Fans of John Scalzi’s Lock In and Brandon Sanderson’s Legion will be enthralled with this deft blend of murder mystery and science fiction. In the end, the motives for the crime are all too human, while the means, methods, and opportunities are all firmly part of this futuristic setting. Highly recommended.
Readers will empathize with Joey’s dilemma and get caught up in the minutiae of her life. The novel’s theme, that the truth does not and cannot set anyone free, is as disturbing as it is thought-provoking.
Readers who love a big fight between good and evil, who enjoy seeing magic in the everyday world, and those who like their heroine’s journeys to include all facets of heartbreak will savor the cut and thrust of this battle.
This novel’s sleight-of-hand mix of gaming, thievery, secrets, and politics will remind readers fondly of Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, although Valen’s crew is not quite as loyal or memorable. Fans of politically inspired fantasy will love watching the game.
Swirsky’s slice-of-life UBI stories present just a few possible effects of this hotly debated topic. Without either political rhetoric or exhortation, these brief glimpses of other lives give readers the chance to see what might be in a world with a social safety net. Highly recommended for readers of political and social science–oriented SF.
Luli is a compelling character both on and off the screen in this story that takes the mythmaking of Hollywood and transforms it and her into something transcendent. Highly recommended.
Readers searching for the high magic of epic fantasy may be disappointed, but those looking for small magics within a broad scope of history (in a similar vein to the work of Guy Gavriel Kay) will be enthralled by Crowley’s (“The Ægypt Cycle”) alchemy of uncanny magic, ancient science, and tragic history.