Regarding the Childhood of Morrigan, Who Was Chosen to Open the Way

by Benjamin Rosenbaum

A child who falls through the cracks in a world run by machines and politics, might be the savior of all humanity…

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Adult

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2025

About the author

Benjamin Rosenbaum has been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Sturgeon, and World Fantasy Awards. He is the author of _The Unraveling_, a queer far-future coming-of-age novel, the short story collection _The Ant King and Other Stories_, and the Ennie-nominated Jewish historical fantasy tabletop roleplaying game _Dream Apart_. His stories have been translated into 25 languages.

He is the co-host of the podcast _Mohanraj and Rosenbaum Are Humans_.


Originally from Arlington, VA, he lives near Basel, Switzerland with his wife and children.

Author photo (c) 2017 Portrait Playtime.

Reviews

[Radwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was taking in that worldbuilding like it's drugs and I'm an addict, I just loved everything about it, and I do hope after that ending that the author is prepping us for a full-length Morrigan novel!

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I thought this story was cute and well written, with an irreverent style. My biggest issue is that it felt like the first chapter of a book, and it just ended without a satisfactory resolution. A shame.

[Per · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/regarding-the-...

[Gianna ⚔️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent world building. Hoping for a full-length novel since the story cuts off at a cliffhanger and an expansion on both the characters and the setting would be awesome.

[Kairavi Pandya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a teaser for a novel. It ended right when things were at their peak. I wish it were a bit longer to give it completeness.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

28 Reads in 28 Days : 8/28

i don't tend to like stories that aren't seated fully in the POV of a character or characters, so this didn't entirely work for me. it was omniscient enough to paint an interesting picture of the dystopian world, but at the same time, the kind of propaganda tone kept everything at a distance, preventing most of the characters from feeling real. the closest it came was when luanda said "fuck michael, you're my sister." i loved her and her orange jumpsuit and desire to shave her head. it's clear the entire story is meant to evoke that quote from 1984, "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." the adults can't trust their senses, but the kids and robots and cats can, or choose to, so they can take action. idk, it was interesting and well written, but the style wasn't for me. 3.5 rounding down.

read it for free here : https://reactormag.com/regarding-the-...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entirely plausible yet disturbing vision of the near future. The writing is often interrupted by the long futuristic names for all the things, but I think this actually adds to the tone. My only complaint is that it stopped too abruptly - I wanted to know what happened to everyone! Though an ending is alluded to at various points, I wished this continued as I really wanted to see Morrigan’s triumph.

[Walumbike · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3/5 stars
What an interesting read. And I truly mean interesting. This was a sad story about being forgotten but was also oddly reminiscent of The Giver. I truly enjoyed reading this, but I also found it incredibly tedious at times – maybe for my own good, really. The lengthy titles of things, concepts, organisations and events in the book were hard to follow and somewhat took me out of the story. I did get increasingly interested towards the end, only to find myself left hanging on a cliffhanger!
Regarding the Childhood of Morrigan is an intriguing story, and I would love if this were a cartoon, funny enough, but most of all I would love a conclusion to this absurd story.

[Pratyasha Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, quirky read! Loved the worldbuilding, and I'm a sucker for sibling stories so this was right up my alley
Do I now wish for a cleaning robot who plays poker to send me to schoo-, sorry the Proactive Interpersonal Growth...
something something Oasis?
YES.

[Amada Melendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there going to be more of this?

[Thia Reads A Lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0*

Interesting worldbuilding, especially regarding the cleaning robot and the cat
I would read more about Morrigan

- Luanda not being Swapped is a plot hole maybe?

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a bit weird

[Sofia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a short story that felt a bit pointless for me. It's been too long (oops) since I finished it for me to have properly analytical/critical things to say, but I will say that at the end my one thought was, "really? This is it?"