Tesseracts Nine sets out to prove "there is no such thing as Canadian fantasy and SF". Editor Geoff Ryman makes that claim right in the introduction. I was uncertain why Canadian editors would make such a claim let alone set out to prove it. Nalo Hopkinson and Geoff Ryman surely count themselves as writers of such material, so what would I find in its 23 pieces?

I found some of the best work I have read, by anyone, from anywhere. Nalo and Geoff would seem to have disproved their assertion. But, of course, they are experienced in what they do and know whereof they speak. It is me, I confess, who has been having you on.

Did you notice I said, 'from anywhere'? That's the point Tesseracts Nine sets out to make. Canadian Speculative Fiction authors are alive and well, putting out superb work; it's just that there is nothing that sets any of it apart as particularly Canadian.

Nancy Kilpatrick's "Our Lady of the Snows" speaks to the universal issues of ageing in a youth obsessed century, the desire we all have to belong, to have hope, and to find purpose and pride in our life. It matters not a whit that it happened in Montreal.

"Mirrors", by René Beaulieu, strips away all but one goal and forces us to confront the ultimate survival decision. It made me a tiny bit uncomfortable. Good SF should make you squirm in your comfort zone. You don't need to be Canadian to write about, or be affected by, the decision a father makes.

"The Singing": Gentle, poetic and powerful. Six pages of magic. You won't care where author Dan Rubin happens to live, or where the story is set.

"Principles of Animal Eugenics", by Yves Meynard: Creepy, atmospheric, and intense. People everywhere believe a dog is a man's best friend; maybe we should all think again.

Rhea Rose's "Mermaid" is a poem for anyone who's looked at an ocean or longed to see the sea.

In "Being Here", Claude Lalumière offers us a ghostly story that isn't quite a ghost story. We all feel invisible sometimes, but who knew this could happen?

Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy bring us "Mayfly". Kids and parents will always struggle to understand one another, but what would you do if your child had a four digit IQ and an off switch?

"Omphalos", by Pat Forde is a tale about a future that is all too easy to see unfolding every time you watch the news, read a paper, or scan a blog.

The book's most unusual selections are three brief excerpts from The Fugue Phantasmagorical, which are scattered through the anthology. They tickle the brain in all the right places so you want more. May Thoth guide me as surely as he has co-authors Anthony MacDonald and Jason Mehmel.

I'm picking titles at random. Every piece proclaims its author's love of the genre and a desire to produce a top notch product. Tesseracts Nine has time travel and vampires, artificial intelligence and intelligent lemmings, Norse mythology and Catholic churches. It shows us the power of technology and the peace of prayer and faith. Death happens and life triumphs. Marbles spin magic and butterflies lead to the afterlife. Mother Teresa moves in; a strange coin keeps coming back. There's something for everyone, from fairy tale poems to an uncle's powerful wisdom, from ancient Egypt to the stars.

In her Final Thoughts Nalo Hopkinson invites us to consider the flea on the elephant. "The elephant is probably oblivious, though perhaps occasionally itchy where the flea makes her gustatory intrusions." I humbly submit that the elephant won't be oblivious for long. Tesseracts Nine is a flea that will be noticed.

My final thoughts are for Colleen McDonald's beautiful cover art, Illusions of Power. Colleen told me that it was only after she'd finished it that she understood who really held the balance of power between her figures. It says all you need to know about genre fiction in Canada. When Canada's Speculative Fiction writers stand tall they can unseat anyone.

Synopsis
Each year Tesseract Books chooses a team of editors from amongst the best of Canada's writers, publishers and critics to select innovative and futuristic fiction and poetry from the leaders and emerging voices in Canadian speculative fiction.

Tesseracts Nine expands the dimensions of speculative fiction experientially, with startling visions of the future by new and established Canadian authors.

Featuring twenty-three stories and poems by: Timothy J. Anderson, Sylvie Bérard, René Beaulieu, E.L. Chen, Candas Jane Dorsey, Pat Forde, Marg Gilks, Sandra Kasturi, Nancy Kilpatrick, Claude Lalumière, Anthony MacDonald, Jason Mehmel, Yves Meynard, Derryl Murphy, Rhea Rose, Dan Rubin, Daniel Sernine, Steve Stanton, Jerome Stueart, Sarah Totton, Élisabeth Vonarburg, Peter Watts, Allan Weiss, Alette J. Willis and Casey June Wolf.

Edited by Sunburst and World Fantasy Award winning authors Nalo Hopkinson and Geoff Ryman, Tesseracts Nine showcases the very best in Canadian speculative fiction literature (including English translations of works by French-Canadian authors).