The Girl And
The Stars
She’s as cold as ice...
Release 30 April
Writer Mark Lawrence
Publisher Harper Collins
Price £14.99Life on the ice is cruel. That’s
why the Ictha clan visit the
Regulator before their children can
be counted as adults. You see, the
Regulator can tell if the child will
grow to be weak and if so, throws
them into the ‘Pit of the missing’ so
they won’t become a burden.
The Girl And The Stars centres
on Yaz who, at 16, is due to visit
the Regulator. She isn’t weak but
when she fi nds herself down the Pit
she discovers a whole new world.
Under the ice, life is different, Yaz
feels real warmth for the fi rst time
but there are also untold dangers,
including a ‘darkness’ that can
make people crazy. There are alsoThe Human
Son
Mommy dearest
Release 30 April (UK)
Writer Adrian J Walker
Publisher Solaris
Price £8.99The premise is familiar to fans
of SciFiNow: The Earth is broken due
to a multitude of factors, and can no
longer sustain human life, leaving
humanity with one last hope at a
brighter future.
In Adrian J Walker’s The Human
Son, the saving grace is the Erta, an
engineered super-being, capable of
being faster, stronger and smarter
than their human creators. The Erta’s
only purpose is to fi x the planet and
make a better world. 500 years
after their creation, the Erta’s task
is nearly complete and it is time to
hand back control of the Earth to the
humans. But now they have created
paradise, some Erta aren’t sure that’s
the best idea...The novel focuses on Ima, one of
the most scientifi cally-minded Erta,
who is now tasked with raising the
fi rst new human since their extinction.
What unfolds is an emotional tale of
what it means to love, be a mother
and be human.
The book takes an unfl inching
look at humanity, exposing it for all
its fl aws and all its wonder. Written
as a love letter from Ima to her son, it
evolves in diary form, starting at the
sleepless nights of raising an infant,
through the fi rst day of school and
all the emotional turmoil of puberty.
Walker does a remarkable job of
pontifi cating on a potential future,
providing questions and answers
on the practicalities of rebuilding
a civilisation, while exploring how
it feels to have your world turned
upside down. With themes of
fanaticism, hidden histories and
scientifi c pursuit, The Human Son
delivers a story that fosters a curious
mind and an open heart, questioning
and inspiring both without judgement.
Burt Peterson
BOOK CLUB
The Human Son // The Girl And The Stars‘stars’ – rocks that create heat and
light. These are the lifeline of the
world under the ice and they seem
to glow brighter when she is near...
Full of magic and mystery, Mark
Lawrence takes you on a voyage
through the rich history of this
world, from its basic beginnings to
the trials that Yaz and her fellow
survivors of the Pit face.
The cruel rules of the clans are
almost as harsh as the ice itself and
society as a whole is a key theme.
Yaz is a product of this rough life
but she also fi nds a vulnerability
to herself that she discovers
can actually be a positive. That
shedding off that tough outer layer
can lead to a life that’s about more
than just survival.
Just like the Pit itself, Lawrence’s
novel delves deeper into this world,
its society and human nature
itself, creating the beginnings of
a potential series that we look
forward to seeing more of.
Rachael Harper
076 | Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK076_SFN_170 2xBooks.indd 76 19/03/2020 15:34The Girl And
The Stars
She’s as cold as ice...
Release 30 April
Writer Mark Lawrence
Publisher Harper Collins
Price £14.99Life on the ice is cruel. That’s
why the Ictha clan visit the
Regulator before their children can
be counted as adults. You see, the
Regulator can tell if the child will
grow to be weak and if so, throws
them into the ‘Pit of the missing’ so
they won’t become a burden.
The Girl And The Stars centres
on Yaz who, at 16, is due to visit
the Regulator. She isn’t weak but
when she fi nds herself down the Pit
she discovers a whole new world.
Under the ice, life is different, Yaz
feels real warmth for the fi rst time
but there are also untold dangers,
including a ‘darkness’ that can
make people crazy. There are alsoThe Human
Son
Mommy dearest
Release 30 April (UK)
Writer Adrian J Walker
Publisher Solaris
Price £8.99The premise is familiar to fans
of SciFiNow: The Earth is broken due
to a multitude of factors, and can no
longer sustain human life, leaving
humanity with one last hope at a
brighter future.
In Adrian J Walker’s The Human
Son, the saving grace is the Erta, an
engineered super-being, capable of
being faster, stronger and smarter
than their human creators. The Erta’s
only purpose is to fi x the planet and
make a better world. 500 years
after their creation, the Erta’s task
is nearly complete and it is time to
hand back control of the Earth to the
humans. But now they have created
paradise, some Erta aren’t sure that’s
the best idea...The novel focuses on Ima, one of
the most scientifi cally-minded Erta,
who is now tasked with raising the
fi rst new human since their extinction.
What unfolds is an emotional tale of
what it means to love, be a mother
and be human.
The book takes an unfl inching
look at humanity, exposing it for all
its fl aws and all its wonder. Written
as a love letter from Ima to her son, it
evolves in diary form, starting at the
sleepless nights of raising an infant,
through the fi rst day of school and
all the emotional turmoil of puberty.
Walker does a remarkable job of
pontifi cating on a potential future,
providing questions and answers
on the practicalities of rebuilding
a civilisation, while exploring how
it feels to have your world turned
upside down. With themes of
fanaticism, hidden histories and
scientifi c pursuit, The Human Son
delivers a story that fosters a curious
mind and an open heart, questioning
and inspiring both without judgement.
Burt Peterson
BOOK CLUB
The Human Son // The Girl And The Stars‘stars’ – rocks that create heat and
light. These are the lifeline of the
world under the ice and they seem
to glow brighter when she is near...
Full of magic and mystery, Mark
Lawrence takes you on a voyage
through the rich history of this
world, from its basic beginnings to
the trials that Yaz and her fellow
survivors of the Pit face.
The cruel rules of the clans are
almost as harsh as the ice itself and
society as a whole is a key theme.
Yaz is a product of this rough life
but she also fi nds a vulnerability
to herself that she discovers
can actually be a positive. That
shedding off that tough outer layer
can lead to a life that’s about more
than just survival.
Just like the Pit itself, Lawrence’s
novel delves deeper into this world,
its society and human nature
itself, creating the beginnings of
a potential series that we look
forward to seeing more of.
Rachael Harper
076 | Tell us what you’re reading on Twitter or Facebook WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK