SFF

Hopeland

by Ian McDonald
Tor. Feb. 2023. 512p. ISBN 9780765375551. $30.99. SF
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This techno-thriller, with settings ranging from Iceland to Polynesia, provides a unique take on time-travel and electromancy. It opens with a desperate heart-pumping race through 20th-century London, where the lives of Amon Brightbourne and Raisa Hopeland collide in the midst of anarchy. Wielding lightning, Raisa seizes the Tesla coil for her people, becomes the Arcmage of Spitalfields, and triggers cataclysmic events that will play out for decades. Mesmerized by Raisa, Amon follows her into the bizarre world of the Hopelands. If every person is a star, the Hopelands are a constellation, a cultish people with a story. He’s drawn to their family because he was exiled from his own, due to the Grace, which grants him a charmed life to the detriment of those around him.
VERDICT An eccentric and adventurous love story mixed with a rich and picturesque family saga. The popping action sequences reinforce McDonald’s (The Menace from Farside) swift and distinctive writing style. Perfect for fans of Stephen Baxter.
Reviewed by Andrea Dyba , Nov 01, 2022
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