Twiceborn

by C.L. Kagmi

Twiceborn

We all evolve. Our abilities, our bodies, and our opinions change. For the people in these stories, some changes are more radical than others.

Would you end one life to make way for another?

Would you leave the world you know for one more beautiful and dangerous?

If you could give humans immortality—and the dangerous powers that go with it—would you?

This collection of six stories spans three fictional universes whose citizens have solved the problem of mortality in different ways.

Each solution comes with a price we may someday be asked to pay.

164 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2021

About the author

C. L. Kagmi is an inveterate wanderer who splits her time between the American Midwest and West Coast. She likes any surprise that doesn’t end in grievous bodily injury. Don’t test her on that, though, as she has a firm grip and has been known to bite.

She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan in 2011 and worked in emergency medicine research for five years before becoming a full-time freelance writer. Today she offers ghostwriting and writing coaching services. She has assisted in the production and publication of dozens of books and articles for business and tech publications.

Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, Compelling Science Fiction, SFVN, and Writers of the Future Vol. 33.

Reviews

[Andrew Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

CL Kagmi's Twiceborn is an exquisite piece of Science Fiction. Brimming with tenderness and empathy, there is a tremendous amount of heart and spirit driving this short story. The language is lyrical and handled with such delicacy and deftness that it deserves to be read out loud. While beautifully complete it left me hoping that the author will write more of this universe so that I might visit it again and fall deeper in love with its characters, its ideas and its language.

[Briar Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quality I look for in speculative fiction is a feeling of "reader ownership". It is a special emotion that emerges when you read a story, and you feel like you own it just as much as its author. It emerges at the intersection between world building and relatable characters, where you feel like you are at the conference table discussing the prevalence of alien life, or a detective following a trail of clues leading to a ghastly discovery. Many great novel series accomplish this feeling. What is somewhat more rare is to feel it when reading short fiction.
I love C.L. Kagmi's "Twiceborn" for exactly this reason. Get cozy, settle in, and in only a few short moments you've gone on an adventure through strange vistas and explored timeless concepts full of lore you would expect from much longer works. You are hungry for more, but nothing feels incomplete. Fans of Tad Williams or Dan Simmons will love this collection, as it features a similar combination of world's you want to explore and characters that are complete people while still acting as a reader avatar. You feel you belong to the worlds being crafted. There is a lot of variety here, from stories that explore classic concepts of alien life, to detective stories with a Lovecraftian flare for the science-paranormal. There is something special about these tales that belongs to an oral tradition - as though they should be read aloud and shared. This collection will make a fantastic starting point for future work by the author, and I can't imagine any fan of sci-fi or weird fiction being disappointed with what they get. If you've wanted to get on the ground floor of new worlds to explore and characters you feel are like family, if like me you've been chasing the high of past sci-fi classics from other great authors and want something new that you can sink your teeth into in a snap, C.L. Kagmi's "Twiceborn" is the sampler platter of the awesome and bizarre you've been craving.

[Andrew Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for C.L. Kagmi to publish a collection of her stories for some time. Now that it is here, I can honestly say it was worth the wait.
And here's the thing, this is more than just a collection of short stories. Read separately, each one is a delight on its own. But read together, they become a window — or better still, a doorway — into a her universe, through which we may step.
One of the best aspects of this book is that here is a common thread tying these pieces together. Maybe it is a bit subtle, certainly it is spiritual, but a thread nonetheless that leads the reader through the ideas and the hearts of her characters that C.L. Kagmi explores for herself and then shares with us.
I enjoyed all six stories in this collection and loved Skychildren and Twiceborn most of all. It is in these two pieces that I hear the author's voice and feel the lyricism of her language most clearly and most deliciously.
My only complaint is that I wish there were more pieces in this collection. I am greedy like that, and I am eager to read more of her work.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this collection of short stories. I usually prefer epic fantasy to sci-fi, but I honestly loved these stories. They are all very different from each other, but each presents characters that you can relate to even in unfamiliar environments. My favorites of the six were "Skychildren", "Sheanna", and "On Speaking With The Stars". Those 3 in particular were very moving but all of them are worth a read...or even a reread. Overall, these stories were a breath of fresh air to me, and I think they offer valuable insight into complex moral situations that are relevant in our world right now, and leave the reader with a lot to think about. One thing some may notice, the author very thoughtfully provides warnings about the content of each story to protect those who may easily be triggered. Overall I felt that the warnings were much more powerful than the stories required, but I very much appreciated knowing what I might encounter so that I was emotionally prepared.

[David VonAllmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short stories were entirely engrossing for me. Kagmi has an ability to come up with great, original concepts for her science fiction short stories, but what's really impressive is how she goes beyond the premise and takes the stories in directions you're not expecting. It's the same rare ability that made me such a fan of Elizabeth Bear's short story collection. Kagmi doesn't just explore the concept, she follows the implications and dreams up scenarios that are beyond what a reader would have ever expected, but make perfect sense. I forget which science fiction author it was who said that science fiction should not just predict the automobile, but also the traffic jam. That's what Kagmi does, she writes stories not just of the concept, but of the implications.

[Joe Smuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I'm always looking to duplicate that experience I had many decades ago when I first read "Dune". I was fourteen, and "Dune" changed the way I thought about almost everything. That did not happen for me with "Twiceborn", but I can readily imagine that happening with a fourteen-year-old reader. Great things you will find in this collection are characters that more fully realized than in some novels, stories that are so engaging that you will finish them before you even think about the picky technical details. Once you do think about the picky details, you will probably not think they are important.

[Jonathan Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent set of stories right in line with the kind of thoughtful Science Fiction I grew up reading in Asimov and Analog.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was first recommended this story I was told a basic idea of its premise and that it was a first building block to an up and coming expanded sci-fi universe. I've been desperate for something new to be a fan of and love the idea of getting in on something big from its beginnings. What I didn't know was how cleverly a classic troupe would be turned on its head. Kagmi makes you feel empathy for something you never thought you would - no spoilers but its a great set up to a new sci-fi. It's on the short side, but honestly that's a plus as your going to know pretty quickly if this is your bag or not. But it will be. The writing style goes down smooth and silky. I've read too many new scifi shorts that wanted to cram the style down your throat but here you get the taste while the focus is on the story and especially its characters. More stuff in this universe needs to come out like, yesterday. I'm hoping there will be an announcement from the author soon about what the future holds. Worth your time, even if its a short time. Your going to be challenged in your preconceptions and love every second of it.

[Doug Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kagmi’s stories are rich with reflective characters and captivating scenery—much like Lois Lowry—while giving a fascinating glimpse into the worlds that await humankind should we remain as driven and optimistic as the author. The science in the stories reminds me of the worlds Jack McDevitt creates.