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Dislocation Space
A Soviet political prisoner is ordered to use her unique talents to explore a strange scientific phenomenon. It could be a trap…or a way out.
44 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2019
11 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Garth Nix
236 books14.9k followersGarth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 20, 2020
Garth Nix wrote this novelette, and whatever Nix writes is usually worth taking a look at. It's about a Soviet political prisoner in the days of Stalin, a very thin, wiry young woman who's a trained contortionist, a talented sniper, and a deadly fighter. Imprisoned in Siberia for what appear to be bogus reasons, she's "offered" a chance to maybe redeem herself by exploring a strange alien artifact in a desolate area of Siberia, a network of small tight tunnels whose twists and turns lead ... who knows where? But the Soviet authorities want to know, and they've decided that Aleksandra is their best bet.
This story reminded me pretty strongly of the famous classic SF novella Rogue Moon, which I read back in my impressionable college days and which always stuck with me. This one pales a little by comparison, but this SF adventure set in the bad old Soviet Union days is still an interesting read.
Read it here: https://www.tor.com/2019/12/11/disloc...
This story reminded me pretty strongly of the famous classic SF novella Rogue Moon, which I read back in my impressionable college days and which always stuck with me. This one pales a little by comparison, but this SF adventure set in the bad old Soviet Union days is still an interesting read.
Read it here: https://www.tor.com/2019/12/11/disloc...
August 9, 2020
Go on. Try to stay alive.
Maybe something would change.
i'm almost glad there wasn't a new free tor short this week—it forced me to scroll back into the PAST to find one i hadn't read, discovering this excellent story of a badass contortionist-assassin employed and later imprisoned by stalin, and her last grand opportunity for escape.
alien tunnels had me feeling a little claustrophobic, but that's a sign of great writing. i've only encountered garth nix in mixed-author anthologies and free tor shorts, but i've always liked what i've read, so it might be time to check out one of his full-lengthers. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London sounds good, and could be my autobiography if i move outta nyfc like everyone seems to be doing these days. but why would i leave alla this? the neighborhood where i work, filled with sex offenders and women getting stabbed at noon at the very same metrocard machine i use? my little queens neighborhood has been, so far, a quiet pocket in-between neighborhoods appearing in daily news stories about shootings and beatings and all manner of unsavory business in the accreted shitstorm of 2020, but if london's looking for another left-handed bookseller, i could leave everything behind. make me an offer. fill it with cadbury's.
i've gone off the review-rails.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2019/12/11/disloc...
come to my blog!
Maybe something would change.
i'm almost glad there wasn't a new free tor short this week—it forced me to scroll back into the PAST to find one i hadn't read, discovering this excellent story of a badass contortionist-assassin employed and later imprisoned by stalin, and her last grand opportunity for escape.
alien tunnels had me feeling a little claustrophobic, but that's a sign of great writing. i've only encountered garth nix in mixed-author anthologies and free tor shorts, but i've always liked what i've read, so it might be time to check out one of his full-lengthers. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London sounds good, and could be my autobiography if i move outta nyfc like everyone seems to be doing these days. but why would i leave alla this? the neighborhood where i work, filled with sex offenders and women getting stabbed at noon at the very same metrocard machine i use? my little queens neighborhood has been, so far, a quiet pocket in-between neighborhoods appearing in daily news stories about shootings and beatings and all manner of unsavory business in the accreted shitstorm of 2020, but if london's looking for another left-handed bookseller, i could leave everything behind. make me an offer. fill it with cadbury's.
i've gone off the review-rails.
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2019/12/11/disloc...
come to my blog!
April 4, 2021
One of the better short stories I’ve read this year. A dark, gripping little sci-fi thriller centring on an intriguing mystery. It is set in the former Soviet Union a few years after WWII and features a fascinating, kick-ass protagonist, nicknamed the ‘Totesgeist’ owing to her stealthy and deadly skill set. The story was well-crafted, building up the suspense nicely and ending on a very satisfying and surprising note. Recommended!Will be keeping my eye out for more stories by this author.
October 8, 2024
3.5
Go on. Try to stay alive.
Maybe something would change.
Stalin might die. Aleksandra might die. The Americans might drop lots of their new bombs…
Aleksandra is a zek, a gulag prisioner, and one day two officials come with a new mission for her, not as a sniper but as a talented contorsionist in a secret destination in another part of Siberia. It's that or dire consequences for her family , the usual threats.
The soviets are intrigued by an anomaly and want it explored . For Aleksandra is another camp, another mortal mission or maybe .... could be a possible scape.
The story is intriguing, but too short to further explore the true horror of the situation and the character's distress. It does well to express disconnect and coldness to deal with all of this, that of a betrayed soldier.
-----------------
Aleksandra es un zek, una prisionera de gulag, y un día dos oficiales vienen con una nueva misión para ella, no como francotiradora sino como contorsionista talentosa en un destino secreto en otra parte de Siberia. Es eso o consecuencias nefastas para su familia, las amenazas habituales.
Los soviéticos están intrigados por una anomalía y quieren explorarla. Para Aleksandra es otro campamento, otra misión mortal o tal vez ... podría ser un posible escape.
La historia es intrigante, pero demasiado corta para explorar aún más el verdadero horror de la situación y la angustia del personaje. Acierta en expresar desconexión y frialdad para lidiar con todo esto, el de un soldado traicionado.
Go on. Try to stay alive.
Maybe something would change.
Stalin might die. Aleksandra might die. The Americans might drop lots of their new bombs…
Aleksandra is a zek, a gulag prisioner, and one day two officials come with a new mission for her, not as a sniper but as a talented contorsionist in a secret destination in another part of Siberia. It's that or dire consequences for her family , the usual threats.
The soviets are intrigued by an anomaly and want it explored . For Aleksandra is another camp, another mortal mission or maybe .... could be a possible scape.
The story is intriguing, but too short to further explore the true horror of the situation and the character's distress. It does well to express disconnect and coldness to deal with all of this, that of a betrayed soldier.
-----------------
Aleksandra es un zek, una prisionera de gulag, y un día dos oficiales vienen con una nueva misión para ella, no como francotiradora sino como contorsionista talentosa en un destino secreto en otra parte de Siberia. Es eso o consecuencias nefastas para su familia, las amenazas habituales.
Los soviéticos están intrigados por una anomalía y quieren explorarla. Para Aleksandra es otro campamento, otra misión mortal o tal vez ... podría ser un posible escape.
La historia es intrigante, pero demasiado corta para explorar aún más el verdadero horror de la situación y la angustia del personaje. Acierta en expresar desconexión y frialdad para lidiar con todo esto, el de un soldado traicionado.
September 22, 2020
Something to think of... There's a tiny space in the needle... Can I pass??? 🤔🤔🤔
February 3, 2020
Awesome freebie from Tor. 5 stars, highly recommended.
April 12, 2021
I haven't been marking all of the Tor shorts I've been reading as 'read' here because it really does feel like cheating on my Challenge, but this one... I really liked this one. It was just dark enough, with a compelling, unsettling bit of speculative fiction intrigue, and an ending which was quite satisfying.
March 11, 2023
A captivating short story of a Soviet-era political prisoner in Siberia, with a great ending. This was amazingly good.
March 19, 2020
Masterfully written as you'd expect from Garth Nix, with a wonderful ending - yes, I'd like to hear more about what happens next, but I found it immensely moving.
August 17, 2020
3.5 stars
Another one of the Tunguska stories, yet with a twist I haven't seen so far.
A nice, easy read
Another one of the Tunguska stories, yet with a twist I haven't seen so far.
A nice, easy read
January 10, 2020
Nothing is more important than staying calm and paying attention to your surroundings.
The Soviet political prisoner who was the protagonist of this story was a fascinating person. She was only ever known as KH-112 in the prison camp, and that is how I will refer to her in my review. KH-112 had quietly suffered for years by the time the audience met her, so it came as a surprise to see how she responded to the hard labor, freezing climate, and chronic lack of food that had already killed so many before her. While she’d certainly been harmed by these experiences, I loved seeing the glimmers of resiliency in her beginning with the opening scene. They were beautiful harbingers of what was to come and made me determined to get to know this character better.
There was a plot hole involving how KH-112 was treated by her captors. In the opening scene, the narrator took great care to show all of the precautions that had been taken to keep her from killing any more of the soldiers who were running the prison camp. She was such an intelligent and resourceful person that the smallest slip-up by her enemies could give her the opportunity to fight back against them. It came as a surprise for me, then, to see how she was treated after the Soviet Union found another use for her. Her talents were obviously quite valuable to her captors, but that didn’t quite explain the shift in how they treated her given what they knew about her past.
The ending couldn’t have been written better. I’d grown attached to KH-112 and was incredibly curious to see what her government expected her to do and if her abilities would actually be of use to them. My questions were not only answered in full, they also sparked many more questions about what happened to her after the final scene. I loved finding out what her fate was and thought the author did a wonderful job of tying everything together neatly while still leaving room for the audience to imagine certain things for ourselves.
Dislocation Space was a thrilling tale that should be read by anyone who has ever felt trapped by their current circumstances.
The Soviet political prisoner who was the protagonist of this story was a fascinating person. She was only ever known as KH-112 in the prison camp, and that is how I will refer to her in my review. KH-112 had quietly suffered for years by the time the audience met her, so it came as a surprise to see how she responded to the hard labor, freezing climate, and chronic lack of food that had already killed so many before her. While she’d certainly been harmed by these experiences, I loved seeing the glimmers of resiliency in her beginning with the opening scene. They were beautiful harbingers of what was to come and made me determined to get to know this character better.
There was a plot hole involving how KH-112 was treated by her captors. In the opening scene, the narrator took great care to show all of the precautions that had been taken to keep her from killing any more of the soldiers who were running the prison camp. She was such an intelligent and resourceful person that the smallest slip-up by her enemies could give her the opportunity to fight back against them. It came as a surprise for me, then, to see how she was treated after the Soviet Union found another use for her. Her talents were obviously quite valuable to her captors, but that didn’t quite explain the shift in how they treated her given what they knew about her past.
The ending couldn’t have been written better. I’d grown attached to KH-112 and was incredibly curious to see what her government expected her to do and if her abilities would actually be of use to them. My questions were not only answered in full, they also sparked many more questions about what happened to her after the final scene. I loved finding out what her fate was and thought the author did a wonderful job of tying everything together neatly while still leaving room for the audience to imagine certain things for ourselves.
Dislocation Space was a thrilling tale that should be read by anyone who has ever felt trapped by their current circumstances.
August 22, 2022
Dislocation Space by author Garth Nix is a short story you can read for free on the Tor.com site https://www.tor.com/2019/12/11/disloc...
A Soviet political prisoner is ordered to use her unique talents to explore a strange scientific phenomenon. It could be a trap…or a way out.
My second Garth Nix short, and it was good!
Themes: Stalin’s Sovjet Russia, Siberia, political prisoner Kh-112, the Todesgeist of Stalingrad, The Replica.
4 Stars
A Soviet political prisoner is ordered to use her unique talents to explore a strange scientific phenomenon. It could be a trap…or a way out.
My second Garth Nix short, and it was good!
Themes: Stalin’s Sovjet Russia, Siberia, political prisoner Kh-112, the Todesgeist of Stalingrad, The Replica.
4 Stars
November 27, 2025
A Siviet sniper is pardoned of all her crimes and given a final mission by Josef Stalin. The mission might prove her only way of escaping his regime.
A story about redemption and being better than you thought possible.
A story about redemption and being better than you thought possible.
Read
July 21, 2025When you're stuck between a gulag and a glitch in reality.
4.5⭐️
4.5⭐️
April 6, 2025
30 in 30 challenge : 5/30
if something can be both claustrophobic and an adrenaline rush, this is it.
if something can be both claustrophobic and an adrenaline rush, this is it.
December 9, 2020
A unique premise and masterful writing make this short story a winner.
What I liked:
The characters were all very interesting. The protagonist, a contortionist trained as a sniper, is a badass. We learned a lot about her motivations and past - she was easy to root for. I also enjoyed Shargei, a cold-hearted government agent, and Termin, a squirrely and naive scientist.
The anomaly which Aleksandra is tasked with investigating was compelling and dangerous. I found myself itching to know more about it.
Aleksandra's bone-breaking maneuvers through the labyrinthine anomaly made me squirm with claustrophobia. It was creepy and uncomfortable!
The setting was fantastically conveyed. It successfully portrays the hopelessness of the war and the misery of living in the camps.
What I am ambivalent about:
I saw that ending coming a mile away. Nonetheless, I still found it moving and satisfying.
What I liked:
The characters were all very interesting. The protagonist, a contortionist trained as a sniper, is a badass. We learned a lot about her motivations and past - she was easy to root for. I also enjoyed Shargei, a cold-hearted government agent, and Termin, a squirrely and naive scientist.
The anomaly which Aleksandra is tasked with investigating was compelling and dangerous. I found myself itching to know more about it.
Aleksandra's bone-breaking maneuvers through the labyrinthine anomaly made me squirm with claustrophobia. It was creepy and uncomfortable!
The setting was fantastically conveyed. It successfully portrays the hopelessness of the war and the misery of living in the camps.
What I am ambivalent about:
I saw that ending coming a mile away. Nonetheless, I still found it moving and satisfying.
January 24, 2020
This is the second short story in the last two months I have read about a talented prisoner being held in a 20th century Russian camp. Both stories successfully creep me out, making me feel all at once frightened and disturbed. I could not stand to live in the USSR. The cold, the hunger, the constant fear? Dealing with captors who are too stupid and drunk to question the morality of their actions? I'm terrified.
Aaaand that might be exactly what Garth Nix was going for, to make the prospect of escape so appealing.
Still, definitely not my favorite Garth Nix work. I prefer the Abhorsen series.
Aaaand that might be exactly what Garth Nix was going for, to make the prospect of escape so appealing.
Still, definitely not my favorite Garth Nix work. I prefer the Abhorsen series.
February 1, 2023
I thought the start was interesting, but I wasn't into the trip through the Original. It was like an action scene and I'm not into those. And the ending was predictable.
November 26, 2020
Eh - this wasn't an area that interested me: a Soviet-era contortionist
I think it's an interesting idea, but the main character is so badass, and we don't actually learn more about the original world, and the ending is so predictable that I didn't really care.
I think it's an interesting idea, but the main character is so badass, and we don't actually learn more about the original world, and the ending is so predictable that I didn't really care.
January 19, 2020
Dislocation Space had me hooked from the get go.
The Soviet setting was highly interesting as something I don't usually read much about and Aleksandra's character was written beautifully. I found myself constantly rooting for her and loved how mysterious she was.
The sci-fi aspect to Dislocation Space was also fantastic and for me very original!
I would love to read more about Aleksandra's past and am looking forward to reading more from Garth Nix.
5 stars.
The Soviet setting was highly interesting as something I don't usually read much about and Aleksandra's character was written beautifully. I found myself constantly rooting for her and loved how mysterious she was.
The sci-fi aspect to Dislocation Space was also fantastic and for me very original!
I would love to read more about Aleksandra's past and am looking forward to reading more from Garth Nix.
5 stars.
August 17, 2025
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/dislocation-space-by-garth-nix/
A stunning short story about a woman assassin in a Stalin-era prison camp, and the way out offered by the legacy of the Tunguska meteorite. Blew my mind.
A stunning short story about a woman assassin in a Stalin-era prison camp, and the way out offered by the legacy of the Tunguska meteorite. Blew my mind.
January 20, 2020
I liked the Soviet feel of it, but the ending felt like it dropped you into nowhere.
January 30, 2020
A tight and well written novella.
Pacing was well done also.
An enjoyable read.
Full Disclosure: Nix will always have a special place in my heart as Sabriel was the first book I ever owned.
Pacing was well done also.
An enjoyable read.
Full Disclosure: Nix will always have a special place in my heart as Sabriel was the first book I ever owned.
March 9, 2020
Amazing short story about a woman who gets a chance to redeem herself in an otherworldly way.
March 25, 2020
It was an interesting yet kind of weird short story. Like all short stories, it left me wanting to know more and didn't answer many of the questions that it raised.
March 28, 2020
Enjoyable story. A good read with an unusual premise.
July 9, 2020
Best short story I've read in ages! Forgot how well Garth Nix writes!!
August 26, 2020
Writing felt a bit weird at times, but it was an engaging short story. The ending wasn't what I wanted, but it wasn't bad.
October 2, 2020
I was on the edge of my chair while reading, very very good story. Have to read more from Garth Nix
December 27, 2020
A fantastic short story, this was quick and easy to read and very addicting. I am slightly confused about the ending but that’s just me being a numpty I think.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews