Stellar Smoke: A Novel

by Tanaïs

A hypnotically original and lush speculative novel from award-winning author Tanaïs about family secrets and the mother–daughter bond across generations—ultimately blurring the boundary between past and present, human and machine.




Qamar is a musician hustling in a near-future metropolitan city. Struggling to pay rent and heartbroken after a breakup, she decides to return to the island ashram of her childhood. It’s time to finally settle the rift she has with her estranged mother, Veda—a brilliant scientist, actress, and one of the leaders of a now-dissolved cult called the Endless Temple.


But when Qamar arrives, the land is verdant yet neglected, and, most troubling, there are no signs of her mother or sister, Palo. Behind a retina scan–locked door, Qamar encounters her mother’s last opus, a machine consciousness called VEDA (Virtual Experiences, Dreams and Afterlife), designed to reveal the story of Veda’s life. The descent into VEDA’s technoscape forces Qamar to confront the taboos and tragedies of their past, while bracing herself for the wild, unexpected possibilities that await.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 20, 2026

About the author

Tanaïs (née Tanwi Nandini Islam) is a multidisciplinary artist, novelist, memoirist, and perfumer. They are the author of In Sensorium: Notes for My People, which won the Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction, and offers an alternative history of South Asia through the lens of scent. Their critically acclaimed queer coming-of-age debut novel, Bright Lines, was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Edmund White Debut Fiction Award, and the Brooklyn Eagles Literary Prize.

They studied at Vassar College and Brooklyn College, and founded the independent artisan perfume house Studio Tanaïs. Their writing and perfumes have been featured in Vogue, Vogue India, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, The Cut, The Nation, and more. They live in New York City with their husband, Mojo.

Reviews

[Dirlas]

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an early copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own

Unfortunately, this was not for me, and I had to DNF it. I wasn't really vibing with the writing style or the characters from the beginning, and something early on put me off even more. I was already struggling to get into this, and I just didn't want to force myself to keep reading in the hopes that it would get better.

[Linda Ducharme · Rating 2 out of 5]

English
I give it a 2.5* rating. The premise could have been interesting, but I found that the story went in too many directions. A passionate love story that ends abruptly, a plot involving the disappearance of Qamar’s entire family as she returns to the family home—which is actually an ashram—after seven years away. A mystery surrounding the family’s past. An artificial intelligence that became her mother—or her mother who became an artificial intelligence. As I said at the beginning, I felt the story went off in too many directions, not all of which added value to the characters or the story. When I reached the last sentence of the book, I said out loud, “Oh, really? That’s how it ends!” Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this book.

Français
Je donne une note de 2.5*. Le sujet aurait pu être intéressant, mais j'ai trouvé que l'histoire allait dans trop sens. Une histoire d'amour passionnée qui se termine "en queue de poisson", une intrigue concernant la disparition de la famille complète de Qamar qui retourne à la maison familiale, qui est en réalité un Ashram, après 7 ans d’absence. Un mystère concernant le passé de la famille. Une intelligence artificielle qui est devenue sa mère; ou sa mère qui est devenue une intelligence artificielle. Comme j’ai dit au début, j’ai trouvé que l’histoire allait dans trop de sens, lesquels n’ont pas tous apportés une valeur ajoutée aux personnages ni à l’histoire. À la dernière phrase du livre, j’ai dit tout haut : Ah ouain, ça fini de même! Je ne puis malheureusement pas recommander ce livre.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, and probably most importantly, this was not the type of book I would have normally picked up on my own. While it’s speculative fiction, which I actually like a lot, I probably lean less toward science fiction. And I would say this book is more science fiction as it takes place in a future with lots of A.I., cyborgs, self-driving cars, that type of thing.

Secondly, as much as Qamar throws up (something I dislike), I felt sure at some point she would discover that she was pregnant. Nope. She just vomits a lot.

Despite the above, I would say that the author, Tanaïs, manages to make the story flow from the histories and memories of the past to the present day and future. Someone called it “kaleidoscopic and sensual”, which I think fits it well. The story contains both complex and contradictory characters, all of whom are walking a fine line between protecting the bonds of family and, at the same time, taking the steps they need to take to free themselves from their practically enslaved lives—lives controlled by the character Veda who is both a human and the cyborg VEDA, who carries Veda’s memories among others.

[Brinda Arun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qamar is me, I'm her and she's all of us in one shape or form; especially as radical South Asian real yearner artist fems navigating the collapse of structures of empire and climate change. This book is near and dear to my heart and the first few times I opened it up I found myself oscillating between a few tears falling to a full blown cry. It felt as though my own life was being narrated in certain regards in a way that felt prophetic and uncanny. The coincidences were too large to ignore. Tanaïs effortlessly weaves between past histories and memories, present day and future tense (though it may throw some readers off at first- just pay attention to the signs). Kaleidoscopic and sensual, the novel contains complex and contradictory characters who are all walking the tightrope of protecting family ties while simultaneously taking leaps to liberate themselves from lives of bondage. I recommend this to anyone with mama daughter wounds and a deep desire for change that's rooted in hope.