GODDESS FROM THE MACHINE

In Martin’s SF thriller, a young woman with a tortured past seeks revenge on those who have destroyed everything she holds dear.

In a future in which human trafficking runs rampant and machines help to run the world, Reese Sadoleto is doing her best to forget. She’s a former companion of the renegade known as “the Vigilant”; the pair used to work together to thwart their city’s underground slavery network. But one day, the Vigilant mysteriously disappeared, and Reese’s purpose in life vanished with him. Taken under the wing of Jenn and Brenth, the kindly owners of a small inn, Reese now lives a quiet life in the scientific hub of Machindoun (also called the Machinist City), spending her time perfecting the process of “artificial thaumaturgy”—a way to replicate the kinds of natural powers that some people already possess (such as telekinesis). When old enemies return to threaten the city, a shocking murder serves as the catalyst to fuel Reese’s desire for revenge. Using her brilliance with machines to outfit her body with cutting-edge cybernetics, Reese will stop at nothing to take down those who are determined to enslave Machindoun. Martin has created an immersive SF universe that blends steampunk-style inventions with mechanized body modifications and magic. With its own politics, currency (payment units are in “cogs”), and economic structure, the meticulously rendered and action-packed world of Machindoun may very well scratch the itch left by the conclusion of Netflix’s Arcane SF series. Reese is a fierce hero whose tragic past and epic skills make her easy to root for—even as she chooses a path of horrific violence. Martin’s prose is detailed without becoming verbose, poetic without being presumptuous. From the opening line (“It was poetry to die like this, rain falling in sheets from the maw of an angry sky”) to the deliciously satisfying (yet open-ended) conclusion, Reese’s story is one that readers won’t want to end.

Vivid worldbuilding and an irresistibly fierce protagonist make this intricately woven SF thriller an absolute gem.