Ethnic traditions meld with fantastic visions in the short fiction of Toronto author Derwin Mak, collected for the first time in the upcoming book Mecha-Jesus and Other Stories.
The twelve stories were all previously published in a range of outlets, from a magazine of Asian Canadian arts and culture to anthologies by major publishers to a chapbook from a Toronto-based science fiction convention. The stories themselves are as varied, asking what-if questions through the lens of alien contact, cultural conflict, alternative history featuring time travel or eldritch gods, and more. They feature rocket scientists and ballet dancers, priests and Hooters Girls.
The stories in this collection have been widely praised, with Speculating Canada writing of “Mecha-Jesus”: “Mak shows an ability to question the boundaries of religion and explore universal human themes like the quest for the ‘truth’”, and the New York Catholic Examiner saying “Cloned to Kill” “was fairly awesome, and very well constructed.” Mak’s writing has been described as “fascinating” (JF Garrard, editor and author of The Undead Sorceress), and Liana Kerzner, TV presenter and editor, said of Mak’s novel The Shrine of the Siren Stone, “I got teary-eyed in a few places, and I laughed out loud in others.”
Mecha-Jesus and Other Stories will be releasing March 8, 2024 in trade paperback (324 pages, ISBN 978-1-998795-17-8, $23.99 CAD) and ebook (ISBN 978-1-998795-18-5, $4.99) formats. In partnership with Toronto Lit Up, an initiative of the Toronto Festival of Authors and Toronto Arts Council to promote Toronto authors, a live launch party will be held February 29, 2024 at the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy, Lillian H. Smith Branch, 239 College Street, 3rd floor. The event will be free and open to the public, with the author and publisher on hand to give readings, sign books, and discuss the stories.
In addition to his novels and short fiction, Derwin Mak has edited two anthologies of Asian science fiction and fantasy and published numerous nonfiction articles about science fiction and cultural issues. He has won two Aurora Awards and the Alberta Book Publishing Award. He has degrees in accounting and military history, was the first person to capture a Pokémon inside the Royal Canadian Military Institute, and recently took part in the London Sheep Drive as a Freeman of the City of London.
Mecha-Jesus and Other Stories is Milton, Ontario SFF publisher Brain Lag’s 55th signed title. It joins 47 currently released books from the publisher, including five other short story collections from four authors. A second volume of Mak’s short fiction will be coming in late 2024.
Media inquiries and requests to contact the author can be directed to publishing@brain-lag.com.
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