Author(s): S. Qiouyi Lu

Science Fiction & Fantasy

"This masterful work positions Lu among the vanguard of contemporary futurism and speculative fiction."—<i>Publishers Weekly, </i>starred review In the tradition of Italo Calvino’s <i>Invisible Cities</i>, debut author S. Qiouyi Lu has written a multifaceted story of borders, power, diaspora, and transformation with <i>In the Watchful City</i>. The city of Ora is watching. Anima is an extrasensory human tasked with surveilling and protecting Ora’s citizens via a complex living network called the Gleaming. 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 harm. When a mysterious outsider enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around with the world with a story attached to each item, Anima’s world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places—and possibilities—æ never before imagined to exist. But such knowledge leaves Anima with a question that throws into doubt ær entire purpose: What good is a city if it can’t protect its people?