Review by New York Times Review
JUST IN TIME to surf the wake of the latest Star Wars film comes GALACTIC EMPIRES (Night Shade, paper, $17.99) , a collection of compact space epics anthologized by Neil Clarke and written by some of the biggest stars and up-and-comers in the genre. The 22 stories featured are all stand-alones, though several are set in pre-existing fictional universes: Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch is here, as is Neal Asher's Polity. All of the stories range widely in theme and style, sharing only the experience of sudden, sometimes jolting immersion into complex societies and exotic circumstances in the far future. There's an unavoidable tension in these mini-sagas between the need to quickly introduce readers to a bizarre setting and the need for an engaging narrative arc - but nearly all of them pull it off. The newer writers tend to take more risks and feature more engaging characters. Gwendolyn Clare's "All the Painted Stars," for example, veers away from the usual human protagonist, taking readers instead into the mind of a tentacled alien cop who must cooperate with humans to solve the mystery of a lost civilization. Aliette de Bodard's "The Waiting Stars" offers a painfully contemporary tale of young Vietnamese women taken from their own "savage" people and forcibly re-educated to serve a society of cold artificial intelligences. By contrast, the established writers tend to focus on ideas and settings more than characters, and to follow well-traveled storytelling paths. These can be fun too; one notable example is Brandon Sanderson's "Firstborn," the overlong but otherwise delightful tale of a born loser slouching along in the shadow of his military-genius older brother. One or two of the stories devolve into a travelogue, with characters and plot merely painted on for flavor, but over all this anthology is mostly hits, remarkably few misses. Highly recommended. ADAPTING ANY PROSE novel to the graphic format is an audacious undertaking at the best of times, but translating Octavia E. Butler's fearsomely powerful work in particular must surely have been a herculean task. Yet Damian Duffy and John Jennings have managed it with their version of KINDRED (Abrams ComicArts, $24.95), giving her most accessible novel - as noted in an introduction by the acclaimed science fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor - fresh life. The story itself is the same one that's been studied in countless university courses on race, gender and literature since its publication in 1979. Dana, a young black woman living in modern-day California, suddenly begins traveling backward in time to the early 1800 s, where she is compelled again and again to save the life of Rufus, the scion of a Maryland plantation owner. The mechanism of her movement through time and space is never explained, and is ultimately irrelevant. What matters is that Dana must cope with the realistically depicted, gruesome horrors of slavery - which Butler in fact "cleaned up," according to a well-known 1991 interview in the journal Callaloo. Perhaps more horrifically, Dana must struggle with a fuller understanding of the damage slavery inflicted on everyone it touched, free and slave, then and now - not just violence and family disruption, but an ugly mix of societally reinforced Stockholm syndrome, toxic codependency and dehumanization. Duffy and Jennings's adaptation retains the spare, almost baroque feel of Butler's narrative, down to its ominous chapter headings (e.g., "The River," "The Fall"), rendered in all-caps on a black background. This is a story heavy in dialogue and internal narration, although some of the interiority is necessarily lost to the visual format. The art here, which is angular and line-heavy and somehow apocalyptic, fits the weight of the material perfectly. This helps to make up for narrative lost, through stark renderings of blood or vomit or the ashen skin of a hanged woman. The adaptation does not flinch from the ugliest parts of Butler's text. (Parents hoping that the graphical format may work better for teenagers, take warning.) A worthy and powerful supplement to a classic. IN A STRANGELY small galaxy, the civilized peoples of the nine inhabited planets live in constant fear of the Shotet, a tribe of fierce multiracial scavengers. After the Shotet kidnap a boy named Akos and his brother for mysterious reasons, Akos has no choice but to go native, learning how to fight and earn armor to survive. Akos has a few advantages, however, including genetically imbued language skills and, more important, a special "currentgift," or unique magical ability, which is capable of shutting down others' currentgifts. This naturally makes him useful to Cyra, sister of the tyrannical Shotet leader; Cyra's own currentgift grants her the ability to project, and experience, constant agony. Akos alone can ease her pain. That they end up a couple is hardly a spoiler. So things go in CARVE THE MARK (Katherine Tegen/HarperCoiiins, $22.99), the latest outing from Veronica Roth. Roth is the author of the best-selling Divergent series, and like those books this one seems destined - designed, even - for film adaptation. The story focuses less on Cyra than on Akos, who is by turns vulnerable, tough and talented at combat. The plot is also familiar: A young woman trapped in a brutal system must fight to win freedom for herself and her male companion, eventually fomenting a rebellion against her oppressors. The whole thing turns out to be a power struggle between roughly four factions - special families, that is, whose members are bestowed with predestined fates. There's some jumbled, vaguely science fictional worldbuilding involving spaceships and people from planets of darkness or planets of heat, but frankly Roth could've set the whole thing on a single planet and cut down on the potential special effects budget. This story is simpler than it sounds, and even more clichéd than this synopsis suggests. It will doubtless make money hand over fist. ANOTHER WORK THAT seems designed for the big screen - or more likely the small screen, given that it's organized into episodes and seasons - is bookburners: season 1 (Saga, paper, $21.99), a collaborative effort by Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Mur Lafferty and Brian Francis Slattery. Originally produced by Serial Box as an intriguing experiment in serial fiction for mobile devices, the 16 episodes that first appeared in 2015 have now been compiled into a single volume by Saga Press. The story is fast-paced and pulpish. The police detective Sally Brooks is interrupted one night by her hapless brother, who's carrying a mysterious ancient book and is terrified he's been followed to her apartment. He's afraid of the Bookburners, a shadowy "men in black" type of organization said to hunt down rare-book thieves. After she sees her brother open the book only to become instantly possessed by an ancient malevolent entity, Sal finds herself embroiled in a whirlwind caper, occasionally terrifying, to try to save him. Naturally, she joins forces with the Bookburners, who turn out to be a special division of the Vatican Library employed to hunt down dangerous artifacts for capture and safe storage in the Black Archives. Think hackers and traveling exorcists, but for books. Turns out they could also use a good cop. If that sounds like lighthearted, slightly silly fun, it is. Each "episode" of the serial is noticeably picaresque in style - lots of action sequences, horror visuals and witty banter, but not many moments of narrative pause or introspection. As a result the characters aren't especially complex or deeply rendered; it's an ensemble cast, though Sal remains the main character throughout. And the peril rarely feels genuinely perilous. This seems intentional, too, however - rather like watching a TV show with episodes that can be skipped or watched out of order, and characters who remain comfortably predictable throughout. Maybe this isn't the kind of show that's going to win a lot of Emmys; it's more the type that could win a devoted audience and keep going for season after season. Probably ideal for commuters looking for pleasant popcorn reading to start or end the day. N. K. JEMISIN won a 2016 Hugo Award for her novel "The Fifth Season." Her latest book is its sequel, "The Obelisk Gate."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [January 1, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review
In a system of nation-planets, a colorful ribbon of energy, called the Current, weaves around each planetary body, imbuing its residents with a special ability. For Cyra, sister of Ryzek, the sovereign of the warlike Shotet people, that gift leaves her constantly wracked with pain, which she can inflict on others with just a touch. Akos, from Thuvhe, the sworn enemies of the Shotet, however, can negate the effects of the Current with his gift. When tyrannical Ryzek kidnaps Akos and his brother, he orders Akos to serve Cyra, using his gift to alleviate her pain. But Cyra is horrified by Ryzek's violent thirst for control, and Akos is desperate to save his brother despite their allegiances, they find more solidarity than enmity. Roth offers a richly imagined, often-brutal world of political intrigue and adventure, with a slow-burning romance at its core. Though the pace sometimes drags, the fascinating, fantasy-sf-hybrid world building is deftly deployed and adds considerable depth. Inevitably, it ends on a tantalizing cliff-hanger, but Roth's fans will be happily on board for the forthcoming sequel. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This is Roth's first endeavor since the insanely popular Divergent series. Need we say more?--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Roth (the Divergent series) returns with a gripping space opera about two individuals who share a planet but come from very different worlds. Cyra belongs to the ruling family of the Shotet, a people wrestling for planetary power against the gentle, prophetic Thuvhesit. Like all people, Cyra has a "currentgift" bestowed by the galactic current that connects all living things, but hers is darker than most: she lives in debilitating pain, eased only when she unleashes it on another-a fearsome spectacle that her cruel, power-hungry brother often forces her to employ. Akos, raised among the Thuvhesit and kidnapped by the Shotet, has a similarly singular currentgift: his touch relieves Cyra of her pain. Forced together, the two become hesitant friends and unlikely allies as the simmering tension between their two nations reaches new heights. Roth's worldbuilding is commendable; each nation is distinct, interacting with the current in ways that give insight into her characters' motivations. Amid political machinations and forays into space, Roth thoughtfully addresses substantial issues, such as the power of self-determination in the face of fate. Readers will eagerly await a second installment. Ages 14-up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Lifegiving "current" hums throughout the planets in what Akos knows as "the galaxy." This includes Akos's nation-planet of Thuvhe along with planets Zold, Othyr, Urek, Shotet, and more. Cyra dwells on Shotet, a bitter Thuvhesit enemy. Akos and Cyra each have currentgifts, which manifest at adolescence. His gift can provide relief, while hers causes pain for herself and others. In Roth's military-styled world, battles are settled with currentblades, and victors scar their arms with kill marks, meant both to count the dead and, in some cases, to honor them. The story is told from the perspectives of both Akos and Cyra. Readers follow a third-person view of Akos, who was brought unwillingly to Shotet and harbors deep resentments, while Cyra, always at the edge of pain and ready for battle, narrates in first person. Gradually, Cyra and Akos move from grudging tolerance of each other to respect and then love. Intrigue, poisonings, and an epic battle in the final chapters set the stage for the next book in this planned duology. Roth's dark world mixes classic elements, such as oracles and gladiator-style battles, with futuristic bullies who have a thirst for power. VERDICT The author's name may catch the eye of "Divergent" trilogy fans, but they will find that this book has less romance and more violence. Consider where Marie Lu's "Young Elites" series, Eoin Colfer's "W.A.R.P." books, and Allen Zadoff's "Unknown Assassin" titles are popular.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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