2024 reread: This was a top book of 2023 for me, and yet somehow I'm stunned that it was even better on a reread.
Genre: science fiction
In a new prin2024 reread: This was a top book of 2023 for me, and yet somehow I'm stunned that it was even better on a reread.
Genre: science fiction
In a new print of her own body, and with no personal recollection of the events that transpired on Sixth Cradle, Naira Sharp is rebuilding her own memory while fighting to destroy the fungal infection of canus infiltrating anyone who has been printed. Tarquin Mercator, now presumed head of the Mercator family with his father Acaelus missing, has to convince Naira’s allies that he’s got their best interests in mind and intends to reverse his father’s legacy. But looming closer is the threat of the canus infection, which could gain control of all of their neural pathways and wipe out humanity if it isn’t stopped. And no one can be trusted.
This may be the best second-in-a-trilogy SFF book I’ve ever read? In my review of The Blighted Stars, I talked about how it was a book that somehow contained all of my favorite science fiction AND romance tropes - bodies as shells, sentient ships and AI ethics, starchy SF military officer starting to crack, enemies to lovers, class difference... The Fractured Dark expands on all of those and expands on them, with higher stakes than the first book.
The romance is closed door, but written with genuine care towards the relationship and character development. Tarquin is soft, gentle, and unsure of how hard he can push Naira when she doesn’t remember growing to care for him in the first book. Naira is a hardened and determined soldier, ruthlessly pursuing what she considers the moral path. Together, they pair and balance each other, even when Tarquin’s privilege makes him put his foot in his mouth, or Naira’s bullheadedness gets her killed yet again.
If you’re a romance reader looking to branch out into science fiction, I cannot recommend this enough, because the comfort of the romance will embrace you as you read. If you’re a science fiction reader looking for some romance, this couldn’t be more up your alley. It has all the vibes of a truly classic space opera, the ethical questions of smart science fiction, and well developed characters you crave across genres.
Thank you to @yourbookishbff and @plottrysts for the buddy read - sorry I was the slow one. There’s nothing like reading space opera/military SF with your historical romance buddies.
Thank you to @Orbitbooks_US and NetGalley for an eARC for review. The Fractured Dark is available 9/26/23....more
This was really clever, with many layers of SF thought from bot-rights to political maneuvering to people's rights mixed with the rich fantasy of a muThis was really clever, with many layers of SF thought from bot-rights to political maneuvering to people's rights mixed with the rich fantasy of a multicultural Aladdin (and the author remarks about how multicultural the original he knew from Kolkata was). However, the unreliable narrator of the Jinn-bot Moku made the story harder to follow, and it was too long. Very funny and a lot of action, though and if I can get a copy on audiobook at some point I'll definitely reread that way because I think I'll engage with it better.
Genre: science fiction
Lina (a human) lives in a world rife with political corruption and warring powers. Her brother Bador, (a bot that looks like a monkey) is bold and a little snarky. They’ve attached another bot, Moku, the narrator, who also has a mind and ambitions of his own, trying to control parts of the story. The trio is out on a dangerous adventure under pressure from a powerful enemy. There’s one thing that haunts them, the slogan “Aladin lives”, referencing a folk hero and underground rebellion. In a tale of star-crossed lovers and a fight for the rights of humanity and bots, Lina, Bador, and Moku race to save Shantiport, while traitor Antim seems to have the power of a Jinn granting him wishes towards success.
This was really clever, with many layers of SF thought from bot-rights to political maneuvering to people's rights mixed with the rich fantasy of a multicultural Aladdin (and the author remarks about how multicultural the original he knew from Kolkata was). I’ve often admired Samit Basu’s worldbuilding, as he draws from familiar South Asian marketplace and cityscape settings but then makes them his own. He never specifically lays out the setting, and yet while reading I always had a strong sense of the world of Shantiport.
The bot Moku is our narrator throughout the novel, which is a really interesting choice. At times, I loved it, and at times I found it much harder to follow the plot. An unreliable narrator - especially one telling a story in present tense - reveals only glimpses of ongoing action and plot development. In a book this long, I found that frustrating at times.
This romance reader obviously loves a marriage of convenience story, and I laughed at Moku’s voyeurism and Bador’s innate desire to express himself sexually (despite being a bot without the proper organs). Moments like this kept me engaged in the novel, even when I sometimes lost the overarching plot threads.
If this becomes available on audiobook, I’ll likely go back for a reread. This richly reimagined tale of Aladdin complete with bots’ rights is right up my alley, and I was disappointed that parts of it fell short for me. ...more
A powerful but bleak world of corrupt AI, programmed relics, and characters willing to betray one another. Gorgeous contemplative prose.
Audiobook narrA powerful but bleak world of corrupt AI, programmed relics, and characters willing to betray one another. Gorgeous contemplative prose.
Audiobook narrator: Yung-I Chang
Genre: science fiction
It’s Sunai’s lot in life to keep dying. You could say he’s even used to it by now. He’s a “walking, talking artifact of corruption,” a relic AI fused with a human body, trying to f*ck his way through life figuring out what he’s doing here.
The Archive Undying is going to be hard to describe. If you read the blurb and expect a book of action, you may be left wanting. Yes, it’s about the things you can put into the summary: corrupt AIs and giant fighting robots, but that’s just surface level plot. It’s speculative, a book of ideas, with lush writing and stunning prose that makes you stop and think. It’s about death and dying, but also about rebirth.
The worldbuilding is descriptive and yet also feels intentionally sparse, because the world itself is a matter of perception: is it even real? Do we have a solid enough grasp on the concept of reality?
If you enjoy contemplative ideas driven science fiction like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep or even Ursula K Le Guin, I recommend checking out Archive Undying. There isn’t a strong narrative plot arc, but sometimes you just need character- and idea-driven stories about AIs and mechs.
The audiobook, narrated by Yung-I Chang, was wonderful to listen to, as I always appreciate the audio boost for a slower, more contemplative story.
Thank you for to NetGalley and @tordotcompub for the eARC and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. The Archive Undying is available 6/27/23. ...more
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