Annalee Newitz is a favorite author of mine - I have enjoyed both their fiction and nonfiction in the past, going back to their io9 days, and I also enjoyed their podcast with Charlie Jane Anders.
I thought they did a masterful job creating the robot protagonist Paladin in their debut novel Autonomous, and I adored Automatic Noodle, although I didn’t enjoy Terraformers nearly as much. I figured that maybe I just prefer their robot stories.
So I was intrigued when I received a copy of their new book A Wall Is Also A Road from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not disappointed - instead I was bowled away.
I hadn’t read any blurbs or other reviews before I started reading this book so I was surprised and delighted when I found out when and where it was taking place. The protagonist is a unicellular graduate student in a far part of the galaxy. As part of their field research, they end up SPOILER ALERT in Pompeii a few years before Vesuvius erupts. It is clear that the author used a great deal of the research they did for their ancient cities non-fiction book in crafting a vibrant, lived in Pompeii.
This is not one of those books about having to outrace lava flows or stop the eruption. This is a book about growing up and growing into yourself and learning about who you are when you learn about the world. I savored every moment of it and will put it on my Hugo ballot next year for sure.
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