The Speed of Clouds (ePub)

The Speed of Clouds is a deep dive into fandom at the turn of the new millennium, and the poignant story of one fan's efforts to find a new way to live life on Earth.

Mindy Vogel may need a wheelchair to get around, and she may still be living with her mother, but she travels easily between star systems as SkyLog officer Kat Wanderer, while carrying on a romance with a strangely compelling cyborg. And she runs a kickass fanzine. But after a split with her own fan club, Mindy starts to lose her bearings, and her mother's affair with a sleazy comics dealer threatens her home. Faced with so many disruptions, Mindy must re-imagine her life. Set at the moment when fandom went digital, this expansive novel finds room for Buckminster Fuller, the Ghost Dance of the Lakota, and cosmic-themed installation art alongside the fanfic, Cons, and cosplay of fan culture.

"Blends quiet and deeply human moments with the world-shaking consequences of epic science fiction, effortlessly weaving them together." —A. C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling

"A heartbreaking yet uplifting exploration of fandom, of universal truths revealed by imaginary universes, and of the astonishing power of human invention and reinvention." —Jon McGoran, author of Spliced, Spiked, and Splintered

"Spot-on about how the dynamics of a show like SkyLog offers a way to understand the even-more-elusive dynamics of adult life. Most of all, in Mindy, Seidel has created a heroine who pushes through her personal and physical obstacles, and surprises both the reader and herself." —Simone Zelitch, author of Judenstaat, Waveland, and Louisa