The Guardian

August 25, 2022

The gut punch that is Lavie Tidhar’s NEOM overflows with imagination

Rick Klaw blog bradley horner, central station, gubbinal, Into the Heart Wyld, Jake Arnott, lavie tidhar, maror, neom, review, starshipsofa, the escapement, The Guardian

Though several months from its November publication, reviews roll in for NEOM, Lavie Tidhar’s long awaited return to the universe of the John W. Campbell Award Winner CENTRAL STATION with effuse praise from Bradley Horner. Not to be outdone, Tidhar’s previous novel from Tachyon THE ESCAPEMENT gets similar treatment from Into the Heart Wyld as does his most recent novel Maror from Jake Arnott at The Guardian. Be sure to check out the latest episode of StarShipSofa which delivers the audio version of Tidhar’s short story “Gubbinal”.

NEOM is currently available for pre-order from all finer booksellers and directly from Tachyon.

Neom by Lavie Tidhar — Cover by Elizabeth Story

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a gut punch!

This is set in the same zeitgeist as CENTRAL STATION, of which I absolutely adored for not just its unabashed hard-SF nature, its robots, its deserts, it’s Tel Aviv atmosphere and post-dystopian nightmare, and its DEEP, deep worldbuilding.

I can’t overstate the last enough. It’s RICH.

And NEOM is, too. Overflowing with imagination, references to fascinating events and people (mostly robots), and places all over the Solar System.

What is most surprising is how easy it is to fall into. It never overwhelms us.
Bradley Horner

This was the weirdest book I think have ever read, and I loved every minute of it. The weird and strangeness on top of the mystery of what exactly was going on kept me enraptured to the very end.
Into the Heart Wyld review of THE ESCAPEMENT

Known for SF novels that provocatively push at the boundaries of genre, Israeli-born Tidhar now boldly employs noir with spectacular results.
The Guardian review of Maror

December 12, 2018

Lavie Tidhar’s stunning, thrilling UNHOLY LAND continues its assault on Best of the Year lists

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized adam roberts, best of 2018, books bones & buffy, chile, crime time, la tercera, lavie tidhar, maxim jakubowski, review, sarah anne langton, spike gelato, the book lover's boudoir, The Guardian, the speculative shelf, unholy land

The notices pile up for Lavie Tidhar’s enthralling UNHOLY LAND.

THE GUARDIAN, CRIME TIME (selected by Maxim Jakubowski without comment), and THE SPECULATIVE SHELF all select the novel as one of the best books of the year.

THE GUARDIAN (Adam Roberts):

Lavie Tidhar’s UNHOLY LAND (Tachyon) extrapolates from the historical plan to establish Israel in east Africa rather than Palestine. It’s a gripping thriller: clever, bloody, ironic and twisted.

THE SPECULATIVE SHELF (Spike Gelato):

UNHOLY LAND is a stunning achievement. It is packed to the brim with engaging ideas and features a captivating story that I could not stop puzzling over. There is such an ethereal and intoxicating quality to the story and Tidhar’s writing that I found myself floating through the chapters, not always sure what was happening, or whose perspective we were seeing, but knowing that I wanted to keep reading. The intersecting story threads twisted my brain into a pretzel and I loved it.

Photo: Kevin Nixon. © Future Publishing 2013

THE BOOK LOVER’S BOUDOIR praises the work.

I really enjoyed this book though it baffled me at times. UNHOLY LAND is about a dozen different things at once and I never really knew what to expect. In one breath I was reading a noir mystery then the next page I was caught up in an alternate history and before I could say WTF I found myself reading about multiple earths. This is truly remarkable and unique book. I had no idea what was going to happen or where the author was going to lead (or drag me) next.This is a truly unique and interesting reading experience. I loved every page.I definitely want to read more by this author.

BOOKS, BONES & BUFFY enjoys the challenging book.

Tidhar’s latest is a challenging but ultimately satisfying read that deals with histories, both real and imagined.

Reading a Lavie Tidhar book is like being in a fever dream. Events, characters, places and impressions swirl around you, creating a sense of unease, or confusion, or sadness. Tidhar pieces the parts of his stories together with magical thread, and connections which seem tenuous at first turn out to make sense later on. I’m in awe of his writing abilities, and although this book may be classified as speculative fiction, I can see this sitting comfortably on a shelf alongside more traditional literary works.

For more info on UNHOLY LAND, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Sarah Anne Langton

December 1, 2016

Accolades keep rolling in for Lavie Tidhar’s gorgeous CENTRAL STATION

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized adam roberts, asimov's science fiction magazine 30th anniversary anthology, best of 2016, central station, lavie tidhar, peter heck, review, sarah anne langton, science fiction, shelf inflicted, The Guardian, view from ascraeus

At THE GUARDIAN, Adam Roberts names Lavie Tidhar’s CENTRAL STATION as one of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2016.

Of course, the main barrier to a properly global SF remains the anglophone biases of culture and fandom, which give an advantage to writers who work in English. Lavie Tidhar’s CENTRAL STATION (Tachyon), a sprawling hymn to the glory and mess of cultural diversity set in a future spaceport Tel Aviv, is one example: Israeli-born Tidhar lives in London and writes in English.

Peter Heck in the December issue of
ASIMOV’S
SCIENCE FICTION enjoys the book.

Tidhar follows several such characters, offering a view of the station from each of their perspectives. Several have some connection in the past, notably a love story between an older couple, Boris Chong and an African woman named Miriam Jones. We learn they were lovers long ago before Chong emigrated to Mars. Now he’s back.

The other characters cover a wide range of origins and types; many of them are scrambling to make some kind of living in the strange world that has grown up around this crossroads of the universe.

Back in the 1950s, one critic (Kinglsey Amis? Michel Butor? Tell me if you remember who) observed that the aliens in much American SF had more in common with their readers than the average Mexican did. Here’s a writer who can hardly be accused of that—and yet, even Tidhar’s most alien beings have a share of humanity. Tidhar’s well worth a look if you want an idea of what the next generation of SF is going to look like.

Photo: Kevin Nixon. © Future Publishing 2013

VIEW FROM ASCRAEUS recommends the novel.

For a novel this is, and it is a wonderful thing all by itself. Set around the grand interplanetary Central Station of a far future Israel, this novel ties a loosely connected group of marginalised people into a cohesive examination of identity and history. This feels more like magical realism than SF, given that there isn’t so much a plot rather than a theme, where each fragment binds together into a beautiful tapestry of life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, lost myself utterly in the world that Tidhar has created. I’ve been falling out of love with SF in recent years, but this book, and some others I’ll be reviewing shortly, have given me renewed hope for the genre. That isn’t to say that this is perfect, it isn’t: it could do with some sort of payoff to conclude the novel, for example, as opposed to just meandering off in med res.

I happily recommend this to your consideration.

SHELF INFLICTED praises the work.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven’t been inspired to write lately, or read, or anything really (except football manager 2017, but that’s a different story altogether) But in my long journey to try and put ideas from brain box A to real world B, I read something that either takes me to places I really want to go…ORRRRRRR they show me a glimpse of the future.

Mr. Tidhar did both, a gorgeous vision of what more likely than not will be the world to come and beautifully written to boot.

Do me a favor and yourself, if you haven’t read this..do.

For more info about CENTRAL STATION, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Sarah Anne Langton

July 26, 2016

Tachyon tidbits featuring Bruce Sterling, Nalo Hopkinson, and Cory Doctorow

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized afrofuturism, Ann Monn, ardi alspach, b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, brown girl in the ring, bruce sterling, content, content: selected essays on technology creativity copyright and the future of technology and the future of the future, context, context: further selected essays on productivity creativity parenting and politics in the 21st century, cory doctorow, daniel pelavin, eff, electron frontier foundation, elizabeth story, john coulthart, Marty Halpern, More Red Ink, nalo hopkinson, pirate utopia, rudy gutierrez, The Guardian

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web.

Bruce Sterling (photo: VERGE), Nalo Hopkinson (David Findlay), and Cory Doctorow (NK Guy, nkguy.com.tiff)

Marty Halpern on his MORE RED INK delivers redux of his some hard facts about Bruce Sterling’s PIRATE UTOPIA, now with information about a special sale price.

Shortly after posting that blog I learned about the caveat: the $14.95 price tag is indeed correct, but it’s the Amazon-onlypre-publication price. Order the book from any other source and the price will be $19.95, which will also be the retail price after publication.

Now the problem with buying from Amazon is a) some people prefer not to support Amazon, and b) with a $14.95 purchase, you have to pay shipping, because $25 is the minimum purchase amount for free shipping on books (unless you are a Prime member).

But, I have an alternative solution:

With the assistance of Tachyon Publications, you can now purchase the Pirate Utopia hardcover through the Tachyon online store at the $14.95 price – but you must use a coupon code at checkout, and this coupon code is only valid through Sunday, August 7. And if you reside in these United States and select media mail as the shipping option, shipping will be free.

A $14.95 hardcover, free media mail shipping, and you are supporting an independent publisher…It doesn’t get any better than that.

On the B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG, Ardi Alspach included Nalo Hopkinson’s BROWN GIRL IN THE RING in her primer Defining the Genre: 7 Novels of Afrofuturism.

The debut novel by award-winning author Nalo Hopkinson draws heavily on the lore and traditions of Afro-Caribbean culture, bringing elements of magical realism into a dystopic vision of downtown Toronto. Ti-Jeanne is a single mother who has recently given birth to a baby boy and is forced by circumstance to live with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne, a well-respected herbalist and spiritualist. The baby’s father, Tony, finds himself in trouble and seeks out Gros-Jeanne for help, requiring Ti-Jeanne to come to terms with her heritage and embrace her grandmother’s spirituality, which she had previously rejected. In a bleak future, traditions of the past come alive and two strong women take charge of their own destinies.

Cory Doctorow’s piece in THE GUARDIAN about an EFF lawsuit discusses many of concepts and ideas espoused in his essay collections CONTENT: SELECTED ESSAYS ON TECHNOLOGY, CREATIVITY, COPYRIGHT, AND THE FUTURE OF THE FUTURE and CONTEXT: FURTHER SELECTED ESSAYS ON PRODUCTIVITY, CREATIVITY, PARENTING, AND POLITICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit on Thursday that American copyright wonks, technologists and security researchers have been hotly awaiting for nearly 20 years.

If they succeed, one of America’s most controversial technology laws will be struck down, and countries all over the world who have been pressured by the US trade representative to adopt this American rule will have to figure out whether they’ll still enforce it, even after the US has given up on it.

The rule is section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998, the “anti-circumvention” rule that makes it illegal to break an “access control” for copyrighted works. These “access controls” often manifest as “digital rights management” (DRM), and the DMCA gives them unique standing in law.

EFF is suing the US government, arguing that section 1201 of the DMCA is unconstitutional, and also that the Library of Congress and the copyright office have failed to perform their duties in the three-year DMCA 1201 exemption hearings.

For more info on PIRATE UTOPIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by John Coulthart

BROWN GIRL IN THE RING cover illustration and design by Rudy Gutierrez with custom lettering by Daniel Pelavin

For more info on CONTENT: SELECTED ESSAYS ON TECHNOLOGY, CREATIVITY, COPYRIGHT, AND THE FUTURE OF THE FUTURE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Ann Monn

For more info on CONTEXT: FURTHER SELECTED ESSAYS ON PRODUCTIVITY, CREATIVITY, PARENTING, AND POLITICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

December 4, 2015

The enthralling SLOW BULLETS is one of the best books of the year

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized adam roberts, alastair reynolds, barbera bella, best of 2015, elan samuel, elizabeth story, military science fiction, novella, review, science fiction, slow bullets, space opera, The Guardian, Thomas Canty, warbler

(Photo: Barbera Bella)

For THE GUARDIAN, Adam Roberts named his best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015, which included Alastair Reynolds’ SLOW BULLETS.

Alastair Reynolds’s SLOW BULLETS (Tachyon) is a treat: a punchy short novel set in the aftermath of an interstellar war.

Elan Samuel of the WARBLER loved the book, as well.

The story that SLOW BULLETS became had me enthralled—it is full of tension, confusion, fear, horror, and loss. It fascinated and inspired me. Most of all, I really, really enjoyed it. With SLOW BULLETS, I’ve become a fan of Alastair Reynolds. if science fiction, mystery, and political thrillers intrigue you, I highly recommend SLOW BULLETS. It’ll sate your hunger as it did mine.

For more info about SLOW BULLETS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Thomas Canty

Design by Elizabeth Story