04/17/2023
The ambitious science fantasy that kicks off the Downworld Sequence trilogy from Candon (Star Wars: Ronin) immerses readers in a fascinating if sometimes disorienting world of AI gods, dissolute hermits, and fantastical biotech constructs. Years after the cataclysmic death of Iterate Fractal, the AI that once oversaw the city-state of Khuon Mo, rebellion is stirring against the Harbor, the police state that took over in its wake. Traumatized by his patron deity’s death, former archivist Sunai chases oblivion, but when he inadvertently sleeps with a biotech researcher working for the Harbor, he finds himself inexorably drawn back into city life and toward old friends, all of whom have their own agendas. Inhabiting the Downworld universe is often a joy: Candon’s fresh, vivid worldbuilding skillfully blends anime staples like giant robots and cigarette-smoking aunties with edgy SFF tropes like dying gods and legendary hybrid beasts. Though the emotional thread of trauma, guilt, and grief is well-executed, the narrative is written in an elaborate, often evasive style that may lead some readers feeling left behind by the plot. Still, fans of diverse, queer genre fiction seeking a challenge should take note. (June)
03/01/2023
Archivist Sunai expected death at the hands of his city-state's AI Iterate Fractal. Instead, Iterate Fractal corrupted and transformed him into a relic who cannot die. Relics are usually repurposed to pilot ENGINE mechs formed from remnants of their patron AIs in defense of their newly vulnerable cities. Sunai escaped that particular fate, but his former city-state has built a uniquely destructive ENGINE. Reluctantly, he joins old allies and the secretive autonomist he's begun a dangerous relationship with, in order to destroy the ENGINE before it devours him. Candon (Star Wars Visions: Ronin) delivers original worldbuilding with rich, sensory detail and description. A creative use of perspective keeps readers on their toes with successive twists that recontextualize the slowly unfurling story. AI divinities and war machines provide the perfect setting for the characters to grapple with physical and mental upheaval and find strength in each other. The action-packed finale mixes mech battles with equally dramatic personal revelations. VERDICT Will appeal to readers who like their giant robots paired with explorations of emotional intimacy and moving forward after trauma. A good purchase for large SFF collections.—Erin Niederberger
2023-05-09
The secret survivor of an AI’s rampage must finally take an active role in the struggle for that AI’s legacy.
On an unnamed planet, artificial intelligences—who would physically interface with select humans trained as archivists—apparently used to have absolute rule over the city-states. But many of these AIs became corrupted, causing carnage and destruction. The human government of the Harbor has salvaged the spare parts of some of these dead AIs and rebuilt them as ENGINEs, mechs under human control. Sunai, a dissipated wanderer who works on salvage rigs, hides the fact that he was once an archivist to the AI Iterate Fractal and that the AI’s corruption while he was interfaced with it has made him seemingly unable to die or suffer permanent physical damage. A drunken encounter with Dr. Veyadi Lut, another former archivist, sets Sunai on a dangerous mission against the Maw, the ENGINE built from the remains of Iterate Fractal. Sunai is forced to confront his troubled past and his conflicted loyalties with old friends and lovers, navigate a complicated new relationship with Veyadi, and contend with the forces marshaled by the Harbor, the Maw, a crime syndicate, and a nameless AI that has become attached to Sunai’s mind. Readers may find themselves desperately searching for more explanatory backstory, which is only partially forthcoming. Interludes told in the second person by at least two different AIs, one of which is supposedly dead (except maybe not?), only add to the confusion. It's not always possible to tell who is narrating or experiencing various moments of the story, as consciousnesses merge and only incompletely separate. There’s definitely some important point being made about the nature of sentience, but it’s not 100% clear what that point is. An author shouldn’t have to overexplain; getting flung into the deep end and figuring out the parameters of a new universe can be a fun genre challenge. But sometimes there is just no clear path out of the pool.
Intriguing but difficult to follow.
Shortlisted for the Lambda Award!
“Giant robots stomp around a lush and tactile world of ruined cities and unknowable AI gods, which is all one could ever need.” —Tamsyn Muir, New York Times bestselling author of the Locked Tomb series
“The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon will drop you headfirst into a dazzling kaleidoscope of weirdness.” —The Washington Post
“The Archive Undying is everything you could want in a mecha novel. Emma Mieko Candon is brilliant.” —Ann Leckie, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Ancillary Justice
“Giant robot mechas with godlike powers! ...What, honestly, is cooler than that?” —The Wall Street Journal
“In our age of AI discourse and terrifying robot dogs, it's exciting to see a writer exploring these concepts in a way that's fresh and nuanced.” —NPR
“Candon pours her/their elaborate setting of weird artifacts, monstrous fragtech, and corrupted AI through an intense and intimate emotional focus to create a vivid journey of recovery and reclamation.” —New York Times bestselling author, Kate Elliott
“A riotous and romantic ride of identity, divinity and technology” —Freya Marske, author of Marvellous Light
“With the salvage-punk appeal of ’70s pulp, and the cozy, rust-hazed apocalyptica of ’90s anime, this book is gold, crystal, and crimson splendor with a beating pirate heart.” —Jennifer Giesbrecht, author of The Monster of Elendhaven
“An intelligent, fiercely queer story of identity, autonomy and giant robots. An imaginative rollercoaster!” —Foz Meadows, author of A Strange and Stubborn Endurance
“Spiky, tender, sexy, and strange, The Archive Undying is a narrative labyrinth that surprised me on every page; an unfolding fractal of a science fiction novel.” —Lara Elena Donnelly, author of Amberlough and Grace Notes
“Candon’s fresh, vivid worldbuilding skillfully blends anime staples like giant robots and cigarette-smoking aunties with edgy SFF tropes like dying gods and legendary hybrid beasts….Fans of diverse, queer genre fiction seeking a challenge should take note.” —Publishers Weekly
“A satisfyingly solid foundation for a revenge quest among giant mecha and lively cities that settles into an interesting new balance of power.” —Booklist
“Will appeal to readers who like their giant robots paired with explorations of emotional intimacy and moving forward after trauma.” —Library Journal
Yung-I Chang narrates a complex sci-fi story involving giant Japanese robots (mecha). Ever since he was mysteriously cast out from the wreckage of Khun Mo 17 years ago, Sunai has tried to forget his past in a variety of dangerous and inappropriate ways. But now his past has caught up with him. As he journeys toward knowledge, both literally and metaphorically, Chang subtly alters his portrayal. Some of the secondary characters can occasionally be difficult to distinguish, but as they often serve interchangeable purposes, Chang's delivery is ultimately not lacking. Overall, Chang ably balances the intricate plot and the demands of voicing numerous characters, but the end result is still frustratingly opaque at times. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Yung-I Chang narrates a complex sci-fi story involving giant Japanese robots (mecha). Ever since he was mysteriously cast out from the wreckage of Khun Mo 17 years ago, Sunai has tried to forget his past in a variety of dangerous and inappropriate ways. But now his past has caught up with him. As he journeys toward knowledge, both literally and metaphorically, Chang subtly alters his portrayal. Some of the secondary characters can occasionally be difficult to distinguish, but as they often serve interchangeable purposes, Chang's delivery is ultimately not lacking. Overall, Chang ably balances the intricate plot and the demands of voicing numerous characters, but the end result is still frustratingly opaque at times. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
