Daños Colaterales reads like holocaust fiction. The heavy handedness of some of its cruelty would be unimaginative if it wasn’t honest. Its inhumanity is made bearable by the genius and compassion of its writers. A rogue smile flashes on my face whenever I read the ending of “How To Play” by Antonio Cruz, wherein children negotiate a game of cops and robbers with the rules of the State of the Exception. It ends with children articulating an abolitionist vision: the game is only won when there are no more cops, no more presidents, no more robbers, and only civilians. The civilians tell the rest of the characters that they better start running. The authors in the anthology here don’t rely on strictly realist narratives. In “A Quick and Effective Solution,” David HP employs a slick parable. In “Flashback Arrests,” Walter Melendez takes us on a spin through the multiverse, tearing past the fabric of time to highlight the absurdity and the spiritual costs of the State of Exception, all rendered in exceptionally gorgeous prose. When the writers do explore realist depictions, many do it through captivating personas, such as that of an envious woman who sent in a false report on one of her competitors or that of a group of professional mourners who attend funerals on a daily. The writers in this collection are risking their freedom and safety in speaking out. I was consistently impressed by both their craft and bravery in this necessary collection.