State of Disorder

See more by Douglas Smith

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Aurora Award Finalist
Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror Honorable Mention

When James Mackaby, respected scholar, husband and father, accepts a dinner invitation from an old rival who has fallen on hard times, he has no idea that revenge is on the menu.

During this singular evening, three very separate and very different dinners will take place, all at the same time, all in the same place, all with the same guests.

And by the end of the last course, no one’s life will ever be the same again.

Science fiction, time travel (short story)

"Another standout is the masterful "State of Disorder," which contemplates the flexibility and fluidity of time." —Ideomancer Magazine

"A neat twist on time travel and quantum physics." —Publishers Weekly

"The claustrophobic atmosphere of this tale heightens its devilish suspense and draws favorable comparisons to Poe’s tales of trapped, desperate protagonists." —Tangent Online

"A chilling story of three dinners in the same place and time, and a very satisfying ending made this another A++ story [in Chimerascope]." —Fantasy Book Critic

"A stunning piece of work." —Amazing Stories

"Smith invokes both Stephen Hawking and Edgar Allan Poe ... a successful marriage of bold imagination and finely-crafted details, which results in a chilling page-turner." —Rainbow Dragon Recommends


About the author

Douglas Smith


Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction.”

His latest work is the multi-award-winning YA urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga (The Hollow Boys, The Crystal Key, and The Lost Expedition). Other books include the urban fantasy novel, The Wolf at the End of the World; the collections, Chimerascope, Impossibilia, and La Danse des Esprits (translated); and the writer's guide Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction.
His short fiction has appeared in the top markets in the field, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, InterZone, and Weird Tales.

Published in 27 languages, Doug is a 4-time winner of Canada's Aurora Award, most recently in 2023 for The Hollow Boys, as well as the juried IAP Award for the same book. He's been a finalist for the Astounding Award, CBC's Bookies Award, Canada's juried Sunburst Award, the juried Alberta Magazine Award for Fiction, and France's juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.

His website is https://smithwriter.com.

"The man is Sturgeon good. Zelazny good. I don't give those up easy." —Spider Robinson, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner

"A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice." —Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner

"His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think." —Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner

"Stories you can't forget, even years later." —Julie Czerneda, multi-award-winning author and editor