We Have Always Been Here

April 12, 2021
A strange madness takes hold of a ship when it lands on an unexplored planet in Nguyen's suspenseful debut. Natural disasters have decimated Earth's population, and the survivors are in the process of spreading across the galaxy, governed by the Interstellar Frontier, or ISF. The ISF orders 13 experts, among them perspicacious psychologist Grace Park, to travel to the newly discovered planet Eos to determine whether it's habitable. Despite her occupation, Park has always felt more kinship with androids than with her fellow humans, making her a pariah among the crew. But when her mentor disappears into a top secret project, Park is the only person with the know-how to treat her colleagues for mental disturbances. Her new responsibilities fill her with "a throat-aching terror" as a deadly, mysterious condition rapidly spreads among her crewmates, making them behave as though possessed. Meanwhile, Park suspects that everyone but her knows a secret about Eos. As it becomes painfully clear that the ship's androids are her only allies, Park must race to stop the madness before she falls victim to it herself. Nguyen immerses readers in a chilling landscape while effortlessly softening the more sinister moments with wistful, dreamlike flashbacks. This impressive sci-fi thriller marks Nguyen as a writer to watch. Agent: Matt Bialer, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc.

May 1, 2021

DEBUT Doctor Grace Park is a psychologist aboard the survey ship Deucalion to observe the 13 crew members as they journey to the planet Eos, an icy expanse in an otherwise unexplored galaxy. Each of the crew members is a specialist in their field, hand-picked to figure out whether Eos can be habitable. When a malaise sweeps through the crew, Grace finds herself without support. Most of the other crew members begin to treat her with disdain and hostility, both for her position and her treatment of the androids aboard the ship. Then a radiation storm cuts off communication, humans and androids both begin to act strangely, and paranoia runs rampant. Grace discovers that secrets abound on the ship--about the crew, the androids, and Eos. Grace is a flawed and isolated character; we get glimpses into her Earth-born past that parallel and inform her current self, showing that there is more division in life than man vs. machine. VERDICT An exciting debut that delves into themes of corporate conscription, the definition of humanity, and the complexity of relationships. This science fiction thriller will keep readers guessing and wondering past the final page. --Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2021
A sprawling space exploration agency, a divided crew, and a ship full of uncanny androids converge on a mysterious planet. Grace Park is one of two psychologists on a ship bound for Eos, ostensibly to study whether the planet is fit for human colonization. But the space agency, ISF, buoyed by deteriorating conditions on Earth that force people into a life of conscription in exchange for a place on a colonized planet, maintains a tight control over the crew, which means that Park might not know their true mission. It's unlikely that anyone will tell her what's really going on either--her crewmates don't trust her because of her close relationship with the ship's androids and because they think she might be a spy for ISF. As the crew arrives at the planet to begin their explorations, they fall ill one by one, complaining of strange dreams and behaving erratically. Park wants to find out the truth, but how can she if only the androids are on her side? As Park's paranoia increases and the androids grow stronger, it becomes increasingly clear that there's more to the planet than anyone knows, including ISF. Nguyen's debut is claustrophobic and dark, full of twisting ship corridors and unreliable characters. While many of these elements have been seen before, Nguyen combines them in ways that raise questions about totalitarian systems, environmental destruction, and the nature of humanity. A promising, atmospheric debut.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2021
Those aboard the Deucalion are slowly being manipulated by something in the hold of the ship, possibly picked up on the planet Eos. The limited crew is slowly losing time or imagining things; they are being cytogenetically frozen to protect them from the effects of whatever is going on. Grace Park, a psychologist specializing in the cues subconsciously given by humans in their body and face, is an outsider with the crew. She has an affinity with the android crew because of her upbringing in New Diego, a biodome off the coast of the States, where she was raised by a workaholic uncle with only her android, Glenn, for company. The others on the crew mistrust her, but the way she views and treats the androids on the ship puts her in the perfect position to figure out what is wrong. Park can't really trust her shipmates or reality, but must quickly discover what is happening on the ship as more of the crew are showing signs that they are impacted by Eos. Nguyen's debut seamlessly blends the nail-biting pace of a thriller with the detailed set pieces of science fiction, perfect for fans of either genre.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Those aboard the Deucalion are slowly being manipulated by something in the hold of the ship, possibly picked up on the planet Eos. The limited crew is slowly losing time or imagining things; they are being cytogenetically frozen to protect them from the effects of whatever is going on. Grace Park, a psychologist specializing in the cues subconsciously given by humans in their body and face, is an outsider with the crew. She has an affinity with the android crew because of her upbringing in New Diego, a biodome off the coast of the States, where she was raised by a workaholic uncle with only her android, Glenn, for company. The others on the crew mistrust her, but the way she views and treats the androids on the ship puts her in the perfect position to figure out what is wrong. Park can't really trust her shipmates or reality, but must quickly discover what is happening on the ship as more of the crew are showing signs that they are impacted by Eos. Nguyen's debut seamlessly blends the nail-biting pace of a thriller with the detailed set pieces of science fiction, perfect for fans of either genre.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.