Psychopomp

Coming March 25th, 2025

From Dark Matter Ink

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Description

On the penal colony of Hibiscus Station, no positions are as key as the Pomps, who direct the dangerous mining operations to remove highly valuable—and volatile—crystal from the moon's crust.

Young was previously in training to be a Pomp—until a depressive episode, mental break, and a suicide attempt. She doesn’t need the other convicts on her work team to suspect she’s unraveling again, so when she suddenly hallucinates visions of the unstable crystals in the tunnel walls around her—along with the potential danger they hold—she keeps her mouth shut.

And then their newly-dug tunnel explodes, killing her crew.

During her reassignment, her new lover, Gyu, makes her an offer: he can pull some strings and help her finish her Pomp training. If Young decides to take the gamble that her new secret visions are accurate, she can prevent further accidents—and pay off the penal debt keeping her from going home.

However, the more she trains, the more her paranoia convinces her that the collapse wasn’t an accident at all, and that everyone—her new crew, the station staff, and even Gyu—are all hiding secrets. If she doesn’t figure out what’s real before her mental health implodes, she might not survive the next “accident”.

Praise

• “Fierce, febrile, austere, and melancholy, Psychopomp keeps you rooting (and afraid) for Young till the very end.”

  —C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Saint Death’s Daughter

• “PSYCHOPOMP is science fiction at its best, exploring questions large and small about how we structure our society, extract resources from nature, and survive as individuals. It's propulsive and twisty and atmospheric as hell. Get in the space elevator, loser. We're going for a ride.”

  —Yume Kitasei, Author of THE DEEP SKY and THE STARDUST GRAIL

• “...a visceral psychological foray that artfully pulls the genre rug from your feet...there’s no better author than Dong to both bring us into the labyrinth of the human mind and guide us out again.”

  —Elaine Cho, Author of Ocean’s Godori

• “...secrets unravel piece by piece in this richly drawn and complex, ache- and angst-driven sci-fi thriller.”

  —Ai Jiang, Nebula and Bram Stoker award-winning author of Linghun

• “Psychopomp is a gripping deep space thriller packed with tension and inhabited by complex characters exploring how to live in a world designed to oppress and use them. Along with main character, Young, readers will hurtle headlong through this story, not knowing who to trust.”

  —Angela Sylvaine, Author of Frost Bite

• “...a cinematic sci-fi thriller...a journey of secrets and self-discovery.”

  —Catherine McCarthy, author of Mosaic and The House at the End of Lacelean Street

• “...brutal, intense, and breathtakingly introspective. Beautifully written and full of cosmic emotional gravity, this shadowy sci-fi world comes alive with vast twisting secrets and darkly intricate characters.”

  —Amanda Cecelia Lang, Author of Saturday Fright at the Movies

• “...a riveting page-turner set in an intriguing and tidally locked planet-moon system. Dong is clearly a master of the craft.”

  —Renan Bernardo, Nebula and Ignyte finalist and author of DISGRACED RETURN OF THE KAP’S NEEDLE

• “A smart, sharp book whose dark vision of the future feels mirror-perfect to our current system--and equally ready to be shattered.”

  —Aimee Ogden, author of Nebula Award Finalist novella Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters

• “....thrums with moments of transcendent beauty. This is a book that will have you helplessly reading deep into the night, burrowing into its pages like Young burrows into the moon.”

  —Jennifer Hudak

• “...an unflinching, brutally honest dive into heartache, depression, and resilience. Dong pulls no punches...a riveting story about courage, and ultimately, self belief.”

  —Eliane Boey, Author of Club Contango