A collection of short stories. Publication date: October 14th, 2025. An 8” x 5” paperback. 188 pages. This is a pre-order—any other books ordered with it will ship when the pre-order is ready to ship.

In these deftly written stories of the fantastic, Christopher Caldwell unravels the complicities of personhood and gender, slavery and war.

Saints and sailors, scoundrels and surfers.

Caldwell’s characters appear in contrasting duets—first notes during the initial half, and then again in counterpoint, when the dominoes fall in the second half.

In addition to collecting incredible stories previously published in venues like FIYAH, Strange Horizons, and Uncanny, Call and Response also features the original short story “The Lonesome Sea.”

Interior illustrations by Matthew Spencer. Cover design by dave ring.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-966503-14-9

PRAISE

“Throughout, Caldwell brings his all-Black, mostly queer protagonists to vivid life while exploring the collision of the natural and the supernatural. This stuns.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)