{4.5\/5} “‘My head is spinning. So what you’re saying is that an alien cannon, hidden on the Moon, spat a gob of water at alien planets that didn’t even exist last month.’ ‘I know,’ Mel said, sounding unhappy. ‘On any other day, in any other year, that might seem strange.'”<\/p>\n
Galaxias<\/strong> by Stephen Baxter, published in 2021<\/p>\n In 2057 the Earth is plunged into darkness — something has blocked the Sun. Tash was on her way home from Government House but she decides to go back. Mel is in Skythrust Two above the troposphere — she will try to figure out what’s happening. Zhi is aboard the Lodestone in space, and the station has started drifting out of position. Based on his calculations, he believes that the Sun hasn’t just been blocked — it’s gone.<\/p>\n With a Robert Charles Wilson-style premise and interesting characters, this is one you won’t want to miss.<\/p>\n It’s about competing interpretations and responses to an unprecedented event. It’s about how governments respond to a disaster, and how people who vote for governments respond to a disaster.<\/p>\n The eventual response to the event, particularly from China, is startling.<\/p>\n