I am Reetta Vuokko-Syrjänen, an Atorox award winning author from Tampere, Finland. I write speculative fiction and magical realism for middle grade to adult audiences.

My literary roots are strongly embedded in short stories. My first story was published in 2016, and I have since won various awards, for example the Atorox award for best Finnish SF short story in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and 1st place in prestigious Portti short story competition in 2022.

My first novel, Syntykeho (Osuuskumma Publishing 2022), is a cyberpunk thriller set in a future where mind and body are separate things, and bodies, have become a highly priced commodity. The main character Kip has been without a body for so long he can't even remember, how the touch of another human being feels, and only daydreams of tomatoes and the warmth of sun caressing his skin. That is, until he gets a chance to escape and go looking for the body he was born in. Syntykeho has already been selected on Best Finnish Books of 21st century and Best Finnish SF Books listings.

I have also published a short story collection set in the same universe as Syntykeho: Mahdottomien kukkien puutarha (Osuuskumma Publishing 2023). Its titular story won the Atorox prize for best Finnish SF short story in 2024.

My first novel for younger audiences, Harhakoto, was published by Hertta Kustannus in spring 2025. Harhakoto is the story of unlikely friendship: on the worst day of his life Ani writes a letter about everything that is wrong in his life, but accidentally a common mallard steals the letter. To his surprise Ani gets an answer to his letter, carried by the same mallard, for mysterious Iki who claims to live at the edge of the world, in the mythical Lintukoto of olden times. The novel mixes Finnish folklore and modern life with transgenerational trauma in a low-income neighborhood.

Translated works

Syntykeho is set to be published in Portuguese in 2027 by Editorial Divergência.

My short stories have been translated to English and Estonian.

My latest English work, Ill-Fitting, is available in The Lion and the Lynx: Finnish Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories Vol 2 by Osuuskumma. Ill-Fitting is one of the short stories in my collection Mahdottomien kukkien puutarha: it features a school girl, who turns to crime when she is fed up with only having the body of a middle aged man to wear instead of something age-appropriate.

In Estonian, Skarabeus has just published Soome ulme 3, which is a shared short story collection by me and Maarit Leijon. It features three of my almost novella lenght short stories: Maskide tants (Kasvojen tanssi), Neljas põrsas (Neljäs porsas) and Mida tegime klassimatkal (Mitä teimme luokkaretkellä).

I enjoy editing short story anthologies, and also edit both novels and short story collections time permitting. As an editor it is important to me to help authors bring out the core of their texts without losing their own unique voice.

I believe that every story deserves to be told. That's why I run creative writing workshops and courses (in Finnish) for all age groups. You can, however, book me to give a lecture in English.

In addition to writing, I also work as a literary critic. As a critic I focus especially on the mariginal literary genres that are easily overlooked, such as speculative fiction aimed at younger audiences. I've also served as the editor-in-chief of Kosmoskynä magazine for Finnish SF writers, and continue to work with Kosmoskynä.

I am a member of The Union of Finnish Writers and The Finnish Critics’ Association (SARV), as well as an active member of The Finnish Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (FSFFWA) .