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Speth didn’t mean to start a
revolution. Like many YA heroines
before her, she just found herself
in a moment where she had to do
something, and that something
strikes a chord. Suddenly, she’sthe fi gurehead of a movement that
threatens to destabilise every part
of her oppressive society.
Speth, though, is never called
on to make an inspiring speech.
Her disobedience is silence. In her
near future world, communication
has been copyrighted. Once a
child turns 15, every word they
speak, plus every movement
of their head, hands and eyes
is recorded, and billed for. By
refusing to speak, Speth exposes a
fl aw in the system. She becomes a
hero but silence has a price, too.
Sounds far-fetched? Author
Gregory Scott Katsoulis makes
it work through attention to
detail and constant references
to a history that made this
future possible. And while the
immediate effects of such a
system are frightening (parents
unable to tell their children they
love them if they don’t have theTell us what you’re reading
on Twitter or FacebookWhat you lot have been
reading this monthYOUR READS
“Gridlinked by Neal
Asher. 3rd time reading
it. Cracking book
and the start of some
amazing universe
building. #BookClub”
@Sid_Muntar“I just read Kindred by
Octavia E Butler as part
of #ReadWomenSF and
it was excellent. Hard-
hitting sci-fi with heart.
#BookClub”
}@JoshWinning“Save You by Mona
Kasten. I’m looooooving
it. #BookClub”
@JasminMaaz“The Last Dark by
Stephen Donaldson,
the very last novel in
the Thomas Covenant
Chronicles. Tough
going but ultimately
rewarding. #BookClub”
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(Translated into Spanish
by Isabel Nuñez)
we are loving this
book!! @Ayalaozarco
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#BookClub”
@CiFiccionarios“#amreading Vitals
by Greg Bear. Almost
done & it’s been a great
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fi & thriller. #BookClub”
@SageBooks95“Recently fi nished A
Closed And Common
Orbit by
@beckysaysrawr which
was as good as A Long
Way To A Small Angry
Planet, can’t wait for the
next one in this series to
come out. #BookClub”
@Cascararogue“Just fi nished The Core
from @PVBrett, which
was ace. Now In Dark
Service by Stephen Hunt,
but struggling a bit -
might hop on to the next
Expanse novel instead!”
@spoonofmilkcredits) the wider implications
are more chilling. The prices
of specifi c words are set by the
shadowy Rights Holders. So if
you’re not rich enough, you can’t
speak out against the system.
The obvious comparison is
to Orwell, something Katsoulis
acknowledges with a reference to
1984 in one scene. But his novel
never feels derivative, and there’s
more than enough story to avoid
tipping into outright didacticism.
Smart and affecting, with a
heroine most of us could imagine
accidentally becoming, this book
will make you more aware than
ever of the power of free speech.
Sarah LinesBOOK CLUB
All Rights Reserved // One Of UsW W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^087ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ONE OF US
The sound of silence
Monstrous behaviour
DetailsAuthor: Gregory Scott Katsoulis Publisher: Harper Collins Price: £ 7. 9 9 Released: Out now
DetailsAuthor: Craig DiLouie Publisher: Orbit Price: £8.99 Released: Out now
★★★★★Little Brother
Cory Doctorow
In the near future, teen hackers
fi ght the government’s attempts to
track and control their world.IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY...★★★★★The Girl With All The Gifts
MR Carey
Young Melanie may be
humanity’s last hope. So why
is everyone so scared of her?IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY...Must
read
now!Must
read
now!Genre has long been used
to discuss bigotry and hatred
but it’s quite rare to fi nd a story
with this much heart-breaking
impact. Craig DiLouie’s One
Of Us is set 14 years after the
start of ‘the plague generation’,
as thousands are born with
bizarre mutations. The kids
are shunned, sent to different
schools and are regarded as
freaks or animals. But now
they’re getting old enough to
know they’ve been wronged,
that they deserve as much out
of life as anyone else, a small
Georgia town is a powderkeg
ready to explode...
The author shares out the
POV chapters between some
of the affected kids (loyal Dog,
genius Brain, wise-cracking
Goof, and Amy, whose mutation
is not visible and therefore
secret) and the local residents,
who range from disaffected to
downright monstrous.Given the superfi cial
similarities to X-Men and the
focus on teenagers, it’s tempting
to assume that things will work
out okay. Common ground will
be found, truth and justice will
triumph, kindness will ensure no
blood will be shed.
But DiLouie has no interest in
giving his readers an easy ride.
His warmth towards some of his
characters keeps things from
getting unbearably grim but
it’s surprisingly harsh reading
as lives are ended savagely,
cruelly and without ceremony.
If there’s hope to be found,
it’s in the younger generations
(embodied by idealistic
preacher’s son Jake and the
amiable Goof) who are trying
to fi nd a way to channel their
good intentions into something
that will help.
Some elements feel perhaps
a little underexplored (Goof’s
time in a government facilityin particular), and DiLouie’s
willingness to kill characters off
means we don’t always get a
chance to get to know them, but
this is skilful, powerful stuff.
Jonathan Hatfull