Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Vishal Thapar

Everyone knows that India is a big country. And our newest contributor, Vishal Thapar, shows — along with such compatriots as Deep Bora and Prakash Kona, among others, that it must be bursting with serious literary talent.

In Vishal’s bio sketch, one has to admire the unselfconscious picture of a young man who is not only open to inspiration but also has the energy and initiative to take new paths and put that inspiration into action in both writing and film.

The sources of Vishal’s inspiration will be familiar to most of our readers, from Alexandre Dumas to Isaac Asimov. But “The Corridor on the 6th Floor,” in this issue, will not be familiar, at least in form: we’ve had prose poems before, but this is a story in verse.

Writing in verse — or, perhaps more accurately, phrases — is Vishal’s favorite method of composition. The result may remain verse, or it may turn into prose or a screenplay. “The Corridor on the 6th Floor” might have been written as straight prose, but I can see why Vishal wanted to retain the verse form: the story is really a mystery; the verse format makes the reader visually focus on details and prevents us from guessing the solution too soon. Quite astute and original !

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Vishal. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!

Vishal Thapar’s bio sketch can be found here.