n May 2016, UConn history professor Dexter Gabriel was trudging up a hill, robes swishing around his ankles and cap in hand, en route to receive his Ph.D. hood at Stony Brook University in New York, when he received an email addressed to P. Dj\u00e8l\u00ed Clark.<\/p>\n
The message congratulated Clark on his novelette, \u201cA Dead Djinn in Cairo,\u201d which had just been published on the sci-fi website Tor.com. It was Clark\u2019s biggest publication to date.<\/p>\n
Gabriel grinned, a thrill running through him, and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He approached the stage \u2014 the first in his family to receive any degree, let alone an advanced one \u2014 and received his doctorate of philosophy in history; but when he sat back down he kept surreptitiously checking his phone.<\/p>\n
What were people saying about the story, about Clark? Did they like it? Did they hate it? \u201cIt was kismet, fate, the way it turned out,\u201d says Gabriel. \u201cI mean, this was Tor. Tor! On the day of my hooding!\u201d Tor, that famous name Gabriel grew up with, the one printed on the spines of his favorite fantasy and sci-fi books, would now publish the work of P. Dj\u00e8l\u00ed\u202fClark.<\/p>\n
A few days later, settled back into his Washington, D.C., apartment, Gabriel set about making some late-night coffee. He sipped the warm brew, then sat down at his desk and woke up his computer, its bright light streaming onto his face. He took a deep, satisfied breath.<\/p>\n
And P. Dj\u00e8l\u00ed\u202fClark began to write.<\/p>\n