Music and the desire to achieve perfection in an art, whether that’s playing the violin or crafting the perfect donut, propel the novel. Here, the science fictional and supernatural elements are pieces of the same puzzle, and they fit together perfectly.Īs someone who plays the violin slowly and poorly, I am deeply envious of both Shizuka Satomi and Katrina Nguyen, the novel’s chief protagonists-they are not only unparalleled virtuosi, but are so completely enamored of music that they risk their lives and souls to be at its epicenter. The human condition transcends genres, and Aoki’s novel never feels disjointed or clumsy. Such a book is Ryka Aoki’s Light from Uncommon Stars (Tor, 2021, $25.99), which combines fantasy (or, the supernatural, if you prefer) with science fiction in a plot that links the two genres together through the passionate emotional connections of its characters. It’s an unexpected joy to find a book that should not work, yet absolutely does.
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