The Curse of Interram

Alasdair is a human Guardian, a defender of the Realm, bound by strict rules and religious dogma. The planet Interram is rotting from within, but rather than confront this corruption, humans choose to hunt those they label as Cursed and servants of the Enemy. Alasdair’s worldview begins to unravel as he defies his orders and chooses to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances.

His journey leads him to Phae, a child bearing the Curse of Interram. As Alasdair grapples with his duty to destroy the Cursed, Phae challenges his rigid beliefs and forces him to see the world through a new, more nuanced lens.

Meanwhile, the oku, an ambisexual alien race, view existence through a radically different from humans. What humans deem Cursed oku call Blessed. The oku’s benevolent One God is viewed as the Enemy by humans. Oku don’t even understand the role of gender, for their role within their tribe is not determined by their ever changing anatomy.

An oku storyteller recounts the tale of their prophesied savior, Ogedai. Captured and enslaved by humans, Ogedai endures the brutality of slavery and violence, but perseveres, resisting their grim fate. Raised by humans and with the blood of an Oku Ogedai confronts their identity both as an individual and as part of their species, which has been profoundly shaped by human actions.