Summerland
Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi Macmillan-Tor/Forge Tor Books Sci Fi & Fantasy Pub Date 26 Jun 2018
Review
Summerland is an impressive novel blending spy-fi and science fiction. If you only pick one science fiction novel to read this summer, this is it. Summerland is set in an alternate Britain circa 1938. The Cold War is in full swing, but there are two fronts - the world of the living and the world of the dead. The world of the novel was changed forever when the Summerland was discovered. Once thought to be gone forever, the souls of the dead persevere and retain their intelligence. Technology allows communication between the living and the dead, and spy services make use of agents both living and dead.
Rachel White is a British agent in charge of a Russian defector. Before he dies he offers her a piece of information - there is a mole in the British operation. But how do you catch a mole who is already dead?
The richly imagined world of Summerland is difficult to leave. Summerland has a lot to offer readers - from the unique technology and the utterly realistic characters to the immersive plot. I highly recommend this wonderful novel to anyone who enjoys Cold War spy fiction or science fiction.
5 / 5
I received a copy of Summerland from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
— Crittermom
Description
From Hannu Rajaniemi, one of the most exciting science fiction writers in the last decade, comes an awe-inspiring account of the afterlife and what happens when it spills over into the world of the living Loss is a thing of the past. Murder is obsolete. Death is just the beginning. In 1938, death is no longer feared but exploited. Since the discovery of the afterlife, the British Empire has extended its reach into Summerland, a metropolis for the recently deceased. Yet Britain isn’t the only contender for power in this life and the next. The Soviets have spies in Summerland, and the technology to build their own god. When SIS agent Rachel White gets a lead on one of the Soviet moles, blowing the whistle puts her hard-earned career at risk. The spy has friends in high places, and she will have to go rogue to bring him in. But how do you catch a man who’s already dead?
