REVIEWS
An otherworldly rock star
At its best, speculative fiction takes narrative risks free from the constraints of the ordinary world. This week we have two writers who have done that their whole careers, and who are both writing at the very top of their games right now.
First up is Barbadian author Karen Lord, who’s previously dabbled in both fantasy and science fiction. The Blue, Beautiful World is set in the same science fictional galaxy as two of her previous novels, but can definitely be read as a standalone. The book is technically a first-contact novel, set on a near-future Earth, though it is very unlike the standard alien encounters portrayed in movies and television.
We start in the company of Owen, an extraordinarily popular rock star, touring the world to acclaim and hysteria. An attempt on Owen’s manager’s life lets the plot unfurl, and Lord gradually lets the reader know that Owen is not of this Earth – indeed, there have been all sorts
