A Tower of Mud and Branches

Social science fiction nominated for the prestigious Nebula Award. After sparing innocent citizens, the minister is sent into exile. The queen builds a gigantic defensive tower using devices brought by refugees from another reality. But even when the future calls, and a person’s fate becomes indistinguishable from the fate of the world, the past pulls us back—toward happier times and unfulfilled hopes.

The collection is supplemented with magical stories about the nature of reality, personality, and ancient fantastic technologies. “Somewhere on the border between science fiction and fantasy—slightly left of early Ted Chiang, a few degrees south of Miéville—Yaroslav Barsukov, with a brushstroke of words, drew the world I see when I close my eyes.”

“This wonderful science-fiction story about dangerous technologies contains passages of astonishing beauty—ones you should return to again and again.”