Providence, by Max Barry

Max Barry ventures into outer space for his latest commentary on human interaction with technology and where the line is drawn, or not, between corporate interest and public good. Providence is a class of interstellar warship built and operated by AI. It has a crew of four: Captain, Weapons, Intel and Life, ostensibly to oversee battle against an invasive alien hive species of deadly salamanders. Jackson, Anders, Gilly and Talia form the crew of the latest Providence to launch its four-year interstellar mission. But are they really there for PR purposes, as the publicly acceptable face of an outrageously expensive exercise that can easily run without them? This mission will expose their flaws, test their characters and cause each to question their purpose. The crew tells the story, mostly from the points of view of Gilly and Talia with occasional insights from the others. It is bookended by an unidentified onlooker, who gives an everyman view of the origin of the story and its outcome. Barry’s characters are always interesting and this time he places them in a thrilling space yarn, with some seriously thought-provoking moral and ethical dilemmas.

The Queen’s Bargain, by Anne Bishop

This latest instalment of the dark fantasy Black Jewels series sees Warlord Prince Daemon Sadi and assassin Surreal SaDiablo struggling in their marriage. This has dire implications for Sadi’s mental health and consequently for the health of the worlds he rules. Meanwhile Eyrian Jillian is on the cusp of womanhood but doesn’t have a wide choice of partners to help her test her wings. Sadi’s Eyrian brother Lucivar must somehow wrangle his powerful and complicated family as they work out how to be true to themselves. The brothers find they must look into both good and bad influences from the past in order to secure their future. Power has a price, but so does love, especially for those who wear jewels. Bishop’s sure hand enables her to introduce interesting new characters and further develop those already well-known and loved in this richly created world. There are always new aspects of the world to discover, with its complex society and politics, which makes it such a joy to revisit. The end of this story, while satisfying in itself, leaves a sense that there may well be more to come. This can only be a good thing, so yes please.

Eighth Grade (2018), directed by Bo Burnham

This film does not really have a plot; it’s a snapshot of a week in the life of Kayla, who is about to finish the eighth grade. This marks the end of middle school, before moving on to high school. The 13-year-old lives with her overprotective and very patient single dad and is subject to all the highs and lows of early adolescence. She navigates acne, mean girls, a crush on a jock and dealing with potential friends who are too old for her. The week starts slowly as we get to know Kayla in all her teenage awkwardness; her attempts at becoming a YouTube influencer are excruciating to begin with. But it gathers momentum as she finds her feet and demonstrates some hope that the future will be brighter. As painful as it is funny, the slice-of-life style is reminiscent of Linklater’s Boyhood. It rings true in the same way and is, if anything, more moving. Elsie Fisher is astonishingly good as Kayla.

A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers

This is a sequel to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet so it’s disappointing at first to find that the focus is on two minor characters from that epic space opera. The crew of the Wayfarer don’t appear at all and they are missed, but the story of tech specialist Pepper and AI Lovelace mark two, who renames herself Sidra, is just as engaging and fascinating as its predecessor. The chapters alternate between Sidra’s new life on the moon Coriol and Pepper’s backstory, when she was Jane 23. Sidra struggles to adjust to her very changed circumstances and to accept the limitations of her new body. An AI assisted Pepper’s escape from a horrendous childhood and virtually raised her, so she is uniquely positioned to understand and help Sidra to adapt. Becky Chambers writes with empathy and intelligence, creating brave new worlds full of diversity and adventure. At the same time she draws topical, meaningful and relatable parallels with real world issues of politics, technology and interpersonal communication. Entertaining, engaging, moving, thought-provoking and satisfying, you can’t really ask much more of a book. There is a third novel in the series, so it will be exciting to see where Chambers takes the story next.

Keeper, by Jessica Moor

Katie’s story alternates between Then and Now; Then details her relationship with controlling boyfriend Jamie from its very beginning to its very end, Now looks into its aftermath. Then shows how Katie’s family background and lack of self-esteem contributes to her submission to Jamie’s control. Now includes the stories of women living in the refuge where Katie works, each affected by male violence in various ways. They are totally diverse in age, class, education, socio economic background, religion, everything. This can happen to anyone and societal institutions – the police, the justice system, even families – are set up to fail women and children at every turn. This is deeply uncomfortable and confronting reading, but also compelling in its truth. A twist at the end is unsurprising as it explains all, including a few small elements that don’t quite gel during the tale. All is indeed revealed, but the small nugget of hope that the truth may eventually out is counteracted by a deeply depressing suspicion that there will be no justice for Katie, or anyone else in her situation.