Westland Books launches 'IF' series with 'Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World'

New Delhi: Publishing house Westland Books on Tuesday announced the launch of its new series for speculative fiction, 'IF', with the release of a new book, "Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World".

Speculative fiction, according to the publishers, is the asking of the question 'what if', and the attempt to understand human and non-human, external and internal worlds outside the narrow confines of what may be called reality.

The stories in "Biopeculiar", written by Gigi Ganguly, are about the natural world, as much about clouds and crows, otters, and trees as they are about humans.

"The stories are born out of my deep love and respect for the natural world, the clouds and winds, the trees and plants, the cats, and dogs we live with. It is their world too, as much as it is ours," Ganguly said in a statement.

According to the publishers, at once fantastical and familiar, playful and disturbing, the stories in the book "root around in the world we think we know, dredging up truths that often evade our eyes".

“Gigi Ganguly's 'Biopeculiar', our very first 'IF' book, is odd, playful, and richly witty. The stories in it throw a slantwise look at our troubled world and the ever-shifting relationship humans share with every other species on it.

"'IF' will, we hope, allow us to introduce many more, truly exciting writers in the genre from India and other parts of the world," added Karthika VK, publisher of Westland Books.

The book, priced at Rs 399, is currently available for purchase across online and offline stores.