The Sum of All Things

Brimming with espionage, censorship, and political turmoil, the fragmentary but appealingly intimate ninth installment of Doubinsky’s City-States series (after Paperclip) takes readers to the futuristic city of New Samarqand. Chapters are brief—often only a page or two—and drop readers directly into the lives and perspectives of a wide-ranging cast of residents. Among them are Thomas, a political refugee addicted to the life-enhancing drug Synth, who hides out in his bookstore; popular poet Kassandra, whose name appears on a terrorist group’s hit list (“apparently some people really, really hate my poetry,” she muses); Kassandra’s assistant and lover, Naila, secretly reporting on Kassandra’s beliefs and movements to an intelligence agency; and Ali, a member of the underground Egregorian Society, intent on protecting the culture and freedom of New Samarqand. Doubinsky pulls off an impressive feat in keeping each perspective unique while subtly intertwining the characters’ story lines. Intriguingly, the prose and dialogue are sometimes oddly formal, lending a degree of unreality or absurdity to what would otherwise be a high stakes thriller. Doubinsky straddles a challenging line of action and intellect, emerging with a rigorous portrait of a turbulent city that’s sure to please series fans. (Nov.)