The Planet Pax

For Christmas: a fippokat

As you may know, the novels Semiosis and Interference are set on a distant planet and feature a small animal called a fippokat. The fippokat is based on my sister-in-law’s imaginary childhood animal.

This year, for Christmas, I commissioned a friend who is a fiber artist to create a fippokat for her as a gift. The artist did a fine job. Fippokats are cute, cute, cute.

My sister-in-law was delighted — especially by the curly tail, which is canon. The little stuffed animal was like imagination come to life, she said.

Happy holidays. May your best-imagined hopes for 2021 find a way into the real world.

By Sue Burke

Sue Burke’s most recent science fiction novel is Usurpation, the conclusion of the trilogy that began with Semiosis and Interference. She began writing professionally as a teenager, working for newspapers and magazines as a reporter and editor, and began writing fiction in 1995. She has published more than 40 short stories, along with essays, poetry, and translations from Spanish into English of short stories, novels, poetry, and historical works. Find out more at https://sueburke.site/

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