Sci-fi book roundup

“Autonomous” by Annalee Newitz, Tor, 304 pages, $25.99

The first novel by Annalee Newitz, founder of the popular science fiction and technology website io9, tackles two issues that are much in the news: the life-and-death power of big pharmaceutical companies and the possibilities of artificial intelligence. One of her two main characters, Jack Chen, is a high-tech pirate, roaming the seas in her private submarine while reverse-engineering proprietary drugs for the benefit of those who can’t afford the extortionate prices of the drug companies. But when one of those drugs backfires badly, causing some people to literally work themselves to death, she sets out to find an antidote and expose the drug company’s cynical coverup. The other main character is a robot, Paladin, enlisted to help an agent of the all-powerful International Property Coalition pursue Jack for violating intellectual property laws. Designed as a military robot with little capacity for empathy, Paladin becomes fascinated learning about humans. Newitz gradually reveals a 22nd century when corporations have virtually replaced governments, a new form of indentured servitude has created a huge underclass, and the divide between rich and poor is greater than ever. This is one of the strongest first novels of the year.

“Akata Warrior” by Nnedi Okorafor, Viking, 496 pages, $18.99

In this sequel to Nnedi Okorafor’s 2011 youngadult novel, “Akata Witch,” she returns to a contemporary Nigeria threatened by supernatural forces, where the teenage Sunny, raised in America until she was 12, has joined the ancient but secretive Leopard society to help protect the world. As before, her band of gifted companions includes a rebellious teen from Chicago’s South Side — sent to Nigeria to learn discipline — and her enemies include a tentacled lake monster, a giant spidergod and the powerful “masquerade” Ekwensu. (“Masquerade” has a more ominous meaning in traditional Nigerian culture than in common usage.)

As always, Okorafor shows particular skill in combining bits of actual Nigerian folklore — a secret language called Nsibidi, a fabulous beast called a Grasscutter, the hidden city Osisi — with a clear-eyed recognition of the real social problems facing the country. Sunny’s own brother becomes involved in college with a brutal secret society from which she must try to free him. But the main plot, with Sunny and her friends undertaking a perilous quest, is a compelling and often terrifying version of one of fantasy literature’s most enduring traditions, recast in a thoroughly original way.

“Clade” by James Bradley, Titan, 320 pages, $14.95

Science fiction has never really been about predicting the future, but tales of rapid climate change can seem downright spooky. Australian author James Bradley (not the author of World War II histories) begins “Clade” with an environmental scientist, Adam Leith, studying the deterioration of the Antarctic ice shelves, and since the novel was first published in Australia, the largest iceberg in history has broken loose from one of those shelves. “Clade” is a richly detailed saga covering decades in the life of Leith and his extended family. As Leith’s daughter grows up, we see birds and fish die off, power outages become common, and eventually so do violent weather events like blizzards and tornadoes.She eventually ends up in England, alienated from her family, and Leith barely rescues her and her young son from a hurricanelike catastrophe that ravages England. Through other characters, we see the effects of colony collapse among bees, a massive influx of refugees to Australia, and worldwide plague that leads to the creation of virtual “sims” to re-create the personalities of those lost. Using a variety of narrative styles and viewpoints, the novel feels much longer that it actually is.