Christopher Barzak

About the Author

Christopher Barzak teaches writing at Youngstown State University.

Includes the names: Chris Barzak, Cristopher Barzak, By Christopher Barzak

Image credit: Photograph of author Christopher Barzak, taken in Kinsman, Ohio [credit: Christopher Barzak]

Series

Rabid Transit chapbooks

Works by Christopher Barzak

Popular Recent

One for Sorrow (2007) 196 copies, 15 reviews

The Love We Share Without Knowing (2008) 190 copies, 12 reviews

Wonders of the Invisible World (2015) 179 copies, 9 reviews

Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing (2009) — Editor — 97 copies, 15 reviews

Before and Afterlives (2013) 46 copies

Fantasy Magazine, Issue 59 (December 2015) - Queers Destroy Fantasy! Special Issue (2015) — Editor — 44 copies

The Gone Away Place (2018) 36 copies, 2 reviews

Birds and Birthdays (2012) 15 copies, 1 review

Monstrous Alterations (2023) 9 copies

Long Voyages, Great Lies — Editor — 7 copies

Rabid Transit: Menagerie — Editor — 5 copies

Smoke City 5 copies, 2 reviews

The Language Of Moths (2009) 5 copies

Rabid Transit: A Mischief of Rats — Editor — 4 copies

A Voice Calling 4 copies

Paranormal Romance 3 copies

Invisible Men (Short story) 3 copies

Fantasy Magazine, Issue 59, December 2015: Queers Destroy Fantasy! 2 copies

Sister Twelve: Confessions of a Party Monster 2 copies, 1 review

Dead Boy Found 2 copies

Map of Seventeen 2 copies

Plenty 2 copies

The Ghost Hunter's Beautiful Daughter [short fiction] 2 copies

Rabid Transit : New Fiction by the Ratbastards 1 copy, 1 review

The Boy Who Was Born Wrapped In Barbed Wire 1 copy

Born On The Edge Of An Adjective 1 copy

The Trail Of My Father's Blood 1 copy

Vanishing Point 1 copy

Caryatids 1 copy

A Mad Tea Party 1 copy

The Other Angelas 1 copy

The Cure 1 copy

Learning To Leave 1 copy

Rabid Transit: Petting Zoo — Editor — 1 copy

What We Know about the Lost Families of ---- House {short story} 1 copy

In Between Dreams 1 copy

A Beginner's Guide to Survival Before, During and After the Apocolypse. (short story) 1 copy

The Creation of Birds {short story} 1 copy

Dead Letters [short story] 1 copy

The Drowned Mermaid 1 copy

Isis in Darkness {short story} 1 copy

We Do Not Come in Peace {short story} 1 copy

Gap Year 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales (2007) — Contributor — 509 copies, 15 reviews

Welcome to Bordertown (2011) — Contributor — 504 copies, 25 reviews

Teeth: Vampire Tales (2011) — Contributor — 308 copies, 15 reviews

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection (2002) — Contributor — 268 copies, 4 reviews

Interfictions: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing (2007) — Contributor — 225 copies, 5 reviews

Firebirds Soaring: An Anthology of Original Speculative Fiction (2009) — Contributor — 223 copies, 9 reviews

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection (2013) — Contributor — 222 copies, 3 reviews

The Beastly Bride: Tales of the Animal People (2010) — Contributor — 201 copies, 3 reviews

Wastelands 2: More Stories of the Apocalypse (2013) — Contributor — 191 copies, 5 reviews

Trampoline: An Anthology (2003) — Contributor — 170 copies, 3 reviews

Glitter & Mayhem (2013) — Contributor — 156 copies, 24 reviews

Steampunk III: Steampunk Revolution (2012) — Contributor — 155 copies, 3 reviews

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Five (2011) — Contributor — 150 copies, 4 reviews

So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction (2007) — Contributor — 132 copies

The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 15 (2004) — Contributor — 131 copies, 1 review

Salon Fantastique: Fifteen Original Tales of Fantasy (2006) — Contributor — 128 copies, 1 review

Map of Dreams (2006) — Foreword — 122 copies, 1 review

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 61 • June 2015 (Queers Destroy Science Fiction! special issue) (2015) — Contributor — 104 copies, 2 reviews

Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales (2013) — Contributor — 94 copies, 3 reviews

Magic City: Recent Spells (2014) — Contributor — 93 copies, 6 reviews

The Solaris Book of New Fantasy (2007) — Contributor — 91 copies

The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2014 Edition (2014) — Author — 77 copies, 4 reviews

Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep (2015) — Contributor — 75 copies, 2 reviews

Nebula Awards Showcase 2012 (2012) — Contributor — 69 copies, 3 reviews

Circus: Fantasy Under the Big Top (2012) — Contributor — 69 copies, 2 reviews

The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures (2014) — Contributor — 63 copies, 4 reviews

Nebula Awards Showcase 2015 (2015) — Contributor — 53 copies, 1 review

Brothers and Beasts: An Anthology of Men on Fairy Tales (2007) — Contributor — 51 copies

Twenty Epics (2006) — Contributor — 51 copies, 1 review

Best New Fantasy (2006) — Contributor — 47 copies

Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy (2021) — Contributor — 46 copies

The Book of Apex: Volume 4 of Apex Magazine (2013) — Contributor — 29 copies, 15 reviews

Uncanny Magazine Issue 1: November/December 2014 (2014) — Contributor — 28 copies, 2 reviews

Wilde Stories 2011: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction (2011) — Contributor — 25 copies, 1 review

Wilde Stories 2012: The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction (2012) — Contributor — 23 copies, 1 review

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 37 • June 2013 (2013) — Contributor — 18 copies, 4 reviews

Where Thy Dark Eye Glances: Queering Edgar Allan Poe (2013) — Contributor — 13 copies

Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 33, No. 10 & 11 [October/November 2009] (2009) — Contributor — 12 copies, 2 reviews

Uncanny Magazine Issue 8: January/February 2016 (2016) — Contributor — 11 copies, 4 reviews

Arterial Bloom (2020) — Contributor — 10 copies, 1 review

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 69 • February 2016 (2016) — Contributor — 9 copies, 2 reviews

Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 76 • September 2016 (2016) — Contributor — 7 copies, 1 review

Apex Magazine 51 (August 2013) (2013) — Contributor — 7 copies, 3 reviews

Nightmare Magazine, January 2015 (2014) — Contributor — 4 copies, 1 review

Year's Best Young Adult Speculative Fiction 2014 (2015) — Contributor — 3 copies

Apex Magazine 31 (December 2011) (2011) — Contributor — 2 copies

Fairy Tale Review: The Emerald Issue (2015) — Contributor — 2 copies

Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet No. 10 — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

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Common Knowledge

Birthdate: 1975-07-21
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Warren, Ohio, USA
Places of residence: Youngstown, Ohio, USA
Tokyo, Japan
Lansing, Michigan, USA
Southern California, USA
Occupations: writer
writing teacher
editor
Organizations: Youngstown State University
Agent: Barry Goldblatt Literary

Members

Reviews

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

I know it might sound like really faint praise, but this is a really nice book, despite having pretty high stakes. I thought I picked up a completely different book when I started reading this, so everything that happened came as a surprise. The things that I liked:
- The depiction of teenagers
- The depiction of a mother/son relationship in a fraught situation (it wasn't pleasant, but it was believable, at least to me)
- The writing style
- The structure of the book, especially the history sequences
- The atmosphere
- That there was no real romance-based drama in the story, in stead having the background relationship simply be a source of strength
- The take on stories having power

The one thing this didn't do was get under my skin in an emotional way, but everything else made up for that.… (more)

Flagged

tuusannuuska | 8 other reviews | Dec 1, 2022 |

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

Kind of 3 stars for execution of the plot: pretty straightforward problem, pretty straightforward and foreshadowed solution to which the protagonist was helped along by Jarrod, visions, his great-aunt showing him the path. Maybe a deliberate consequence of his story being told? Sort of makes me want a sequel.

4 stars for concept and feels.

Flagged

elam11 | 8 other reviews | May 30, 2020 |

Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

Lovely. Not QUITE as queer as I woulda liked!

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Loryndalar | 8 other reviews | Mar 19, 2020 |

The Love We Share Without Knowing by Christopher Barzak

Each chapter is sort of like it's own short story, though all fairly tightly related to the original story. It's a pretty dark story so if you're looking for a loving, pleasant story, this isn't it. That being said, it's well written and thought provoking. Good for book club discussions.

Flagged

Terrie2018 | 11 other reviews | Feb 21, 2020 |

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