Winner: First Place – Speculative Fiction

Winner: Best Unconventional Love Story

2025 International Firebird Book Awards.

Runner-up: Science Fiction

2025 London Book Festival.

What if the tables were turned?

New world, new rules.

No handmaids here!

Earth. One hundred and fifty years from now. A new world sprouts from the ruins of the old.

When civilization fell, the surviving remnants of humanity were forced to adapt to a mysterious shift in newborns known as the Inversion; females (She) now grow larger than males.

Seven generations later, Tye has only ever known a world dominated by the larger, stronger She (as they call themselves), a world in which men are subordinate and powerless. Struggling for independence as a lowly freeman, Tye curses his weakness and secretly pursues the mysteries of the Before—information forbidden to all men.

When he is caught with prohibited artifacts, Tye faces banishment—or worse. But in the custody of the enigmatic enforcer, Kāya, Tye sees an opportunity to salvage his freedom. If he can hide his feelings long enough…

“But as the image of that second face sinks in, it holds me spellbound, like the dance of approaching flames.”

Risking his life to give Kāya access to a buried historical treasure, Tye uncovers a revelation that rocks their world. But treasure attracts predators, and truth, opposition. When the walls close in, Tye must find his own strength, or he, those he loves, and the truth he has uncovered, will all perish.

Widely Available!

Here’s what people are saying:

The first in a trilogy, G.W. Darcie’s World of She is an epic speculative journey through a post-apocalyptic world where the rules of power, gender, and history itself have been turned on its head. With a spell-binding reversal of hierarchy, unfiltered social commentary, and a tantalizing sense of mystery, Darcie seizes readers’ attention from the first page.

Darcie’s speculative lens reimagines another world while reflecting our own—sharper, larger, and impossible to ignore. His exploration of gender norms and expectations is bold in its bluntness and powerful in its irony. Here, it is men who are at a disadvantage, challenging readers to confront their own biases by placing men at the margins … a deep dive into the complexity of the human psyche that feels both intimate and expansive.

World of She is both profound and revelatory. Fans of Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Samuel R. Delany will find much to admire … Haunting and thought-provoking, Darcie cements himself as a daring new voice in speculative fiction. — CANREADS BOOK REVIEW

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WORLD OF SHE by G.W. Darcie is a deeply introspective novel that explores themes of gender, identity, and the quiet resistance of those who take the path that defies societal constraints. Darcie’s prose is lyrical yet grounded, creating an immersive world that feels both intimate and universal. The novel truly shines in its psychological depth, offering a protagonist whose internal struggles and external conflicts resonate with raw authenticity. While the book’s narrative structure is unconventional and often shifts between stream-of-consciousness reflections and more traditional storytelling, this stylistic choice adds to its emotional weight. Some readers may find certain passages dense or abstract, but those willing to engage with its complexities will be rewarded with a deeply affecting and thought-provoking experience.  — IndieReader

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