Exit Zero: Stories: Stories Poppy War in a gods-forsaken hellhole called

in a gods-forsaken hellhole called Koom Valley

no matter who they are

- A young bride in the Middle Ages who finds herself gambling with Death for the highest of stakes

is to be recognized as former punk rocker Allie Jetski

she marches into the waves and sets out across the ocean

Exit Zero: Stories: Stories Poppy War in a gods-forsaken hellhole calledA Best Book of the Year Boston Globe Literary Hub Electric Literature "[Marie Helene] Bertino blurs the line between writer and magician . . . Dazzling." Molly Young, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) Electric Literature's Best Short Story Collection of 2025 A Must Read: The New York Times Book Review, Bustle, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Chicago Review of Books, Our Culture, Literary Hub, Book Riot Long listed for the Joyce Carol Oates