Within each of us is a strange fire—a way we burn which is uniquely ours, a heat that defines us, forges us, drives us, liberates us. Strange Fires is a richly diverse collection of queer speculative short fiction, starring pagan gods, psychic violinists, telepathic pyromaniacs, rebellious priests, gender-bending time travelers and fairy-tale villains. Each of these characters is driven by their own fire. Some yearn to understand; some to transform; some to be bound; some to be free.Pooja Mittal Biswas is the author of nine books of fiction, poetry and non-fiction, with her ninth book, a collection of poetry, due to be released by Cordite Books in 2023. She has been reviewed and interviewed in The Age, The Australian and ABC Radio National's The Book Show, and has been anthologized in both The Best Australian Poems and The Best Australian Poetry. Pooja has written for Writer's Digest and has been widely published in literary journals such as Meanjin, Cordite, TEXT,...

When she's mortally wounded in the Great War, Tam staggers to the Wanderwood—a place of treacherous elves and dark magic. But instead of death, she finds pointed ears and a potential ally.