In The Wall, John Lanchester has channelled modern society’s xenophobia and failure to act on climate change into a massive concrete structure surrounding a very different England. In the United Kingdom of the future, Brexit is the least of their worries. To keep out the rest of the world – ‘the Others’ – and the […]
speculative fiction
Review: Psychotopia, by R.N. Morris
Psychotopia is a modern literary journey down through the seven circles of Hell which left me feeling utterly drained. R.N. Morris has plucked out two of society’s current anxieties (the rise of psychopaths, especially in positions of power, and the influence of online gaming on the shape of our society), combined them with new scientific […]
Review: North, by Frank Owen
I was intrigued by the cover claim on North – that it’s a post-apocalyptic game changer. That’s a pretty big call in this genre. Not a lot changes, really. There’s an apocalypse, and then people have to survive afterwards. Normally there are the ‘good’ people who try to survive while keeping their humanity intact. Then […]
Review: Book of Colours, by Robyn Cadwallader
To me, Book of Colours is a novel about art and artists. The process of creating art, what goes on in the head of an artisan, and how do they reconcile artistic independence with the need to eat and pay rent? Set in 1321 London in a small illustrators’ workshop in Paternoster Row, three people […]
Review: The Absolved, by Matthew Binder
In 2036 automation has made most jobs redundant. Henri is a cancer physician and one of the few left who have a job. Most people are paid not to work. They are ‘The Absolved’. Sounds pretty good in theory, right? This is the ‘universal basic income’ argument – it’s fine to automate more and more […]
Review: City of Broken Magic, by Mirah Bolender
City of Broken Magic, by Mirah Bolender, is a refreshingly original fantasy novel which follows Laura as she pursues her dreams of becoming a ‘Sweeper’. The art of using magic to defeat monsters is a dangerous and dying profession, but one that’s about to become extremely important again. Amicae is a city of delusions. ‘There […]