aithne: (hat looking down)
I'm looking forward to getting to work on this one. My Clarion West classmates will recognize this one--yes, guys, I am writing the novel that was lurking between the lines of "The Saint of the Splendid Bullfrog".

Currently, it's codenamed "That Frog Book". :)

*****

Between is a paradise.

Set in the clouds far above the earth, the people of Between live and work in harmony. Each man and woman is a Saint, charged with the tending of one of a myriad of fetal gods. Each person has their place, their garden to grow, their daily tasks to complete. Under the eyes of the loving Supervisors, they go about their lives in devotion and joy.

Between is a prison.

There is no escape from Between. The village is set at the very top of a spire so high that the base is lost in constant clouds. The only way to leave Between is to fall; most do so after they die, but some do so while still alive. The Supervisors bring new people to replace dead Saints--all of them criminals in their former lives, from all parts of the world. The Saints are given new names, and are expected to forget their former lives.

Most do. Some do not.

Between is something nobody expects.

Three Saints are about to discover Between’s deadly secret: the Saint of the Splendid Bullfrog, her brother the Saint of the Counterweight, and the Saint of the Torn Quarto. One will descend into the spire that supports Between and confront a newborn god. One will challenge Between’s faith in its Supervisors. One will stand fast against an intelligence far beyond any human comprehension.

The gods are hatching.

Be ready.
aithne: (Default)
I love "decent person stuck in an untenable situation" books. A lot.

My favorite of this genre is An Exchange of Hostages, by Susan R. Matthews. I was actually introduced to the book when I went to see her read on a whim at Norwescon; when she described the books as being about what happens when someone raised with the concept of millitary honor foremost in their life finds that their life course runs counter to everything they ever wanted to do, I knew i needed to pick up at least the first book. It's hard social SF, basically.

It's about guy named Andrej Koscuisko, who at the beginning of the book is a brilliant young surgeon. Unfortunately, his father had other plans for his life, and sent him to Fleet Station Medical, where he'd learn to become a Ship's Inquisitor--a highly euphemistic term for "torturer". Against every moral and ethical fiber in his body, he now has to use the knowledge that he gained in the pursuit of healing to hurt people terribly.

It's a good book, but deeply upsetting. There are (quite story-justified) torture scenes, and more than that, Andrej's reaction to what he's learning to do is pretty damn disturbing. (It disturbs him, too.) I don't reccommend it to people because i'm afraid they'll come back and hurt me for causing them nightmares.

Any of you have favorite books that you never reccommend to people?

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