The City in the Middle of the Night

December 15, 2018
After environmental sci-fi/fantasy (the award-winning All the Birds in the Sky, 2016) and pop-culture dystopia (Rock Manning Goes for Broke, 2018), Anders shifts gears for this sweeping work of anthropological/social sf.In the distant future, the descendants of a colony spaceship have settled precariously on the hostile planet of January, swarming with vicious predators and dangerous weather patterns. One side of the planet continually faces the sun, while the other faces the frozen dark of space. Humans have built two main cities on the light side: the rigidly rules- and caste-bound Xiosphant, where guards wait to seize you for the slightest infraction, and the more licentious Argelo, run by various warring gangs. In Xiosphant, shy, working-class student Sophie idolizes her upper-crust roommate, Bianca, who loves parties and seeking power. But Bianca's flirtation with revolution drives Sophie first into the brutal hands of the police, and then into the saving pincers and tentacles of January's nightside-living, sentient native species, dismissed by the colonists as brute beasts. But these creatures, whom Sophie dubs the "Gelet," develop a psychic bond with her, and their willingness to share understanding and friendship changes her forever. One person the new Sophie slowly manages to influence is Mouth, a smuggler and survivor of an otherwise extinct nomadic band, who's desperately seeking both a connection to her lost past and a reason to forge a future. But ultimately, Sophie can't exert a similar influence over Bianca; despite Bianca's claims of caring for her, she chooses to exploit Sophie's vulnerabilities instead of granting her the understanding and acceptance Sophie craves. In our world, Bianca would represent the worst kind of faux "woke" liberal. She's an angry woman who thinks she's making a difference, but she doesn't really want to help people or even listen to them; she just wants to be the one in charge and profit from it. Watching Sophie come into her own and gradually (and almost too late) realize that the Bianca she loves doesn't exist is inevitable, sad, and, eventually, empowering.Anders contains multitudes; it's always a fascinating and worthwhile surprise to see what she comes up with next.

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The planet of January was colonized long ago, but now it is dying. Half is frozen and dark, half is caught in eternal blazing light. The strict autonomy of Xiosphant, one of two surviving cities along with Argelo, causes some of the younger generation to bristle. Influenced by her crush on the vivacious Bianca, Sophie is drawn into revolutionary ideas, then forced to leave town for something Bianca did. Being exiled is usually a death sentence, but Sophie meets one of the creatures native to the planet called "crocodiles," who shows her strength and intelligence no other human has encountered. Trying to stay hidden, Sophie is drawn into a journey with a group of outsiders, including the trader Mouth. As Sophie and Mouth try to reconcile the pasts with the present, they are forced to face how their world has been changed by the arrival of humans and what must happen for both to survive. VERDICT Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) weaves an intricate tale of colonialism and evolution on both physical and social levels. The harsh world and well-developed characters combine with stunning storytelling that will capture readers' minds and hearts.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton