Newly arrived science fiction
Cli-fic, water scarcity and dystopia feature heavily in our scifi roundup, but there's also steampunk fantasy, space opera and technothrillers. Enjoy!
Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake
Upon the death of their brilliant, yet emotionally distant, father, Thayer Wren (CEO of Wrenfare Magitech), his three adult children—Meredith, Arthur, and Eilidh—are forced to confront their long-standing rivalries and their own unrealised potential. Each sibling possesses unique telepathic and electrokinetic abilities, but their "gifted" childhoods have led to various forms of personal and professional disarray. Blake crafts a sharp, witty fantasy/scifi narrative with morally ambiguous characters, exploring the idea that even with extraordinary gifts, happiness and fulfilment remain elusive in a world driven by ambition and privilege.
A new high-octane space opera set in Asher's established Polity universe. The first in a new trilogy centres on Captain Blite, who is repeatedly targeted for assassination. However, a mysterious "dark diamond" left to him by the rogue AI Penny Royal, prevents his permanent demise by reversing time to moments before his death. This forces Blite to relive and escape each deadly attempt, generating "time flashes" that reveal potential futures. As various powerful factions hunt him across space and time, Blite must uncover the true nature of this enigmatic artifact before its destructive potential is unleashed, leading to a relentless, action-packed narrative filled with advanced technology, complex AI, and interspecies conflict.
In a future transformed by the mysterious "Soundfield" and extreme climate change, humanity is forced to live nocturnally due to deadly daytime heat and a constant, unsettling hum. Hannah is a brilliant scientist, desperate to protect her gifted, non-verbal son, Isaac from an authoritarian government that seeks children with special abilities for the "Atavism Project." Now Hannah must confront her past and decide who to trust in a world rife with scarcity and misinformation. This is a tense, emotionally charged thriller that offers a chillingly plausible vision of a future shaped by our present-day crises.
Vividwater by Jacqueline Owens
In a dystopian future where drinkable water is severely depleted and controlled by a powerful elite, Aotearoa serves as one of the few remaining "hydrospheres" exporting this precious resource. Alex is a "mnemopath" or human memory machine, who works for a water export company, WaiOra. Her job, though morally ambiguous given the thirst of local "scavvos," provides her with a vital water allowance. When her former lover Lawrence reappears from China, working for a rival water company, a dangerous chain of events is set in motion as he exposes his company's fraud, leading to his disappearance and Alex's ousting. Stripped of her watercard, Alex decides to fight back, leveraging her unique memory and the secrets she's privy to.
The Last Voyage by Brian D. McLaren
It's 2056 and Earth is on the brink of ecological and societal collapse due to the actions of international oligarchs. In a desperate bid for humanity's future, two philanthropists establish a colony on Mars, assembling a diverse team of scientists and engineers. However, upon their arrival and as they begin to establish the colony, the team quickly discovers that escaping Earth's problems isn't as simple as leaving the planet. The very human flaws and societal issues—such as tribalism, clashing personalities and beliefs, and a tendency towards self-interest—that plagued Earth begin to manifest in their fledgling Martian community.
The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad
In an alternate near-future United States, where a second Civil War has led to a society with deeply entrenched injustices, life is dictated by an algorithm that assigns occupations and even spouses. When Solenne, a young black woman, becomes a concubine to a powerful white government official, she finds solace in researching her ancestor, Henriette, an enslaved concubine from 19th-century Louisiana. Through dual timelines, the novel unflinchingly explores themes of bodily autonomy, racism, sexism, and power imbalances, drawing unsettling parallels between historical and speculative forms of bondage.
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
Nonie, a young girl with an almost supernatural connection to water navigates a drowned New York City from the relative safety of the roof of he American Museum of Natural History, hunting and farming in Central Park and guarding the remnants of civilisation in the museum below. But when a "hypercane" hits and floods the city, Nonie and the other survivors to flee north in a canoe, carrying precious records of salvaged knowledge. With elements of Station Eleven and Parable of the Sower, this is a poignant tale that balances the grim realities of a broken world with a persistent, if sometimes tenuous, hope for a new beginning.
An intense technothriller set on the International Space Station on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It follows Lucy Poplasky, an American commander, as an ammonia leak sparks suspicion and mistrust between American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts. As accusations of sabotage fly, the crew confront cultural divisions and personal ambitions while racing against a deadly ticking clock. In the claustrophobic confines of space, human ambition, trust, and the fragility of international partnerships in dire circumstances mirror the unrelenting angst of international geopolitics.
