The Descent of Monsters (Tensorate Series #3)

Curator’s note

The Tensorate series pulls us into a mind-bending world that's reminiscent of the Avatar TV series — pugilists known as Tensors fight by mastering and shaping different elements. Yet it ditches the cliché of a “chosen one” protagonist, shines brilliantly with an oh-so-Singaporean mix of Malay and Chinese cultures, and — most importantly — is unabashedly queer. People are born non-binary and set their gender when they become of age (with some choosing to remain non-binary), and same-sex relationships are commonplace, if not more prevalent than straight relationships. The Protectorate is a queer, fantastical, scary, and magical world — and we live for it.

Synopsis

This novella is part of the 4-part Tensorate novella series: The Black Tides of Heaven, The Red Threads of Fortune, The Descent of Monsters, and The Ascent to Godhood. The first 2 novellas can be read in any order.

You are reading this because I am dead.

Something terrible happened at the Rewar Teng Institute of Experimental Methods. When the Tensorate’s investigators arrived, they found a sea of blood and bones as far as the eye could see. One of the institute’s experiments got loose, and its rage left no survivors. The investigators returned to the capital with few clues and two prisoners: the terrorist leader Sanao Akeha and a companion known only as Rider.

Investigator Chuwan faces a puzzle. What really happened at the institute? What drew the Machinists there? What are her superiors trying to cover up? And why does she feel as if her strange dreams are forcing her down a narrowing path she cannot escape?

About the author

Neon Yang (a.k.a. JY Yang) is a queer, non-binary author who is based in Singapore. Before that, they were a molecular biologist, science writer, and journalist. Neon uses they / them pronouns and the Mx honorific (i.e. Mx Yang).