Lightrunner's Gambit

by Rem Wigmore

Bria loves nothing more than running the lightways, the luminal network used to carry sensitive messages through the Nuit System. Never one to look before she leaps, Bria ignores her old mentor’s warnings about a risky mission. But he’s proven right when the Speaker Elect of Osiris takes Bria’s bad news personally.

Now stranded on an enemy planet, Bria will need all her wits—and the help of some unlikely allies—to get out alive.

51 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2023

About the author

Rem Wigmore is a speculative fiction writer from Aotearoa New Zealand, author of the solarpunk Vengeful Wild duology (Foxhunt and Wolfpack). Their other works include Riverwitch and The Wind City, both shortlisted for Sir Julius Vogel Awards. Rem’s short fiction appears in several places including Baffling Magazine, Capricious Magazine and two of the Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies. Rem’s probably a changeling, but you’re stuck with them now. The coffee here is just too good.

Reviews

[Psyckers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true gem of a Novella that is hard to put down. If you are a lover of sci-fi the premise may be familiar, yet with great world building skills, terrific and likeable character developments, this author will pull you in on this fast paced journey.
Plot tension gets increasingly pushed up to 11 as this story unfolds, making it very hard to put down.
I certainly devoured this story in one marathon session, and enjoyed it immensely, as would you.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a dynamo--the setting is imaginative, and the main character, Bria, is fun to follow around, at breakneck speed, as one of the titular Lightrunners. The tension ratchets up nicely throughout and the interpersonal growth at the core of the story pays off well in the end. A fast fun read!

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun sci-fi story, I really enjoyed the characters and the setting, and I look forward to checking out the author's other works as well!