WEIRD FISHES

sf novella featuring encounters with intelligent life in the sea

published by stelliform press (2022)

2023 UTOPIA AWARD-NOMINATED NOVELLA

When Ceph, a squid-like scientist, discovers proof of the ocean’s slowing currents, she makes the dangerous ascent from her deep-sea civilization to the uncharted surface above. Out of her depths and helpless in her symbiotic mech suit, Ceph relies on Iliokai, a seal-folk storyteller, who has seen evidence of clogged currents as she surfs the time gyres throughout the lonely blue. Navigating the perils of their damaged ocean environment, and seemingly insurmountable cultural differences, Ceph and Iliokai realize that the activities of terrestrial beings are slowing the spiralling currents of time. On a journey that connects future and past, the surface and the deep, the unlikely friends struggle to solve a problem so big it needs a leviathan solution.

PW, STAR1
publishers weekly, starred review
“Mariz combines dense, realistic science with lush, fantastic description and provides abundant space for the story’s more outlandish elements to stretch out and breathe.”
PW, STAR1
PW, STAR2
publishers weekly, starred review
“The relationships at the heart of this tale manage to be both completely human and utterly unbeholden to the above-water dynamics readers might take for granted.”
PW, STAR2
PW, STAR3
publishers weekly, starred review
“The resulting novella feels entirely fresh and inventive.”
PW, STAR3
NINA MUNTEANU
Nina Munteanu, author of Water Is… and A Diary in the Age of Water
A lyrical and heartfelt adventure that celebrates how the ocean connects us all
NINA MUNTEANU
ALEX BROWN
Alex Brown @ Punk Ass Book Jockey
"Mariz does a fantastic job conveying the uniqueness and non human-ness of the underwater beings, the way they communicate, the way they interact with their environment, the way they move through space & time."
ALEX BROWN
KEIKI1
@keikiakapueo
"I just can't quite put to words how much this book resonates with my na'au and makes me long for a place I feel like my kupuna might know."
KEIKI1
KEIKI2
@keikiakapueo
"BGKDDBDHRJRJRHRH YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS BOOK
@raemariz IS A GODDAMN POET, AN ARTIST, THE WAY RAE WEAVES WORDS AND WORLD TOGETHER HAS ME IN DESPAIR IN THE BEST WAYS"
KEIKI2
KEIKI3
@keikiakapueo
I cannot wait for you all to read this wonderful, fluid, deep diving
and just plain FUN climate story
the amount of MANA @raemariz has imbued into every page.
Kanaka fiction you do NOT want to miss!"
KEIKI3
KEIKI4
@keikiakapueo
Don't miss this! Weird Fishes is such a breathtaking, gorgeous and evocative piece of near future kanaka climate fiction and @raemariz has such a way with weaving words into a net that captures you from the very beginning and doesnt let go!
KEIKI4
JULIA RIOS
Julia Rios, creator of Mermaids Monthly magazine
“Weird Fishes is a vibrant, beautiful exploration of oceans teeming with lives and cultures unknown to humans. This book is a must for anyone who loves the sea!”
JULIA RIOS
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