Nina Allan

This is Nina Allan's second book, and I continued to enjoy this, for me, new author.
I think I enjoyed her first book a little more, but this must be the peril of a new author - how to follow-up on a successful first effort.
She seems to me to be a sci-fi writer, but I see her genre described online as specualtive fiction. I'm not sure of the difference, but while The Rift has scifi elements, the author seems intentionally to shy away from focussing on those aspects.
So the book is about people, about tough passages in their lives, about family relationships - all set in a slightly non-normal environment.
The result? Well, I found myself re-thinking this book for quite some time after I finished, where I think a straight scifi telling of a similar story would have been much more ephemeral.
So 4-stars, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.… (altro)

I was led to this author by a positive review in The Guardian of a recent release. On a whim, I decided to start with her first book, The Race. It was a lucky choice - this is a seriously impressive debut.
There are four stories in the book, loosely connected/related to each other. Allan's genre, according to Wikipedia, is speculative fiction - whatever that is. The book seems slightly sci-fi, slightly fantasy, slightly dystopian future - but regardless of categkry, it grabs the reader, and makes for a highly enjoyable read.
I'll be back for more.… (altro)

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-race-by-nina-allan/

Kindly given to me by the author in 2016, after it was one of the few BSFA shortlisted novels of the previous year that I did not read (I was burnt out by my first Clarke run). It’s a really good linkage of four stories, set in at least two different parallel near-contemporary Earths, with enhanced greyhounds and deep dark family secrets. Reflects on gender and gender violence, and on journeying to find yourself. Recommended.… (altro)