REISSUES

The pick of this month’s paperbacks? Probably Adam Roberts’ weird Jules Verne homage,

TWENTY TRILLION LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

( , 12 May, Gollancz). In 1958, the crew of a French submarine set sail to test a revolutionary atomic engine; after something goes awry, they find themselves travelling through a universe where the cosmic medium is water. We said: “Packed with sly jokes, puns and farcical moments, it successfully negotiates humour, speculative SF and suspense.” Meanwhile,

UPROOTED

( , 5 May, Pan) sees Naomi Novik leave behind the Napoleonic dragons of her Temeraire books for the first in a new series inspired by Polish folk tales. It follows an apparently unremarkable 17- year- old girl from a village beside a scary enchanted forest, who’s picked to be a magician’s latest apprentice. We said: “Cleverly plotted, colourfully imaginative, and sharply interesting in the moral dilemmas it poses its characters.” Also worth a look: first- time author Al Robertson’s

Crashing Heaven

( , 12 May, Gollancz). Set in a future ruled by god- like AIs ( after humanity lost a human/ AI war), this noirish blend of techno thriller and hard SF sees a guy whose mind is linked with a “puppet” AI dragged into a twistyturny mystery. We said: “Doesn’t quite reach the heights of mindbenders like Altered Carbon or The Quantum Thief, but it’s still a satisfying adventure for those who like their SF with a darker edge.”