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Side Quest: Stories

Side Quest: Stories is the award-winning dark fantasy, science fiction, and horror short story collection from Jalyn Renae Fiske.

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GOLD Winner in 2024 Reader Views Literary Award - Short Story Collections​​

REGIONAL Winner in 2024 Reader Views Literary Award - South Region (US)

GOLD Winner in 2025 Literary Titan Book Award - July Selection 

2nd PLACE in 2025 BookFest Book Award - Short Story Collections​

FINALIST in 2025 Chanticleer International Book Award - Collections and Anthologies

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Order online from B&N, Interabang Books, Bookshop.org, Amazon, and more. Any bookstore can order it by request.

Find it on shelves at Powell's City of Books in Portland, Neighbor Books in McKinney, Crow Hollow Bookshop in Allen, and ArtbyMalm in Midland.

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From JoAnne Tompkins, the bestselling author of What Comes After:

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​"Gorgeously written, wondrous and harrowing, Jalyn Renae Fiske’s SIDE QUEST: STORIES is filled with characters isolated from their true selves. Whether a creature who kills and drinks the blood of martyrs or a child grappling with the crimes of her father, the protagonists of these stories long to break free of the trap of their lives and distorted beliefs and identities. Dark, raw and radiant."

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From the editors of The Sockdolager:​​​​​

​​​​"Deliciously creepy."

From G.G. Silverman, author of The Blood Year Daughter:​​​​​

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"A strong new addition to the world of fantastical fiction, Fiske’s SIDE QUEST: STORIES is deeply steeped in magic and heart. A lyrical, enchanting voice that’s equal parts humorous and haunting, Fiske reminds us what it is to be truly human, and how to be true to our own quests."

What Readers are Saying...

“This is a delightful collection of stories. My favorites were 'Entwined,' 'A Grave of Wind and Leaves,' 'Emry the One Who Remembered' and 'Dragon Disposal.' But picking just a few is hard. The stories vary from grim and disturbing to some showcasing growth, self-realization and hope. I will be picking this up again and again.”

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- Goodreads reviewer

“An intriguing collection of stories - some more sci-fi, some more fantasy, and many tinged with darkness. If you like your stories with a hint of horror & melancholy, you'll enjoy these tales.”

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- LibraryThing reviewer

“What impressed me most was her fearless genre-hopping. 'Scarlet and Shadow' delivers a delightful fairy tale adventure complete with derring-do, while managing to be both whimsical and surprisingly dark. Another tale of fairies and new flavor combinations is both enchanting and haunting. The Sherlock Holmes meets Lovecraft atmosphere of 'The Search for Jedda Rose' creates a perfectly grim Victorian slum aesthetic that would make Arthur Conan Doyle hesitant to be alone in the dark. Meanwhile, 'The Quiet and the Creeping' tackles the often-overlooked setting of nursing homes with a sensitivity that only comes from genuine understanding of these spaces and the lives within them. And I won’t get into “a last meal … tender as cuts of veal.” It’s just creepy. 'Zipper Boy and the Girl Made of Light' is a heartwarming boy meets girl, in a fantastic Edward Scissorhands style tale...This is multi-genre fiction at its finest.”

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- Amazon reviewer

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