S. Qiouyi Lu Books

In the Watchful City explores borders, power, diaspora, and transformation in an Asian-inspired mosaic novella that melds the futurism of Lavie Tidhar’s Central Station with the magical wonder of Catherynne M. Valente’s Palimpsest.The city of Ora uses a complex living network called the Gleaming to surveil its inhabitants and maintain harmony. Anima is one of the cloistered extrasensory humans tasked with watching over Ora's citizens. Although ær world is restricted to what æ can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from all harm.All that changes when a mysterious visitor enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around the world, with a story attached to each item. As Anima’s world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places—and possibilities—æ never before imagined to exist, æ finds ærself asking a question that throws into doubt ær entire purpose: What good is a city if it can’t protect its people?

Your future is bright! With a robot mother, an alien hive-mind father, and counterfeit 3D-printed steak for dinner, you're navigating a quirky world. Despite worker bot mutinies and a tour guide who only speaks in memes, you can always sell your native language for some extra cash. This space-age sequel to an award-winning anthology showcases the rising stars of science fiction from the past five years, including Rebecca Roanhorse, Amal El-Mohtar, and Sam J. Miller, among others. Their extraordinary stories have been curated by author Hannu Rajaniemi and genre expert Jacob Weisman. Prepare to join the starship revolution, as the new kids have already hacked the AI. Contents include an introduction by Jacob Weisman and a foreword by Hannu Rajaniemi, along with notable stories like "Openness" by Alexander Weinstein, "The Shape of My Name" by Nino Cipri, and "Utopia, LOL?" by Jamie Wahls. Other highlights include "A Series of Steaks" by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, "The Secret Life of Bots" by Suzanne Palmer, and "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™" by Rebecca Roanhorse. This collection promises to take you on a journey through imaginative landscapes and innovative narratives that challenge the boundaries of the genre.