NEW YORK - s4story -- Relics, Volume 1, a fourteen-story anthology of independent science fiction and fantasy, is scheduled for release in early October 2026 in paperback. The collection was curated by Heidi A. Hill, L. Jagi Lamplighter, and Michael Finney in coordination with Based Book Sale.

The fourteen stories are organized into three sections — The Ruins, The Remnants, and The Restored — around the idea of the relic as an object that endures for a reason. Settings range from a mythic West and 1929 Chicago to a war-torn Italian town, the Sinai, the North Sea, a glacier at the end of the world, a rogue planet, and a relic found on Mars. The contributors move freely between science fiction and fantasy rather than staying inside a single genre. The anthology grew out of the Based Book Sale community and carries its name with the blessing of the sale's creator, Hans G. Schantz.

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"Anthologies are incubators for literary movements: they give established authors room to experiment, new writers a chance to be discovered, and readers a doorway into something larger. That makes an anthology a natural next step for the growing Based Book community, and I'm delighted that Michael, Jagi, Heidi, and all the participating authors stepped up to make it happen," said Schantz.

Get the anthology: https://amzn.to/47xwB8v

The anthology format also lowers the barrier for readers who have been cautious about independent books. "Anthologies are a great opportunity for indie authors and traditionally give readers a chance to try a dozen or more writers in one purchase that is comparable to the cost of getting coffee with a friend," said Lamplighter.

Finney, who also contributes a story, on design in independent publishing: "Being able to utilize modern design tools to create unique assets allowed us to pull symbolic representations from each story and incorporate those components throughout the design. In terms of time and budget, the only way that would be possible is with a set of digital design tools that are enhanced by artificial intelligence."

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Submissions exceeded what a single book could hold, and Relics, Volume 2 is planned for 2027.

Contributing authors: Theodore D.C. Cox, C.S. Johnson, J. Trevor Robinson, Michael Finney, Ryan M. Patrick, James Pyles, L. Jagi Lamplighter, James Head, Raymund Eich, Jonathan Oldenburg, Heidi A. Hill, J.D. Cowan, Michael Ferrara, and Bowen Greenwood.

Relics, Volume 1 will be available in paperback on Amazon for $17.99 in paperback.

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ABOUT THE CURATORS
Heidi A. Hill is the author of the fantasy Songless Saga.
L. Jagi Lamplighter is a writer of fantasy and children's stories, including the Rachel Griffin series.
Michael Finney is a full-spectrum content producer who has explored music, audio, video, photography, and writing.