About — T. H. Mercer

T. H. Mercer

T. H. Mercer writes speculative fiction about the tension between cold systems and the people caught inside them — near-future stories where the stakes are human and the machinery is indifferent.

Former engineer. Occasional cyborg. Storyteller.

I have always been a creator. Sometimes stories. Sometimes worlds. Sometimes software. Software was the most lucrative, so I did it for years. This is me coming back.

My actual work has always been translation — between humans and technology, between what a system does and what a person needs. The fiction lives in that same gap. Characters who understand the rules, see the exits, and choose anyway.

If you’ve ever dog-eared a Pratchett for the footnotes, or stayed up past midnight with Scalzi or Martha Wells or the Expanse, you’ll probably feel at home here.

New here? Start with the free stories and essays on Writing, or go straight to the debut collection below.

New stories and essays go to the mailing list first.

Publications

Moral Arithmetic: Stories — T. H. Mercer

Debut short fiction collection — four stories

Moral Arithmetic

July 16, 2026 · Available now

Four stories about the quiet decisions people make when the systems they serve stop deserving them.

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  • Pet Monsters anthology cover

    Fluffy, Horror of the Deep

    in Pet Monsters

    Raconteur Press July 1, 2026

    Milo hides a glowing, tentacled creature in his basement from his distracted parents, and learns what it costs to truly see someone.

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  • Forgotten Fronts: Wyrd Warfare — anthology cover, edited by Chris Dinote

    Flinch

    in Forgotten Fronts Wyrd Warfare

    Raconteur Press July 17, 2026 · Available now

    Clark sees the shimmer before every shot fired at his squad, but the men who call him a coward don't know what it costs him.

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  • Working As Intended

    in Space & Time

    Authortunities Press August 2026 · Issue No. 153

    El treats creation like shipped code — until an angel shows up with an incident report he didn't see coming.

    Coming soon · August 2026
  • Slayer anthology cover

    The Woodsboro Correspondence

    in Slayer

    Dragon Soul Press August 30, 2026

    Calvin Rourke writes an apologetic letter about strange happenings in his home, not realizing that he himself is the strange thing happening.

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  • Exit Conditions

    in Fall 2026 Literary Series

    The Ones Behind the Bookshelves Fall 2026

    Priya spends her days finding where two systems disagree — until the friction that keeps her human starts disappearing too.

    Coming soon · Fall 2026