Nanoreviews: The Rise of Io, The Four Thousand The Eight Hundred, Everything Belongs to the Future

Chu, Wesley. The Rise of Io [Orbit, 2016]

It took a moment to really process how the change of Quasing from Tao to Io would impact the story being told, but I think it was a necessary decision. At this point, telling the story of Tao and Cameron Tan would be rehashing the original Tao trilogy as well as basically telling the story of James Bond. Io, on the other hand, is an unknown quantity as is her new host Ella Patel. The Rise of Io is as good as everything Chu has written, which is to say that it is quite good indeed. The deeper we get into the relationship between Io and Ella, the better the novel gets.
Score: 8/10

Egan, Greg. The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred [Subterranean Press, 2016]

A question of ethics: Is it acceptable to sacrifice the lives of a relatively few number of people in exchange for securing the safety of a larger group? Or, to reverse the question: Is it acceptable to risk the lives of a larger group of people in order to save the lives of a smaller group?

A question of ethics: At what point, if you feel that injustices were done towards your ancestors, are you and your generation due reparations?

These are some of the thought experiments Greg Egan weaves through his novella The Four Thousand, The Eight Hundred. This is well done hard science fiction.
Score: 7/10

Penny, Laurie. Everything Belongs to the Future [Tor.com Publishing, 2016]

If I started this review just five days sooner, I'd have been able to write a full review.  But, I didn't, so I'll just tell you that Everything Belongs to the Future is one of my favorite of all of Tor.com Publishing's 2016 novellas. Top 5 for sure, and there were some damn good stories.  Laurie Penny's novella looks at a future where the secret to extending life has been unlocked, but it comes at a price - a very high price that only the rich can afford and everyone else is left farther and farther behind. But there are protests and opposition and betrayal and conspiracy.  We know early on that something significant occurred because the interstitials are letters from prison, but having an idea about the end does nothing to minimize the tension and intensity of the novella. Everything Belongs to the Future is stunning and simply excellent. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Score: 9/10


POSTED BY: Joe Sherry - Writer / Editor at Adventures in Reading since 2004. Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2015, editor since 2016. Minnesotan.

The Top Nine Books Published in 2016

Some people do a top ten list, others do a top eleven (insert your Spinal Tap joke here), yet others may only do five. My list is 9 books long. Why? Partly to be a little bit different and partly because I want the tenth spot on my list to be reserved for that really great book which I simply did not get the chance to read during 2016. That really great book may also be something I have only heard whispers about and I may not discover for several more years. Whatever that tenth great book is, I’m holding a spot for it on my list.

Also, there is no doubt that this list, like every other list out there is built entirely on the combination of the books I've actually read with my own prejudices, taste, preferences, and the choices I made when selecting books to read across the breadth of 2016. That's really what we're saying when we say we've put together a list of the "Best Books of the Year". It's the best we've read, the best we can remember, the best based on what we appreciate in speculative fiction. One of the other best books I've read this year is Brit Bennett's debut novel The Mothers, but this is a speculative fiction blog focusing on more nerdy endeavors, so for the sake of theme I'll limit this list to science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between and around the edges.

This Top Nine List is more or less in order.  The top two are fairly set, but ask me tomorrow and some titles may shift around a bit.  Whichever order the list is in, these are the nine novels published in 2016 which I feel were the strongest titles of the year.

1. The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit): My review stated "Epic Fantasy does not get better than this", which I will admit is a bold claim given how much greatness and excellence there is in the subgenre, but I stand by it. The only reason I didn't have The Fifth Season atop my 2015 list is simply because I didn't finish reading it until January 2016. The Fifth Season more than deserved the Hugo Award for Best Novel and The Obelisk Gate more than lived up the expectation of excellence Jemisin set with The Fifth Season. If I had my way, The Obelisk Gate would win all the awards and everyone would recognize just how good they are. (my review)

2. Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing): Oh, how I love Every Heart a Doorway. And, as much as I love this novella now, I can only imagine that had I read it fifteen or twenty years ago, I would have loved it beyond recognition and obsessively read and re-read the story until it fell apart. Today, it is "only" one of the best stories published in 2016. (my review)

3.  Flesh and Wires, by Jackie Hatton (Aqueduct): Flesh and Wires was a revelation, and a welcome one. Post apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite things in speculative fiction, and this down to the earth story of one community attempting to survive through the strong willed tactics of one woman is fantastic. Hatton gives us the aftermath of an alien invasion because the apocalypse wasn't the point. I never wanted to put this book down and my only disappointment was that the story had to end. I wanted more. I still do. (my nanoreview)

4. City of Blades, by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway Books): We have to be in some sort of golden age of epic fantasy, there are so many brilliant writers putting out some of their best work right now. See, obviously, my number one pick for this list, N.K. Jemisin's The Obelisk Gate. See also Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Blades, the follow up to 2014's City of Stairs. In a bold move for an of sorts sequel, Bennett moves the action forward years in the future, changes the protagonist to a minor (if awesome) character in Turyin Mulaghesh, and moves the story to a different continent. For all of that, we're engaged from the start. Mulaghesh's personality is such that she is a veritable force of nature and Robert Jackson Bennett's storytelling is tightly on point with City of Blades. Each of the two novels thus far have been fairly self contained, but still building a fabulous and fantastic world. You're missing out if you're missing this.

5. Lustlocked / Pride's Spell, by Matt Wallace (Tor.com Publishing): I'll admit that I'm cheating a bit by including two of Matt Wallace's novellas here, but they're both friggin fantastic. Invidivually, either one of these deserve a spot on the list. Collectively, and including 2015's Envy of Angels, Matt Wallace's Sin du Jour series is one of my favorite things about speculative fiction today. I really can't talk up these delightfully wild novellas enough. (Here are my nanoreviews of Lustlocked and Pride's Spell)

6. Everything Belongs to the Future, by Laurie Penny (Tor.com Publishing): Laurie Penny's novella looks at a future where the secret to extending life has been unlocked, but it comes at a price - a very high price that only the rich can afford and everyone else is left farther and farther behind. But there are protests and opposition and betrayal and conspiracy.  We know early on that something significant occurred because the interstitials are letters from prison, but having an idea about the end does nothing to minimize the tension and intensity of the novella. Everything Belongs to the Future is stunning and simply excellent. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

7. Infomocracy, by Malka Older (Tor.com Publishing): Infomocracy is a frighteningly prescient novel, for all that I agree with Charles Payseur that this is ultimately a utopian vision where elections and voting matter even more as nation states are dissolving into population centers of 100,000 people called Centenals - where each Centenal has a strong voice in how they are specifically governed and globally the Centenals decide which system of government should have the authority to run things on the macro level. Infomocracy is a wonky novel, filled with micro level election wheeling and dealing and how all of this ties to the macro level. Charles writes "an election cycle full of corruption, fear-mongering, violence and misinformation. Wait, this isn't nonfiction?" and all of that is true of both the novel and today's political climate, but he also writes about the novel "And really, this is a novel that sells the power and the hope of voting. In today's political landscape, it stands as a voice of hope among so many people feeling discouraged."  Ultimate, that is the remarkable thing about Infomocracy, it speaks to so many different aspects of electioneering and the political process and it does so while telling such a compelling and well crafted story. This is what science fiction is all about, Charlie Brown. (Charles' review)

8. All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor): Published in January, I am happy to have been right that we are, in fact, still talking about All the Birds in the Sky come the end of the year when we're putting together our "Best Of" lists. As I wrote much earlier this year, "It's about magic versus technology, about growing up, about alienation and finding someone or something to connect with, about optimism amidst growing despair. All the Birds in the Sky is wonderful." It is. (my nanoreview)

9. The Drowning Eyes, by Emily Foster (Tor.com Publishing): One of my great literary disappointments of 2016 is that I never see anyone mention The Drowning Eyes when discussion the best novellas of the year. As I mentioned in my review: "The Drowning Eyes is a journey, it is life at sea, avoiding piracy, avoiding the Dragon Ships that have been raiding the coastline. It is survival, and it is about a glimmer of hope. It is also a glimmer of friendship crushed by heartbreak and loss. Oh, and there is amazing weather magic." Don't miss this. (my review)


***


It turns out that this list is remarkably Tor heavy, so much more so than other years. One of the reasons for this is that I've read pretty much the entire run of the Tor.com Publishing's novella line and there are some stunningly excellent stories coming out from there. Also, as I mentioned in the introduction, for as many books as I read in a year, there is always something amazing that I missed and that I just didn't have time to get to. Or, as plugged in as I try to be, that I just haven't heard of (or heard enough about). That's the reason for the tenth spot on the list. Also, it is worth noting that three books which just missed the list but were in serious consideration were Roses and Rot (Kat Howard), Babylon's Ashes (James S.A. Corey), and Borderline (Mishell Baker). I'm not quite willing to describe this as a Top 12, but you should maybe go read those books, too.

POSTED BY: Joe Sherry - Writer / Editor at Adventures in Reading since 2004. Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2015, editor since 2016. Minnesotan.

New Books Spotlight

Welcome to another edition of the New Books Spotlight, where each month or so we curate a selection of 6 forthcoming books we find notable, interesting, and intriguing. It gives us the opportunity to shine a brief spotlight on some stuff we're itching to get our hands on.

What are you looking forward to? Anything you want to argue with us about? Is there something we should consider spotlighting in the future? Let us know in the comments!

Cover Artist Unknown

Duchamp, L. Timmel. The Waterdancer's World [Aqueduct, 2016]
Publisher's Blurb

Humans have been struggling to live on Frogmore for almost five centuries, adapting themselves to punishing gravity and the deadly mistflowers that dominate its ecology. Financier Inez Gauthier, patron of the arts and daughter of the general commanding the planet's occupation forces, dreams of eliminating the mistflowers that make exploitation of the planet's natural wealth so difficult and impede her father's efforts to crush the native insurgency. Fascinated by the new art-form of waterdancing created by Solstice Balalzalar celebrating the planet's indigenous lifeforms, Inez assumes that her patronage will be enough to sustain Solstice's art even as she ruthlessly pursues windfall profits at the expense of all that has made waterdancing possible.

Why We Want It: We're big fans of Duchamp's powerful Marq'ssan Cycle and we've been eagerly waiting these past eight years for her next novel. Now it's here.

Cover Art by Sam Weber

Liu, Ken. The Wall of Storms [Saga, 2016]
Publisher's Blurb

In the much-anticipated sequel to the “magnificent fantasy epic” (NPR) Grace of Kings, Emperor Kuni Garu is faced with the invasion of an invincible army in his kingdom and must quickly find a way to defeat the intruders.

Kuni Garu, now known as Emperor Ragin, runs the archipelago kingdom of Dara, but struggles to maintain progress while serving the demands of the people and his vision. Then an unexpected invading force from the Lyucu empire in the far distant west comes to the shores of Dara—and chaos results.

But Emperor Kuni cannot go and lead his kingdom against the threat himself with his recently healed empire fraying at the seams, so he sends the only people he trusts to be Dara’s savvy and cunning hopes against the invincible invaders: his children, now grown and ready to make their mark on history.

Why We Want It: Liu's impressive debut, Grace of Kings, was a landmark epic fantasy. We look forward to seeing how Liu can expand and build on that first novel.

Cover Art by Jamie Stafford-Hill

McIntosh, Will. Faller [Tor, 2016]
Publisher's Blurb

Faller is a new gripping standalone, science fiction thriller by Hugo Award-winning author Will McIntosh.

Day One: No one can remember anything—who they are, family and friends, or even how to read. Reality has fragmented and Earth consists of an islands of rock floating in an endless sky. Food, water, electricity—gone, except for what people can find, and they can't find much.

Faller's pockets contain tantalizing clues: a photo of himself and a woman he can't remember, a toy solider with a parachute, and a mysterious map drawn in blood. With only these materials as a guide, he makes a leap of faith from the edge of the world to find the woman and set things right.

He encounters other floating islands, impossible replicas of himself and others, and learns that one man hates him enough to take revenge for actions Faller can't even remember.

Why We Want It: If Will McIntosh writes a novel, we'll read it. He primarily writes standalone novels, and perhaps this is why he is not quite as well known as he should be, but his speculative fiction is top notch.

Cover Design by Kerri Resnick

Moreno-Garcia, Silvia. Certain Dark Things [Thomas Dunne Books, 2016]
Publisher's Blurb

Welcome to Mexico City… An Oasis In A Sea Of Vampires… 

Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is busy eeking out a living when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life.

Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, must feast on the young to survive and Domingo looks especially tasty. Smart, beautiful, and dangerous, Atl needs to escape to South America, far from the rival narco-vampire clan pursuing her. Domingo is smitten.

Her plan doesn’t include developing any real attachment to Domingo. Hell, the only living creature she loves is her trusty Doberman. Little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his effervescent charm.

And then there’s Ana, a cop who suddenly finds herself following a trail of corpses and winds up smack in the middle of vampire gang rivalries.

Vampires, humans, cops, and gangsters collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive?

Why We Want It: Signal to Noise, the debut novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia was an excellent urban fantasy set within the music and magic of Mexico City. Tonally, Certain Dark Things appears to be nothing like Signal to Noise, but we'll follow Moreno-Garcia anywhere.

Cover Design by Fort

Penny, Laurie. Everything Belongs to the Future [Tor.com Publishing, 2016]
Publisher's Blurb

Time is a weapon wielded by the rich, who have excess of it, against the rest, who must trade every breath of it against the promise of another day's food and shelter. What kind of world have we made, where human beings can live centuries if only they can afford the fix? What kind of creatures have we become? The same as we always were, but keener.

In the ancient heart of Oxford University, the ultra-rich celebrate their vastly extended lifespans. But a few surprises are in store for them. From Nina and Alex, Margo and Fidget, scruffy anarchists sharing living space with an ever-shifting cast of crusty punks and lost kids. And also from the scientist who invented the longevity treatment in the first place.

Everything Belongs to the Future is a bloody-minded tale of time, betrayal, desperation, and hope that could only have been told by the inimitable Laurie Penny. 

Why We Want It: A world where time is very nearly money and the rich can extend their lives at the expense of the poor? This sounds both topical and absolutely fascinating. Yes, please!

Cover Art by Adam Tredowski

Strahan, Jonathan (ed). Bridging Infinity [Solaris, 2016]
Publisher's Blurb

The latest volume in the Hugo award-winning Infinity Project series, showcasing all-original hard science fiction stories from the leading voices in genre fiction.

Sense of wonder is the lifeblood of science fiction. When we encounter something on a truly staggering scale - metal spheres wrapped around stars, planets rebuilt and repurposed, landscapes transformed, starships bigger than worlds - we react viscerally. Fear, reverence, admiration - how else are we to react to something so grand?

Bridging Infinity puts humanity at the heart of these vast undertakings - as builder, as engineer, as adventurer - reimagining and rebuilding the world, the solar system, and even the entire universe.

This continuation of the award-winning Infinity Project anothology series features bold new stories from Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Gregory Benford, Zachary Brown, Pat Cadigan, Kameron Hurley, Scott Lynch, Vonda N. McIntyre, Hannu Rajaniemi, Allan Steele, and many more. 

Why We Want It: Even though not every story will be a hit, Jonathan Strahan's Infinity Project has been one of our must read short fiction series since he began the project in 2010. Now in it's fifth iteration, Bridging Infinity continues to inspire with broad imaginings of how humanity could shape the future.




POSTED BY: Joe Sherry - Writer / Editor at Adventures in Reading since 2004, Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2015, editor since 2016. Minnesotan.