To Build a Room

by Joshua Rex

CAY, a young member of The Commonalty who possesses the unpredictable “Y” gene, is under continuous threat of Eradication if he does not meet the expectations of his parents, teachers, and peers. An underachiever at the Pyramid, the school where he prefers spending time with NES and researching the cast aside texts and objects of the distant past rather than complete his Tasks and Urgents, CAY seeks a mental quiet place far from the perpetual neural hum, and longs for the company of his dying grandmother, YAT, whose memory is being downloaded into the Communion.



When the Reticulum—the vast network of information shared by the neurally interconnected members of The Commonalty—suddenly shuts down after a violent storm, CAY finds YAT dead, and wanders out to the woods where he discovers a tree with a secret door it in. The door leads him to a Room outside of the reticular range that is occupied by a mysterious man called Simon. Simon shows CAY wonders within, but what is the true nature of the Room, and what will happen to CAY if they find out he has been there, and has even created his own Room?

95 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

JOSHUA REX is an American author of speculative fiction, and an historian. He is the author of the novel A MIGHTY WORD (Rotary Press), the novella THE INAMORTA (Weird House Press), and the collections THE DESCENT AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES (Weird House Press), NEW MONSTERS (Weird House Press), WHAT'S COMING FOR YOU (Rotary Press), THE COFFIN MAKER'S BOOK OF DARK TALES (Weird House Press - a collection co-authored with Curtis M. Lawson), and HAUNTED VICTORIAN AMERICA: GHOST STORIES. His short fiction has appeared with McSweeney's, Nightscript, Pseudopod, Tales to Terrify, and others.

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Reviews

[Brendan Rather · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of 1984 and The Giver, this dystopian sci-fi tale would be well-enjoyed. The importance of memory, truth, and emotion are prominent themes.