Massif by Garth Nix (Gollancz, £25)
The bestselling fantasy author’s first science fiction novel for adults is set three centuries from now, when humanity has spread out to the stars. The colonisation of other planets has been enabled by contact with mysterious aliens, and with much of the population split into competing economic spheres, war over territory is raging between the two biggest: United Earth Government and the Mars and Beyond Prosperity Sphere. This war in space is possible only because the godlike aliens continue to supply us with spaceships – but why? What do they want? Answers must await a sequel to this compelling, action-packed space opera with wonderfully weird aliens.
Revolution in the Heart: Stories Inspired By Ursula K Le Guin edited by Jonathan Strahan (Titan, £22)
The authors of these 15 original stories range from the well-established (Karen Joy Fowler, Kelly Link, Molly Gloss) to newer writers (Chana Porter, Ai Jiang, Vandana Singh). A few make direct reference to Le Guin, but most reveal her influence subtly, by shared interests in questioning established ideas and imagining other ways of living, whether among non-human beings, in the future, on other worlds, or in ours. My favourites include Sarah Pinsker’s Travelling, Home, about a young woman in present-day America seeking her place in the world, Ann Leckie’s Five-Eyed Jane, an ironic look at misunderstandings among aliens, and Karen Joy Fowler’s Blaumont, a dark fairytale that’s as disturbing and thought-provoking today as Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. Probably the best original anthology of the year: a must-read.
An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino (Gollancz, £22)
In 19th-century Brazil, the deeply religious Madalena knows she’s sinned with her beloved Leandro, but is sure that when she tells him she’s pregnant he will propose. She blurts out the truth before their carriage is wrecked in a storm: waking later in his house, weak and aching, she sees no love in his eyes, and he leaves her to the care of his friend, the strangely attractive Dr Lobo. The two men insist she must stay until she’s fully recovered, but she is determined to get home. Gothic elements glide into full Hammer horror mode as she learns that Dr Lobo belongs to an occult society given to performing dark magic rituals: there are more revelations to come before the end of this wildly entertaining debut.
Serenity Falls by CJ Tudor (Michael Joseph, £18.99)
The latest creepy thriller from the author of The Burning Girls is set in a planned community in Florida, where everyone is comfortable and law-abiding. But when widower Dan and daughter Sadie arrive from England, having inherited a property, they find a dead body in the swimming pool. It turns out there have been a surprisingly large number of accidental deaths during the town’s 50-year history, while the few people who left were never heard from again. That there’s something sinister going on is perhaps a bit too obvious from the start, but the journey to figure out why is entertaining, with a jaw-dropping finale.
Scion by James Islington (Gollancz, £22)
This fast-moving, violent thriller is narrated by Azure, a professional assassin. The world has become so overcrowded that, with increasingly limited resources, legislation has been passed making it legal to kill the rich “lifers” who take advantage of every longevity treatment available. Azure’s skills are always in demand, but his next job is different: he’s been hired to protect a very old lady from being killed. His own life is on the line, especially after her fortress is breached and they’re forced into the dangerous, overcrowded city, where he may find answers to a mystery from his own past. The inconclusive ending makes it clear there are more instalments to come of this gripping blend of neo-noir cyberpunk.
