Coolhunting

Steffie makes her living as a coolhunter—someone who discovers an interesting look and makes it fashion, often overnight. She managed to escape her stifling upbringing, but her sister KD—genetically altered to remain a child—remains trapped.

Steffie left KD behind once. But when KD asks Steffie to help her run away from home, Steffie must decide whether to help or to abandon her sister for a second time.

A Locus Award finalist, and winner of the Science Fiction Age Readers Choice Award.

"This is a fascinating and thought-provoking novella and perfectly exemplifies one of the reasons I enjoy Ruschs writing as much as I do. Her stories often unfold with a breezy, entertaining flow, leading one to expect something fuzzy and warm. Except at its heart, her fiction has a deep emotional edge that, while it might seem at odds with the storytelling style, turns out to be perfectly suited to it, paying off her readers with rich dividends."

—Charles de Lint, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction