Edge of Dark

January 5, 2015
Cooperâs awkward trilogy launch assumes familiarity with the world of her Rubyâs Song series and leaves the new reader puzzling, for much of the book, over terms like "the Glittering" and "the Diamond Deep." Humans who experimented with the hybridization of human and machine were exiled to "the deep dark" from which they have now returned, infinitely powerful. They require warmth, or energy, or matter; itâs never made clear. Standing against this Borg-like threat is Nona, a rich young woman given a spaceship by a richer aunt and thus made captain of the vessel, despite having no background or training in "captaining" nor showing any apparent affinity for it. The book is replete with contradictions: after Chrystal, Nonaâs childhood friend, is killed and her memory is uploaded into a nonorganic machine, she still somehow feels pain; the invaders are all-powerful and indifferent to human life, yet willing to negotiate treaties. The characters are undeveloped, the politics are muddled, and there is little in this book to inspire longing for the next installment. Agent: Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary Agency.

January 5, 2015
In Gausâs absorbing ninth mystery set in Ohioâs Holmes County (after 2013âs The Names of Our Tears), Sheriff Bruce Robertson is looking for Fannie Helmuth, an Amish woman who once served as an unwitting drug courier. A possible witness against the dangerous Teresa Molina gang, Fannie went into hiding with friend Howie Dent several months earlier. The discovery of Howieâs battered body in the basement of a deserted farmhouse lends urgency to the search for Fannie. Robertsonâs inability to locate her has him questioning his competency. Even if he finds Fannie, will she allow him to help her? Keeping the FBI from mishandling a delicate situation is a further complication. Professor Michael Branden, a reserve deputy, works to bridge the gap between the Amish and American worlds. Gaus once again sensitively explores the awkward melding of traditional Amish culture and modern social problems. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency.

February 15, 2015

Generations after segments of humanity were banished to the edge of space for their experiments in combining humans with technology, the Next (as they style themselves) appear to be coming back to the fold. Whether they will be conquerors or prodigal children depends in part on three people: Charlie Windar, who lives on Lym, one of the few wild places left in the solar system; Nona Hall, who promised her dead parents she would finally leave her station home and see a real sky; and Chrystal Peterson, who gets caught in the first wave of the Next incursion. VERDICT Although the robot hybrids will remind Star Trek: The Next Generation fans of the Borg, Cooper (Creative Fire) builds a striking if still underdeveloped space-opera universe and sets the stage for an ongoing series.

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