The Butterfly Disjunct: And Other Stories by Stewart C. Baker

(Interstellar Flight Press, 2024)

Reviewed by Susan Maxwell

In their statement at the back of The Butterfly Disjunct, Interstellar Flight Press align themselves with Ursula Le Guin’s assertion of the need for writers who can “even imagine real grounds for hope.” This collection of short stories may not offer “real grounds” but there is a definite cheerfulness to the tales, despite their grim settings; the undefeated, even kindly, side of dystopia. The stories are loosely linked by the re-use of place or character. While no overall mosaic-pattern or world-view emerges, there is an appeal in the effect of a light being shone through random windows to illuminate brightly but briefly the lives within.

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Review from BSFA Review 25 - Download your copy here.