly recommended for lovers of woman-forward SF/F and any reader still waiting for that wardrobe to open.--Marlene Harris

        Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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    • English

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