Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The City in the Middle of the Night

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

LOCUS AWARD FINALIST!
"This generation's Le Guin." —Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less

Charlie Jane Anders, the nationally bestselling author of All the Birds in the Sky delivers a brilliant new novel set in a hauntingly strange future with #10 LA Times bestseller The City in the Middle of the Night.
"If you control our sleep, then you can own our dreams... And from there, it's easy to control our entire lives."
January is a dying planet—divided between a permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other. Humanity clings to life, spread across two archaic cities built in the sliver of habitable dusk.
But life inside the cities is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside.
Sophie, a student and reluctant revolutionary, is supposed to be dead after being exiled into the night. Saved only by forming an unusual bond with the enigmatic beasts who roam the ice, Sophie vows to stay hidden from the world, hoping she can heal.
But fate has other plans—and Sophie's ensuing odyssey and the ragtag family she finds will change the entire world.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      December 15, 2018
      After environmental sci-fi/fantasy (the award-winning All the Birds in the Sky, 2016) and pop-culture dystopia (Rock Manning Goes for Broke, 2018), Anders shifts gears for this sweeping work of anthropological/social sf.In the distant future, the descendants of a colony spaceship have settled precariously on the hostile planet of January, swarming with vicious predators and dangerous weather patterns. One side of the planet continually faces the sun, while the other faces the frozen dark of space. Humans have built two main cities on the light side: the rigidly rules- and caste-bound Xiosphant, where guards wait to seize you for the slightest infraction, and the more licentious Argelo, run by various warring gangs. In Xiosphant, shy, working-class student Sophie idolizes her upper-crust roommate, Bianca, who loves parties and seeking power. But Bianca's flirtation with revolution drives Sophie first into the brutal hands of the police, and then into the saving pincers and tentacles of January's nightside-living, sentient native species, dismissed by the colonists as brute beasts. But these creatures, whom Sophie dubs the "Gelet," develop a psychic bond with her, and their willingness to share understanding and friendship changes her forever. One person the new Sophie slowly manages to influence is Mouth, a smuggler and survivor of an otherwise extinct nomadic band, who's desperately seeking both a connection to her lost past and a reason to forge a future. But ultimately, Sophie can't exert a similar influence over Bianca; despite Bianca's claims of caring for her, she chooses to exploit Sophie's vulnerabilities instead of granting her the understanding and acceptance Sophie craves. In our world, Bianca would represent the worst kind of faux "woke" liberal. She's an angry woman who thinks she's making a difference, but she doesn't really want to help people or even listen to them; she just wants to be the one in charge and profit from it. Watching Sophie come into her own and gradually (and almost too late) realize that the Bianca she loves doesn't exist is inevitable, sad, and, eventually, empowering.Anders contains multitudes; it's always a fascinating and worthwhile surprise to see what she comes up with next.

      COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      The planet of January was colonized long ago, but now it is dying. Half is frozen and dark, half is caught in eternal blazing light. The strict autonomy of Xiosphant, one of two surviving cities along with Argelo, causes some of the younger generation to bristle. Influenced by her crush on the vivacious Bianca, Sophie is drawn into revolutionary ideas, then forced to leave town for something Bianca did. Being exiled is usually a death sentence, but Sophie meets one of the creatures native to the planet called "crocodiles," who shows her strength and intelligence no other human has encountered. Trying to stay hidden, Sophie is drawn into a journey with a group of outsiders, including the trader Mouth. As Sophie and Mouth try to reconcile the pasts with the present, they are forced to face how their world has been changed by the arrival of humans and what must happen for both to survive. VERDICT Anders (All the Birds in the Sky) weaves an intricate tale of colonialism and evolution on both physical and social levels. The harsh world and well-developed characters combine with stunning storytelling that will capture readers' minds and hearts.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

      Copyright 1 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook
  • Open EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading