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Saturday 21 January 2017

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The best recent sci-fi and fantasy: July 8

science fiction fantasy
Photo: Portia Webb

A teenage girl who vanished into the woods returns 20 years later, barely changed, in Some Kind of Fairy Tale (Gollancz, £9.99) by Graham Joyce. Family, former lover and psychiatrist all react differently to her impossible story. The magic is elusive, the human drama highly effective: this is grown-up supernatural fantasy.

In lighter vein, Whispers Under Ground (Gollancz, £12.99) is Ben Aaronovitch’s third occult police procedural, with DC Peter Grant of the Met’s magic division tracing links between a Baker Street Tube murder, hexed ceramics at Portobello Market, and a lost world underground. Gentle comedy, lit up by the hero’s and author’s love of London. Also London-based, Benedict Jacka’s investigator/mage Alex Verus is a harassed freelance. Cursed (Orbit £7.99) sees him dodging bullets, golems and worse, finding “good guys” on the Council of Light can be nastier than Dark Mages, and mounting a Bond-esque castle assault as the villain’s plans approach climax. Fast-moving and energetic.

On the science fiction front, David Brin’s grandiosely titled Existence (Orbit £13.99) is a blockbuster set in a highly complex future Earth that’s thrown into turmoil by First Contact. A computer-crystal from the stars contains a chatty rabble of uploaded aliens whose invitation begins: “JOIN US!” What’s the catch? Why does a rival crystal say “Liars!” Brin’s revelations are cleverly argued and uncomfortably plausible.

The Bend in the Sky (Matador, £9.99) by DS Morgan blatantly pays homage to Douglas Adams. A plethora of silly characters with sillier names; bizarre rock groups, sports, and drinks. There are a few ingenious inventions, but overall it’s more frenetic than funny.

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