Ellie's universe, and this one, is falling apart. Her ailing mother is in a coma; her sister, Chris, accuses her of being insufficiently Chinese between assassination attempts; and a shadowy cabal of engineers is trying to hijack the skunkworks, the machinery that keeps the physics of each universe working the way it's supposed to.
Daniel, Ellie's cousin, has found an illicit device in the skunkworks-one that keeps Ellie's comatose mother alive while also creating destabilizing bugs in the physics of this universe. It's not a good day.
If she can confront her mother's legacy and overcome her family's generational trauma, she just might find a way to preserve the skunkworks and reconcile with her sister.but digging into her family's past is thornier than it seems, and the secrets she uncovers will force Ellie to choose between her family and the universe itself.
About the Author :
John Chu is a microprocessor architect by day, a writer, translator, and podcast narrator by night. His fiction has appeared in Boston Review, Uncanny, Asimov's Science Fiction, Clarkesworld, and Tor.com among other venues. His translations have been published in Clarkesworld, The Big Book of SF and other venues. He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Ignyte Awards, won the Best Short Story Hugo for "The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere." and won the Best Novelette Nebula for "If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You." The Subtle Art of Folding Space is his first novel.
Review :
"A work of crystalline vision and meticulous humanity. John Chu folds universes into shape."--Max Gladstone, NYT-Bestselling co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War
"Not enough SciFi contends with how hard people work to keep everything from falling out of the sky. Chu steps up to that challenge with a spirited exploration 'behind the scenes' of how fragile our world is (and the maintenance it requires). It bends physics and genres alike. It's a book we need right now."--John Wiswell, Nebula Award winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In and Wearing the Lion
"This is (unsurprisingly) excellent and super fun."--Ann Leckie, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Radiant Star
"A thrilling and delectable glimpse into the machinery of our universe and others, with indelible characters and their attempt to navigate each other at the core. My favorite kind of science fiction: full of heart, humor, compassion, and delightful imagery. Definitely read this, but don't read it while hungry."--Sarah Pinsker, Hugo and Nebula-winning author of A Song For A New Day and Haunt Sweet Home
"A wildly imaginative ride following people who maintain the universe as they navigate conspiracies, change and profound grief. Effortless, brimming with ideas and with deep heart--not to mention mouth watering food."--Aliette de Bodard, Nebula award-winning author of Navigational Entanglements
"John Chu's brilliant debut novel blends humor with action and an unapologetic consideration of toxic family dynamics. Also, quantum mechanics. Actual quantum mechanics: as in, the engineers who make the universe go."--Elizabeth Bear, Hugo award-winning author of the White Space series
"A thorny, savory story about our deepest dependencies and the lies we tell to maintain them."--Seth Dickinson, author of Exordia
"A hearty helping of dysfunctional family dynamics accompanied by a delicious side of multiverse. I'd like seconds, please."--Cat Rambo, author of the Space Opera Disco series
"Intricate worldbuilding, generational trauma, and reports relayed as food are woven into a story that has great action and engaging characters. ... Chu finds a delightful and poignant intersection between the multiverse, family dysfunction, and dim sum in his debut novel."--Library Journal, starred review
"A mystery wrapped in quantum physics and family trauma . . . Stylistically complex ... for those who enjoyed Hannu Rajaniemi's Jean le Flambeur trilogy or the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy by Cixin Liu."--Booklist, starred review
