A sickly biologist shuts herself off from the world and its deadly pollutants to research her beloved microbiota in peace - until a chance encounter drives her to venture out into an unlivable Bangalore.

In a dystopian Arizona, a couple performs forbidden life-saving abortions amid the threat of tanks and drones, the strict report of automatic weapons and the spying eyes of neighbors.

A young woman competes in a grueling challenge, determined to win a place in a world where body modifications equal class and grant people the privilege of transcending gender.

In this collection of 14 layered stories featuring dying cities, undying humans, amorphous bodies, cyborg racers and magic beetles, internationally acclaimed writer and data scientist S.B. Divya treads the line between the present and the future, while exploring the eternal conundrums of identity and love in speculative worlds.

“One of the few voices of South Asian origin in the speculative genre, Divya’s short fiction collection marks her out as an important figure in this burgeoning space. Her stories, which are about the human condition, reflect in form and content the CJ Cherryh quote that the author includes as an epigraph before the contents page: “Nothing’s hopeless except never trying.” — Hindustan Times

“Like the best speculative fiction, these stories are human at their heart, while encouraging us to think what it is to be human when the background conditions that structure our world are tweaked in ever so slight, ever so predictable, but ever so consequential ways.” — Mithila Review

“While more diverse than classic SF, Divya’s fiction remains firmly within the main SF tradition; it explores themes that will be familiar to experienced readers.” — James Nicoll Reviews