Category: Novels

Every Version of You by Grace Chan

One word for this one: stunning.

A poetic, imaginative science-fiction drama that’s less about the science and more about the people — specifically, Tao-Yi and her small group of closely-knit friends.

Every Version of You

The story begins in future, where, unsurprisingly, the majority of the planet spends far too much time in Gaia: a virtual reality which provides an idyllic environment that’s far removed from a planet choking from pollution, global warming and the kind of environmental damage that is as terrifying as it is inevitable.

Tao-Yi spends most of her waking hours submerged in a Nuegel tank which provides the sensory feedback for the denizens of Gaia that makes it as close to real life as is humanly possible.

But there’s always room for improvement. …

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Book review: The Book of Sand by Theo Clare.

An odd book, this one. It was written by one of my favourite authors under a pseudonym, and unfortunately, it was the last thing she wrote before succumbing to complications from motor neurone disease.

I’ve read (and reviewed) one or two of her books from the excellent Jack Caffrey series, and I’ve found her an author who write brilliantly, and never shied away from the tough subjects like child abuse and genocide. The Book of Sand was very different:

The Book of Sand

The story is set (mostly) in a desert, the location of which doesn’t appear to make geographical sense. (There is a reason for this). In this desert, a group of families are searching for an artifact called the Sarkpont, which gives them the way out. But if that wasn’t enough, the families are being pursued by a fast-moving carnivorous creatures known as the Djinni.

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