Some Desperate Glory (novel)

Plot summary

Decades after Earth's destruction and the deaths of fourteen billion humans in the Majo War, most surviving humans have integrated into majo society, while a few live on the separatist Gaea Station. Valkyr “Kyr,” a human on Gaea ruled by Commander Aulus Jole, is assigned to Nursery despite top combat scores, expected to produce future warriors. Her twin brother Magnus refuses his combat assignment and leaves; Kyr and Magnus’s friend Avi hack Command files and discover Magnus was assigned a secret suicide mission.

The majo are directed by a supercomputer called the Wisdom, which can warp reality. The planet Chrysothemis will soon activate its Wisdom Node. Kyr, Avi, and a majo prisoner named Yiso escape to Chrysothemis, where Kyr reunites with her sister Ursa, who fled after being raped and impregnated by Jole. Kyr rejects Ursa’s de-radicalization program and plans to destroy the Wisdom Node.

At the node, Avi decides to use its powers to win the war for humanity, destroying millions of planets. Kyr kills Avi after Magnus commits suicide. The Wisdom sends Kyr back in time to Doomsday, where she saves Earth and causes humans to win the Majo War.

Reception

Lisa Tuttle in The Guardian described the story as combining thrilling action with thoughtful content on AI, fascism, and gender politics. A starred Publishers Weekly review noted the political theme of breaking away from fascist ideology paired with smart sci-fi worldbuilding and queer coming of age. Charlie Jane Anders in the Washington Post wrote that the story blends thrilling action with a mind-bending course in cosmic metaphysics. Leah von Essen of Booklist compared Kyr’s themes to those of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, stating her growth powers the story. Maya Gittelman for Tor.com called the book an impressively mature and nuanced novel.