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11+ Works 101 Members 12 Reviews

About the Author

Also includes: Usman Malik (1)

Works by Usman T. Malik

Associated Works

The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories (2017) — Contributor — 276 copies
The New Voices of Fantasy (2017) — Contributor — 173 copies
The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu (2016) — Contributor — 153 copies
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 (2019) — Contributor — 105 copies
Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (2022) — Contributor — 105 copies
Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror (2022) — Contributor — 88 copies
Some of the Best of Tor.com 2021 Edition (2022) — Contributor — 80 copies
Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales: An Anthology (2017) — Contributor — 70 copies
The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2015 Edition (2015) — Contributor — 68 copies
Nebula Awards Showcase 2016 (2016) — Contributor — 63 copies
Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2015 Edition (2016) — Contributor — 60 copies
Year's Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 2 (2015) — Contributor — 58 copies
Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors (2020) — Contributor — 56 copies
The Book of Witches: An Anthology (2023) — Contributor — 55 copies
The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 6 (2021) — Contributor — 41 copies
Asian Ghost Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2022) — Contributor — 35 copies
Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird (2023) — Contributor — 35 copies
The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novellas 2016 (2016) — Contributor — 30 copies
Year's Best Weird Fiction, Vol. 4 (2017) — Contributor — 28 copies
Exigencies: A Neo-Noir Anthology (2015) — Contributor — 21 copies
Apex Magazine 121 (January 2021) (2021) — Contributor — 13 copies
Chiral Mad 2 (Anthology) (2013) — Contributor — 13 copies
Asian Monsters: Volume 3 (Fox Spirit Books of Monsters) (2016) — Contributor — 9 copies
Tor.com Short Fiction: Sept/Oct 2020 (2020) — Contributor — 6 copies
Tor.com Short Fiction: March - April 2021 — Contributor — 6 copies
Dreams for a Broken World (2022) — Contributor — 3 copies
Year's Best Young Adult Speculative Fiction 2014 (2015) — Contributor — 3 copies
An invite to eternity : tales of nature disrupted (2019) — Contributor — 2 copies
Black Static 43 (2014) 2 copies
Daily Science Fiction: June 2013 (2013) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Malik, Usman Tanveer
Birthdate
alive
Gender
male
Nationality
Pakistan
Birthplace
Pakistan
Places of residence
Florida, USA

Members

Reviews

This had been on my to-read list for ages and ages, but the fact that it seems to be available only in digital form kept me away -- even though that form was free on the Tor website. I finally got around to it mostly because it was a good fit for a prompt on StoryGraph's Onboarding Reading Challenge.

I struggle with reading fiction on a screen unless it's fan fiction, which has its own place in my brain. I wonder if that's part of why I ended up rating this four stars instead of five -- not any fault of the story's own, but that my brain was getting impatient with all the scrolling -- without the markers of page turning or chapters to keep my bearings/progress.

Or maybe there just weren't enough women.

But this story is rich and lush and layered with history and setting and myth and magic. I hope to encounter Malik again in longer/paper form someday.
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Flagged
greeniezona | 7 other reviews | Jul 31, 2023 |
As a child, Sal was always fascinated by the stories his grandfather would tell of his life in Pakistan. And the story he loved more than any other was the one of the Mughal princess. Her family's protector was a jinn who lived in a eucalyptus tree. And even though few people believed her, Sal's grandfather wasn't a big skeptic. And though Sal's grandfather never said it, Sal always felt there was something more to the story.
When Sal's grandfather dies, he feels compelled to go check out the source of the stories. Even his girlfriend, Sarah, can see that he seems distracted. Perhaps if he goes to Lahore, he can put the fantastic stories to rest. But instinct is a powerful force, and there may just be more waiting for Sal than he expected.

This is a novella, and I often find reviewing short fiction to be difficult. One of the biggest reasons is that it's hard to give a synopsis without giving too much away. And because I tend to review based on my reaction, it's harder to keep from spoiling key parts of the story.

What I did like about this particular story is the way it's framed. There are so many themes that one can see here: family, travel, exploring your past, fantasy, etc. But it's woven together in a seamless way. I feel like this is one of those that is likely to mean something a bit different to each reader. And those are some of the best stories to read and share.
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Flagged
crtsjffrsn | 7 other reviews | Aug 27, 2021 |
Grandpa's secret life
hidden even from himself
fairy tales hurt less.
 
Flagged
Eggpants | 7 other reviews | Jun 25, 2020 |

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Statistics

Works
11
Also by
39
Members
101
Popularity
#188,710
Rating
½ 3.7
Reviews
12
ISBNs
4

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