Marie Brennan

Sep 20, 2024 | strangehorizons.com | Sneha Pathak |J.L. Akagi |Marie Brennan |Emily Liu

Rohan Monterio’s Shadows Rising is a mythological fantasy featuring a yaksha, a celestial being found in Hindu mythology, as its central character. Akran, who was once a powerful yaksha warrior with friends in high places, has been living in Mumbai for a long time when the book opens. He keeps away from the prying eyes of the powerful celestials who banished him thousands of years ago for a crime he has no memory of committing.

Sep 17, 2024 | strangehorizons.com | Archita Mittra |J.L. Akagi |Marie Brennan |Emily Liu

My first introduction to Tobi Ogundiran’s work was his short story “The Lady of the Yellow-Painted Library,” which appeared in the Africa Risen anthology. In this tale, an unlucky salesman is relentlessly pursued by an otherworldly librarian for failing to return on time a copy of Things Fall Apart. It’s a fiendishly funny tale about karmic justice and repaying debts that also manages to be enormously entertaining.

Sep 17, 2024 | strangehorizons.com | Marie Brennan |J.L. Akagi |Emily Liu |Archita Mittra

Last week I had a word for it. That feeling when something goes well,really well,and you’re warm and bright inside—there’s a word—but it’s gone, stolen, seized in the raid;the others have it nowin the town across the bay,not the feeling, but yes the feeling,and the word. They came again this week,with those things in their hands—metal, sharp,you hurt people with them,we have them too,but not the word—not anymore—the sounds and the sensetaken back across the bay,a trophy of their triumph.

Sep 17, 2024 | strangehorizons.com | J.L. Akagi |Marie Brennan |Emily Liu |Archita Mittra

A whale soars over Brooklyn. Clouds spread in streaks over the pale blue sky like cold butter. And the whale cleaves right through. Dar spots it from his perch on the rooftop, smoking a contraband cigarette. At first, it looks like the whale is just playing. Bobbing in and out of the clouds the way calves do during their migratory season. But the whale is too large to be a calf; it casts a shadow over the entire block as it glides directly overhead.

Sep 16, 2024 | strangehorizons.com | Emily Liu |Marie Brennan |J.L. Akagi |Archita Mittra

time wrinklesa brief softeningand then a flood. raintinged with lavender, mild scentof rot and freshness. a decay and a blossom. shedding the old skin, again,studded with the last universe’s stars. rictus, squeezing — pain. the silent sound of tearing. blood becomes time. then a slinky of selves, wormholing haphazardbetween those spacesbetween our wordsbetween us,when i —when we —that lookbetween us, before i move all at once — we move — who first?