Once upon a time there were two sisters who lived upon the tiny Isle of Trisda. Every year the older sister wrote a letter to the man simply known as ‘Master Legend’, begging him to visit their Isle, and every year her letters remained unanswered. That is until the seventh year when the elder sister having woken in the morning, barely days away from her marriage to a mysterious Count, finally received the long awaited invitations to attend the spectacle known as ‘Caraval’. Entry to Caraval is by invitation only and the most important thing to remember is that ‘it is only a game!’ Yes, Caraval is told in an almost fairytale style. We have two beautiful sisters who are treated harshly by their tyrannical father. Their mother disappeared many years ago and their father, a powerful man on the Isle rules over them with an iron rod. Scarlett and Donatella (or Tella as she is more often known) finally have escape within their grasp, even if that comes in the form of Scarlett marrying a man she knows nothing of it seems to be the only acceptable way that they will ever escape the Island. Until their golden tickets…
Great science fiction addresses the concerns of the author’s times and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers is no exception. Following on from the acclaimed, and originally self-published, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, this is the story of an AI coming to terms with its identity. The ship in Chambers’ debut was called the Wayfarer and its artificial intelligence was Lovelace. Lovey wakes up in a physical, humanoid body in a world of aliens and varied cultures that she now must negotiate without access to all of the knowledge. Meanwhile, we’re introduced to Jane 23, a 10-year-old who is working in a scrap recovery factory. It’s a horrendous life. With the rest of the Jane’s she lives a harsh existence controlled by the AI Mothers. Jane 23 becomes the human who is helping Lovey adjust to her new life. The novel is told in two time-streams. Pepper – the name Jane 23 has taken for herself – who is a mechanic and streetwise fixer, and her artist friend Blue are looking after the new physical Lovelace. This alternates chapter by chapter with Jane 23’s early life as she escapes from the factory and finds shelter…
A City Dreaming is such a strange and intriguing book, I admit that my expectations picking this up bear no relation whatsoever to the read itself and yet I found that I really enjoyed this nonetheless. When I started reading my first thoughts were ‘what am I reading’ and yet just a few pages into the book I found myself really keen to pick it back up. It defies description in some respects and I think this will probably turn into a bunch of random thoughts but I’ll do my best to keep it coherent. The jacket for A City Dreaming talks about two queens poised on the brink of war. A world with divinities, wolves and phantom subway lines. Reading the description you will probably imagine this is urban fantasy and to be honest it is although it might take a little time for you to become accustomed to that fact when you first pick it up. It reads like a collection of short stories and yet that’s not really the case. Basically the story covers (roughly) a twelve month period in the life of ‘M’. The chapters are all self contained but the characters from certain stories crop…
Here’s a rundown of the books we think you should look out for in coming in the week. See any that you are really looking forward to? Find any you had not heard of yet? Know of books we missed? We know we don’t have everything and would love to hear what you feel we may have overlooked. FANTASY URBAN FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY URBAN FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION FANTASY URBAN FANTASY SCIENCE FICTION The Spider’s War Abraham, Daniel 3/8/2016 Orbit Fire Touched Briggs, Patricia 3/8/2016 Ace Marked In Flesh Bishop, Anne 3/8/2016 Roc Lyre Thief Jennifer Fallon 3/8/2016 Tor The Cold Between Elizabeth Bonesteel 3/8/2016 Harper Voyager The Paper Menagerie Ken Liu 3/8/2016 Saga Forest of Memory Mary Robinette Kowal 3/8/2016 Tor.com Those Below Daniel Polansky 3/10/2016 Hodder & Stoughton
With temperatures falling and leaves dropping, it’s time to brace our selves for winter. And honestly? What better way to beat the cold than with a good book? So, we have selected a set of books that make us think of winter, letting us experience the bitter cold while we are safely curled up under a blanket with a warm drink.