The Mars House by Natasha Pulley (Gollancz, £20)
The author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street takes a jump into the future, following her hero January, formerly a principal dancer in London’s Royal Ballet, now a climate refugee on Mars. Once a Chinese colony, Mars is self-governing, gender-free, and welcomes immigrants. But since the lighter gravity makes “Earthstrongers” dangerous to native-born Martians, they must wear resistance cages to protect the public, and are barred from citizenship unless they agree to be naturalised. Naturalisation is a painful process with side effects including osteoporosis and early death; it would mean January might never dance again, and could never return to Earth. He’s already in trouble after an unfortunate encounter with wealthy, charismatic politician Aubrey Gale leads to criminal charges, and then to an offer of a politically expedient marriage that could save his life or end it. A terrible dust storm brings a more immediate threat: if House Gale can’t find a way to keep the power on, many thousands will die. This is a delicious, often whimsical take on serious issues, with many surprising plot twists and a gentle, gender-neutral romance. I loved it.
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Borough, £16.99)
Annie is an autodidactic robot: an expensive, part-organic custom-made machine. Her owner, Doug, tells her what to do and how to dress, decides when and how they have sex, and never lets her go outside. If she were a real woman, this would be an abusive relationship. But she is not human. No matter how much she studies online, she can’t override the programming that makes her feel pleasure when Doug is pleased, and misery when he isn’t. Told entirely through Annie’s experiences as she gradually gains self-awareness, this is an intense, compelling tale that, like all good stories about robots, is ultimately about the human condition.
