Re-Coil

Nicholas (SINdicate) introduces a far future in which humans stave off death by transferring their consciousness into new bodies in this briskly paced, noir-infused space opera. Three-hundred-year-old Carter Langston and his salvage crew explore a derelict spaceship full of coils, lab-grown human bodies without working brains. When one of the coils attacks, Langston dies, but his brain had been backed up and can easily be installed into a new coil, a procedure he’s gone through often. This time, a strange glitch causes the re‑coiled Langston to lack key memories that could help him understand the attack, and the majority of his crewmates haven’t been able to re-coil at all. To investigate, Langston teams up with hacker Chan. Their search leads from the habitats orbiting Venus to the domed cities of Mars, the base of Genetechnic Corporation, whose well-intentioned nanobots have created cyber zombies. Nicholas leavens his cynical noir ethos with a genuine connection between Langston and Chan; a sensitive, albeit rudimentary, exploration of the identity politics that would arise from humans frequently swapping bodies; and unexpected, if somewhat naive, optimism about corporate integrity. Readers will be drawn in by the compassionate characters and captivating premise. Agent: Laurie McLean, Fuse Literary. (Mar.)