06/09/2014
Bennett (American Elsewhere) ventures into secondary-world fantasy in this action-packed, occasionally numinous, noir-like novel, which combines metaphysical and geopolitical observations. The city of Bulikov, once the sacred seat of a brutal, miracle-fueled empire, now stagnates under the administration of its former colony Saypur, which has become a technology-driven superpower. Exiled operative Ashara Komayd is the privileged great-granddaughter of the last Kaj of Saypur, the man who killed the Divinities, thereby both literally and politically destabilizing an entire continent. While investigating the politically inflammatory murder of a Saypuri professor who was studying Bulikov’s censored history, she finds disquieting evidence that some Divinities—and their legacy—may yet survive. Bennett largely sidesteps questions of colonialism and cultural appropriation in his tightly paced mystery, but supporting characters like Ashara’s indestructible aide, Sigrud, and conflicted ex-lover Vohannes Votrov flesh out the otherwise narrowly focused setting. The open ending promises a sequel. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Sept.)
Across five published novels, Robert Jackson Bennett has made it a point to never write the same book twice. His debut, Mr. Shivers, won the 2010 Shirley Jackson Award for best horror novel. A year later, The Company Man picked up the Philip K. Dick Award for best sci-fi novel and the Edgar Award for […]
We’re launching a new feature: a monthly roundup chronicling the best books our stable of bloggers has read over the previous month. Old or new, it doesn’t matter—these are the ones that will stick with us.
It’s a busy time for SF/F fans. Between the tsunami of superhero movies and TV shows, the revival of old-school classics like Twin Peaks and The X-Files, and the infinite supply of fantastic books hitting the shelves (physical and digital) every week, we’re living through a Golden Age of speculative fiction. But there’s an unfortunate side […]
As if from the head of Zeus, Wesley Chu sprung forth fully formed onto the genre scene in 2013 with the release of his debut novel The Lives of Tao, and it’s hard to believe it’s only been two years. He’s a convention mainstay, a non-stop tweeter, and he’s just released his third book, The Rebirths […]
Golden Princess: A Novel of The Change, by S.M. Stirling Stirling has now written 11 novels in the Emberverse, his sci-fi/fantasy mashup series that explores an alternate timeline in which a mysterious event in 1998 caused all electricity, gunpowder, and advanced machinery to simply stop working, leaving the U.S. as we know it in shambles. The books focus […]