As soon as I heard of a novella exploring the backstory of a beloved character from Kornher-Stace’s novel Firebreak, I was immediately in. Flight & Anchor did not disappoint; though novella length, it packs both a powerful emotional punch and beautifully, painfully unveils the story behind the motivations of particular characters.

06 and 22’s origin was heartbreaking and moving, which is a testament to the author’s skill. Kornher-Stace is one of the best authors I can think of at writing deeply meaningful, rich platonic relationships. For that alone I will continue to pick up whatever she writes, because Flight & Anchor continues that tradition. Add on great worldbuilding and the impressive ability to weave hope through the entrenched hopelessness of dystopian settings and I am sold as a fan. 

Flight & Anchor solidified my desire to go back through the backlist of other titles by Kornher-Stace and start reading them all, since they are all apparently connected and I want to spend as much time in this universe as I can. If you want a short, powerful story of difficult choices made with love in a desperate world, Flight & Anchor is a worthy pickup.

Thank you to Tachyon and Edelweiss for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.