Null Set: A Cas Russell Novel

by S. L. Huang

Overview

S. L. Huang's Null Set is the breakout sf thriller for fans of John Scalzi and Greg Rucka

Math-genius mercenary Cas Russell has decided to Fight Crime(tm). After all, with her extraordinary mathematical ability, she can neuter bombs or out-shoot an army. And the recent outbreak of violence in the world’s cities is Cas’s fault—she’s the one who crushed the organization of telepaths keeping the world’s worst offenders under control.

But Cas’s own power also has a history, one she can’t remember—or control. One that's creeping into her mind and fracturing her sanity...just when she’s gotten herself on the hit list of every crime lord on the West Coast. And her best, only, sociopathic friend. Cas won’t be able to save the world. She might not even be able to save herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250180308
Publisher:	Tom Doherty Associates
Publication date:	07/09/2019
Series:	Cas Russell Series , #2
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

S. L. HUANG has a math degree from MIT and is a professional stuntwoman & armorer who has worked in Hollywood on Battlestar Galactica and a number of other productions. Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Nature, and The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016. She is the author of the Cas Russell series, which includes Zero Sum Game and Null Set.

Editorial Reviews

05/27/2019

This exciting SF thriller sequel to Zero Sum Game keeps up the pace and piles on the tricky twists. Cas Russell, an expert mathematician and crimefighter, is recovering from a mind-melding fight and adjusting to a life filled with false memories. While on the hunt for a notorious L.A. crime lord, Cas begins to lose her grip on reality, her mind invaded by a past and an identity she does not recognize. Increasingly paranoid, Cas soon believes her friends all have ulterior motives and goes digging. Her curiosity may prove to be her undoing, as her discoveries upend the tenuous stability of the L.A. crime scene. The gritty tone complements the backdrop and plot, and there is a geniality to Cas that endears her to the reader. As Huang weaves together a compelling bit of science fiction in the possibilities of overwriting memories and identities, Cas’s existential struggles echo those of social media users wrestling with profiles and personas. Although the side characters have the tendency to fade into the background, the central narrative is still strong. Readers who appreciate suspenseful science fiction will enjoy this vigorous novel. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Zero Sum Game:

"A smart, calculated action thriller that keeps the reader guessing."—Den of Geek

"Trust us, trigonometry has never sounded so cool."—Paste Magazine

“Fun and original.”—San Francisco Chronicle

"A fast-paced, darkly humorous read with a lot of heart for fans of action and urban fantasy, as well as lovers of Wolverine and other morally ambiguous, gritty superheroes with a mysterious past."—Booklist, Starred Review

"Fast, furious, and adds up to one of the coolest, most crackin’ reads this year."—Chuck Wendig

"The best novel I've read this year; a heroine I fell in love with."—Eric Van Lustbader, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Cas Russell is who I want to be when I grow up. She kicks ass with her fists and her brain—a true twenty-first century action hero. I loved this book."—Richard Kadrey

"Paced at a flat out sprint."—Kate Elliott

“The smartest and thrillingest book you’ll read all year.”—Ken Liu

"Intense, vivid, and insanely clever, with a great heroine—I couldn't put it down."—Yoon Ha Lee, New York Times bestselling author

"This hard-to-put-down, action-packed sf debut is intelligent and entertaining. With Cas, Huang has created an indelible, flawed character who makes mathematics seem almost magical."—Library Journal, Starred Review

“A paranormal thriller in which both the action and the questions don't stop....Cas is an awesome antiheroine...exciting, nasty fun...an excellent harbinger for books to come.”—Kirkus

From the Publisher

06/01/2019

In Zero Sum Game, Cas Russell was able to take out Pithica, the organization of telepaths trying to create a better world through their control, but now the crime rate is spiking and Cas feels responsible. So, why not take on the crime organizations that are ramping up in Los Angeles? Especially since Cas's own mathematical abilities make her nearly superpowered. Except that Cas knows that her last battle with Pithica cracked open a secret in her memory, one she will have to fight for and against as it begins to affect her mind. Now she's on everyone's hit list and unsure of her own stability, whom will she trust when her world is crumbling? Zooming from external to internal conflict, Cas struggles with the choices she's made for the rest of the world, knowing that she may have no choice but to do that again. VERDICT Huang's sophomore novel brings us the same tight action, compelling characters, and mathematics magic as Zero Sum Game. Fans of the TV series Jessica Jones will enjoy meeting Cas.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Library Journal

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