Author, short story aficionado, and editor Rosiee Thor (Tarnished Are the Stars;) returns with a soapy, witty, and heartfelt assemblage of queer tales all told through the lens of role-playing games.
This Is How We Roll is a showcase for how the world of the fantastic can affect reality. Depicted through a broad spectrum of storytelling, the individual stories (and individual campaigns) cover an expanse of genres and experiences. "Captain's Log" by M.K. England is a love story in which a space pirate captain and their first mate develop a relationship that blooms into a real-life gay awakening on the back of a school bus. ("Zero to first boy kiss in five seconds. Okay, I can roll with this.") Andrew Joseph White's "Oathbreaker" is a family drama featuring a transgender paladin on an epic quest for acceptance; the teen's role-playing adventure ultimately brings father and son together in a gut-wrenching and cathartic fashion. Linsey Miller takes on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing in the nerdy, asexual "Silvery Barbs," and Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos travel different paths to create two lightly intertwined stories about summer camp and the endurance of love in "Camp I" and "Camp II," respectively.
The queer diaspora is on full display here, describing a variety of characters and subject matter that is impressive and winning. Bisexuals, bards, barbarians, a nonbinary vampire, and more make an appearance as teens tackle their insecurities, family issues, and romantic entanglements. This Is How We Roll is a critical hit. --Luis G. Rendon, freelance reviewer