The Seep

By: Chana Porter

Narrated by: Shakina Nayfack

“A unique alien invasion story that focuses on the human and the myriad ways we see and don’t see our own world. Mesmerizing.” --Jeff VanderMeer

A blend of searing social commentary and speculative fiction, Chana Porter’s fresh, pointed debut explores a strange new world in the wake of a benign alien invasion.

Trina FastHorse Goldberg-Oneka is a fifty-year-old trans woman whose life is irreversibly altered in the wake of a gentle--but nonetheless world-changing--invasion by an alien entity called The Seep. Through The Seep, everything is connected. Capitalism falls, hierarchies and barriers are broken down; if something can be imagined, it is possible.

Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep’s utopian influence--until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seeptech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated.

Heartbroken and deep into an alcoholic binge, Trina follows a lost boy she encounters, embarking on an unexpected quest. In her attempt to save him from The Seep, she will confront not only one of its most avid devotees, but the terrifying void that Deeba has left behind. A strange new elegy of love and loss, The Seep explores grief, alienation, and the ache of moving on.

©2020 Chana Porter (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Excerpt from “My Play” in Sherwood Forest by Camille Roy. © 2011 by Camille Roy. Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Futurepoem Books, www.futurepoem.com. All rights reserved. Excerpt from Architectural Body by Madeline Gins and Arakawa. © 2002 by Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa. Reprinted by permission of The University of Alabama Press. All rights reserved. Excerpt from “You are not dead” in Black Life by Dorothea Lasky. © 2010 by Dorothea Lasky. Reprinted with the permission of Wave Books, wavepoetry.com. All rights reserved

Critic reviews

"Porter's gripping, subtly hopeful work of literary speculative fiction is shaped by remarkable world-building elements and acute observation of human frailties and impetus." —Booklist, starred review

"In Porter's surreal, introspective debut, a benevolent alien invasion leads humanity into a utopia, exploring themes of grief and discontentment within a seemingly perfect world.... Readers will delight in the eerie disquietude and optimism of this well-calibrated what-if." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This surreal debut takes on themes of utopia, identity, love, and loss, while readers are pulled into a full experience through Porter’s fluid prose. This unusual story will linger long past the last page." —Library Journal, starred review

“[Shakina] Nayfack's gripping performance brings a layer of dimension to this world and the questions our heroine grapples with that will keep listeners riveted.” —Booklist, audiobook review

"[Shakina] Nayfack's powerful, sardonic delivery strengthens Porter's narrative, balancing past and present to examine love, societal constructions, the intricacies of utopia, and how past experiences shape identity and selfhood. Nayfack's measured pacing grounds listeners in daily life under the Seep, while her intimate, specific characterizations pull listeners forward during challenging, painful moments." —AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

Collective Utopia

Utopian novels are so often individualistic, but this novel happens to forge a collective utopia that somehow still asks how individuality can be preserved. Very pretty book, and the prose is easy to approach. Cried twice. Can’t wait to write about this for class :-)

A sip of the seep

What a refreshing read! I started reading/listening to it at work and from the first chapter I knew I had to stop and restart it at a cafe or somewhere else where I could give it my undivided attention, and I wasn’t disappointed.
I loved how humanity shined through in contrast with alien nature. Most of all, to me, it was about grieving, about holding on and letting go. I enjoyed the complex web of utopia/dystopia, the queer characters gave the story depth, and their struggles felt really real.

Lovely

Just a lovely story about the world, life, us and you in this life and the next.

Entertaining & endearing

I loved this story, albeit I wish it was a bit longer. It takes you on a journey that’s unique, entertaining, thought provoking and endearing!

“This is my pain. Let me have it!”

This is a story about a trans woman living in a near future where everything is okay, and that’s not okay. It’s a story about how struggle, loss, and grief help to form our identity. The story is consistently exciting and told with immersive and spectacular imagery. Shakina Nayfack is the perfect narrator.

I have a hard time finding fiction that I enjoy, and I highly recommend this one. For reference, here are some of my favorite recent fiction listens:
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
- Kindred by Octavia Butler
- The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
- Exhalation by Ted Chiang
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A Gift of a Book

Ahhh. That’s better.
I needed that.
What a glorious, imaginative and loving work.
I will be thinking about this, the questions it raises, the universe created, for a long time.
I anticipate this is a book I will return to again, when I want for a good novel, poem, dream, meal, friend.
I loved it. Truly loved it.
Thank you, Chana. And thank you, Shakina.

Very calming

It was very smooth and calming to listen to. it was soft, even when it got climactic.

this is a genre of its own!

I've never read/listened to a book about something this inventive! it's not a genre I usually search for - I think I got it free (I usually only spend credits on nice long books) but it was truly fascinating kind of dissecting the way the mind works via this alien life force. I wish it was longer!!

Really great

if you want an eerie, quick read, “The Seep” by Chana Porter is a good one to pick for recent releases - not normally my type of sci-fi to go for but I’m very glad I used some of my “self care” budget for this. It’s basically parasite alien invasion but with a twist & definitely exceeded my expectations.

characters don't have much personality

it reads like a corporate inclusiveness project for an abandoned 2010s mmorpg. the characters are largely stereotypes with little personality. and it does seem to explore anything deeper that surface level internet culture and drama.