Aestus: Book 1: The City by S. Z. Attwell

Book Description

An underground city, built centuries ago to ride out the devastating heat. A society under attack. And a young solar engineer whose skills may be the key to saving her city…if she doesn’t get herself killed first. After Jossey saves dozens of people during a second attack, she is offered a top-secret assignment as a field Engineer with Patrol, but fear prevents her from taking it…until Patrol finds bones near where her brother disappeared. She signs on and finds herself catapulted into a world that is far more dangerous, and requires far more of her, than she ever imagined.

The creatures and the burning heat aboveground are not the only threats facing the City: one of the greatest threats may in fact lie within. With thousands of lives at stake, can she act in time?

Review

Aestus: Book 1: The City by S.Z. Attwell is an intense mix of science fiction, climate fiction, and political drama. It’s set in a future where humanity has moved underground to escape Earth’s blistering heat. We follow Jossey Sokol, a solar engineer, who’s suddenly swept into a conflict between her city and a mysterious group known as the Onlar, who still live on the surface.

I first learned about Aestus: The City on Twitter (long before the platform turned into a bizarre, dystopian realm) but it’s sat on my Kindle for years. I’m not sure why I waited since I enjoy well-written post-apocalyptic stories. Maybe I got so used to seeing the author put up marketing tweets I thought the book would be around forever. And it is… if you can find a used copy.

Even in Darkness, Light Persists

The book dives deep into themes like survival, class inequality, and betrayal. Attwell handles Jossey’s character development particularly well. We root for Jossey as she deals with trauma and hunts for the truth about her brother’s disappearance. I found Jossey’s evolution from a simple engineer to a pivotal figure in a political and military struggle compelling. The narrative balances action and introspection beautifully, throwing in a dash of mystery and romance to keep things interesting.

Even though it’s a hefty read, the pacing doesn’t lag. I found the rich world-building and twists kept me flipping pages. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Wool by Hugh Howey.

That said, here’s a warning. Aestus: The City ends with a cliffhanger. Argh!

Luckily, Book 2 is already out, so if you are someone who hates loose threads, you can dive right into a second chonker. But, because I haven’t yet read it, I’m not sure I’ve formed an overall opinion of the story.

If you’re into dystopian novels that focus on human resilience, Aestus: The City is a gripping read worth picking up.

Content Warning

Colonialism, Death, Slavery, War, Wounds, Xenophobia

The header photo is a composite image. Base image by Parsing Eye on Unsplash