Steam

A genius humanoid escapes the university lab where she was made and gets a job at a local coffee shop in this quirky, misfit young adult graphic novel perfect for fans of Giant Days and Heartstopper.

Ruby is a genius humanoid who was grown in a secret lab at the local university, created to solve science’s greatest problems. But Ruby suspects she can’t fulfill her function while trapped inside, so she breaks out.

Now living among humans, Ruby attempts to lie low and fit in as a barista at the university coffeehouse, Inkcap. Working there gives her plenty of opportunity to figure out what problems people need solving. And as far as she can tell, most humans’ biggest problem is struggling to find happiness. And what makes them happy? Love! So, Ruby uses her superpowered brain to play cupid.

As Ruby sets to work pairing up the staff and regulars at Inkcap, she feels more and more human herself: she’s got a community now, maybe even a crush. But the lab believes she’s dangerous, and it wants her back. When pursuing her own happiness leads Ruby straight into a trap, she’ll need her new motley crew of coffeehouse friends to save her from the scientist who only want to use her.

Author Biography

Shaenon K. Garrity is an award-winning cartoonist and writer best known for the webcomics Narbonic and Skin Horse. Her short stories have appeared in many science fiction magazines and anthologies, and she is the author of Dire Days of Willowweep Manor. She lives in Berkeley, California. Visit her at Shaenon.com.

Emily Holden is an illustrator and sequential artist based in Baltimore. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in communication arts in 2019. She enjoys using vibrant color, humor, and playfulness in her work.