SFF

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain

by Sofia Samatar
Tor.com. Apr. 2024. 128p. ISBN 9781250881809. pap. $18.99. SF
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The hidden brutality of academe and the ruthless corporate pursuit of profit have combined into a big ball of wrong in this human fleet of space leeches. But it’s a wrong that no one wants to examine too closely, lest they be condemned to life in the Hold, a permanent underclass that mines the asteroids the fleet preys upon. The ossified class system lets each class look down upon all the others (even when they’re looking up), especially the university, which thinks itself enlightened when it brings a gifted young man up from the depths so that it can civilize and denigrate him from a much closer vantage point. Unwittingly, the man starts a revolution and exposes at least a few people for what they truly are.
VERDICT Metaphysical and philosophical, this novella from Samatar (The White Mosque) combines space adventure with an examination of the carceral state, here set in academia, that will leave readers with much to think about. This will appeal to readers who were fascinated by the stultifying caste systems of Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport and Braking Day by Adam Oyebanji and the rot of academe in The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older.
Reviewed by Marlene Harris , Mar 01, 2024
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