Goddess in the Machine

July 13, 2020
In Johnson’s science fiction debut, 17-year-old Andromeda “Andra” Yue Watts awakes from her cryogenic sleep in the year 3102 to a world changed beyond recognition. She was only supposed to sleep for a century: instead, a thousand years have passed, and her contemporaries are long dead. Now she is alone on Holymyth, the planet where she, her family, and the other colonists planned to settle as they escaped the dying Earth. Johnson explores the relationship between science and religion through the people of Eerensed, who view Andra as the Third Goddess and nanotechnology as magic. Determined to return to Earth, Andra teams up with the charmingly untrustworthy Zhade—the bastard exiled prince of Eerensed—to gather the resources she needs for a new spaceship. In return, she must perform “miracles” to secure his status—a dangerous undertaking with Maret, Zhade’s half-brother and the skeptical ruler of Eerensed, watching her every move. Though light on scientific exposition and heavy on evolved linguistics that may frustrate some readers, a complicated romance and passable worldbuilding round out the tale. Zhade, Maret, and Andra are compelling, morally ambiguous characters, and Johnson’s plot twists ensure the narrative maintains interest. Ages 12–up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Agency.

December 1, 2020

Gr 7 Up-Cryogenically asleep for 1,000 years, Andra wakes up, drowning. Everyone she knew is dead. Inhabitants of the new world think she is a goddess. Andra plays their game in order to learn what happened and to get back to Earth. Zhade is the exiled, illegitimate prince of Eerensed and he has other plans. He wants to help Andra and take the throne for himself. Zhade's brother, the vicious monarch, will do anything to stop him. Can Andra and Zhade both get what they want? And what happened to cause Andra to sleep so long? Narrator Kim Mai Guest masterfully brings to life the characters and makes them easily distinguishable. Her pace and intonation fit well with the sci-fi mystery. The plot is well-developed and engaging, and leaves the listener guessing what is really going on. Read alikes include Marissa Meyer's Cinder, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's Aurora Rising, and Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen. VERDICT Recommended for libraries where science fiction, mysteries, and adventure stories are popular.-Jessica Moody, Olympus J.H., Holladay, UT

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