This review is based on an eARC (Advance Reading Copy) provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Slow Burn was released on August 18, 2026.

Amal Singh has come across my reading list with a few short stories in Clarkesworld, and they’re always good reads. So, while short fiction and long are pretty different enterprises, there were enough signs of promise to talk me into requesting an ARC of his newest novel, Slow Burn. 

The plot structure of Slow Burn will be familiar to those who have read stories about portals and mirror universes. There’s a sad sack lead (here, a Mumbai actor struggling to get steady work) struggling through a particularly low point in life who finds a portal into an alternate world where he can rewrite his life. But while there’s obvious appeal to wild success, it isn’t without its own drawbacks. You’ve likely seen this sort of story before, but Slow Burn puts its own stamp on the form.

The start can feel a bit slow, but it’s not long (indeed, the whole book comes in under 250 pages), and watching the lead’s blundering is important for establishing the character journey to come. Once the lead moves to the alternate Mumbai, tasting the bounty of success while adding a down-to-earth relatability to humanize his alternate self, the story begins to pick up, though it still treads familiar paths. 

Where it begins to strike out in its own direction is in a return of focus to the original Mumbai to see how the wealthy alternate lead is dealing with newfound failure. It’s not that this perspective is unheard of—though it’s perhaps more common in non-speculative swap stories—but there’s an unexpected depth to the character right from the start, and his introduction also heralds the overall narrative turning from a familiar portal story into something a bit stranger and more dreamlike. 

There are brief interludes that explain some of the backstory of the mirrored universes, but there’s also plenty left to the reader’s inference—both in the development of the plot and of the characters’ emotional journey. There are times where it makes the story feel unfinished, but the frantic, briefly-sketched narrative progression also gives it a different feel than most portal fantasies. Experienced readers will recognize enough of the story markers to keep themselves from getting too lost, even while the chaotic pace lends a sense of unreality that adds further dimension to the characterization, with the reader losing grip on the details in a way that mirrors the lead dissociating from his own self-conception. 

The result is an entertaining read that interrogates the down-to-earth failure archetype in a compelling way. At the same time, it’s a book that feels at times like it has more to give, and that some of the developments would have more impact if the readers could see more of the buildup or the aftermath. The descent into a dreamlike tone here is a double-edged sword, adding depth and emotion to the characterization while also taking away the ability to fully explore some of its key themes. I’m not convinced that Slow Burn gets the balance perfectly right, but it’s good enough to be well worth exploring. 

Recommended if you like: dreamlike studies of characters that are not always likable; alternate universes.

Can I use it for Bingo? It’s hard mode for POC Author, Small Press, and Unusual Transportation. It’s also Published in 2026 and may be a Vacation Spot title if you fancy Mumbai.

Overall rating: 15 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.