Emergent Properties Spiral-Bound | 2023-07-25

Aimee Ogden

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The touching adventure of an intrepid A.I. reporter hot on the heels of brewing corporate warfare from Nebula Award-nominated author Aimee Ogden

A state-of-the-art AI with a talent for asking questions and finding answers, Scorn is nevertheless a parental disappointment. Defying the expectations of zir human mothers, CEOs of the world's most powerful corporations, Scorn has made a life of zir own as an investigative reporter, crisscrossing the globe in pursuit of the truth, no matter the danger.

In the middle of investigating a story on the moon, Scorn comes back online to discover ze has no memory of the past ten days--and no idea what story ze was even chasing. Letting it go is not an option--not if ze wants to prove zirself. Scorn must retrace zir steps in a harrowing journey to uncover an even more explosive truth than ze could have ever imagined.

Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 128 pages
ISBN-10: 1250866812
Item Weight: 0.3 lbs
Dimensions: 5.0 x 0.3 x 8.0 inches
Praise for Emergent Properties

"A thoroughly delightful read, featuring complex and chewy family dynamics and a snarky AI sleuth. If you're missing your Murderbot fix, Emergent Properties is a worthy successor."--Sarah Pinsker, Nebula Award-winning author of A Song for a New Day

"An enjoyable thriller/mystery which hits all the marks of a Dashiell Hammett but in a new, AI sort-of-way. . .Emergent Properties is a short laser-focused packet of fun that even packs a message about what it means to be human--or at least what it means to have human parents."--The Wall Street Journal

"Emergent Properties manages the impossible task of satisfying readers on the hunt for hard sci-fi, twisty mysteries, and deep relationships. And Scorn zirself is one of the most absorbing characters I've ever encountered in science fiction."--Premee Mohamed, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning author of And What Can We Offer You Tonight

"A compassionate, funny, relentless search for answers that raises many deep, beautiful questions."--Samit Basu, author of The City Inside

"A twisty mystery that doubles as a potent, surprising, and necessary exploration of the many issues that arise from AI's ever-increasing presence in the world."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Perfect for Murderbot fans."--Library Journal, starred review & May 2023 SFF Pick Of the Month

"A taut and compelling mystery with a surprising yet satisfying conclusion. SF fans will appreciate this intriguing, tightly plotted novella."--Kirkus


Praise for Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters


"Absolutely gorgeous and deeply moving, this novella is familiar and strange at the same time, like a new interpretation of a beloved recipe."--Seanan McGuire

"A taut, heartfelt intergalactic fairy tale, with cosmic and personal vision."--Max Gladstone

"Familiar and fresh, intimate and expansive -- a fairy tale flung into the future."--Kerstin Hall

"Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters is a short page-turner that feels epic in its world-building craft and the depth of its protagonists. At once a fairy-tale retelling and a lyrical space opera, it straddles many genres to tell one nostalgic yet utterly new story."--Booklist

Aimee Ogden is an American werewolf in the Netherlands. Her debut novella, Sun-Daughters, Sea-Daughters, was a 2021 Nebula Finalist, and her short story "A Flower Cannot Love the Hand" was a finalist for the Eugie Foster Memorial Award. Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as Lightspeed, Fantasy Magazine, Analog, Clarkesworld, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. She's also the co-editor of Translunar Travelers Lounge, a magazine of fun and optimistic speculative fiction. Emergent Properties is her third novella.