Khan Wong |
The Circus InfiniteA circus takes down a crime-boss on the galaxy’s infamous pleasure moon.
Hunted by those who want to study his gravity powers, Jes makes his way to the best place for a mixed-species fugitive to blend in: the pleasure moon. Here, everyone just wants to be lost in the party. It doesn’t take long for him to catch the attention of the crime boss who owns the resort-casino where he lands a circus job. When the boss gets wind of the bounty on Jes’ head, he makes an offer: do anything and everything asked of him, or face vivisection. With no other options, Jes fulfills the requests: espionage, torture, demolition. But when the boss sets the circus up to take the fall for his about-to-get-busted narcotics operation, Jes and his friends decide to bring the mobster down together. And if Jes can also avoid going back to being the prize subject of a scientist who can’t wait to dissect him? Even better. "Khan Wong gives us an adventure that reaches all the right hard-hitting space fantasy notes while protecting a tender heart of inclusivity and respect. Featuring an ace protagonist, the consent dynamics of the book are particularly adept. The Circus Infinite explores the nuances of gender and sexuality while punching you in the gut with soaring feats of gravity and interrogations that will make you gasp out loud.
– TJ Berry, author of Space Unicorn Blues Wong luxuriates in sweet scenes between Jes and his first love, Bo, and develops heartwarming found family dynamics in Jes’s other relationships. The worldbuilding is just alien enough while still inviting readers in, and it’s a pleasure to witness the world through the lens of its progressive social dynamics. It’s a thoroughly enchanting adventure.” – Publisher’s Weekly, starred review. Khan Wong has made the book for which so many of us have been yearning! The Circus Infinite is not only a gripping science-fiction tale set in a lushly imagined universe teeming with fabulous aliens, extraordinary powers, and political drama, but also a story that celebrates our real, lived spectrum of gender and sexuality. To top it all off, it revolves around a circus, the perfect manifestation of outsider community, artistic expression, and a sense of wonder. The Circus Infinite renews faith in the power of science fiction to represent our world even as it lifts our imagination beyond it. – Justin Hall, editor of No Straight Lines This dazzling space opera debut is a real delight, set in a vivid, inclusive future full of lively characters and showy set pieces. Running away to join the circus has never been more fun! – Tim Pratt, Hugo Award-winning SF and Fantasy author" Available for order:
Khan has played cello in an earnest folk rock duo, been a firedancer, spent several years as an internationally known hula hoop performer and teacher including a stint with a circus, and produced flow arts shows. He has worked in the nonprofit arts most of his career, most recently as a grantmaker for a public sector arts funding agency.
Tags: Adult, LGBTQIA+, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction/SFF, Space Fantasy, BIPOC
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