Due out this coming September 20th, sci-fi novella The Warren is the latest from master horror writer Brian Evenson, back to make us question our view of humanity. Clocking in at only 96 pages, the teasers promise a “mind-bending” sci-fi journey that will make your heart race and your skin crawl, following our mysterious protagonist X as he discovers the true meaning of humanity in a world devoid of it. Very little has been released regarding the plot, except this incredibly scarce description from Tor.com:

Synopsis for Sci-Fi Novella The Warren

“X doesn’t have a name. He thought he had one—or many—but that might be the result of the failing memories of the personalities imprinted within him. Or maybe he really is called X.

He’s also not as human as he believes himself to be.

But when he discovers the existence of another—above ground, outside the protection of the Warren—X must learn what it means to be human, or face the destruction of their two species.”

Speculating About the Plot

Based off that description, here are my guesses regarding the novella to help you (and me, for that matter) decide whether to pick up this snack-sized sci-fi adventure when it’s released later this month.

(Possibly spoilers, if I’m right?)

1. The Warren is an underground fortress, a la fallout bunkers, which protects the very few humans left from whatever terror lurks above ground.

2. X is some sort of cyborg or alien/human crossbreed that doesn’t fit in with the other survivors and thus does things like sneak to the surface in an unconscious attempt to find belonging.

3. The being X finds on the surface is likely an actual robot or an actual full-on alien, and so by comparing and contrasting this character with the humans inside the Warren, X is faced with his own confusing identity crisis and where his loyalty lies when push comes to shove.

Even if I’m wrong about everything, the advance reviews look promising and the description is just tantalizing enough that I may spend a day immersing myself in The Warren.