https://henrylien.com/">Henry Lien

Henry Lien, Author

Pearl Colony Painting with Shadow

Pearl Rehabilitative Colony
for Ungrateful Daughters

Two dueling teenage divas vie for top ranking in a sport combining kung fu and figure skating at a vicious cram school for talented but spoiled girls.

This is the direct prequel to my novel PEASPROUT CHEN, FUTURE LEGEND OF SKATE AND SWORD.

Here is where you can read the story for free, in PDF format: PEARL REHABILITATIVE COLONY FOR UNGRATEFUL DAUGHTERS (PDF)

Here is where you can listen to the podcast version of the
story, read by me, for free:
PEARL REHABILITATIVE COLONY FOR UNGRATEFUL DAUGHTERS (PODCAST, PART I)
PEARL REHABILITATIVE COLONY FOR UNGRATEFUL DAUGHTERS (PODCAST, PART II)

Here is where you can read the extensive interview with me about the story:
ASIMOV’S INTERVIEW

This story was the cover story for the December 2013 issue of Asimov’s. It was nominated for the Nebula. It was reprinted in the Nebula Awards Showcase 2015, edited by Greg Bear. It is the first in a series of fantasy stories and novels set in the
world of Pearl, which I developed at Clarion West under
George R.R. Martin, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kelly Link.

The painting was created by Alexandra Manukyan for the cover of Asimov’s.

Here is some critical reaction to the story.
Locus Magazine, Lois Tilton
KrisWrites.com, Kristine Kathryn Rausch
SFRevu, Sam Tomaino
Diabolical Plots, David Steffen
Tangent Magazine, Louis West
SF Signal, Carl V. Anderson