tidally locked world

The City in the Middle
of the Night

Investigate the characters' relationships on an estuary-sealed planet where humanity is most often separated between two classically different urban locations, among hostile alien existence. Explore unique relationship motifs throughout the book and reportage of modern societal
and political concerns as illustrated in its alien context.

bestselling author

Get your hands on a book by best-selling author Charlie Jane Anders, an American writer who has won numerous awards for writing science fiction writings.

brilliant new novel

Read this novel filled with new concepts and set on planets where the characters' lives are tied to the conditions of the environment.

climate-fiction novel

A new novel with a novel idea depicting human conditions in extremes by clearly defining day and night and stringently enforced social conventions.

Anders contains multitudes; it’s always a fascinating and worthwhile surprise to see what she comes up with next!

grand social ideas

About This Book

Charlie's City in the Middle of the Night Jane Anders is a brilliantly written work of social science fiction as well as an up-close depiction of people who have been harmed by their cultures. On planet January, human progress sticks to life on a subjugated planet partitioned by frozen solid shadows on one side and scorching unending sunlight on the opposite side.

The City in the Middle of the Night

by Charlie Jane Anders

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

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"One of the best works of social science fiction I've read. The characters are valid to their roles, and the societal norms depicted in the novel can be compared to the current era."
Andrew E. Allen
"Charlie Jane Anders is a highly skilled and well-informed writer. Her stories are often filled with fantasy, kindness, heartbreak, and a profound investigation of what defines us as individuals."
Alma M. Chambers

the science in science fiction with a fascinating premise!

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Victories Greater Than Death – Book Review

Book Review

This book is not for everyone. It is mainly written with the intent to connect with the kids dreaming of their destiny at the start. This masterpiece is written by Charlie Jane Anders, an award-winning writer of the 21st century who is known for combining genres and writing stories of fiction, mixed with scientific fantasies.

Book Summary

Victories Greater Than Death is a thrilling sci-fi that is set against an intergalactic war. The entire book is centered around Tina, who calls herself the star’s child.

Tina has always believed that she’s not like any other average teenager and the primary daughter who loves to read and write. In this book, she’s portrayed as the interplanetary rescue beacon and awaits its revelation when she can save the world from all its miseries.

In this book, Tina is portrayed as a hidden clone of the alien fame hero. He left Earth disguised as a human to solve all the mysteries and resolve all miseries of the universe by defeating evil. However, she only realizes her truth after the beacon activates that things are far more complicated and mysterious than they seem.

Victories Greater Than Death

People of her world actually expected her to save them from all the memories of the universe by being a brilliant tactician and legendary savior. However, when the time comes, she realizes she’s not extraordinary, and Tina is just the regular Tina.

Despite the ongoing chaos and unfortunate situations, she has a trustworthy crew that helps her in all her endeavors. She also has a best friend named Rachel, who is all set to help Tina in saving the drawing world from mystery, but first, she has to save herself.

Book review

Since it is also an LGBTQ-friendly book, it has attracted many young minds trying to come out of the closet. In addition, it has a diverse cast of characters, especially the asexual main character, her best friend, a heartbroken boy, and a trans friend who is hell-bent on saving the Earth and fighting for feminism simultaneously. Due to the diversification of characters, the book has turned a lot of heads and stirred the minds of the readers.

While some readers have decided it to be the best book of all time, to educate young minds about the diversification of gender preferences, it has also cooked the recipe for skeptical issues in many readers’ minds.

However, one fault in the texts lies in the style of narration, where Tina’s character is sometimes italicized and written in parentheses. In addition, the inconsistent formatting of the font can put a reader off. However, the great story and the diversification of characters make up for the slight annoyance caused by formatting.

Victories Greater Than Death Book Review

Book Review

The award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders’ YA science fiction trilogy debuts with Victories Greater Than Death. A must-read was Victories Greater Than Death. There was a lot of anticipation among sci-fi enthusiasts because it was introduced to them fairly early on with a great cover and an intriguing summary.

science fiction

You ask what it’s all about. In the novel Victories Greater Than Death, Tina is the human clone and reincarnation of the galaxy’s most brilliant and courageous alien leader. Tina’s narrative is told. Since birth, she has been waiting for the rescue beacon inside of her to go off because she has always known that her destiny is more significant than anything that any of her human companions could ever conceive. When it does, an exciting and fast-paced adventure that pits Tina, her closest friend Rachael, and some of the most intelligent teenagers on Earth against one another in an interplanetary conflict where they must fight to rescue the earth begins.

Readers were glued to their seats after learning this book’s idea! It features both good and evil aliens, a space war, and a task that is almost difficult to complete to rescue the world—everything a good science fiction book should have. It was a significant aspect of the narrative that drew readers to this book because Anders had included a varied and gender-fluid cast of heroes to tell this story.

The book’s central premise is an excellent spin on the traditional Chosen Onecentraly. Tina has spent her entire life living in the knowledge that she is the one who will save the galaxy and that she has been selected. Enters this adventure as a result without the discomfort that most stories about the chosen one tend to experience. But Anders continues, adding a further twist that lends Tina’s character a perilous edge. The heroes are forced to come up with a new strategy because Tina is the clone of a renowned space captain, and the memory retrieval procedure fails to provide the necessary personal recollections.

Victories Greater Than Death is an excellent novel overall and will appeal to people unfamiliar with the science fiction genre as well as readers who value inclusion and diversity. Science fiction readers with previous expertise could find this novel to be unpolished and clumsy. Having said that, the book contains a lot of appealing elements. You’ll be taken on a wild journey by the action, which has an engaging main character named Tina. A sweet romance was also there but was not discussed in this review. It was a welcome addition, and readers can expect to see more of it in the novels after this one.

Review: Charlie Jane Ander’s All the Birds in the Sky

Charlie Jane Ander's

If you want to explore an ancient society with witches and wish to prevent the world from falling apart, All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane will be the best option. Even though this 2016 science fantasy novel is the author’s debut in the vast world of speculative fiction novels, the book’s storytelling method that beautifully weaves each character’s life story into the larger narrative makes the book a work of a genius.

Anders narrates the story masterfully and unfolds the stories of Patricia and Laurence, who cross their path in a mysterious circumstance and who may have the key to save the planet from its doom.

Like her other works, the story is set shortly and is about Patricia, a witch, and Laurence, a techno-geek. Patricia found that she had magical abilities when she was 6. She would talk to birds and had other powers but didn’t have any control over them.

From a young age, Laurence was interested in technology and invented new gadgets. He succeeded in making a two-second time machine from a watch and built a supercomputer. Both Patricia and Laurence attended the same high school, where other children alienated them for being weird.

Charlie Jane Ander's

But their friendship didn’t last long as they soon got separated from each other. Patricia ran away when she was accused of witchcraft with the help of a bird. She got later enrolled in the school of witches. During this time, Laurence was sent to the military reform school for his non-confirming attitude.

Ten years later, the adult Patricia and Laurence meet each other at a party. Now, Patricia is a witch who can control her abilities, while Laurence is a part of like-minded geeks building a wormhole generator. Patricia and Laurence try to build a new relationship but got separated from each other due to their different philosophies.

All this happens when the world is going through a difficult phase beset by super storms, earthquakes, and wars destroying humanity. This is just the beginning of the ruins of the planet. Science and magic need to be combined to save the planet, which brings Patricia and Laurence together again. When the story ends, we see both of them reconciling their differences and combining magic and science to stop the unraveling.

What makes the book intriguing is the author’s approach toward her character. Whether it is love or hate, or any other sentiments, the characters are portrayed with intense emotions. We can see how she pushes all the characters to go from one trial to another, making the readers fall in love with all her characters.

Every moment in the book, whether it is an apology, heartbreak, laugh, or hatred, Anders has successfully portrayed what connection means to people.

Promises Stronger Than Darkness book review

Book Review

Charlie, The first two volumes of a brand-new young-adult trilogy, Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, were written by Jane Anders. Additionally, she is the author of the short tale collections Never Say You Can’t Survive and Even Greater Mistakes. The last volume of the utterly heartbreaking young adult (YA) series Unstoppable by international blockbuster author Charlie Jane Anders is titled Promises Stronger Than Darkness.

Charlie Victories Greater Than Death, the first volume in the young-adult trilogy Unstoppable, and the collection of short stories, Even Greater Mistakes, were written by Jane Anders.

short stories

Elza anticipated spending her time in the palace donning exquisite clothing and learning everything there is to know after she was made a space princess. Still, she is actually on the run as everyone is looking for her and her pals.

Rachael goes on the journey of a lifetime with her closest friend Tina, but now that Tina is gone, Rachael is the only person holding her pals together as they go on a desperate mission to free everyone from an old curse.

One hint, one brilliant, enigmatic opportunity to avert the end of the world, has been discovered by Rachael, Elza, and their pals. And that returns them to the last place they would want to be: asking Tina’s body thief Captain Thaoh Argentian for help.

After discovering the premise of this novel, readers were hooked to their seats! It has blessings and curses, a mission to save the planet that is virtually impossible to complete—everything a good science fiction novel should have. In addition to City in the Middle of the Night, All the Birds in the Sky is another of her works. Because Anders used a diverse and gender-fluid cast of heroes to tell this story, it was an essential component of the narrative that attracted people to this novel.

The Unstoppable Gang is up against the cosmos with just a motley crew of misfits, crewmates, Earthlings, friends, lovers, and one bothersome frenemy; they quickly discover that in order to live, they might have to cross a line they pledged never to travel. . But Anders goes on to add another twist, giving Tina’s character a dangerous edge. Because Tina is a famous space captain’s clone and the memory retrieval method is unable to provide essential personal memories, the heroes must devise a new plan.

readers

Those who have read science fiction before may find this book unrefined and awkward. Despite this, the novel has a lot of exciting aspects. The action, with Tina as its captivating main character, will take you on a crazy ride. The reader may anticipate seeing more of it in the novels after this one. It was a pleasant addition.

Never Say You Can’t Survive book review

book review

This book teaches you how to write about your problems. The epidemic and how it affected how we write were both mentioned. While some people struggled to write anything last year, others were more motivated and inventive. Writing about your emotions may be helpful, or it can be a form of defiance.

The idea is that writing fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, may keep you alive when a virus decimates the world. You can imagine new universes in order to stay sane despite the turmoil, division, isolation, and death that COVID has brought about around the globe. Anders makes a good case for it, and it is a valid one. After establishing this, the book’s following chapters are a mixture of autobiographical and writing coaching.

She delves into the specifics of the story, subject, structure, word choice, and other writing elements and offers a number of exercises for novices. However, for new writers, the most engaging sections of the book focus on the writing process’s more inspirational components. She underlines, for instance, that being a writer does not require some unique initiation or rite of passage.new writers

There are no rules in writing, which is another crucial issue that Anders brings out. None. Furthermore, no one should ever use the argument that there are to try to limit you. There is only one requirement for being a writer: you must write. She also discusses the dreaded impostor syndrome, a disorder that affects nearly all authors. To heck with the doubters; write anything you want. However, you want. Finding a network of like-minded individuals so that you can support each other is one way to overcome impostor syndrome, according to Anders, who claims that even well-known authors experience it.

This book also contains a chapter on writing about other people’s cultures and experiences that They found to be exciting and instructive. Anders points out that there is a balance between this and other contentious topics because it has recently been a hot topic. While writing about another culture as if you were a member of it may not be suitable, it is preferable to be inclusive when choosing the characters in your novel. Anders advises employing sensitivity readers to confirm that you are doing everything correctly.

Overall, this is an excellent, light book with lots of intriguing stories and suggestions. The idea that writing or engaging in another creative activity may help you get through difficult times is undoubtedly true. But the fact that there are no regulations is one of the most crucial elements. Please take what you need and dismiss the rest of the practical advice, inasmuch as it pertains to you.

Never Say You Can’t Survive – Book Review

Book Review

About the author

Charlie Jane Andre’s Never Say You Can’t Survive is a masterpiece that takes a unique angle that leaves its readers wanting more. In her book, Anders guides us through the process of creating magnificent art during a challenging time. For instance, if you’re living amidst a global pandemic with people losing lives and health, how is it possible to prioritize your art and focus on it? But, by reading this book, she puts in the reader’s mind that anything is possible at any time, and it depends on your attitude towards the situation. It is also a mini guide for people struggling to get at writing.

reader's mind

However, the author’s take on this matter is opposite to the mass and says that an artist’s work can save peoples’ lives by helping them cope with mental instability during a difficult time like this. They help people escape from a world inside their heads and find solace, hope, and temporary but effective relief from pain and anxiety. She says that writing at a time of the pandemic is not a luxury but a mere necessity.

About the book

One of the book’s most appreciated critical factors is the advice provided to the audience. It mainly talks about a person’s willpower and how they can flourish and overcome any problematic situation in life.

The book was written and published during peak COVID times when people lost hope in life and were looking for a ray of sunshine in their lives. The book states that people have minds. Therefore, they can think and visualize a better tomorrow for themselves, which can help them deal with such situations in a better way.

It also reminds people about the possibility of still living a healthy and dreamful life. The book is filled with memoirs, personal anecdotes, and insights about staying solid and flourishing during tough times.

The chapters in the book follow a clean flow with the perfect division of personal stories and motivation and also act as a writing guide to all beginners. The book’s chapters are organized to connect the audience with a flow of thought. Most parts of the book will excite the readers when they stop and say, ‘yes, I can relate to that.’

readers

Reviews by readers

Many readers stated that it gives them a power from within that they have never sensed before. Most of them also stopped reading to take notes on the different and unique personal quotes from the author Charlie Jane Andre.

Not only does this book act like a memoir and a self-help book, but it also awakens the artist inside a person to create something original and artistic that can make them happy and bring a drastic difference to the entire world. It has something for everyone who happens to read it.

List of books by author Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders is a well-known American author and blogger. She has written many novels, published magazines, and hosted podcasts. In 2005, she was awarded Lambda Literary Award in the transgender category, and four years later, she got the Emperor Norton award. And she became a mainstream novelist with her 2011 novelette Six Months, which got the 2012 Hugo. If you want to learn why her books are so loved, you must check out her works.

All the Birds in the Sky

All the Birds in the Sky

All the Birds in the Sky is the first novel by Anders by Charlie Jane Anders. The story revolves around the childhood friend Patricia Delfine and a mad scientist Laurence Armstead who got separated in mysterious circumstances. But again, after years, they meet in San Fransisco, where Laurence is an engineer and Patricia works with a group of magicians to repair some weird ailment growing on the planet. But some force brings them together, and they embark on a journey together to save the world.

The City in the Middle of the Night

Humanity’s future depends on January, a colonized planet that is divided into the darkness that is frozen on one side and blazing sunlight on the other. In the story, we will encounter a student Sophie who is exiled into the dark for being a part of a revolution.

If you are a sucker for adventure, then get ready to experience the dangerous secrets that Sophie and her friends will uncover.

Victories Greater than death

If you love intergalactic war, you would love Victories Greater than death. The story revolves around a teenager, Tina, an interplanetary rescue beacon keeper. One day her powers will activate, and she will pursue her dream of saving the earth. But her destiny is not what she expected when the bacon gets activated. So, let’s see how Tine will save the world and herself from the cruel destiny.

Six months, three days

In this novelette, the two protagonists, Doug, can see the future, and Judy can see various possibilities for the future. But what will happen when this two fall in love, knowing that it will last only six months and three days?

As good as New

It is a story of three wishes set in an apocalyptical world.

Never say you can’t survive: How to get through hard times by making up stories

Things can be very scary, and you may feel hopeless. But we are not helpless as we have minds and imagination. The book is filled with memoirs, personal anecdotes, and insights that will help us remind that there is a possibility even in unprecedented times.

Dream bigger than heart breaks

A sequel to Victor’s Greater than death, this book is also set in an intergalactic war. In the first part, alien clown Tina and her friends survive the clutches of evil but not without any consequence. But they will fight and become what they are destined to become, even if they have to travel into the heart of evil. So, go through the creative works of Anders and explore a new dimension of fantasy.

Dreamers bigger than heartbreak Review: A thrilling and Immersive Sequel by Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders

This is one of the best works of the internationally bestselling author Charles Jane Anders and is the second installment to her famous Victories greater than Death in the Unstoppable series.

Through this book, Anders takes the readers back to the space we saw in the First part. The book is set a few months after the first sequel, Victories Greater than Death, and our heroes are embarking on a new venture.

In the first book, we see that Tina is not an ordinary teenager but an interplanetary rescue beacon. She believes that one day she will activate the beacon, embark on a journey to save the planet, and go on various adventures among the stars. Tina is intergalactic and is a clone of an alien hero who is hidden. She is left on earth disguised as a human to protect the earth from horrible evils.

But soon, she activated the beacon, but unlike her dreams, her destiny was not what she expected. Instead, things are far more complicated and dangerous than she imagined. But what makes Tine more troubled is that the entire planet believes and expects Tina to be a brilliant tactician, just like the legendary savior Captain Thaoh. But Tina is just Tina.

bestselling author

The royal fleet just managed to escape with the planet with Tina, keeping the planet intact. With the plant still in place, Tina and her crew are determined to save the entire world and save herself. And the readers are left hanging on a cliff- whether Tina can fulfill her destiny and save the planet or not.

In the Dreamers bigger than heartbreak, we see Tina and other crew members embarking on other adventures. However, they escaped the evil in the first book But had to face some consequences.

Rachel, who is a friend of Tina, is an artist. But after they encounter an alien machine, she can no longer do her art. Meanwhile, Elsa, the first human to compete in the princess selection program, was welcomed by an unwelcomed face. While studying at the Royal face academy, Tina has put on a hero’s mask, but she is still struggling and scared of evil. Soon, the trio is forced to meet impossible missions, and they are unsure how to face all the challenges ahead.

One of the greatest aspects of Ander’s book is that she portrays a hero with human emotions. Unlike the other superheroes, who are daring and not afraid to meet any evil, Tina and the other superheroes are unsure of their skills. But, like humans, they also get scared when encountering challenges, which help the readers to connect quickly with the heroes.

Another notable aspect of the book is its rotating POV chapters. Unlike the previous part, Anders gives the spotlight to Rachel and Elza. We get to see the situation from Rachel’s and Elza’a POV, along with a few telecommunications from Tina. Characters are also separated from each other and are sent on individual missions. The book’s engaging nature and intense plot make it very popular, putting the readers on cliffhangers.

Charlie Jane Anders recommends 3 Books that aren’t by men

Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders is the most popular editor-in-chief of the website io9, which is a famous tech–and–culture website. But over the years, Anders established herself as a successful science fiction and fantasy author. From her debut novel All the Birds in the Sky, we cannot deny that Anders has a genius level of engineering skills that focuses on human relationships and emotions.

So, if you want to read a masterpiece that is not written by men, why not consider the judgment of a genius like Charlie Jane Anders? Her list of recommended books ranges from the book by non-male authors that range from magical themes to feminist friendships.

You may look into this guide to learn about the best books by women and non-binary writers.

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

Written by the Nobel Prize Winner Doris Lessing, The Golden Notebook, published in 1962, is a masterpiece. The book has brought to the surface the silenced voices and stories of underclass women and how they are ill-treated by men who use absolute power over them during the uncertain time of the nuclear war.

The book tells the story of Anna Wulf, a divorced single mother and a struggling writer living in London in the 1950s. But what makes the novel intriguing is the form of the book. We will be reading the story of the protagonist in two structures. The first is the standard third-person narration titled Free Women, which has five parts. The second is a first-person narration in the form of diaries or notebooks. The book enables the readers to travel through the struggles and crises of a woman writer.

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

Girls Burn Brighter is an electrifying novel by Indo-American author Shobha Rao 2018. Set in India and America, the novel shows the unusual bond of friendship between two girls, Poornima and Savitha, who are driven apart. The friendship that develops between these two young women gives hope for a good future.

But when a cruel incident drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves everything and takes a journey to the darkest corners of India to find her friend.

Through Shobha Rao, the readers can see the most urgent issues faced by women today, including domestic abuse, immigration issues, trafficking, and feminism. Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. If you are someone who would like to explore the mysterious, dangerous, and adventurous apocalyptic world, Trail in Lighting is the best fantasy fiction that we have got.

fantasy fiction

Maggie Hoskie is a monster hunter and a skilled killer. So, when a small town needs help to find a missing girl, everyone approaches Maggie as a last resort. But what Maggie uncovers is not just a mystery but much more terrifying than what a human could imagine.

With the help of a medicine man, Maggie uncovers clues from the legends, trades favors with tricksters, and confronts witchcraft. With the combination of a fallen United States and many figures from Indigenous American folklore, this book is a work of a genius. So, read these top three picks by the brilliant author Charlie Jane Anders to enjoy reading.

All the Birds in The Sky – Book Review

Book Review

If you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre, then this book is for you! In her book, ‘All the Birds in the Sky ‘, Charlie Jane Anders talks about the moving tales that mainly bursts the boundaries between the fantasy and science fiction genres.

Like any other 21st-century fictional writer, Charlie Jane Anders has explored this combination of genres into a beautifully crafted, funny, and tremendously moving masterpiece.

fictional writer

Book Summary

The book starts as any other conventional adult novel. It centers around the character Patricia Delfine who wanders off into the woods, where she encourages a sparrow and realizes she has the boon of talking to animals. Once her father discovers her remarkable ability, he locks her up in a room for a week, after which this memory becomes dreamlike, but it never recedes.

When such things are taking place at Patricia’s place, the readers are introduced to a boy named Laurence Armstead, who has his own skills and uses these skills. For example, he invents the time machine, which helps him to forward correctly for precisely 2 seconds. Apart from helping him dodge his mundane experiences, it also allows him to encounter rocket scientists, whom he is appointed as an unofficial mascot.

Patricia and Laurence go to the same private school, where they exchange their miraculous stories. Laurence also confides about the supercomputer he built in his bedroom closet. The elders are sent to different schools when they learn about these discoveries.

The story picks up in the middle, where the happenings in their lives are depicted in a sensitive way, adding darkness and humor to the book. Finally, they meet again in their 20s in San Francisco, where the two encourage evergrowing mysteries, where the two together save the world or end it!

Reader’s reviews

Reader’s reviews

According to some readers, the book centers around high school and teenage romance and a bit of science and fiction. However, the others place contradicting statements where they see a slippery border between the two genres.

The book has received mixed criticism from the audience; some loved the different shifts in plots, while others saw it as just another book for entertainment. One of the most critical aspects that have attracted the readers to this book and kept them hooked throughout is the author’s casual and ‘chilled’ style of writing which makes even serious situations something funny. The descriptive texts and long paragraphs help people submerge into the story and lose touch with reality.

Many readers have stated that it is easy to connect the dots in the story and predict the climax. However, despite the mixed reviews, it remains a great book in the sci-fi genre, recommended for people between 15-40.