This short story is up to a rough start with our protagonist getting very sick from what seems like bad food poisoning. It turns out she has become highly allergic to red meat and she is not alone.

Asimovs May/June 2026

As the story progresses more and more people are diagnosed with this allergic reaction, and suspicion for the source points to tick bites. However, not everyone buys that explenation and wild conspiracy theories start to form about vegan or animal rights groups activists.

I don’t know if this is meant as a kind of climate fiction in the vein of something like The Ministry for the Future, but it does push you to reflect on our relationship with food and how tightly it’s tied to identity.

I wouldn’t immediately have thought of Egan reading this if his name wasn’t on it, but on second thought it does seem closer to his 90s stories that were more biological science fiction than his later focus on mathematical concepts.

Read in Asimov’s May/June 2026
Rating: 3+