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John Chu: The Subtle Art of Folding Space (EBook, 2026, Tor Books)

The Subtle Art of Folding Space is the exhilarating debut science fiction novel from Nebula …

The Subtle Art of Folding Space

A weird little book about a family of folks who help maintain the underlying mechanisms and physics of the universe. It's a multidimensional romp through familial trauma, abuse, and food.

(Seriously though, there are so many luscious food descriptions in this book. On top of just normal meals, Daniel is also constantly manifesting his reports as delicious food that need to be consumed to read them.)

The book is a bit over the top, and the folks working for "good" here are always incredibly overpowered for any and all situations that imperil them. The opening scene where Ellie dismantles the janky secret machine that is keeping her mom alive (but also destabilizing physics) is a great opening. I think the strength of this book are in the sibling dynamics between Ellie and Chris, but it's almost so much that it's hard for it not to feel shallow.