Rosebud

by Paul Cornell

"The crew of the Rosebud are, currently, and by force of law, a balloon, a goth with a swagger stick, some sort of science aristocrat possibly, a ball of hands, and a swarm of insects."

When five sentient digital beings-condemned for over three hundred years to crew the small survey ship by the all-powerful Company-encounter a mysterious black sphere, their course of action is clear: obtain the object, inform the Company, earn lots of praise.

But the ship malfunctions, and the crew has no choice but to approach the sphere and survey it themselves. They have no idea that this object-and the transcendent truth hidden within-will change the fate of all existence, the Company, and themselves.

• ISBN10: 1250765390
• ISBN13: 9781250765390
• Publish Date: 26 April 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 2 January 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 112
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Please consider picking up Paul Cornell's Rosebud for those seeking a book that will force creative and thought-provoking conversations. It will do all of this and so very much more. It takes identity, humanity, and other concepts.

Who better to run a ship off on an extended mission than five sentient yet digital beings? These five have been working together for centuries – three of them, to be specific. Yet the latest survey they are on is going to change everything. And everyone.

What they are about to find will change the very nature of their beings. It will make them question themselves, their identity, and what it means to be alive. And that is only the beginning.

Rosebud wins the award for being the most unique novella I've read this year. And that's saying something because I've read a few that previously held that title. I love that it made me stop and think while picturing a different form of reality.

This is a bizarre read, but I mean that in the best of ways. It has personality, quirks, flaws, and out-of-this-world concepts. I think readers who enjoy deeper and grittier science fiction novels will enjoy this read.

Rosebud does what science fiction does best – it tackles heavy and difficult to articulate arguments and puts them into a more digestible format. So if you're looking for a book that will make your brain work, consider checking it out!

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Rosebud is a dystopian locked-room SF time-bending mystery novella by Paul Cornell. Due out 26th April from Macmillan on their Tor/Forge imprint, it's 112 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats, it makes it so easy to find info with the search function if needed.

Above all, the author can write. I unhesitatingly recommend his media output to anyone and everyone because, at the end of the day, whatever he does is more-than-competently written. That being said, this is one that readers will love or hate. It's admittedly somewhat difficult reading; there are representations of an end-game reality where the conservative capitalists have "won" and the end result is not pretty. It's also quite cerebral. I am maybe slow, but it took me til about 30% in to have an inkling of what was really going on. I was also uncomfortable with representations of torture (attack and ritual torture of non-binary and trans characters) and the weighty dystopian melancholic dread of being able to draw distinct correlations between where we are *now* and where the protagonists in the story find themselves.

This is a story which not only invites but almost requires more thought. It's slick and thought provoking. I found it effective and moving. I suspect many readers will consider it pretentious and overwrought. It's only 112 pages, so it's a quick read, either way.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.