In the early years of the 20th century, a group of female factory workers in Newark, New Jersey slowly died of radiation poisoning.
Around the same time, an Indian elephant was deliberately put to death by electricity in Coney Island.
These are the facts. But how these stories intersect is the subject of Brooke Bolander’s new book “The Only Harmless Great Thing”, a dark alternate history of rage, radioactivity, and injustice crying out to be righted.
“The Only Harmless Great Thing” will debut as a part of Tor.com Publishing’s 2018 slate. The acquiring editor, Marco Palmieri, describes the formation of the story:
“Brooke Bolander has, paradoxically, one of the most hardboiled and astonishingly poignant writing styles in spec fic today. ‘The Only Harmless Great Thing’ brilliantly packs grit, heartache, horror, and humanity into every paragraph. Bolander kicks you in the gut and cuts your soul. And you’ll thank her for it. She’s that good. I’m honored to be her editor.”
Bolander remarks upon a thunderous emergence to this new book; a story that had to be told, that couldn’t be put off once it was realized:
“It is, above all else, a story about forgotten fury, an alternate history where rage from different quarters is allowed to combine and how the resulting chain reaction changes the world. I am thrilled to absolute atoms to finally be working with Tor.com and Marco Palmieri on this little bookling, and I cannot wait for readers to get a peek into what our own combined elements are capable of.”
“The Only Harmless Great Thing” is currently scheduled for 2018 from Tor.com Publishing.