Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
A bargain with the gods throws two men together in a timeless short story of adventure and unrequited love inspired by The Odyssey by Andrew Sean Greer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less . A man in exile, banished to a planet far from home and cursed with immortality, discovers that a ship has crash-landed near his settlement. After two hundred years, his heart’s desire has come true. A visitor has finally arrived on his lonely little speck in the stars. He’ll have companionship again. Someone he could love forever. As the weary traveler heals, the two men form a tender bond. But all they’ve come to share may not be enough to curb the visitor’s irrepressible wanderlust. Now the exile, who thought nothing in his endless life would ever change, must make a decision that will change everything.
Tags
Is Calypso's Guest: A Short Story appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
A literary sci-fi short story exploring themes of loneliness, immortality, and queer love with mature emotional content but minimal explicit material. Appropriate for older teens comfortable with LGBTQ+ relationships and melancholic themes.
What to know going in
This book has no graphic violence, mild sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include unrequited love, abandonment, and loneliness.
Who'll love this
Teens interested in thoughtful, character-driven sci-fi with emotional depth and mythology connections will appreciate this tender story of connection.