Outsider: A Forbidden Island Short Story

by Lianne Simon

In the closing hours of World War II, an experimental weapon meant for London struck Eilean nan Sìthean, a remote Scottish island. Within 48 hours, all of the men there died. Six months later, the few women who survived gave birth to the children of the plague - the Fair Folk of Scottish mythology, reborn. Nearly 70 years later, a young gold named Màiri discovers an outsider washed ashore - the first human she’s ever seen. Saving his life would mean spending the rest of her days with a stranger, the sworn enemy of her people. But she cannot let him die alone.

Audible Audio

First published March 18, 2018

About the author

Lianne Simon’s father was a dairy farmer and an engineer, her mother a nurse. She grew up in a home filled with love and good books.

Tiny and frail, Lianne struggled physically, but excelled at her studies. In 1970, she was awarded a scholarship to the University of Miami, from which she graduated in 1973. Fond memories of her time there remain with her.

Some years later, after living in several states, and spending time abroad, Lianne settled in to the suburbs north of Atlanta, where she now lives with her husband and their cat.

While seeking answers to her own genetic anomalies, Lianne met a family whose daughter was born with one testis and one ovary. As a result of that encounter, she spent more than a decade answering inquiries on behalf of a support group for the parents of such children.

Lianne hopes that writing this book will, in some small way, contribute to the welfare of children born between the sexes.

Reviews

[Bogi Takács]

I reviewed this #ownvoices intersex-themed fantasy novelette a while ago, but did not realize it had its own Goodreads page! I also missed that it was now available as a chapbook.

Read my full review: http://www.bogireadstheworld.com/inte... (I liked it!)

Source of the book: Review copy from the author (not the chapbook, just a printout)

[Claudia DCD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a beautiful fairy tale. This novella has such new magic and leaves me with such intense questions on gender and the transformations we can go through. I wish I could experience the multitudes of life like the magical changelings in the story live, but sometimes circumstances fit you in a bubble that's hard to pop. If you want some new magic in your life, definitely give this one a try. I'm so excited for this series and can't wait to see where else this world goes.