River of Bones and Other Stories by Rebecca Roanhorse
Published: March 2026
Summary from Netgalley:
A stunning collection of award-winning fantasy and science fiction short stories from the New York Times bestselling author of the Between Earth and Sky trilogy—including a new novella set in the world of Trail of Lightning.
Rebecca Roanhorse’s first publication, “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™”, was awarded both the Nebula and Hugo award for best short story, and on its strength, Roanhorse was awarded the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. Although Roanhorse began to publish novels including Trail of Lightning and Black Sun, she has continued to write piercing stories that examine the American experience through marginalized perspectives.
“River of Bones” returns to the Sixth World series with a novella, this time from Kai’s perspective, as he and Maggie travel back to where he grew up to save his ex from the people who almost beat him to death—his ex’s family.
Based on the Tewa fable of Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden, “A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy”—winner of the 2019 Ignyte award—explores the tradition of celestial-based storytelling, set in a future where virtual reality is nearly indistinguishable from the real world and celebrities can project their images into space as literal stars.
“Falling Bodies” follows a young student at a space station university caught between two disparate worlds—the one he currently inhabits and the one he has desperately tried to escape—as he searches for his place in the universe.
First published in Jordan Peele’s Out There Screaming, “Eye and Tooth” is a story of black horror about the hunters who hunt the monsters and the monstrous among us.
Through a range of contemporary to outright fantasy and science fiction, these stories will immediately capture your attention from one of our premiere writers of speculative fiction whose work is always at the vanguard of American fiction.
Confession:
This was a fantastic collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors. If you are a fan of her work this is a book that you want to pick up and devour. I loved all of the stories, even the creepy ones, but the final novella was the icing on the cake.
This is a very eclectic group of stories that represent the range of genres that Ms. Roanhorse can write in. My favorites leaned more towards the science fiction ones, but I loved the fantasy and contemporary ones as well. Of the short stories my favorite was probably Welcome to Your Authentic American Experience, a story about a young native working as a guide in a virtual world that offers ‘authentic’ Indian experiences. The ending was not at all what I was expecting. A couple of the stories are more on the horror side, but the most chilling was White Hills, as its horror lies in the contemporary prejudices of many people. Most of the stories are quick reads, but they all leave an impression.
But of course I was all here for the final novella, River of Bones. Set in the Sixth World, this story takes place after the second book in the series. I was very happy that it was told through Kai’s point of view. Kai and Maggie journey to the Burque and into Kai’s past. There we meet his first love and her powerful family. Kai is given a terrible choice by the powerful matriarch that rules the Burque, but he comes to realize how much he loves Maggie. His powers are used in a devastating way in the end but they also bring some help to the people who need it.
As much as I liked her Between Earth and Sky series, I absolutely adored the Sixth World Books. The cover of Trail of Lightning is one of my all time favorites. Like many fans I have been waiting patiently, for another book in this series. There were originally four books planned, but only two were ever published. There are hints in this novella of where the series might go, and it made me want the next book even more. Hopefully one day, the series will get it’s next book.
Fans of the author, and especially those of the Sixth World series, are going to love this collection of stories. If you have not yet read any of her series, this is a nice introduction to her work.
Confessions of a Serial Reader 