By my count, the anthology collects 25 stories, 3 poems, and 2 graphic novels together in a ~600 page volume touching pulp traditions and themes within the context of the beliefs (some very non-doctrinal) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). I think it’s a worthy volume. The tone is wide-ranging, from Lovecraftian weird to outright-Mel-Brooks silliness, to occasional theological musing. There’s something here for everyone, even the fan of military science fiction, believe it or not.
Here’s an excerpt from Out of the Deep.
Out of the Deep has a long and twisted backstory. It was originally titled Lead Kindly Light, in tribute to my favorite hymn; and Clark originally wanted to get rid of the Wolf in order to reconnect with the family he’d abandoned. As I got critiques back and as I thought more about the story, I began to prefer a more spare framework for Clark’s struggle. I decided to drop the family/redemption angle in order to highlight the idea that Clark’s battle against the wolf was intrinsically valuable.
By making it so spare, I realize that I’ve opened an avenue for readers to accept the story as allegorical. That’s intentional. I’m happy to accommodate varied and wide interpretations of what Clark’s story means.