Justina Robson is a science fiction author known for her imaginative storytelling and thought-provoking themes. Born in Leeds, England, Robson developed a passion for SF and F at an early age. She pursued her academic interests by studying philosophy and linguistics at the University of York, which helped shape her unique perspective on the genre.

Her debut novel, "Silver Screen," was published in 1999 and garnered critical acclaim for its inventive blend of cyberpunk and fantasy elements; a continuing hallmark in her work. Since then, she has continued to captivate readers with stories exploring artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the boundaries of human existence.

Her most recent book is the excellent short story anthology, "Our Savage Heart," from Newcon Press.

This bio was created by Justina with the help of ChatGPT, because it seemed fitting that something which is publicised as an AI, but isn't one, should write about her when it was "trained to write" using her work without permission. At least she gave it a credit here, which is more than she got.

Mappa Mundi by Justina Robson

"Mappa Mundi" delves into the ethical and societal implications of advanced neurotechnology. Set in a near-future world, the story weaves a complex narrative involving multiple characters and intersecting plotlines. Intricate storytelling and richly drawn characters make this novel a compelling read, challenging readers to consider the potential and peril of a world where minds can be mapped and manipulated.

At the heart of the novel is Natalie Armstrong, a scientist working on the development of Mappa Mundi, a groundbreaking technology capable of mapping and altering human identity. Her work promises revolutionary changes in treating mental illnesses and enhancing human capabilities, but in the wrong hands it could reduce people to meat machines that can be programmed by apps.

Parallel to Natalie's story is the narrative of Jude Westhorpe, a security officer grappling with the moral ambiguities of his job in a world where personal privacy and freedom are under constant threat. As Natalie and Jude's paths converge, they uncover a conspiracy that reaches into the highest echelons of power, threatening everyone's autonomy with extinction.

CURATOR'S NOTE

I still remember picking this book up when it was first published and being blown away by Justina's imagination (it was rightfully nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award). If you've not read her yet, you're in for a treat! – Lavie Tidhar

 

REVIEWS

  • "For fans of Brave New World or Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, if they met Thomas Pynchon in a cybercafé. Lowdown: A lyrical, attentively written anti-utopia. Grade: A-"

    – Entertainment Weekly

  • "Robson blends the tropes of a high-tech thriller with nuanced character portraits and fascinating scientific speculation, creating a novel that poses deep questions about vulnerability and identity....a compelling, intelligent novel that doesn't flinch from tough questions and refuses to settle for easy answers."

    – Fantasy Magazine

  • "Robson's third novel to appear in the U.S. ... maintains throat-tightening suspense from its teasingly enigmatic introduction of its major characters to its painful conclusion that evil will succeed if well-meaning people try to achieve good at any cost....Shortlisted for the 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this near-future SF thriller presents convincing characters caught in profound moral dilemmas brought home through exquisite attention to plot details and setting."

    – Publishers Weekly

  • "Once in a great while you stumble upon a book that gets a firm grip on your imagination and just will not let go. Even when you are out - driving, eating in a restaurant, carrying on a conversation - you're thinking about that book, anxious to get back to find out what happens next. Enter into that restrictive list, Mappa Mundi."

    – SFsite.com
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Natalie moved backwards, into the room, and got into bed without taking her eyes off the window. Curled and chilly in the comforter she stared at the stars and listened hard to the sound of hers and Karen's mothers talking in the kitchen below, the chink of ice in a glass, the sound of the television where Karen's dad was watching a police programme. Beyond it all she could hear the wood. A silent vastness, brimming full of ancient secrets and chaos, waiting, eating the lie of the Blue World, looking towards her with clever eyes which had already calculated the total of her crimes against it.

And she wondered, lying there and waiting for the defeat and terror of sleep, whether the wood could be kept at bay entirely by lies. If making up a thing and having it seem true was all there was to making things true. If the world, without a witness, was infinitely malleable.

That was why Karen was so desperate to talk the protection of the blue magic into being. That was why everyone constantly talked and shared and agreed on so many things that she, Natalie, didn't understand. Money, politics, current affairs, gardening, housework, laundry. Did their saying make it so? Had they created everything that way? They spoke with the conviction of knowledge.

But suppose that the fragility of it all was something they had forgotten with age? Then they would be safe, because their certainty in their own stories was absolute, and certainty was protection magic at its height.

Natalie was not certain. She longed to be, but how could she pretend it, when she knew the truth? That the safe world was a web of lies, beneath which the shunned reality waited, a master of infinite patience and terrible revelation.