★ 03/19/2018
Shape-shifting robots have nothing on the chameleon abilities of Oichi Angelis, the main character of this labyrinthine tale of revenge set on the generation ship Olympia. Oichi’s parents died when their ship was destroyed as a power play by the ruling Executives. Oichi was put into domestic service and rewired so that most of the data from her senses is sent to the Executives, leaving her “partially deaf, dumb, and blind”; she primarily navigates the world through taste and smell. She’s aided by her cybernetic connection to a sentient robot, Medusa, who sneaks her forbidden sensory data (which has the unfortunate effect of making her limitations feel less real and relevant for the reader than they otherwise might). Seeking revenge, Oichi infiltrates the inner circles of the elite. Dodging both assassination attempts and marriage proposals, Oichi pieces together the agendas of her Executive opponents and their hidden allies while recruiting more crew for links to Medusa units. Devenport, a Philip K. Dick Award–winner under her Maggy Thomas pseudonym, cleverly reveals the underworld of the typical shiny starships of fiction. She has an admirable willingness to spread out the action and allow her main character to be fallible, which adds depth to the work and prevents the story from devolving into a “chosen one” narrative. The home lives of her characters are as important to the plot as their occupations, further balancing and deepening the depictions. As the revolution begun by Oichi spirals out of her control, readers will be riveted. (May)
Praise for Medusa Uploaded
“There are mysteries around every corner here, layered on top of one another, and the end product is just as fantastic as one would hope.”—Los Angeles Times
“The first book in the Medusa Cycle does not disappoint.”—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
“A chilling tale of class warfare in deep space."—Booklist
“Readers will be riveted.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An enticing start to a new space opera . . . will capture readers.”—Library Journal
“One of the best generation starship novels.”—SF Revu
“Emily Devenport is a magnificent craftswoman. . . . This may prove to be one of the best books of 2018.”—The Nameless Zine
“The worlds . . . both physical and virtual, are richly detailed and gorgeously imagined.”—Kirkus
“A fantastic, fast paced, twisty sci-fi thriller that builds mystery on top of mystery.”—The Illustrated Page
“Fascinating courtly intrigue and bloody power games set on a generation ship full of secrets—Medusa Uploaded is an imaginative, intense mystery about family dramas and ancient technologies whose influence reverberates across the stars. Disturbing, exciting, and frankly kind of mind-blowing.”—Annalee Newitz, author of Autonomous
2018-02-20
A tense sci-fi thriller about a woman determined to remake her society—at any cost.Oichi Angelis is supposed to be insignificant. She's part of the working class on the generation ship Olympia, bionically modified to see and hear only what the Executives want her to, and expected to work for subsistence-level food and no other reward. But Oichi has her own agenda. She's not out to avenge her parents, killed when a powerful Executive blew up Olympia's sister ship, Titania. She's trying to continue their work, to pass on the vast database of classical and folk music her father compiled and spread the secret encoded within that database—modifications that make it possible to bond with the incredibly powerful Medusa AIs, modifications that will upend the Olympia's rigidly hierarchical social structure. On a generation ship halfway to its destination, Oichi is starting a revolution, and she'll kill whomever gets in the way. Oichi is a fascinating character, cold and implacable in pursuing her goals but capable of deep emotion. The worlds she inhabits, both physical and virtual, are richly detailed and gorgeously imagined. The revelations about the secret machinations behind the Olympia's journey don't all have as much impact as they should, but overall this is a gripping and unusual read, with a tense plot driven forward by Oichi's determination to change her world.Sci-fi fans will love exploring the world of Oichi's spaceship home and living inside the head of a not-quite-coldblooded killer.
This audiobook kick-starts a new series chronicling a partnership between an advanced AI and a woman who is seeking vengeance onboard a massive generation ship. Narrator Caitlin Davies imbues the vengeful Oichi with naïveté and an engaging sinister undercurrent as she leads the lower class on the ship to mutiny. Medusa, the AI, benefits from a monotone voice with a hint of humanity. Most of the background characters sound lively and dynamic, resulting in the depiction of a plausible world. While the story suffers from some unbelievable plot advancements, overabundant exposition, and heavy-handed pop culture references, Davies’s steady delivery and varied character voicing elevate the listening experience. This sci-fi thriller suggests a promising series ahead. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
This audiobook kick-starts a new series chronicling a partnership between an advanced AI and a woman who is seeking vengeance onboard a massive generation ship. Narrator Caitlin Davies imbues the vengeful Oichi with naïveté and an engaging sinister undercurrent as she leads the lower class on the ship to mutiny. Medusa, the AI, benefits from a monotone voice with a hint of humanity. Most of the background characters sound lively and dynamic, resulting in the depiction of a plausible world. While the story suffers from some unbelievable plot advancements, overabundant exposition, and heavy-handed pop culture references, Davies’s steady delivery and varied character voicing elevate the listening experience. This sci-fi thriller suggests a promising series ahead. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
