Supernova

In Higgins’s riveting and thought-provoking sequel to Lightless, protagonist Constance, who bombed Earth to destroy the solar system’s totalitarian government, learns that every decision has consequences. As Constance roams the solar system, she faces challenges to her leadership, both external and internal. She never looked at the potential chaos her plan would cause and ignored the base nature of humanity in a power vacuum. The reality crushes her, just as it does Althea, the technician who tries to teach newly sentient spaceship Ananke how to be human. When the machine “grows up” and challenges the rules of her “mother,” philosophical debates and moral quandaries abound. Descriptions of terraforming and the life of a black hole will satisfy fans of hard SF, but the main draw is the excellent, realistic portrayal of people struggling to cope with sudden change and its fallout. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Associates. (Aug.)