Crashed LandingsEdited by
David Badurina
(Raconteur Press, April 2026. 232 pp., pb)
“Skybreak Race” by J. VanZile
“Eyes Over Hammer” by Jordan Seymour
“Static In the Pines” by Malory
“First Contact” by Jesse Friend
“Shooting Stars” by Jason B. Hobbs
“Neptune’s Nebula” by Addison Reid
“A Prayer, A Wish, And A Frame” by C. M. Craig
“And A Little Child Shall Withstand Them” by G. Scott Huggins
“Fugitives” by Michael LaVoice
“Vaporhawk Sky” by S. B. Watson
Reviewed by Chuck Rothman
Crashed Landings is a YA anthology of teenagers dealing with crashed spaceships and other aliens.
“Skybreak Race” by J. VanZile has George wreck Mason’s bicycle with a thrown rock, since Mason believed George has cheated him. During the argument, something falls from the sky and lands nearby and the two boys forget their squabble and go to investigate. They find a meteorite, which Mason takes, just ahead of their neighbor Mr. Danver, who wants it for himself. And it turns out there’s a fourth interested party. Interesting bit of action, if somewhat too simple for my taste.
Jordan Seymour has a group of teens on bikes spotting a crashed spaceship in “Eyes Over Hammer.” Danny, Scotty, and Parrot investigate and find a robotic arm, and a bigger robot that starts shooting at them. They take the arm to Crazy Omo’s pawn shop, where he reveals that the town has been having these sorts of objects crash land for years and the arm belongs to a robotic killer. The story has an interesting premise but is routine overall. It also suffers from having the same setup as the previous story.
“Static In the Pines” by Malory shows a group of teens on bikes—Jax, Sam, and Eli—finding that the thing landing is a giant heart that is taking over the town by changing the flora and fauna. The story ramps up the horror element, which does strengthen it.
Jesse Friend’s “First Contact” is about a group of teen girls on bikes who investigate a crashed spaceship. The inhabitant is an alien female, dubbed “Cherry,” whose touch causes flowers to grow and who is devastated emotionally by the crash. The humans take her back to the cabin at their camp. The story stands out because of the shift to a female perspective and its gentle ending.
“Shooting Stars” by Jason B. Hobbs is a nice break in the pattern. Rafe and Charrie are two teens who spot a bunch of meteors landing nearby. We quickly discover that they are not humans and the ship is piloted by one—an American who needs their help. The switcheroo is one reason the story stands out as they try to help the “alien” from Earth.
Addison Reid contributes “Neptune’s Nebula,” which is the name of a board game that Jamie, Chris, and Zach are involved in. When a meteorite lands, they ride their bikes to investigate and learn that it’s a spaceship that parallels the game. A little different from the other stories, but its ending lacks drama and I wondered if it was intended to be the start of a series.
“A Prayer, A Wish, And A Frame” by C. M. Craig features the twin brothers Nick and Neil, who are awakened by a sound from their garage and discover their toy robots have been taken over by an alien consciousness. One of them helps them, but the other is a dangerous monster that eats metal and grows bigger all the time. The connection between the twins is a strong part of the story as they try to defeat the robot before it becomes unstoppable.
Lifelong friends Don and Jordon survived a car accent, but for some reason, Don would no longer speak to Jordan. G. Scott Huggins’s “And A Little Child Shall Withstand Them” concentrates on Jordon’s surprise and confusion when his best friend in the world no longer wants anything to do with him. The story has some real emotional depth as Jordan slowly realizes the reason, which is a strong variation on the theme of the book.
“Fugitives” by Michael LaVoice starts with Kev and Zach trying to make a documentary on Bigfoot. What they find is a Sasquatch-like creature and, just as they try to film him, something crashes nearby. It is a type of space military that is looking for the creature, called a Vakness and who is one of a dangerous warrior race. The Sasquatch takes exception, saying he is a fugitive who wants to get away from their warlike personas. The concept is a strong one and the story is good overall, but I kept being taken aback because, even though it’s ostensibly set on Earth of 1989, the setup includes elements that make no sense given the location and time period. A minor quibble, though.
S. B. Watson’s “Vaporhawk Sky” has a group of teens finding a crashed spaceship. Tomb Raider (the name comes from his favorite video game) is a ham radio fan, while Trudy is his best friend and knows how to use a slingshot. The ship is called “Vaporhawk” and its only survivor is a woman, who reveals a major conspiracy she is fighting against. The story rises above the rest with the addition of some time travel elements, and is the strongest in the volume.
The main issue with this selection of stories is that too many repeat the same theme: a group of teens, usually boys, find a crashed spaceship/creature and have to deal with the danger, or protect the invader. Indeed, the best stories here are where they vary that template. This would be less of a problem with standalone stories, but one after another has a negative effect.
Chuck Rothman’s novel The Cadaver Princess is out from Amazing Stories Selects. He’s online at chuckrothman.com.