Not a review: Debris by Jo Anderton

 

In a far future where technology is all but indistinguishable from magic, Tanyana is one of the elite.

 

She can control pions, the building blocks of matter, shaping them into new forms using ritual gestures and techniques. The rewards are great, and she is one of most highly regarded people in the city. But that was before the “accident”.

 

Stripped of her powers, bound inside a bizarre powersuit, she finds herself cast down to the very lowest level of society. Powerless, penniless and scarred, Tanyana must adjust to a new life collecting “debris”, the stuff left behind by pions. But as she tries to find who has done all of this to her, she also starts to realize that debris is more important than anyone could guess.

*

A confession: I bought this book in part because of the cover.  And because from what I’ve seen from following Jo Anderton online and on Twitter, she seems like an incredibly nice person.  What I didn’t know was that she is also incredibly talented.  And that behind the sexy cover lurks an amazing story.

I am, quite honestly, burned out on a lot of fiction.  Tired of the same old same old, tired of the same plots, the same characters, the same tropes.  I have tended to seek out beautifully written books based in the real world of late.  And I think Debris has shown me that fantasy (0r is it sf? is it steampunk?  all I know is that it’s amazing) can be just as beautiful and entrancing.

I was sucked into the world from the first page.  Original magic/technology and gorgeous imagery combine into a world that feels real.  So much so that every time I put the book down, I found myself looking for pions in the real world.  And I adore Tanyana as a character – and have the feeling that this book only just scrapes the surface of who she is.

I am somewhat sad that this is the first book of a series, but I am glad, because it means that there’s more of this world and Tanyana to come.

Go and buy it.  Now.

 

 

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.