Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Roc (New York, 2016). 1st edition, 1st printing. 384 pages. $15.00.
Description
Acclaimed author Emma Newman returns to the captivating universe she created in Planetfall with a stunning science fiction mystery where one man's murder is much more than it seems ... Govcorp detective Carlos Moreno was only a baby when Atlas left Earth to seek truth among the stars. But in that moment, the course of Carlos's entire life changed. Atlas is what took his mother away; what made his father lose hope; what led Alejandro Casales, leader of the religious cult known as the Circle, to his door. And now, on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Atlas's departure, it's got something to do why Casales was found dead in his hotel room--and why Carlos is the man in charge of the investigation. To figure out who killed one of the most powerful men on Earth, Carlos is supposed to put aside his personal history. But the deeper he delves into the case, the more he realises that escaping the past is not so easy. There's more to Casales's death than meets the eye, and something much more sinister to the legacy of Atlas than anyone realises.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member pwaites
After Atlas is a novel set in the same universe as Newman’s stellar science fiction novel, Planetfall. However, the two books are completely distinct and can be read independently. In fact, After Atlas is actually a mystery novel in addition to a science fiction story.
After Atlas presents a very
One of my most constant thoughts while reading After Atlas was “wow, Carlos’s life sucks.” I’m not going to say too much here since a large part of the novel lies in you gradually finding out just how bad everything really is, but this is a seriously dark read. Oh, and then about 70% of the way through things get even worse. It felt like my heart dropped down into my stomach.
I say that the connection between Planetfall and After Atlas is tenuous, but one of the connecting themes is mental health. Carlos most definitely has mental health issues. He’s been under immense and constant stress his entire life and is constantly having to carefully regulate his emotions so that he doesn’t get sent for “reconditioning” by the Ministry. I’m no expert, but I’d guess he has PTSD.
While I feel like the ending was a completion to the story, I would love to see a continuation. I think there’s still room for more of Carlos’s story, and I would like to see how his character develops.
While I don’t think After Atlas reaches quite the heights of Plantfall, it is still a very strong science fiction novel. If you’re willing to venture into a dark future, this is a book I’d recommend.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC of After Atlas from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
After Atlas presents a very
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dark vision of the future. Democracy has failed, and the world is ruled by hybrid government/corporations – govcorps. Carlos Moreno, who’s mother left aboard the spaceship Atlas, had the misfortune of being rounded up and sold as a debt slave. For the next thirty years, he’ll belong to the Ministry of Justice, where he works as a detective. But a new case threatens the fragile boundaries he’s constructed to preserve his mental state. His uncle, Alejandro Casales, and leader of a religious cult has been found dead in a hotel room, and Carlos will be forced to examine his past.One of my most constant thoughts while reading After Atlas was “wow, Carlos’s life sucks.” I’m not going to say too much here since a large part of the novel lies in you gradually finding out just how bad everything really is, but this is a seriously dark read. Oh, and then about 70% of the way through things get even worse. It felt like my heart dropped down into my stomach.
I say that the connection between Planetfall and After Atlas is tenuous, but one of the connecting themes is mental health. Carlos most definitely has mental health issues. He’s been under immense and constant stress his entire life and is constantly having to carefully regulate his emotions so that he doesn’t get sent for “reconditioning” by the Ministry. I’m no expert, but I’d guess he has PTSD.
While I feel like the ending was a completion to the story, I would love to see a continuation. I think there’s still room for more of Carlos’s story, and I would like to see how his character develops.
While I don’t think After Atlas reaches quite the heights of Plantfall, it is still a very strong science fiction novel. If you’re willing to venture into a dark future, this is a book I’d recommend.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC of After Atlas from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member capewood
In my experience, the second book of a series is rarely better than the first book, but this is the exception. I had enjoyed "Planetfall" but was somewhat disappointed with the end. "After Atlas" kept up the good writing and had an ending which satisfied and actually has me looking forward to the
At first, the book hardly seems a sequel at all. The only connection is that the main character, Detective Moreno, is the son of the Pathfinder, the visionary genius whose spaceship design, the Atlas, enabled a group to colonize an alien world. Moreno was left behind as a child and has suffered an a world much like our own, but much, much worse. He is charged with solving the apparent murder of a cult leader (also one of the left behind) who had taken him in as a child. Moreno is conflicted. He loved this man but hated him as well.
The solving of the crime had all the aspects of a great police procedural with added tech, like a chip in his head, an Artificial Personal Assistant, instant communication through the chip, fully immersive environments to recreate the crime scene and instant DNA analysis. The tech was overlaid on the story very naturally. Well done.
The last 50 pages or so finally connects this book to "Planetfall" where we learn what's really happening. This is usually where I expect a book like this to fall apart. This one didn't.
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next book in the series.At first, the book hardly seems a sequel at all. The only connection is that the main character, Detective Moreno, is the son of the Pathfinder, the visionary genius whose spaceship design, the Atlas, enabled a group to colonize an alien world. Moreno was left behind as a child and has suffered an a world much like our own, but much, much worse. He is charged with solving the apparent murder of a cult leader (also one of the left behind) who had taken him in as a child. Moreno is conflicted. He loved this man but hated him as well.
The solving of the crime had all the aspects of a great police procedural with added tech, like a chip in his head, an Artificial Personal Assistant, instant communication through the chip, fully immersive environments to recreate the crime scene and instant DNA analysis. The tech was overlaid on the story very naturally. Well done.
The last 50 pages or so finally connects this book to "Planetfall" where we learn what's really happening. This is usually where I expect a book like this to fall apart. This one didn't.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Almost a standalone, even though it's mid-trilogy, it's the best of the set by far. Really clever and well written with an engaging character, and a well developed world.
The setting is London, some forty years after the Atlas rocket left Earth for pastures new taking a select few colonist with
It's just clever and really well done. A thoughtful police-procedural set in a technologically advanced, but politically restricted world. The interaction between the technology and human abilities is just brilliantly done, allowing intuition to shine, and pulling in, and sorting through the vast amount of data available is the realm of the AI. It fairly quickly becomes clear what happened, but proving who and more importantly why is just as important to Charlos, even if his contract is just to find the murderer.
Probably improved by only lightly referencing those ideas and characters from PlanetFall. The only loose end is that we never get to find out what was kept in the capsule that the Pathfinder left behind.
Well worth reading and excellent cross over between SF and crime.
The setting is London, some forty years after the Atlas rocket left Earth for pastures new taking a select few colonist with
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them (see planetfall). Our hero, Charlos, is the child of one of the women who made the flight abandoning her family (as they see it). Resource wars mean that no future expedition were ever launched and everyone's grown up with the status quo - real food a pricey luxury, but everyone apart from a few rare refuseniks, is chipped with a neural assistant, instant access and the ability to facilitate everything - and of course provide the gov-corps with everything they need or want to know about you. One of the refuseniks is Alejandro, charismatic leader of the Circle (a religious cult who launched the Atlas expedition). Charlos is abruptly summoned from cooking his black-market dinner, to a meeting with his boss in the Ministry of Justice. Alejandro has been found murdered and dismembered in an exclusive Devon hotel. His lack of chip, and nature of the resort, means they can't just pull the data and reconstruct the crime. They need a rare investigator in person - Charlos. His first hurdle is that legal complications between the US,EU and UK/Nor Gov-corps have held up matters for three days, giving the prime suspect (one of tow attending Circle flunkies) that much head start, but they're sure he hasn't yet left the UK. It's just clever and really well done. A thoughtful police-procedural set in a technologically advanced, but politically restricted world. The interaction between the technology and human abilities is just brilliantly done, allowing intuition to shine, and pulling in, and sorting through the vast amount of data available is the realm of the AI. It fairly quickly becomes clear what happened, but proving who and more importantly why is just as important to Charlos, even if his contract is just to find the murderer.
Probably improved by only lightly referencing those ideas and characters from PlanetFall. The only loose end is that we never get to find out what was kept in the capsule that the Pathfinder left behind.
Well worth reading and excellent cross over between SF and crime.
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LibraryThing member Tsana
After Atlas by Emma Newman is a companion novel to Planetfall, which I previously reviewed here. You don't have to have read Planetfall to read After Atlas — both books stand alone entirely — but some background/historical context for After Atlas will be clearer sooner if you've read the other
Planetfall wasn't exactly a cheerful book, so I picked up After Atlas because I was in the mood for a depressing read. Boy, did it deliver in that regard! Set on a dystopian Earth forty years after the colony ship in Planetfall left, After Atlas follows a detective assigned to a murder case. Carlos the detective, also the first person narrator, is owned and enslaved by the Ministry of Justice and contractually forbidden from revealing that fact. Because of the NDA included in his contract, most free people don't believe slaves like him exist, which makes for some interesting social interplays (and bitterness).
A large part of After Atlas is a murder mystery, with the victim the leader of a cult Carlos escaped when he was sixteen. The cult insist on having Carlos be the investigator and, of course, the situation brings up a lot of difficult memories for him which also serve to fill in the reader on his backstory. The story of the cult and of Carlos's connection to the departed spaceship end up being key components of the story, along with the murder itself.
Newman paints a pretty bleak picture of humanity in this series and especially in this book. Honestly, I was surprised at how bleak some parts were and I recognise that's not for everyone. But I really enjoyed the book and the story and the issues it raised. I will definitely read any more books that come out in this series, although I'm not sure more are planned. I recommend After Atlas to fans of dark SF (I wouldn't call it horror, though) and to anyone who enjoyed Planetfall, although it's a pretty different read in many respects. I've enjoyed all of Newman's books that I've read, but I should warn you that if you've only read the Split Worlds series, this series is very different, so be warned.
5 / 5 stars
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book first. Even if you spend most of After Atlas trying to remember the names of the Planetfall characters before caving and checking when you're near the end, as I did. Also, it should be possible to read the two books in either order.Planetfall wasn't exactly a cheerful book, so I picked up After Atlas because I was in the mood for a depressing read. Boy, did it deliver in that regard! Set on a dystopian Earth forty years after the colony ship in Planetfall left, After Atlas follows a detective assigned to a murder case. Carlos the detective, also the first person narrator, is owned and enslaved by the Ministry of Justice and contractually forbidden from revealing that fact. Because of the NDA included in his contract, most free people don't believe slaves like him exist, which makes for some interesting social interplays (and bitterness).
A large part of After Atlas is a murder mystery, with the victim the leader of a cult Carlos escaped when he was sixteen. The cult insist on having Carlos be the investigator and, of course, the situation brings up a lot of difficult memories for him which also serve to fill in the reader on his backstory. The story of the cult and of Carlos's connection to the departed spaceship end up being key components of the story, along with the murder itself.
Newman paints a pretty bleak picture of humanity in this series and especially in this book. Honestly, I was surprised at how bleak some parts were and I recognise that's not for everyone. But I really enjoyed the book and the story and the issues it raised. I will definitely read any more books that come out in this series, although I'm not sure more are planned. I recommend After Atlas to fans of dark SF (I wouldn't call it horror, though) and to anyone who enjoyed Planetfall, although it's a pretty different read in many respects. I've enjoyed all of Newman's books that I've read, but I should warn you that if you've only read the Split Worlds series, this series is very different, so be warned.
5 / 5 stars
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LibraryThing member Kevin678
Disappointing. Hate detective novels which is what this is. Nothing remotely like Planetfall. I'm a third way through and he's only just started looking at the crime scene. Couldn't finish it.
LibraryThing member jdifelice
After Atlas was a great book - a very different follow up to Planetfall, but very enjoyable. The book follows Carlos Moreno, a detective, whose mother left on the Atlas (the colony ship that is in Planetfall). In this novel, the 40th anniversary to the launch of Atlas is coming up and the time
We follow Carlos as he is put on a case involving a very prominent cult leader - Alejandro Casales - a person who got cut from leaving on Atlas. As we delve into the mystery of his death and Carlos' investigation we get to know how they are connected, more about Carlos, and ultimately, more about the effects on Earth of the Atlas.
Overall, I really enjoyed the narrative and Carlos as a character. We yet again get to see a very developed character from Newman, who is complex, and interesting. This is more of murder mystery plot, with a bigger story going on as well, and I really enjoyed following it to see what was really going on. The writing was fantastic, and the world After Atlas Newman created was realistic. This was a great story and I can't wait to read more from this author.
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capsule is about to be opened.We follow Carlos as he is put on a case involving a very prominent cult leader - Alejandro Casales - a person who got cut from leaving on Atlas. As we delve into the mystery of his death and Carlos' investigation we get to know how they are connected, more about Carlos, and ultimately, more about the effects on Earth of the Atlas.
Overall, I really enjoyed the narrative and Carlos as a character. We yet again get to see a very developed character from Newman, who is complex, and interesting. This is more of murder mystery plot, with a bigger story going on as well, and I really enjoyed following it to see what was really going on. The writing was fantastic, and the world After Atlas Newman created was realistic. This was a great story and I can't wait to read more from this author.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Carlos is essentially a slave of the justice branch of the UK gov-corp (the replacement for democracy worldwide), and he’s sent to investigate the murder of an important political figure—who was also personally important to him: the founder of the Circle, a cult-like American group that rejects
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the technology that monitors and controls everyone else’s lives. Carlos left the Circle as a teenager and then worse things happened to him; he ended up “contracted” to the justice branch for decades, hoping to be free someday. The murder investigation forces him to confront old events and emotions, and sends him to even more dangerous places. Compelling and painful, with a killer ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
Content warnings: cults, suicide, murder, mutilation of a corpse, death by hanging, death by pills, slavery, infidelity, spousal abuse, controlling/abusive relationship, computer chips in brains, surveillance state, child abuse, voyeurism, nonconsensual drug use, misunderstanding depression,
Most of the book is a murder mystery in a futuristic setting, which is investigated by a character who grew up outside mainstream culture and has never quite managed to assimilate, for various reasons. The story deals with both the mystery side of things and the cultural side of things, which are both interesting.
About two thirds of the way through, the story takes kind of an unexpected turn and I had to stop listening to the audiobook and find an ebook. However, it was an excellent book and I really liked it. Also the end was completely unexpected and left me staring at the book (or rather, my phone) with my mouth wide open. It’s not often that a book can surprise me quite that much.
(If you're interested in what made me stop the audiobook (which was otherwise excellent):the main character, who is essentially a slave of the state, was purchased by a sadistic asshole and...well, the first conversation with his new owner is everything you’d expect a conversation with a sadistic asshole who enjoys controlling and hurting other people to be, short of physical abuse. If I had liked the rest of the book less, I would have stopped reading entirely, because it was intense and horrifying. But I really wanted to know what happened next, and how he got away, because I was sure he would get away somehow. )
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fatphobia, racism, sadism, sex slavery, human trafficking, PTSDMost of the book is a murder mystery in a futuristic setting, which is investigated by a character who grew up outside mainstream culture and has never quite managed to assimilate, for various reasons. The story deals with both the mystery side of things and the cultural side of things, which are both interesting.
About two thirds of the way through, the story takes kind of an unexpected turn and I had to stop listening to the audiobook and find an ebook. However, it was an excellent book and I really liked it. Also the end was completely unexpected and left me staring at the book (or rather, my phone) with my mouth wide open. It’s not often that a book can surprise me quite that much.
(If you're interested in what made me stop the audiobook (which was otherwise excellent):
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LibraryThing member Lucky-Loki
A very good read! Newman's ability to make me feel for the protagonist is truly impressive -- his craving for real foodstuffs, his longing to make his own decisions, his deeply troubled past with its long list of different traumas, and his obsession with solving the murder of a man he both hated
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and loved and hadn't seen in thirty years -- everything is made real to the reader. Add to that a very plausible-feeling future dystopia (all the more plausible in not being terribly dystopian to _everyone_, even if it is to the indentured protagonist), an excellent murder investigation and some gut-wrenching twists, I can warmly recommend this. It's a stand-alone novel in the same world as Newman's previous novel "Planetfall", and I chose to start here as the murder mystery angle sounded a bit fresh and interesting, but I will now definitely go back and read the other one as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mithril
A slow burn that picks up well at the very end.
LibraryThing member Carrie_Etter
Pacy, engaging, thoughtful, and really interesting in its social critique. I'll be looking out for more from Newman, as I enjoyed this novel thoroughly.
LibraryThing member renbedell
A science fiction murder mystery set on Earth where the detective finds the murder is linked with his personal past in a cult. The book doesn't have much to do with Planetfall, except with being in the same universe on a different planet. The story is good and grows so well in a way that was
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exciting. The characters are great and interesting. The book's ending was also surprising but impactful. Show Less
LibraryThing member JudyGibson
As a murder mystery in a science fiction setting, this book hit both of my favorite genres. I don't usually read the second book in a series without having read the first (Planetfall), but the ebook was a BookBub deal and I went for it. Clearly what happened in the first was important to the
Still, the mystery, the investigation, and the characters were interesting and I read this one straight through, which is unusual for me.
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development of the characters and I was eager to read it (and I will), but only in the final couple of chapters and pages did events develop that are only clear if you've read the first book. Still, the mystery, the investigation, and the characters were interesting and I read this one straight through, which is unusual for me.
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LibraryThing member burritapal
Hm. I liked this sci-fi mystery well enough, but the ending felt like it didn't fit. It also didn't feel at all connected to the first Planetfall book.
Carlos Moreno's mom left him behind, as a baby, to keep her place on the starship Atlas. Baby Carlos and his Dad were rejected. Dad couldn't face
Long story short, Carlos ends up owned by a very scary billionaire, who demands obedience or face torture, and that's when the author seemingly changes horse in mid-stream. I ask myself"what just happened?"
Carlos Moreno's mom left him behind, as a baby, to keep her place on the starship Atlas. Baby Carlos and his Dad were rejected. Dad couldn't face
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life after this rejection, so he gave up on the world and left little Carlos to fend for himself. Cult founder Alejandro rescues little Carlos and his Dad and bring them into cult-land, in Texas. Carlos struggles to fit in as his Dad worships the ground that Alejandro walks on. Long story short, Carlos ends up owned by a very scary billionaire, who demands obedience or face torture, and that's when the author seemingly changes horse in mid-stream. I ask myself"what just happened?"
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LibraryThing member catseyegreen
I listened to this as an audiobook. I really struggled with the first few chapters, there was just. So.Much.Swearing. If I had had access to a paper book I probably could have skipped over some of the frequent F-bombs. The first few chapters also seem to be about how angry the main character is at
The ending is hugely depressing., possibly because with world politics the mess they are I can see all this happening.
I don't think I am up to another book by this author.
Read for the British author challenge Feb 2024
audiobook completed 2/26/2024
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the whole of existence. He has reasons to be angry but it did not make for a story I was interested in pursuing. Once I got past that part and into the middle section it got much more interesting as it was primarily a police procedural. Carlos is a sort-of slave/indentured servant to the MOS and is sent to investigate the death of someone who was once his mentor.. As he uncovers the past of his mentor we learn more about Carlos as well. At about the 2/3 point the story changes again into a more dystopian SF future. Carlos goes to Texas to attend the funeral of the man he was investigating and also reunite with his father. He uncovers a massive international plot and chooses to leave Earth. The ending is hugely depressing., possibly because with world politics the mess they are I can see all this happening.
I don't think I am up to another book by this author.
Read for the British author challenge Feb 2024
audiobook completed 2/26/2024
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Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2017)
Arthur C. Clarke Award (Shortlist — 2017)
Locus Recommended Reading (2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016-11-08
Physical description
365 p.; 8 inches
ISBN
9780425282403