by Neon Yang
First published 2019
This collection presents five standalone novellas from Tor.com Publishing. In The Black Tides of Heaven, twins navigate a world where magic and technology collide in JY Yang's Tensorate universe. Runtime follows a cyborg competitor in the grueling Minerva Sierra Challenge, a brutal race across the Sierra Nevada mountains enhanced by corporate sponsorships and cutting-edge augmentations. The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps blends sword and sorcery with gods walking among mortals in Kai Ashante Wilson's commercial debut. Mars Xi possesses deadly psychic abilities but discovers her mental powers alone cannot save her in the space adventure Killing Gravity. The horror tale The Murders of Molly Southbourne reveals a woman cursed with a terrifying condition: every drop of her blood creates a murderous duplicate. Editor Carl Engle-Laird curated this selection to highlight diverse voices in speculative fiction, featuring Hugo and Nebula Award finalists alongside BSFA and Shirley Jackson Award nominees.
Genres: short-stories, science-fiction, fantasy
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Sierra Nevada, Mars
Period: 21st-century
550 pages · Kindle Edition · Tordotcom
Content warnings: body-horror, violence