Vajra Chandrasekera

Chandrasekera was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His father was a writer.^[1] His first job at the age of eighteen was "writing fake product reviews of computer hardware." He later became a non-fiction editor in Sri Lanka.^[1]

In 2012, he published the poem "Jörmungandr" in Ideomancer. He followed this with the 2013 short stories "Pockets Full of Stones" in Clarkesworld Magazine and "The Jackal's Wedding" for Apex Magazine.^[1][2]

In 2023, Chandrasekera published his first novel, The Saint of Bright Doors.^[3] Amal El-Mohtar, in a review for The New York Times, described the novel as the best book of the year.^[4] Jake Casella Brookins, for Locus, described the book as "truly superb" with rich cityscape details and deep investigations of the writing of history and the desire for revolution.^[5] Both reviewers noted the novel's stretching of the fantasy genre.^[4][5] Publishers Weekly described the book as "lyrical but sluggish."^[6]

In 2024, Chandrasekera published the novel Rakesfall.^[3] It focuses on the reincarnations of Annelid and Leveret through a set of tales in a mixture of perspectives, genres, and plotlines. The book begins with the friends' youth during the fallout of the Sri Lankan civil war.^[7] Madeline Schultz, for the Chicago Review of Books, praised the book's unique exploration of colonialism and imperialism, but critiqued the descriptions and disorientation between episodes.^[8] New York Times and Publishers Weekly reviews noted the book's challenge and payoff, with Publishers Weekly praising the book's lyricism.^[3][7] Ian Mond, for Locus, said the book's many sections could leave a reader "bewildered," but the ideas and exploration of Sri Lankan colonial history compelled readers forward.^[9] Helena Ramsaroop, for Strange Horizons, wrote that Rakesfall compellingly shows grief and hope in the pursuit of liberation.^[10]

Chandrasekera has placed himself in the New Wave, New Weird, and slipstream literary movements, as well as the blended-genre term science fantasy.^[2][11]

Chandrasekera's novel The Saint of Bright Doors won the Nebula Award for Best Novel of 2023,^[12] the 2024 Crawford Award,^[13] and the 2024 Ignyte Award for Outstanding Adult Novel.^[14] It was a finalist for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel.^[15]

Chandrasekera's was an editor for Strange Horizons during the six consecutive years that it was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine.^[1]

His novel Rakesfall was a winner of the 2024 Otherwise Award^[16] and the 2025 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize.^[17] It was nominated for the 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novel^[18] and 2025 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.^[19]