Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World

by Gigi Ganguly

ODD STORIES ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD.
A cloud-herder gathers his flock as he prepares to retire. Meanwhile, the imminent retirement of its most talented singer is sending panic waves through the Weather Department. And a corvid inspector faced with a very tough case must also deal with a ruined reputation and morose associates.
Gigi Ganguly's speculative short stories are shot through with a deep love for the natural world, grave concern about the crises that envelop it today and a rare kindness even as she places the blame for it all on one species. At once fantastical and familiar, playful and disturbing, these stories root around in the world we think we know, dredging up truths that often evade our eyes.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2024

About the author

Gigi Ganguly is a human writer who feels most at ease in the company of cats and dogs.
Please be aware, her writings are speculative in nature.

Reviews

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very conceptually interesting.

[Rusha · Rating 1 out of 5]

RIP to the tree that died for this book to be printed

[Kshitij Bajpai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review Ahead»»

Book - Biopeculiar
Author - Gigi Ganguly
Pages - 196
Published - April 15 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Stories connect generations. The stories your grandmother narrated might have happened when was not even born yet, but now, when the world is changing for worse in a drastic manner because of climate change makes us wonder whether the stories we have heard growing up would still be relevant in the next 20 years. Gigi Ganguly takes this question head on with Biopeculiar as she crafts stories where the main character is nature: the clouds, the earth, the trees and beyond.
Ganguly sets the stage with the pilot story 'Head in the Clouds' in probably the most depressing manner. The story is not long, but it stayed with me days after I completed the book. Whereas stories like 'Toothache' and 'Cocoon' have a slight humorous undertone, 'A Year (Not Quite) Alone in an Alien Wilderness' and 'Polarspeak' make you experience loss in a manner that is practically not possible yet, it tugs at your heart and make you wish that the characters did not have to suffer in any manner.
The writing makes you ask questions that you won't on a regular day. Thoughts like the point of existence of loss, and what it is to be a human (around humans or not) plagued me and I honesty felt like this book was more of a philosophical lecture than a short story collection.
Easily one of the most memorable books of 2024, Biopeculiar deserves all your love.

[Runalong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely impressive and creative short story collection with tales of wonder, horror, humour and kindness. Very few go where you expect them to but they all make sense on their own terms

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Rahul Vishnoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

STORIES OF MELANCHOLY AND CHAOS- Review of Biopeculiar by Gigi Ganguly


Although nothing is common in 22 stories of Biopeculiar by Gigi Ganguly, a speculative twist of the sub-genre of cli-fi (climate fiction), they are united by a strong undercurrent of empathy for the life around us. Life, not life. These stories carry a grain of empathy; Ganguly has embossed it into every word, every paragraph that these stories carry. Apart from empathy, two sentiments vein through the entire collective: melancholy and chaos.
There is a sense of loss in Ganguly’s world. A sense of loss for lives gone by, a sense of loss for things going haywire in the now and a sense of loss for the lives that will be lost, the ones that are doomed anyway. This loss is reflected in the thread of melancholy that Ganguly has so tenderly, so delicately woven through the spine of her stories. She has flicked a little bit of soul into her words, sending them out to distribute it to generate more kindness, to pull more empathy out of the world that is more stone and less tears.
In a short story ‘Talkers’ by Manjula Padmanabhan’s ‘Stolen Hours and other curiosities’, she writes about two aliens who visit Earth for the second time to give all non-human entities the power of speech. Ganguly has done the same in her books: give a power of expression to the ones who can’t speak, right from birds to silkworms, otters to tigers, trees to sea and polar bears and whatnot. Here you meet tigers who take you on time travel, leotard wearing superhumans who tame you, birds inspecting an avian murder, a man metamorphosing into an insect and on and on.
The story that kickstarts the collection, ‘Head in the clouds’ is about a cloudherder on the verge of retirement. He is trying to locate a missing cloud, fearing theft by cloud seeding companies. When I read this story, it somehow evoked nostalgia in me for a thing I haven’t even experienced and will never will. That’s the power of speculative fiction. It tugs at your heartstrings with a rope of inks and words.
In ‘Call for kelp’, a scientist finds her consciousness trapped in an otter and wishes to eat oysters. In ‘Toothache’, an old man gets a chance at redemption through a most curious time travelling machine ever. Sort sol begins with something as innocuous as bird watching and ends up at something completely otherworldly, making an ordinary housewife its hero.
‘Ceaselessly sea follows’ is one of the shortest but most powerful and poetic stories of all. It talks about ceaseless hunger of sea. It’s the story of the sea which flows on overpopulated lands, gobbling up not just sand and trash but ‘hopes and griefs’ too. Yet, the sea is never satiated and hungers for more. Read on: “One day, it knows, the balance will tip over… And the sea will finally be able to gulp down cars, plants, restaurants, elephants, bridges, eggs, cushions, tails, clowns, wings, fans, whiskers, hair, skin, eat the Earth whole. And then finally, it will be full.” 
In one of my favourite stories ‘Cocoon’, a group of friends spend a night at a silkworm farm and one of them comes out different. Although a review of Hindustan times describes this story as something malevolent, decrying it as an example of endless human appetite for resources, I feel my interpretation is quite different. Ganguly gave an empathetic twist to the narrative and even a group of good-for-nothing bong boys came out shining in empathy and compassion. At least lots of silkworms were saved from a horrific boiling death!
In ‘The Corvid inspector’, the longest of the collection, a crow investigates the death of a haughty, raven restauranteur. Told from multiple POVs, I thought this was the weakest of the lot. The story has novelty indeed, but it felt dragging.
In Losing, Ganguly has put a twist on Taansen. The weather department is losing their shit because their malhar singer is retiring. Even though she could lose her voice, she is made to sing and bring rain again and again. Weird and melancholic, this story is one of the most effective of the lot.
One of the good things about short stories is that you can finish them quickly. It’s a blessing if a story is a drag, but a loss if the story is a banger. There are all kinds of stories here, something for everyone. Don’t forget to pick it up.

[lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of 22 short stories (some very short, others longer) on climate fiction. The stories are quite unusual: there is a dragon with telepathic powers, there are humans who grow vines from their necks and who live on the earth after a catastrophic climate event, and there is moss that can send pictures via messenger and feed the cat. In her stories, the author gives all kinds of animals a voice: otters, bees, birds, dolphins, polar bears, and cockroaches.

I was so close to giving up on this book. The first few stories did nothing to me. Not only did the topics and the content not interest me, but the writing didn't convince me either.
Things got better when I reached the story "Cocoon". I thought the writing was well done, the dynamic between the three friends felt very realistic.
Shortly after this, the longest story of the book follows: "Corvid Inspector," which is some kind of detective story set amongst birds. This was by far my favorite story.
My second-favorite story is "Whirlwind" – beautifully crafted, great ending.

Even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped, I still found some entertaining reads, interesting takes and a few great humorous lines in "Biopeculiar". I think the whole genre is just not for me, but I do appreciate the author examining ideas of what life on earth could look like after humans have perished and/or left.

[Divya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read almost everything from fiction to non-fiction to self-help to poetry to historicals to thrillers and mysteries to the covers of cereal boxes. But the books I go to when I need a pick-me-up fall in the fantasy, scifi, spec-fic genres. And I’m always complaining that there aren’t enough Indian writers/works in these genres. But things are changing, and Gigi’s works are a testament to that.

Biopeculiar is a collection of stories with a common hero — nature. It’s original, awe-inspiring, heartwarming, funny, poetic and SO DAMN CHEEKY! The author's love for animals (and nature, but especially animals) shines throughout the collection.

This is some fine speculative fiction imagining concepts and re-imagining our world. None of the stories went where I thought they would go. My copy of the book has a lot of notes along the margins, but the one thing I kept saying, in different ways, was that I wanted to open up Gigi’s brain and see how it functions.

If a book can make you fall in love with cockroaches, that’s a job done well.

Her first book, a novella, was strong. This one is stronger. I cannot wait to see what she does next.

[Katrine Engelhardt Thomsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out really enjoying this short story collection.
Tightly wound short stories that read like flashes of bright and colourful bonfires in the current winter darkness.

It sadly lost intensity for me with the story “Cocoon”, which was longer than it needed to be. And then the flow of the collection broke entirely for me with the longer story “Corvid Inspector”. A great setup, but that story needed to be its own separate publication.

I couldn’t quite find my way back into the groove of the remaining stories, though the story “The Golden Bird” was truly heart gripping.

Favourite stories in this collection:

Call for Kelp

A Year (Not Quite) Alone in an Alien Wilderness

Hunter

The Golden Bird

[Yatin Arora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so pleasantly surprised by this, the themes are so relevant and well written. I loved Gigi’s writing style and the way she crafts each character. I couldn’t put this down, a great collection of very well written short stories.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLw_GuyyE...

[Kunal Thakkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engels warned us regarding us flattering ourselves over our victory as a conqueror over nature & that she shall take the revenge, but nope. We do not listen to god so it is obvious we didn't listen to Engels or Marx.

Along the same lines, BIOPECULIAR by Gigi Ganguly calls a spade a spade but it also instills hope in us. It is fun yet thought-provoking, a short story collection including 22 speculative fiction stories that address the environmental collapse. From weather modification to the meat industry, eroding forests to exceptionally intelligent men with evil ideas, at times animals vs animals and the absolute human invasion of nature — the stories talk about them all.

What I particularly liked about this collection is that not all of them are dystopian, not all of them are discouraging, almost none of them are mere rants - Even in rough times there are people with the right thinking. "A Year (not quite) Alone in an Alien Wilderness" for example is a utopian tale in an ideal alternate planet's orbit where there is immense unity between the humans & animals. "Moss" is where plants takeover a couple's house, but don't worry, it is not a kidnap ;). "Losing" is about the unfortunate retirement of a singer who has the power to call on the rain god, but hey, she's about to recruit another one before she retires. "Call for Kelp" tries to reiterate the fact that change begins with you and about the power of one person alone. Some stories are a warning to us that things don't flip overnight, there are signals — it is us humans who realise it all late. Mother nature has a limit to her patience too.

Out of the 22 i found 9 stories to be absolutely good (almost perfect) and in less than 200 pages this collection is an accomplishment.

So much fun!

[The Biblioraptor (Ankit) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever looked up in the sky and wondered what a murmuration of starlings could mean? What if your resident country is attacked with a bioweapon that transforms humans into cockroaches? Is it possible for humans to co-exist with dinosaurs? Would life be easier having a living moss in your house that helps out with chores? What about food one could eat off the TV screen? What does the sea want? Are crows and ravens plotting murders? Do bees ever dethrone their queen? Where would all the polar bears go when the glaciers melt in the future?

Gigi Ganguly’s Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World, written in the tradition of speculative fiction, offers a collection of twenty-two weird, whimsical, and wise short stories. The book explores many such peculiar questions in an attempt to defamiliarize the world around us and offer, instead, a plethora of imaginative possibilities. Much like the varied length of the stories their setting travels from barely familiar surroundings of India to different worlds many lightyears away. In the fashion of the speculative genre, it opens numerous different portals for the readers to peek into.

“… humans have had their own world and the rest of the animals have had theirs. While birds, rats, cats, and butterflies – the rest – have a basic idea of how human society works, the humans have no idea what goes on in a world where they are not the focal point. Every two years, the non-humans elect someone as the collective head to represent them. It’s a cushy job, there isn’t really much to do. It’s the animal advisors who do the real job. The dogs have a feisty dachshund-corgi mix representing them, the frogs have a wise bull frog for their leader, the squirrels have a hyper Indian palm squirrel. But there are two groups that take his role seriously, whose population inevitably ends up vying for the mayoral job.
First, there are birds.
And then there are the reptiles.” (86)
Suspended between reality and fantasy, the narratives are efficacious in providing unique perspectives of the many worlds existing in the universe – both - human and non-human, terrestrial and cosmic, contemporary and futuristic.

Speculative fiction, a genre that encompasses science fiction, fantasy, and dystopian narratives, serves as a powerful tool for examining and critiquing contemporary issues through imaginative and often exaggerated lenses. By projecting current environmental challenges into the future or reimagining them in different worlds, it provides a unique and impactful platform for environmental discourse. It allows writers and readers to explore the potential consequences of environmental degradation, climate change, and unsustainable practices by offering a safe space to envision worst-case scenarios and explore the ethical, social, and political implications of our actions. Authors such as Frank Herbert, Margaret Atwood, and Jeff VanderMeer often depict future worlds ravaged by the consequences of unchecked global warming, rising sea levels, unethical bioengineering, scarcity of water, ecological transformation, exploitation of natural resources, and extreme weather events.

Similarly, environmental themes in Ganguly’s short stories serve as powerful vehicles for exploring the urgent ecological issues of our time. By envisioning future scenarios and alternate realities, the author highlights the potential consequences of current environmental practices and inspire readers to consider more sustainable and ethical ways of living. Titles such as “Head in The Cloud”, “Sort Sol”, “Hunter”, “Moss”, “Whirlwind” “Losing” are characterized with deep human emotions and the strange connection the protagonist(s) develop with nature which ultimately helps them navigate through crucial phases of life like death, old age and loneliness. However, “Call for Kelp”, “Cocoon”, And “Nemesis” recount the tales of even stronger relations between human and animals which result in soul ties and inter species physiological transformations. On the other hand, “Polarspeak”, “Corvid Inspector”, “A Storm of Stings”, as well as “Hats and Other Coverings” invite the readers into secret world of the animal kingdom, one, that is an uncanny reflection of human values and folies. Another group of stories including “Crown Shyness”, “The Forest of Plenty”, “Solastalgic”, And “Eatflicks” are set in the far future and offer images of a post-apocalyptic (non)human society. Two of the narratives in the collection, namely, “The Golden Bird” And “Barking Up the Wrong Tree” represent unmistakable critique of narcissistic politicians and capitalist geniuses. Although most of the stories in the collection have been listed above, there’s yet a lot more to be discovered in this peculiar book of an uncertain world.

Gigi Ganguly's Biopeculiar is a fascinating anthology that stands out in its exploration of the intersection of biology, technology, and human experience. It delves into the implications of bioengineering, artificial intelligence, and the merging of organic and synthetic life. Ganguly's characters range from genetically modified humans to sentient machines, each grappling with their own existential dilemmas.

As we face increasing environmental challenges, the lessons and warnings embedded in this book and other works in the Cli-Fi genre become ever more relevant. They not only entertain but also provoke critical thought and foster a sense of responsibility towards the environment, making it a crucial part of the broader discourse on sustainability and ecological preservation.

[Vijaya Laxmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a different take on climate fiction/ speculative fiction. Filled with so much hope and gentleness and still, a decisive POV.

[Achal Khaneja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unusual plots but treatment pretty ordinary. Didn't shake or stir or cause empathetic resonance.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gigi Ganguly's "Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World" is an imaginative collection of speculative short stories that weave together a deep love of nature with serious worries about environmental challenges. Ganguly's stories, characterized as amusing yet unsettling, encourage readers to perceive the world through a variety of lenses, blurring the distinction between the human and non-human realms. This innovative approach encourages readers to consider their effect on the natural environment and the connection of all life.

"Biopeculiar" builds on this heritage, with stories full of heart, wisdom, and enchantment.The stories connect to current environmental issues by presenting speculative narratives that are deeply rooted in concerns about the natural world and the crises it faces today. The collection is described as being shot through with a deep love for the natural world, grave concern about the crises that envelop it, and a rare kindness even as it places the blame for these crises on humanity.

"Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World" by Gigi Ganguly includes fascinating tales like a cloud herder preparing for retirement amid the departure of the Weather Department's best vocalist, and a corvid inspector tackling a difficult case, a tarnished reputation, and unhappy colleagues. One standout story, "Nemesis," is reminiscent of Bora Chung's "Cursed Bunny" and may even make readers hesitate to kill a cockroach in the future. Ganguly's poetic writing and inventive narratives reveal overlooked truths, encouraging readers to adopt perspectives ranging from clouds to silkworms. This 22-story collection excels with its personal, nuanced, and emotionally poignant tales, making "Biopeculiar" a remarkable addition to speculative fiction, exploring themes of belonging, displacement, and the balance between desire and reality.

"Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World" is a moving reminder of the fragile balance between humans and environment. Ganguly's characters frequently find themselves negotiating the complexity of the natural environment, thinking on their role within it and the influence of their species. These intellectual and physical encounters challenge readers' ideas about identity, morality, and the human predicament. This anthology encourages readers to consider their ties with the environment, making for an educational and engaging read.

[E.D.E. Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm floored - again - by the talent, vision, and imagination of this writer. Gigi Ganguly is her own force of storytelling in a world that needs it.

These stories are werird, delightful, compassionate, and unapologetically delivering a mix of compassion and dispassion that is as powerful as it is compelling. Another aspect that really sets Ganguly's writing apart for me is her ability to explore urgent, serious, and some really quite horrific themes with humor and whimsy, and without shock, graphic content, or generally triggering language. And again, Ganguly ignores the borders of fantasy and science fiction to do this, creating a collection that has a truly cohesive theme, yet with each story something fresh and unexpected - the sort of collection where I feel like everyone will have their own favorites. These satisfying little stories never outstay their welcome: they are glances, bites, stings, and giggles - sometimes left for you to imagine the endings, all arranged around a centerpiece of (did you see this coming?) a more extended - bird noir. I love this book.

Whatever Gigi Ganguly is inspired to write, I'll be inspired to read.

Content notes for planetary distress, individual pain, death, and moments of unkindness between characters.

[Ashish Kothari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gigi Ganguly's quirky imagination, and her sense of ecological justice, is at full display in this book of stories. I loved some of them, such as the one of the cloud herder, the one of Saumwe the otter whose mind fuses with that of a human scientist - super-imaginative, crisp language. A few are disappointing, with little fantasy or speculative fiction (e.g. 'Crown shyness'), and a feeling of incompleteness ('Corvid inspector'). Overall, though, a good read, and it's good to see more of such fiction coming out in India.

[Padma P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book by Gigi Ganguly. The eco / purpose / values theme was woven in well into the stories, and the cliffhangers were interesting.
Sometimes though, I wished the stories could have continued. Maybe in her next book?

[Isha G. K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky and extremely original! I wouldn't place any story to be extraordinary, but I had a lot of fun reading this.

[Shreyasi Majumdar · Rating 3 out of 5]

REALLY loved the originality of her seed story ideas. Very unique stories, each with a little twist - the kind that satisfies without blowing your mind. The authors genuine love for the natural world is evident as she weaves environmental concerns and snapshots of the living world into each of her stories, some sweet and innocent and some apocalyptic, devastating reminders of the destructive path that humanity has set itself on. The reason I gave the book 3 stars and not 4.5 as I would have liked to is because one story - the longest in the collection called 'Corvid Inspector' - a murder mystery involving an anthropomorphised avian community didn't get me hooked at all. For some reason I couldn't connect with it and actually read it only half way because I simply couldn't bring myself to continue and finish it. Plus, I found the writing in general to be somewhat pedestrian, wanting - it did not inspire me as much as I had expected it to. But overall, I enjoyed the book a whole lot, and was really really taken by the author's ability for creative expression. She writes the kind of stories I myself like to write, so I could relate very much to her story ideas. I would definitely like to see more of her work in future. We need more inspired artists and creativists like her who care for the world at large and particularly the natural world with such genuine feeling. I do hope she keeps writing and honing her craft.