A Song for a New Day

My book for February was A Song for a New Day. Casting around for some science fiction to read, I landed on this book. It won the Nebula Award in 2019. It was also a finalist for the 2020 Locus Poll Award for Best Novel and a nsominee for the 2020 Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel.

Sarah Pinsker's A Song for a New Day is a captivating blend of dystopian science fiction and a powerful testament to the enduring power of music. Set in a future scarred by tragedy and tightly controlled by a restrictive government, the story follows Luce Cannon, a once-rising musician whose career is cut short by a ban on live performances. After a global pandemic, public gatherings are illegal and concerts are impossible.

Frankly, like a couple of the books that Carmen gave me for Christmas, this is not a book that I wouldn't have normally read. The description didn't grab me; I enjoy harder science fiction. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book. Two aspects of the book intrigued me. First, given that Drew has made his living as a musician, I enjoyed the descriptions of the emotions involved in playing live music. Second, the plot uses a virtual reality device called a hoodie. It sounds a lot like a very advanced Apple Vison Pro. Given I am toying with the idea of buying a Vision Pro, I was fascinated by how the device was wove into the story.