"Arbitrium" is a post-apocalyptic Tor.com Original short story from Anjali Sachdeva, author of All the Names They Used for God.



Vashti is a pathogenic diplomat—an ambassador to the world of viruses, whom she communicates with through a machine that can translate their chemical signals into images, tastes, smells, sounds, and memories. She begins a negotiation between the US Government and a diplomatic contingent from Arenavirus, a virus which has just begun spreading a deadly mutation in Florida. If Vashti is successful, she and Arena will reach a diplomatic agreement; if not, the Arenavirus infection will continue to spread, and humans will have to race to try to find a vaccine or treatment. As she navigates the diplomatic discussions, Vashti is also trying to connect with her daughter Alma, who lives on the other side of the country in a technology-averse commune. By the time the negotiation ends, Vashti discovers that Arenavirus have learned some impressive and deadly tricks from their interactions with humans.

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About the AuthorAnjali Sachdeva’s short story collection, All the Names They Used for God, was the winner of the 2019 Chautauqua Prize; named a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Refinery 29, and BookRiot; and longlisted for the Story Prize. Her fiction has been featured on the LeVar Burton Reads podcast and published in McSweeney’s, Lightspeed, Fairy Tale Review, MIT Technology Review, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading, among other publications. Her story “Not Creator, Nor Destroyer” was listed as a Notable story in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021. Sachdeva teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and in the low-residency MFA program at Randolph College, and will be an instructor at the 2022 Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop.
Title: Arbitrium : A Tor.com Original
Author(s): Anjali Sachdeva
ISBN: 9781250860187
Copyright 2022
Release Date: June 08, 2022
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: mobi,ePub | Learn More about our supported formats
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