Phoresis

It’s a hardscrabble life on the icy plains of Tvibura, hunting for roots and hoping for geysers in the ice to replenish the life-giving nutrients of the spotty soil. But an unexpected discovery leads the women of Tvibura to embark on a multi-generational plan to ensure their survival. Can they reach the neighboring world of Tviburi and build a bridge between the two worlds to save their people?

This triptych of stories is a wonderful breath of fresh air in a literary world dominated by dystopias and action-adventure drama. It’s pure science-fiction saga about survival where brains and heart may very well triumph. Egan’s patient, evocative storytelling is a wonder, managing to make us care about these brave characters in a very short period of time while still granting a feeling of deep history to this peculiar world.

Although the rules and science of the world take a little getting used to, Egan’s characters are savvy and smart, dropping enough information to help the reader without bogging down the narrative in distracting info-dumps. Phoresis never forgets to be a story about people.

This represents the magic of science fiction, a reminder of storytelling that no other medium could accomplish.