Neuroscience Fiction Red Demon Blends Science Fantasy and Romantasy in a Visceral Indie Debut

Grounded in real neuroscience, queer-normative worldbuilding, and a rare male-POV romantic subplot, this debut carves new territory in genre fiction.

United States, 23rd Jun 2025 — Indie author Sill Bihagia announces the upcoming release of Red Demon (Oria Press, August 19, 2025), a fast-paced science fantasy novel that combines high-stakes emotion, grounded science, and romantic tension in a fresh, genre-blending debut.

After surviving the massacre of his remote mining colony, Jesse sets out to kill the immortal who spared only him: the Red Demon. But Faruhar, the so-called Red Demon, isn’t what she seems. Tormented by fragmented memories and a moral code she struggles to uphold, she’s not the mastermind Jesse trains for years to defeat. As Jesse matures into a formidable fighter, he must choose between vengeance, identity, and holding on to the life he rebuilt among the ashes.

“It reads like fantasy,” Bihagia says, “but it’s grounded in science—CRISPR, neuroscience of memory, and mycological bionetworks. That’s there under the surface for the hard SFF readers, and those who are here for the emotional stakes find a villain who remembers who she loves… even if she forgets why she kills.”

Yet for all its science, Red Demon is accessible—anchored by a bisexual thrill-seeker with ADHD, cinematic fight scenes, and a spicy romantic subplot. Pre-published copies found love with both hard SFF and romantasy readers, particularly for its rare male-POV romance arc.

Red Demon is a standalone entry point to the larger Oria universe—an indie-led series of interconnected science fantasy novels exploring memory, resilience, and the consequences of survival.

Highlights

• Grounded in neuroscience, genetics, and mycology—but never alienating
• Queer-normative worldbuilding with gender-equality 
• Spicy romantic subplot, morally gray characters, and emotional depth
• A rare male POV romantasy blend with genuine cross-genre appeal
• Perfect for fans of Red Rising, The Poppy War, or Gideon the Ninth

“I had the chance to work on this fast-paced science fantasy as a proofreader, and I was mesmerized by its richly realized setting and characters. I also may or may not have threatened Sill that I need more books set in this world.”
— Danai Christopoulou, Pushcart-nominated author and editor at Hugo-nominated khōréō

Advance Reader Copies are available on NetGalley through July 17, 2025.
Print copies are available upon request for editorial reviewers, booksellers, and librarians.

The book features cover design by award-nominated Maria Spada and character art by celebrated Kateryna Vitkovska, and will be released in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. Sprayed-edge special editions will be available at IndieReads.org at no added cost for U.S. readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sill Bihagia is a data analyst, sword collector, and suburban chicken farmer with a background in evolutionary and behavioral neuroscience. They live in Severna Park, Maryland with their husband and two children. Sill writes speculative fiction with mature, approachable prose, emotional wreckage, and sharp wit. Red Demon is their debut novel and second published title. Their new imprint, Oria Press, champions inclusive, human-written speculative fiction with traditional-quality polish, seeking to lift up other indie writers with similar values.

RELEASE INFO

Title: Red Demon
 Author: Sill Bihagia
 Genre: Science Fantasy / LGBTQ+
 Release Date: August 19, 2025
 Formats: Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover, eBook (via KDP & IngramSpark); Sprayed-edge editions via IndieReads.org 
 ISBNs:

• Paperback: 978-1-968468-00-2
• Hardcover: 978-1-968468-01-9
• eBook: 978-1-968468-02-6
• Audiobook (Forthcoming 2026): Narrated by Brandon Francis and Cassandra Trieu, produced by High Gravity Productions

 For media inquiry please Sill Bihagia at: 

 Email: contact@oriapress.com 

Media Contact

Organization: Sill Bihagia

Contact Person: Sill Bihagia

Website: https://www.sillbihagia.com

Email: Send Email

Country:United States

Release id:29688

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