Bisection

Tria and Resa have shared the same body since they were born. Like everyone on their home planet of Kinaru, their mind and body are divided down the middle: the logical right and the emotional left. Tria, the right, has a budding career as a biologist, while Resa dreams of more freedom than their home planet grants her.

When aliens land on Kinaru, Tria and Resa seize the opportunity to be the first of their people to travel to the stars. Karnath, the alien scientist assigned to study them, is convinced there is more to the Kinaru than meets the eye. But only days into the trip, crew members start turning up dead, and a mutiny redirects the ship toward a forbidden, war-torn planet—Earth.

To solve a conspiracy that threatens three planets, Tria must find out the truth of who her people really are, and Resa needs to finally tell Tria the dark secrets she's been hiding all their lives.

"This book seemed to have been written for me. It checks off almost every single box of what I love in my sci-fi: a unique idea (in this case, the bisection idea), detailed alien species (and not only that, but reptile aliens!), aliens experiencing earth for the first time, a dive into a real issue (in this case oppression), and a bit of romance."

"Beautiful writing, fascinating story, a pulsing plot, some reasonably original aliens, and excellent characterization. The concept of a divided brain is quite relatable and feels like a beautiful metaphor for the relationships we develop with ourselves. This was a striking example of the implications of treating parts of ourselves with control vs trust and respect. I absolutely adore that theme, as well as the care and compassion the author approached it with."

"I love how the author explores the theme of humanity, the relationship between reason and emotion, both interpersonally and within an individual. Bisection highlights the unfair ways in which we treat ourselves and each other, and at the same time it conveys an optimism about human nature and leaves me with hope that maybe we can be more, if we but open our eyes to the inconvenient truths and allow the compassion we suppress within ourselves."

Bisection is a 2024 finalist in the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition.