Inner Universe, short story 2.1
By Natalie Kelda.
Find out more here: Link to Natalie's webpage
If you've not checked out any of Natalie Kelda's work, consider start with one of her short stories. They act as prequels to her novels and are a wonderful snippet into the massive universe of creatures, planets, and galaxies that she's created.
Of the three I've read so far Where Kids Are Monsters was definitely my favorite. It tells the story of a researcher who crash lands on a quarantined planet and while trying to get off, crosses path with a young boy, Balfour, and his sister who are - as their society claims - monsters.
The vibe of the story is desperate. The researcher is desperate to get away, the inhabitants are desperate to survive, and the kids are desperate to just exist.
Their cruel fate tugs at your heart and it's almost impossible to not dive straight into Natalie's novels to figure out what happened to them later in life.
Though this short story is technically a prequel to the novel Quarantine Thirteen (Inner Universe book 3) (that I've not read yet), it made me go straight to Under Far Galaxian Skies (Inner Universe book 4) as I knew this novel would be a story told from Balfour's POV.
I'd highly recommend you check out both!
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