Mr. Kraus lets it rip here: A disease that fills your guts with hair, a hyperspace drive fueled by an amped-up Nazi salute, oceans made of grinding chains traversed by diamond boats, and a feral internet that induces trauma. With body horror that would put H.R. Giger off his lunch, upsetting plot twists that would short-circuit Murderbot, and a child predicament that makes Ender’s Game look like summer camp, Mr. Kraus takes startling risks in scene after scene, as though this is the last book he’ll be allowed to write. But one suspects that Mr. Kraus—one of the most versatile, imaginative and prolific writers of his generation—is just hitting his stride.
Kraus proves his skill and originality yet again. The novel teems with what makes for the very best science fiction: thought-provoking scientific ideas, strong characters, evocative scenery and descriptions, strange worlds, and the exploration of individual and societal morality ... Overall this novel is to be celebrated.
Brutal and imaginative ... Blends visceral body horror with larger ideas about control, identity, and sacrifice, grounding the story in Sisilla’s emotional awakening. Strange, intense, and impossible to look away from, this is sf at its most daring.
Immersive ... Kraus takes his time building an impressively intricate world, infusing his tale of human atrocities with both meticulous scientific fact and bold science fiction. The result is sharp, complex, and gripping.
