Glow by Tim Jordan (Angry Robot, February 23, 2021). Cover by Glen Wilkins

I always enjoy finding a reliable new reviewer. Even more than that, I enjoy a reviewer who’s concise — one who can package a synopsis and recommendation in a single punchy, well written paragraph. John the Librarian, one of my recent discoveries, definitely has the knack. Here’s his review of Glow, Tim Jordan’s debut novel from Angry Robot, released in February, which features a young man on the run from drug liches and an unstoppable assassin in a near-future dystopia….

Just as humankind was on the brink of reaching the stars, fueled by new biotechnology that conveys near-immortality, the Earth was almost destroyed by a nuclear holocaust. Now, a once-great corporation is clinging to power from its orbiting stations, an Earth-side alliance seeks to overthrow it, and a new kind of artificial life lurks in the dark, where nothing is as it seems. Rex is an addict of Glow — a nanotech drug — who can’t remember who he is. When he’s taken in by a sect of nuns who promise salvation, he finds himself in a conflict that could destroy all he holds dear, hunted by something not of this world… In Jordan’s impressive fiction debut, the action and pacing are taut, the characters well drawn, the conflict compelling, and the world he creates is fascinating and immersive in its detail. His world building is reminiscent of the best space opera mixed with the gritty, violent dystopia of cyberpunk.

Glow was published by Angry Robot on February 23, 2021. It is 400 pages, priced at $14.99 in trade paperback, and $6.99 in digital formats. The cover is by Glen Wilkins. Read the first three chapters (22 pages) at Issuu.com.

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