Sleeper Beach by Nick Harkaway (Corsair, £20)
In the follow-up to Titanium Noir, private detective Cal Sounder is no longer an ordinary mortal; after a dose of the T7 immortality drug, he’s now a big, strong baby-faced Titan. With repeated treatments, the super-wealthy Titans grow ever larger, younger and more estranged from humankind, but Cal is determined not to lose his humanity. Like the best fictional PIs, he doesn’t just care about catching criminals; he does what he can to help those who have been let down by society. His latest case, beginning with the killing of a young woman recently arrived in a run-down seaside town, turns out to involve political as well as personal issues, and is another satisfying, stylish dose of science fictional noir.
Some Body Like Me by Lucy Lapinska (Gollancz, £20)
In this adult SF debut from a children’s author, the end is nigh. Humans, racked by disease and toxic pollution, are facing extinction. But it is not the end of the world. Intelligent androids are working to renew the land and sea, and will remain as thoughtful caretakers of the planet. A new law is set to change their status, granting them equal rights with their former owners. Abigail, built 16 years earlier to replace her owner’s late wife, looks forward to freedom with apprehension. What should she do? What sort of person could she be? She decides to begin by doing something her owner forbade: finding out more about the original Abigail. What, besides housework and pleasing her husband, kept her occupied? Did she have friends? How did she die? A thoughtful and absorbing reflection on memory, mortality, sexuality and what defines a meaningful life.
