An Unexpected Party

Queer speculative YA fiction

Seth Malacari

• Publisher: Fremantle Press
• eBook ISBN:
  9781760992705
• Year: 2023

A thrilling collection of queer speculative fiction for young adults.

From fantastical realms to real-world struggles, this young adult anthology champions queer identity by challenging stereotypes and exploring the many facets of identity. Written with wit, heart and honesty, these stories take queer protagonists outside the box of YA romance and centre them at the heart of stories that involve magic, paranormal beings and adventure.

Featuring trans and gender-diverse voices – asexual, aromantic, bisexual and more – the stories in An Unexpected Party are as diverse as their writers. If you are looking for stories of friendship, family, and finding yourself (but with magic and ghosts and stuff), this is for you. Get ready for a wild ride!

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Title Page
• Content Warning
• Contents
• Introduction — Seth Malacari
• Sixteen Candles (but with demons) — Shaeden Berry
• Shellshocked — Aidan Demmers
• The Excursion — Seth Malacari
• Harmless — Jesse Galea
• Violet Grim and the In-Between Place — L.E. Austin
• Thicker than Water — A.R. Henderson
• Negara — Lian Low
• Tasseography — Emma Di Bernardo
• Figment — Elizabeth Bourke
• The Graveyard Shift — Jes Layton
• The Boy and The Witch — Ash Taylor
• The Parade of the Weeds — Clover Lake
• The Swan King — Alexander Te Pohe
• Transmission Scars — Lukah Roser
• Our Time, Our Home — Alistair Ott
• Salt in Her Pockets — Anna Jacobson
• Surge — Em Readman
• Hostel Nights Like These — Henry Farnan
• The Vampire and the Aunty — Lin Blythe
• Author Biographies