Science Fiction
Jasmyn is one of those books that looks simple from the outside and then quietly unhooks the floorboards.
The setup is almost disarmingly plain, but Alex Bell uses that to make the whole thing feel unstable in a really effective way. Less “big sci-fi concept” than “something is off and you can’t quite settle into it”. I liked that. It’s a good example of genre-blind storytelling, actually. If you want sharp emotional unease more than shiny plotting, this is the sort of book that stays with you.
The setup is almost disarmingly plain, but Alex Bell uses that to make the whole thing feel unstable in a really effective way. Less “big sci-fi concept” than “something is off and you can’t quite settle into it”. I liked that. It’s a good example of genre-blind storytelling, actually. If you want sharp emotional unease more than shiny plotting, this is the sort of book that stays with you.
That kind of premise can be a trap if the book leans too hard on the “something is off” feeling and forgets to give the reader a solid thread to hold. Still, I’m more interested in this than in another sci-fi novel trying to impress me with machinery. If the unease is doing the work, fair enough. If it’s just fog, less so.