Trying saying that five times fast….
Did you miss my short story Return Blessing last year in Analog magazine? Luckily for you, it’s now available in standalone ebook and print editions at all the usual places.
Jeffrey just wants to have a good time, drinking and partying in the
human zone near the city of the low-tech, insectoid aliens native to the
planet Valoduria.His dad disapproves his lifestyle, but the old man is willing to pay
for it. As long as Jeffrey transmits amateur xenology videos home every
week.Jeffrey gets along fine with the Valodurians. Sure, they all look
alike to him, but humans all look the same to them, right? They give him
gifts. They don’t even care he can’t tell a religious icon from a sex
toy, or a brimless hat from a floppy drinking cup.Now, if only Jeffrey could tell what one particular Valodurian, with
unreadable eyes and sharp mouthparts, wants when it asks him to
“return blessing.”
Since you’re wondering, yes, this story is set in the same alien-filled universe as my novel Azureseas: Cantrell’s War.
Speaking of Analog…. but that’s a post for another day.