Introduction
Taking off the Mask
Kevin J. Anderson
We all wear masks, sometimes literal ones like a superhero or a bank robber; sometimes metaphorical ones, when a person disguises their true personality. As we edited this anthology, everyone around us was wearing a protective COVID mask in the face of a pandemic.
Unmasked: Stories of Risk and Revelation is an anthology put together by my grad students at Western Colorado University, all of whom are working toward their Master of Arts degree in Publishing. As their instructor, I guided this project from start to finish, but the real work was all theirs. The students developed the concept for the anthology, wrote up the submission guidelines, read through over five hundred stories in the slushpile, worked within the budget generously provided by Draft2Digital, selected the very best stories in a range of genres and tones, wrote rejection letters as well as contracts. They worked with the authors on any necessary rewrites and copy edits, they chose the cover art, designed and produced the book, and released it as their graduating project.
In Unmasked you will find uplifting superhero stories, dark dystopian stories, humorous tales of mistaken identity, the fast-paced adventures of thieves and spies, chilling tales of haunted death masks and supernatural revenge, and uplifting stories about finding and revealing one’s true identity. As a bonus, we are including the Nebula Award-winning masterpiece “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” by the late Eugie Foster, a novelette I edited back in Nebula Awards Showcase 2011, which fit so perfectly with the theme.
Take off your own mask, put on your reading glasses, and enjoy these 21 tales of risk and revelation.
—Kevin J. Anderson,
Director, Publishing Program
Graduate Program in Creative Writing
Western Colorado University
Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 170 books, 58 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes, as well as unique steampunk fantasy novels Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, written with legendary rock drummer Neil Peart, based on the concept album by the band Rush. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series, the Terra Incognita fantasy trilogy, the Saga of Shadows trilogy, and his humorous horror series featuring Dan Shamble, Zombie PI. He has edited numerous anthologies, written comics and games, and the lyrics to two rock CDs. Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta are the publishers of WordFire Press and he is the Director of the Publishing MA program at Western Colorado University. His most recent novels are Vengewar, Stake, and The Duke of Caladan (with Brian Herbert).