Ack-Ack Macaque
Ack-Ack Macaque is a science fiction novel by English writer Gareth L. Powell.
Plot summary
Ack-Ack Macaque is based on Powell's earlier short story of the same name, which won the Interzone reader's poll in 2007.[1] The original short story is included as an appendix to the novel. The novel has aspects of alternative history as in this version of reality the United Kingdom and France merged in the 1950s to form the nation of Brittany. The macaque of the title is the star of a highly regarded, exclusive massively multiplayer online role-playing game (with the roguelike feature of character death being final) which is itself set in an alternate reality World War II. The main character in the novel is former journalist Victoria Valois, who attempts to track down the man who murdered her husband and stole her neural implant while the heir to the throne of Brittany becomes a fugitive after breaking into a Parisian research laboratory. As the novel progresses, these strands are drawn together and the true purpose of the macaque is revealed.
A sequel, Hive Monkey, was released in 2014.[2]
Critical reception
The novel gained Powell a third review from Eric Brown in The Guardian. Brown described the novel as "inventive" with "brilliant cliffhangers" and a "satisfying conclusion".[3]
Philip Reeve said that the novel "could all be quite exhausting, but it's done with such obvious enthusiasm that it's impossible not to be carried along by it."[4]
The novel was a joint winner of the 2013 BSFA Award for Best Novel with Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice.[5]
References
- ^ "'Ack-Ack Macaque Tops Interzone Readers Poll'". garethlpowell.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ^ "'Book Deal: Hive Monkey to Solaris'". garethlpowell.com. Archived from the original on 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ^ Eric Brown (11 January 2013). "Science fiction review roundup". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
- ^ "'Macaque Attack'". Philip Reeve. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ^ "BSFA Award Winners Announced". The British Science Fiction Association. Archived from the original on 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
External links
- Ack-Ack Macaque title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Ack-Ack Macaque on Gareth L. Powell's website
- v
- t
- e
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- The Jagged Orbit by John Brunner (1970)
- Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke (1973)
- Inverted World by Christopher Priest (1974)
- Orbitsville by Bob Shaw (1975)
- Brontomek! by Michael G. Coney (1976)
- The Jonah Kit by Ian Watson (1977)
- A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick (1978)
- The Unlimited Dream Company by J. G. Ballard (1979)
- Timescape by Gregory Benford (1980)
- The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe (1981)
- Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss (1982)
- Tik-Tok by John Sladek (1983)
- Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock (1984)
- Helliconia Winter by Brian W. Aldiss (1985)
- The Ragged Astronauts by Bob Shaw (1986)
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- Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock (1988)
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- The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter (1995)
- Excession by Iain M. Banks (1996)
- The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (1997)
- The Extremes by Christopher Priest (1998)
- The Sky Road by Ken MacLeod (1999)
- Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle (2000)
- Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds (2001)
- The Separation by Christopher Priest (2002)
- Felaheen by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (2003)
- River of Gods by Ian McDonald (2004)
- Air by Geoff Ryman (2005)
- End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (2006)
- Brasyl by Ian McDonald (2007)
- The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod (2008)
- The City & the City by China Miéville (2009)
- The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (2010)
- The Islanders by Christopher Priest (2011)
- Jack Glass by Adam Roberts (2012)
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie and Ack-Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell (tie) (2013)
- Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (2014)
- The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard (2015)
- Europe in Winter by Dave Hutchinson (2016)
- The Rift by Nina Allan (2017)
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- Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2019)
- The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (2020)