by Ken MacLeod
First published 2012
Ellen May Ngwethu has lived for centuries in a socialist-anarchist Solar Union, but her world faces extinction. The Cassini Division, an elite defense force, assigns her to locate a man whose expertise might preserve their civilization. Her mission carries her from orbital stations to the devastated remains of London and back again. The Division maintains fortress positions around Jupiter, locked in an ancient war against post-human artificial intelligences. These AIs once destroyed Ganymede and constructed a bridge through time itself. Their viral transmissions flood the solar system, blocking human access to vital resources. Ellen must navigate from the edges of her society to its most perilous frontiers. The post-humans remain enigmatic enemies whose true capabilities and motives stay hidden. But Ellen begins to question whether these beings pose the threat everyone believes. Her search will force her to confront not just external dangers but the fundamental assumptions of her world.
Genres: science-fiction, dystopia, military-fiction, adventure
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: London, Jupiter, Ganymede
Period: Centuries in the future
336 pages · Kindle Edition · Orbit