Now is the time to speak of books! Books and also authors and the myriad way things happen.

@MikeRUnderwood is one of those authors whose work has been so consistently excellent, artful, and above all, kind, that I've never been able to understand why he's not already a global superstar.

He legitimately deserves the approbation afforded to the Neil Gaimans and Jim Butcher's of the world, for all that his work is very different from theirs.

Frequently, he seems to be running juuuuuust ahead of a big trend, missing the "strike it big" moment by milliseconds. His Geekomancy books, for example, are still available, and VERY worth your time.

His latest, and upcoming, work, ANNIHILATION ARIA, is possibly the best thing he's ever written. This is the book he's been building toward, and it shows.

The author's note at the back says he wanted to write a book that felt the way GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY made him feel, and he accomplished it. This is pure space opera, wild and wacky and silly and strange, high-stakes and deeply personal all at once.

I could not be happier to have read this book. Recommended for fans of...

@timpratt's AXIOM
TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE (the RPG)
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
KILLJOYS

And really, that's the feeling I most took away from this book. Like I was reading the novelization of someone's kick-ass TFOS campaign.

I love that game so much, there was no way I wouldn't love the book with equal fervor, even though they're completely unconnected.

ANNIHILATION ARIA! Pre-order yours today!