Broken Mirror
A cautionary utopia about mental illness and addiction
A fractured mind or a global conspiracy? Uncovering the truth can be hell when nobody believes you… and you can’t even trust yourself.
“A fantastic SF thriller with a sincere and important message.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A breathtaking, deeply dark alternate-history Earth with complex characters, layered worldbuilding, and twist after twist after twist.”—Julianna Caro, Reedsy Discovery
Broken Mirror is the first volume in a queer psychological science fiction saga that looks at the stigma of mental illness and the hellish distrust and alienation that goes with it.
Victor Eastmore knows someone killed his grandfather, the pioneering scientist Jefferson Eastmore. But Victor, diagnosed with mirror resonance syndrome, has been shunned by Semiautonomous California society. Nobody will believe a Broken Mirror. Now Victor must tread the line between sanity and reclassification—a fate that all but guarantees he’ll lose his freedom.
With its self-driving cars, global firearms ban, and cure for cancer, the science fiction world of Broken Mirror may sound like a near-future utopia, but on Resonant Earth, history has taken a few wrong turns. The American Union is a weak and fractious alliance of nations in decline. Europe manipulates its citizens through propaganda. And Asia is reeling from decades of war.
Determined to uncover the truth about Jefferson’s murder, pansexual Victor and his trans friend Elena set out on a road trip that takes them across the American Union from Semiautonomous California through the Organized Western States to the Republic of Texas. But Elena is holding something back, and Victor’s condition worsens.
Amid shifting geopolitical sands, Broken Mirrors like Victor find themselves at a cyberpunk crossroads: evolve or go extinct.
Praise for Broken Mirror
“Sisco has created an immersive cyberpunk world as the setting for an elaborate murder mystery and conspiracy thriller; the copious amount of worldbuilding detail is truly impressive. Victor is a relatable hero with eclectic friends in Ozie and Elena… The world and the characters work together to effectively form a cohesive story about how easy it is for society to classify a group of people as dangerous outsiders. A fantastic science fiction thriller with a sincere and important message.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A breathtaking, deeply dark alternate-history Earth with complex characters, layered worldbuilding, and twist after twist after twist.”
—Julianna Caro, Reedsy Discovery
“An empathic, sensitive, and gripping alternate history, cassette future, bio-hacking techno-thriller that will keep you page-turning to the end.”
—Matthew Kressel, Nebula Award-nominated author of King of Shards and Queen of Static
“Cody Sisco swings for the fences with this ambitious alt-history look at addiction and mental health in a world where all should be well but is most definitely not. If this is just the start, it will be a treat what comes next!”
—Sherri L. Smith, award-winning author of Orleans and The Blossom and the Firefly
“Victor Eastmore is an unlikely hero who we immediately root for. His constant struggle for some sort of normal existence is distressing, and his journey to find who murdered his grandfather is an intense roller coaster ride, but we gladly take the ride with him. Broken Mirror is an exciting and fascinating look at a society that fancies itself evolved almost to perfection but, in reality, is as broken as some of its inhabitants.”
—Frank Castelluccio, author of short stories in RFD Magazine, Made in L.A. Vol. 4, and Avalon Literary Review
“Cody Sisco’s Broken Mirror daringly plays with time, geography, science, and language with breathtaking results. Set in an imagined recent past, in a rearranged world with brilliant medical advances, equally brilliant new weapons, and recreational drugs, nothing is what it appears. In its unpredictability, it feels like negotiating an ominous funhouse filled with sunlit dread. Broken Mirror is a consistently absorbing thrill ride full of scary but satisfying twists and turns.”
—Manuel Igrejas, author of Imaginary Boyfriends: Short Stories
“Cody Sisco crafts a world rich in adventure and intrigue, as Broken Mirror takes us to the future to confront corporate greed, tech regulation, and stigmas around neurodiversity, all while weaving a tale of the many ways in which we need to know ourselves.”
—Kate Maruyama, author of Harrowgate, Bleak Houses, and The Collective
“Cody Sisco’s Broken Mirror is a queer alternate history in which Victor Eastmore flees across a reimagined but recognizable America, determined to prove his grandfather had been poisoned. Victor is compelling and sympathetic, but he is hobbled by a potentially violent psychological condition he struggles to control, by allies whose true motivations are often at odds with his own, by a family who would rather see him institutionalized, and by the larger conspiracy targeting people like himself. The world of Broken Mirror is thoroughly realized, and as readers learn more about its history and where its timeline branched off from ours, the more they learn that Victor’s paranoia is entirely justified. Sisco’s novel is tightly plotted and wildly inventive, and it explores the ways stigmas against mental illness and addiction can be weaponized for profit and control.”
—Michael Kiggins, author of And the Train Kept Moving
“With Broken Mirror, Cody Sisco questions our reflex to blame the human condition on those who are deemed as ‘other.’ This murder mystery set in an alternate history that feels all too close to home searches for truth amidst abuse of power and the silencing of unconventional minds. Rich with themes of mental health, racism, gender and sexual identity, this first installment of the Resonant Earth Series is a vibrant and sexy ride.”
—Allison Rose, cofounder of Made in L.A. Writers, author of the Tick Series, and the upcoming memoir Of Course I Love You
“Cody Sisco’s expansive worldbuilding presents a dystopic vision of a fractured America that feels all too depressingly real. Cryptic hackers, tangled loyalties, and family secrets make Broken Mirror a high-tension read.”
—Cynthia Zhang, author of After the Dragons
“Broken Mirror, Cody Sisco’s well-paced and entertaining debut novel, didn’t show any first-book jitters. Drawing readers in with compelling, captivating, and well-thought-out characters like Victor Eastmore and Elena Morales, this thriller and murder mystery set in a sci-fi world centers on a mysterious mental illness. The book and plot rush through zigs and zags with sex, romance, death, and a notebook of wild dreams. Sisco proves a talented writer, leaving readers wanting to crack open the next book as well.”
—David Fitzpatrick, author of Sharp: A Memoir and Wolf-Boy
“A poetic and often tragic narrative about social stigma, wealth, and a troubled young man looking for a future in a society that shuns him. Cody Sisco’s Broken Mirror resonates with anyone who has ever felt lost and confused and yet resilient.”
—Sara Chisolm, author of short stories in the Made in L.A. anthology series
“Cody Sisco has created an alternative reality in Broken Mirror that holds engaging characters, amazing action sequences, and a mystery that will have you reaching for the sequel as soon as you reach the last page. Highly recommend!” —Gabi Lorino, author of A Magical Time Called Later
Tortured Echoes
Bioinformatics whiz Victor Eastmore at long last gains control over his frightening mirror resonance syndrome, but he still believes his grandfather was murdered.
Victor’s best hope for finding justice lies in New Venice, a tourist town in the Louisiana Territories where his family’s company is exploring new treatment options for so-called “Broken Mirrors” and the stim addicts who experience similar symptoms–blank outs, synesthesia, and euphoria. Only by confronting Samuel Miller, the MRS “patient zero” who was responsible for the Carmichael Massacre, can Victor learn the truth. To do that, Samuel must first be weaned off Personil, the drug that keeps his mirror resonance syndrome in check.
Can Victor learn the data egg’s darkest secrets without unleashing a violent madman?
Meanwhile, a cult dedicated to the sanctity and purity of human life disrupts New Venice with protests and vandalism. When they take an interest in stopping BioScan from medicating MRS patients, including Samuel Miller, Victor finds himself with unlikely allies and divided loyalties.
As pressure builds for the nations of the American Union to pass new legislation to control Broken Mirrors, Victor must become an effective advocate for people with MRS or risk being institutionalized along with them.
A fast-paced sequel to Broken Mirror, Tortured Echoes continues the sci-fi detective saga of Resonant Earth. In this installment, fans of Broken Mirror will finally get answers to their questions: Why was Jefferson Eastmore killed? How did it happen? Who was responsible?
Revisit the world of self-driving cars, stunsticks, brainhackers, and herbalism with Victor, Elena, Ozie, Tosh, and Karine, and several new figures that might help Victor chart a new course for his future, or condemn him to madness.
Forthcoming
Altered Bodies, the third volume of the series, is due out in 2021. Subsequent novels set on Resonant Earth will see Victor continue his quest in search of the truth behind his condition.
Made in L.A. Vol. 1: Stories Rooted in the City of Angels
Readers in Los Angeles are thirsty for stories that bring their city to life. This anthology features a diverse range of voices and genres. Like the City of Angels in which these stories were born, nothing is off-limits. Literary or contemporary, noir or ghost story, fabulism or science fiction, each story in this volume will forever change the way you look at this iconic metropolis.
Made in L.A. Writers is a collaborative of Los Angeles-based authors dedicated to nurturing and promoting indie fiction. This 2018 volume is the first of the annual Made in L.A. anthology series. While our styles, themes, and story locales differ, our work is both influenced and illuminated by our hometown and underpinned by the extraordinary, multifaceted, and often surreal culture and life in the City of Angels.
Stories
“Little Woman” by Cody Sisco
A workplace harassment incident has severe consequences when the victim shrinks to doll-size.
“Salt in the Hell Mouth” by Cody Sisco
The demonic invasion of Los Angeles is underway and only a curanderx can stop it.
“Unquiet Baggage” by Cody Sisco
On a train in Highland Park, a dead man’s ghost bemoans his husband, his murderer.
Made in L.A. Vol. 2: Chasing the Elusive Dream
This anthology series showcases a diverse range of voices and genres. Like the City of Angels where these stories were born, nothing is off-limits. Literary or contemporary, fantasy or science fiction, each story in this volume invites you to view this urban landscape through a different lens.
While Made in L.A. Volume 1 was rooted in Los Angeles, this volume focuses on goals, dreams, and the distant horizon. Chasing the Elusive Dream explores the fantasies people carry with them to L.A., as well as the dreams Angelenos dream while surrounded by this vast and evolving city.
Made in L.A. Writers came into being because local readers expressed their desire, en masse, for stories about Los Angeles. As a collaborative of Los Angeles-based writers who are dedicated to nurturing and promoting indie fiction, our work is both influenced and illuminated by our hometown and underpinned by the extraordinary, multifaceted, and often surreal culture and life in L.A.
Stories
“Face” by Cody Sisco
When a haunting face appears on a freeway overpass, a lonely young man slips into L.A.’s dark magical underbelly.
We’d all learned in Romeo and Juliet that love unhinged.
Made in L.A. Vol. 3: Art of Transformation
Made in L.A. Vol. 3: Art of Transformation is a love letter to one of the greatest cities in the world, one that invites, or forces, its inhabitants to transform with it.
The stories and dreams we share with each other are ever-evolving. The ground shifts beneath our feet. We return to familiar corners and find ourselves out of place and time. Art of Transformation explores interior states of emotional drift and the evolving place we call home.
Made in L.A. Writers came into being because local readers expressed their desire, en masse, for stories about Los Angeles. As a collaborative of Los Angeles-based writers who are dedicated to nurturing and promoting indie fiction, our work is both influenced and illuminated by our hometown and underpinned by the extraordinary, multifaceted, and often surreal culture and life in L.A.
Stories
“Call Us Home” by Cody Sisco
The LApocalypse is on its way and only Salt, the curanderx, can stop it.
Wondering how my otherworldly colleagues will contact me now, I go to the kitchen and drink the last of the goat’s milk, pop four Lactaids and a few more anti-gas tablets, and start toward the shower.
Made in L.A. Vol. 4: Beyond the Precipice
Made in L.A. Vol. 4: Beyond the Precipice shines a light on Angelenos who have gone past the point of no return.
Everything looks different beyond the precipice. We cross the threshold and we’re changed irrevocably. What was familiar doesn’t stay that way. We hunger desperately for new experiences even as nostalgia consumes us. Both strange and delightful, the city is a phantom limb that points toward a deepening yet tenuous symbiosis; it could either sustain us or lead to our destruction.
Edited by: Sara Chisolm, Gabi Lorino, Allison Rose, and Cody Sisco
Cover design by: Allison Rose
Made in L.A. Vol. 5: Vantage Points
In Los Angeles, the only constant is change. Our lives go through cycles and rotations. We incorporate new ideas, people, workplaces, and patterns as we create the futures we have dreamed of since childhood. And so, the stories we tell are malleable and shifting, too. We seek out places to survey the world around us, to understand where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we’re going. In a sprawling, intricately patterned landscape shaped by the lives of millions, we find commonalities and differences, joy and sorrow, and moments of convergence.
In this anthology, the fifth Made in L.A. short-fiction collection, stories are told through lenses that focus on the aptitude of Angelenos to reinvent and reimagine, to take action for ourselves and for others. Angeleno storytellers understand that to seek truth in a continually shifting and evolving world requires constant readjustment of the prism through which we perceive modern society. To solve the failures and dilemmas of the past, present, and future, we must observe from every conceivable angle and vantage point.
Edited by: Sara Chisolm, Gabi Lorino, Allison Rose, and Cody Sisco
Cover design by: Allison Rose