Characters in The Falling, out this month, face a similar danger to those in the film Deep Impact, shown here I am currently deeply engrossed in the November read for the New Scientist Book Club, a piece of classic science fiction (well, from 2012) from Chris Beckett, _Dark Eden_. But I’m also in the mood for some fresh writing, and the new sci-fi on offer this month is an exciting and eclectic range. I’m keen to check out Benjamin Percy’s audio drama _Exoplanet_, produced by none other than Andy Weir, as well as books from some old favourites: Michael Moorcock, Carole Hailey, John Scalzi and Andrew Hunter Murray.
And for all those still in the mood for scares after Halloween, there’s some space horror from SA Barnes in the deliciously named _Cold Eternity_. This is something a little different – produced by Andy Weir, author of _The Martian_ and _Project Hail Mary,_ and written by Benjamin Percy, this sci-fi thriller is a full-cast audio drama from Audible, and it sounds really exciting. It follows the fallout when a quantum anomaly tears a starship apart, leaving its crew in different eras on the same deadly exoplanet – one in a machine-ruled future, for example, another in a past peopled by hostile aliens.
I’m a recent (only this year) audiobook adopter, and this sounds right up my street. Matt Damon in the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel The Martian I really enjoyed Andrew Hunter Murray’s speculative novel _The Last Day_, in which the world stops turning, leaving half the planet in scorching sunlight and the other half permanently dark. This latest book sounds equally interesting.
A young woman, Esme, escapes her dull job by taking tiny potions known as The Elsewheres, which allow her to visit alternate versions of herself. But then an “incident” turns her into the most important person in this, or possibly any, universe. Sci-fi legend John Scalzi’s latest speculative adventure has a Lovecraftian tinge, as the locals in Richland, Ohio, take offence to the actions of a predatory private-equity firm – and develop some unexpected tentacles.
The local police chief, and former resident Mike, get entangled in what’s going on and in events that are likely to change humanity forever. I always appreciate a good “asteroid hitting Earth” story (my recent-ish reads include Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s _Lucifer’s Hammer_, a classic from 1977, and _Not With A Bang_ by Temi Oh, a twist on the tale). Carole Hailey’s previous book, _The Silence Project_, was great, so I’m looking forward to her take on this story.
It follows Cassie, who grew up with a father obsessed with an impending apocalypse. Now she’s middle-aged and discovers that his teachings might have some use after all when an asteroid is found in the solar system, heading for northern Europe. There aren’t many names in science fiction and fantasy bigger than Michael Moorcock, and this is the final part of his “fictional autobiography”.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
