Stellar Smoke

Name: Stellar Smoke
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Tanaïs
ISBN: 9798217160891

Author: Tanaïs

Narrator: Tanaïs

Unabridged: TBD

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 10/20/2026

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction

Synopsis

A hypnotically original and lush speculative novel from award-winning author Tanaïs about family secrets and the mother–daughter bond across generations—ultimately blurring the boundary between past and present, human and machine.

Qamar is a musician hustling in a near-future metropolitan city. Struggling to pay rent and heartbroken after a breakup, she decides to return to the island ashram of her childhood. It’s time to finally settle the rift she has with her estranged mother, Veda—a brilliant scientist, actress, and one of the leaders of a now-dissolved cult called the Endless Temple.

But when Qamar arrives, the land is verdant yet neglected, and, most troubling, there are no signs of her mother or sister, Palo. Behind a retina scan–locked door, Qamar encounters her mother’s last opus, a machine consciousness called VEDA (Virtual Experiences, Dreams and Afterlife), designed to reveal the story of Veda’s life. The descent into VEDA’s technoscape forces Qamar to confront the taboos and tragedies of their past, while bracing herself for the wild, unexpected possibilities that await.

About The Author

Tanaïs (née Tanwi Nandini Islam) is a multidisciplinary artist, novelist, memoirist, and perfumer. They are the author of In Sensorium: Notes for My People, which won the Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction, and offers an alternative history of South Asia through the lens of scent. Their critically acclaimed queer coming-of-age debut novel, Bright Lines, was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Edmund White Debut Fiction Award, and the Brooklyn Eagles Literary Prize. They studied at Vassar College and Brooklyn College, and founded the independent artisan perfume house Studio Tanaïs. Their writing and perfumes have been featured in Vogue, Vogue India, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, The Cut, The Nation, and more. They live in New York City with their husband, Mojo.

Reviews

There are currently no user reviews for this audiobook.

Quotes

Named Most Anticipated by Electric Literature

“A fierce and sensuous novel that will challenge readers to think of the future as a portal to the past. Tanaïs writes with sensitivity about the bonds of family, the weight of history, and the resilience of life even under the rapacious forces of colonialism, extremism, and capitalism.”
—Laila Lalami, author of The Dream Hotel

“Tanaïs is a visionary and a literary force. Their new novel, Stellar Smoke, is both a lush sensorium and a deep exploration of timeless questions: What forms of witness do we owe our ancestors? Can we ever lay our ghosts to rest? A truly singular work of art, destined to last.”
—Tania James, author of Loot

“A potent hybrid of family history and futuristic imagination that pursues its story across generations and genres, Stellar Smoke is a visionary novel that offers a glimpse into a living archive, a human technology, a record of resilience, survival, and longing. Tanaïs is one of the most exciting storytellers working today, with one hand taking the pulse of our moment and the other reaching for the stars.”
—Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun