The People’s Library

Henry (the Scorched Earth series) shows off her impressive gift for worldbuilding in this striking dystopian novel set in the near future. Echo London loves working at Cleveland’s Lewis library. Then her branch is permanently closed and the powers that be appoint her as head librarian at the People’s Library. Instead of books, the People’s Library stores digital humans: advanced AI copies of “history’s most fascinating people,” who supposedly think, talk, and act like their flesh and blood counterparts, though Echo thinks of them as mere “pixelated knockoffs.” Despite her visceral revulsion at the concept, Echo has no choice but to accept the position. Still, her decision is viewed as a betrayal by those opposed to the People’s Library, who fear that all books will be eliminated and that humanity will be replaced by digital duplicates. These anti-tech rebels attack the library, leading to the death of a stranger whose mysterious final words—“It all begins with nothing”—prompt Echo to get off the sidelines and investigate whether the rebels’ fears are valid. Henry folds prescient points about AI and censorship into a gripping and twisty mystery. It’s smart, exhilarating sci-fi. (Feb.)