Harare Review of Books

320 pp. Published February 25 by Titan Books. Science Fiction.

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Future’s Edge has a cool premise: What if an alien parasite holds the key to humanity’s survival?

Well, all Ursula Morrow, former archeology student, knows is that the parasite she’s carrying isn’t making her sick; on the contrary, it’s somehow protecting her from mortal danger (and also turning her fingernails grey). She’s stuck on some out-of-the-way planet waiting for the love of her life from whom she was separated as she escaped the destruction of Earth by very nasty and, as it turns out, incredibly scary aliens. When said Love reappears, it’s not the fairytale she dreamed, and the future he’s offering is not the one she wants.

This was an entertaining and gripping read, with many pleasurable twists and turns. I generally dislike alien narratives (gasp) (possibly because I’m the imagined “Other” of sci-fi), buuut: These aliens really appeal to my maths- and physics-loving brain. They’re so cool! They’re multidimensional, and mostly impossible to describe. They appear suddenly. I won’t spoil it for you any more than that, but Powell builds up the story so carefully and consistently that by the end of the novel, I wanted to know all about the other world(s) he hints at.

This is, of course, for lovers of sci-fi, and will appeal even to hard SF stans like me. The emotional core of the story annoyed me—the resolution felt both too sci-fi-ey and entirely too pat—but it doesn’t really matter, because it did not interrupt the flow of the story. I look forward to reading anything else Powell sets in this universe, and recommend Future’s Edge to readers.

Thanks much to Titan Books and NetGalley for early access.

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