Love and loss

A raft of fascinating stories about the trials faced by men and women who went to war or find themselves in the middle of one and of the tribulations of those left behind and other such permeations. The stories range from the 1400's to sometime in the future and/or sometime in other worlds. The message of love and healing intertwined holds true for all the ages and places.
I really enjoyed:
Hero's Welcome by Rebecca York
The Sacrifice by Cynthia Valero
The Shadowed Heart by Catherine Asario

A NetGalley ARC ( )

Fine premise, poorly done. The majority of the stories were too short and seemed thrown together... [close] Fine premise, poorly done. The majority of the stories were too short and seemed thrown together... ( )

Once Jason Harrick was a Jagernaut Primary, one of the elite of Skolian Imperial Space Command. His squadron destroyed in one of the battles of the Radiance War, now he is its only survivor, broken in body and mind, shattered with the destruction of the squad mates with whom he had been empathically bonded, wracked with survivor's guilt. Rhose Canterhaven lives on the planet where he crashed, trying to survive in the aftermath of the war's destruction. While out searching for power sources in the ruins where Harrick is hiding, she encounters the damaged soldier. When they meet, events are set in motion that could mean Harrick's healing or his destruction.

This story is in an anthology published by Imajinn Books with a portion of the profits going to Support Our Soldiers America Inc. Each story is of a warrior facing the aftermath of battle and war and how they find their way home, geographically and emotionally. Asaro's story fits this premise neatly, looking at the pain and guilt of surviving and how hard it can be to find one's way home from such a place. Harrick doesn't just need healing; he's retreated so far into himself that first he needs to realise how injured he is. It is meeting Rhose that starts him on the long journey back.

This is a much simpler story than some Asaro has written lately. It's about love and healing and finding one's way home, even if home is now a different place and person than it was before. I like Asaro's clever and complicated stories, but I like ones like this just as much. It's a lovely little story and I hope Harrick and Rhose will pop up for a cameo in one of her future novels. ( )