Guava Summer

by Vera Kurian Radix Media 5/2019, chapbook Published as part of Futures: Science Fiction Series   The citizens of Sawtelle live a meager existence, finding joy where they can in an authoritarian world where nearly everything is illegal. Rules are bound to be broken—it’s just a question of when the men in black will appear to cart you away. One private detective has always managed to stay out of trouble, despite the ever-watching Supreme Leader. When Sebastian Black, a corrupt mobster-turned-politician and former client emerges as the leading presidential candidate, the detective prepares for another sham election. But with the summer heat comes the unexpected. Reviews: “Dropped into an authoritarian future, Vera Kurian’s story swiftly had me identifying with the unnamed author and their struggles with hiding an illegal android, and navigating the liminal space between the ‘illegal’ that is necessary for survival and the ‘illegal’ that truly is sedition.” —Josh MacPhee, member of Justs