Review: Mackey Chandler’s April Series tells a good SF story with themes of agency, emancipation and declarations of independence

 


By William H. Stoddard

Back in 2020, I encountered an online listing for a novel by Mackey Chandler with the provocative title Who Can Own the Stars?, twelfth in a series and a 2021 Prometheus Best Novel finalist.

After reading it, I went back to the original volume, April, and read it and, in succession, all the rest. Two further volumes have come out since then – Let Us Tell You Again and The Long View, respectively 2023 and 2024 Best Novel nominees. With each, I’ve reread the entire series.

Continue reading Review: Mackey Chandler’s April Series tells a good SF story with themes of agency, emancipation and declarations of independence

A bountiful crop: The 2024 Best Novel nominees are remarkably varied in genre, style, and theme

By Michael Grossberg

Some are science fiction, some fantasies, while several bid to become classics of dystopian literature.

Many are dramatic and suspenseful, some heroic or inspirational, and a few are comical or outright satirical.

Prometheus brought the gifts of fire and liberty to humanity

Some novels are set in the distant future, some in the near future, some in ancient eras or mythologized histories and one in an alternate history.

While quite a few are sequels, some launch promising new series – and seven appear to be self-contained, stand-alone works with a beginning, middle and satisfying end.

This year’s bountiful crop of Prometheus Best Novel nominees, whose titles and authors were recently announced in this blog, display a remarkable range of genres, themes and styles.

Continue reading A bountiful crop: The 2024 Best Novel nominees are remarkably varied in genre, style, and theme