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 […]
speculative fiction
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 […]
Review: The Ice Maiden, by Sara Sheridan
There’s something about historical fiction set on islands that I just can’t seem to get enough of. The Guernsey Potato and Literary Society and The Light Between Oceans are two wonderfully isolated stories. Author Sara Sheridan has brought us another – this time on an island of ice. The Ice Maiden, by Sara Sheridan, is […]
Review: Our Life in the Forest, by Marie Darrieussecq
Our Life in the Forest, by Marie Darrieussecq, is an experimental future dystopian novel for those who loved The End We Start From. A future where the lucky ones have a ‘half’, an identical body lying in storage from which they can harvest spare body parts as needed. Less fortunate humans have a ‘jar’, just […]
Review: Xx, by Angela Chadwick
Xx, by Angela Chadwick, has been described as a feminist dystopia. It’s not, really. It’s just our current society plus a new medical advancement. Although I can see how watching the ugly machinations of a discriminatory media frenzy unfold could be interpreted as dystopian fiction. Those of us who lived through the 2017 same sex […]
Review: The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton, absolutely blew my mind. It reminded me of a rather elaborate – and involuntary – how to host a murder party. Aiden Bishop wakes up in the middle of a dark forest and hears the sounds of a murder close by. Escaping the apparent murderer, he […]