The Expert System's Brother (The Expert System's Brother #1)

by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Overview

Bestselling British master of science fiction Adrian Tchaikovsky brings readers a new, mind-expanding science fantasia in The Expert System's Brother

After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn’t understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine.

Can an unlikely saviour provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250197566
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/17/2018
Series:	The Expert System's Brother , #1
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	668,801
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the acclaimed Shadows of the Apt fantasy series and the epic science fiction blockbuster Children of Time. He has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, a British Fantasy Society Award, and been nominated for the David Gemmell Legend Award. In civilian life he is a lawyer, gamer and amateur entomologist.

Editorial Reviews

I loved it. A bold, vivid story about humanity and the broader universe. Should we mold the universe to suit us? Or should we mold ourselves to suit the universe? Adrian Tchaikovsky keeps these choices in tension, and kept me riveted to the page.” —Ramez Naam, author of Nexus

“A great coming-of-age story that careens through a world so vividly realized that you can feel each insect bite and taste every acrid berry. The Expert System’s Brother gives you that visceral eek of satisfaction as its pieces come into view then fit together with exacting precision. It’s a smart story, smartly told.” —Hugo Award Winner, John Chu

"Tchaikovsky convincingly evokes a world populated with grotesque creatures, rituals, vegetation and mysterious technology that reflects a command of the science fiction genre." —Lincolnshire Life Magazine

From the Publisher

07/01/2018
In this science fiction novella, a teenage boy suddenly finds himself an outcast in his own community and thrust on a journey to seek safety and answer life's questions. In the village of Aro, 13-year-old Handry attends the ceremony of Severance, where one of his friends is about to be sentenced for stealing. Yet before punishment is handed out, Handry accidentally stumbles upon the potion meant to stain the transgressor and inadvertently splashes it on himself. The liquid doesn't kill him, but it leaves him hungry and marked with a rash. After three years, Handry is virtually invisible to the community and vilified to all except for his beloved sister, Melory. Aro is governed by ancient traditions and ghosts, who use individuals as their mediums. The spirit overtaking Melory suggests Handry should be expelled from Aro. Instead, he flees on his own, embarking on a dangerous adventure through insect-infested territory to visit foreign communities, where he will recognize the good and evil of the world. Handry's narration reads as if told in an oral tradition, which can be off-putting at times. Readers might feel disconnected from the action and dialogue, but the author compensates for it with the wonderfully evocative setting—full of trees, wasps, and strange monsters. Teachers may consider using this story for class discussion on society, religion, and environmental concerns and for examples of foreshadowing. VERDICT Give this fast-paced, coming-of-age novella to mature fans of dystopian literature. A worthy addition to high school science fiction collections.—Sandi Jones, Wynne High School, AR

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