Axis

Starred review from August 6, 2007
In this outstanding sequel to Wilson's Hugo-winning Spin
(2005), we are taken to the mysterious planet Equatoria, a world apparently engineered for humanity by the inscrutable machine intelligences known as the Hypotheticals. Turk Findley, a man with a criminal past, runs an aeronautical charter service on the newly settled planet. Lise Adams, who hires Turk, is a would-be journalist searching for her vanished father, a scientist obsessed with the Hypotheticals and their illegal life extension technology. Meanwhile, young Isaac, genetically manipulated by rogue scientists so that he may become a conduit between humanity and the AIs, is coming of age, and something enormous and unknown is assembling itself far underground. The various science and thriller plot elements are successful, but this is first and foremost a novel of character. Turk and Lise, who might well be played by Bogart and Bacall, are powerfully drawn protagonists, and their strong presence in the novel makes the wonders provided all the more satisfying. Those unfamiliar with Spin
may flounder a bit, but Wilson's fans will be ecstatic.

September 15, 2007
In response to human need, mysterious beings known as Hypotheticals crafted a new world connected to Earth by a gigantic Arch over the Indian Ocean. Equatoria, as the planet is called, attracts colonists eager to start over or, as is inevitable, to exploit the untouched reserves of oil in its desert. When strange falls of cometary ash threaten sinister changes to the planet, three peopleLisa Adams, who is searching for a missing father; Turk Findley, a heavy-drinking ex-sailor; and Isaac, a gifted young boy with an infallible sense of direction who prefers facing westfind their fates entertwined with that of their brave new world. This sequel to Wilson's Hugo Awardwinning "Spin" elaborates on strange new sciences and old dangers in an adventure solidly grounded in science. Intriguing characters and strong storytelling make this an excellent choice for most sf collections.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2007
Following old leads to her fathers associates from his time at the university, Lise Adams is searching for the secret of his disappearance. She ends up trekking across the desert with Turk, who runs a tourist plane and whom she met in the midst of her divorce, and Diane, who, like many of her fathers associates, is a Fourth, whose lifespan has been artificially extended. Fourths are illegal on Earth and have a complex series of cultural checks placed on them on Mars. But some of the people Lise is after are further out on the fringe than most Fourths. The desert is seeded with an ashfall containing the remnants of hypothetical machines, bizarre structures that grow overnight and mostly disintegrate quickly. Lise finds some answers to her questions with a community of Fourths whove gone nearly too far, replicating a disastrous experiment Dianes brother first attempted, and that was repeated on Mars. This absolutely worthy, abundantly marvelous sequel to Spin (2005) conjures humanity after an event so strange its almost unimaginable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)