Halcyon Years

In this gritty noir with a science fiction twist, BSFA award winner Reynolds (Machine Vendetta) introduces private investigator Yuri Gagarin, a once-famous Russian cosmonaut who’s been revived from cryogenic sleep aboard the Halcyon, an enormous generation ship containing a sprawling landscape of cities and towns. One night, a mysterious client going by the name Ruby Blue convinces Yuri to take on a high-profile case investigating the suspicious deaths of Juliana DelRosso and Randall Urry, scions of Halcyon’s two most wealthy families. The investigation gets off to an eventful yet unpromising start when Yuri interviews Juliana’s doctor, Noah Apolisi, only for him to also die shortly thereafter in another suspicious accident. Next, Yuri manages to coax some information out of the disgraced detective formerly assigned to Juliana’s case, Lemmy Litz, but ends up arrested and thrown in jail. As more misadventures accumulate, Yuri, aided by his new robot assistant, Sputnik, and some unexpected friends, pieces together a vast conspiracy that has the potential to change life on Halcyon forever. After a slow start, the mystery hits its stride. Longtime Reynolds fans won’t find this one to be his most intricate, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had with this vast sci-fi murder mystery. Agent: Robert Kirby, United Agents. (Jan.)