Art and Authenticity: Review of Molly Tanzer’s And Side By Side They Wander

Author Under Review:Molly Tanzer. And Side by Side They Wander. Tordotcom, May 2026. There is a secondary character in Molly Tanzer’s new novella And Side by SIde They Wander named Misora, who, due to illegal biotech, is actually six people folded into one. She is the muscle for the intergalactic art heist at the center of this story and often divides into her separate selves in combat. “After we split and come back together,” she says, “I’m never sure which one I am.” This is the central question of this layered novella, rife with forgeries, clones, replicants and replicas, mycelium-reanimated-life forms, and at least one hive-minded alien race: where and how do we draw the line between original and copy? In humankind’s direst hour, aliens arrived with an offer: trade us your finest artwork for technological and environmental solutions to Earth’s problems. Once humankind pulls itself out of its destructive spiral, the aliens will return the art, while providing perfect copies in the…