Usurpation
{4.5/5} “This is one reason why farmers call us lucky bamboo. Their crops grow better in our presence. This is also why you have heard of witchweed but have never seen it. I have a natural revulsion to parasites the same way that humans have an inborn fear of snakes.”
Usurpation by Sue Burke, published in 2024
Mercy Omotola is a placement agent for the Space Habitat Consortium. She is injured when a woman falls on her after being hit with a car. Mercy knows that it wasn’t an accident, but she’s not sure whether she or the other woman was the target. The car was a wild robot, but they never hurt anyone. Mercy and her housemates help refugees escape to other countries — or to space.
This is the sequel to Interference.
Levanter, a rainbow bamboo who’s the daughter of Stevland on Pax, is a terrific character. She is thoughtful and kind, and communicates with beings all around the world.
It’s about finding out what’s going on in the world and trying to help the beings in it, and using science to solve your problems. If you’ve read Asimov as recently as I have, you will think it has an Asimovian flavour to it.
I’ve read all 5 books that Burke has written so far.