“Aleyara’s Descent” now on sale!

As promised last week, the May/June issue of Analog Science Fiction & Fact featuring my epic new novelette “Aleyara’s Descent” is now on sale!

Here’s the description from their site: “When an encounter with a ghost suggests to young Aleyara that there may be a world beyond the one told of in her species’ stories about their arboreal home, she and a band of friends set out to discover the truth, but their biggest challenge may yet be waiting for them even if they can make it home . . .”

They’ve included a hefty free excerpt of the novelette — the first nine scenes, in fact — as an enticement, so you can get a pretty good sense of it here:

Read an extended excerpt of “Aleyara’s Descent”

You can order print or digital subscriptions here:

Order Now

As usual, I’ve put up some supplementary material on my site. The main discussion page is here, including a link to the spoiler annotations. I’ve also added description and sketches of the Biauru to my “Aliens of the Arachne-Troubleshooter Universe” page.

I’m really thrilled that this story is finally out there! I hope my readers like the Biauru as much as I do.

(Edit) The magazine’s blog, The Astounding Analog Companion, has posted a Q&A interview I did about the story:

https://theastoundinganalogcompanion.com/2023/04/20/qa-with-christopher-l-bennett-3/