Taraxippus is coming: a black hole one tenth the mass of the sun is about to enter the solar system.

Matt and his friends are taking no chances. They board a mobile aquaculture rig, the Mandjet, self-sustaining in food, power and fresh water, and decide to sit out the encounter off-shore. As Taraxippus draws nearer, new observations throw the original predictions for its trajectory into doubt, and by the time it leaves the solar system, the conditions of life across the globe will be changed forever.

I think I’ve got, at most, just a small handful of books at home that might fall into the cli-fi subgenre, but I don’t think I’ve read any of them (that endless struggle!) But for sure, Greg Egan’s new novella, Perihelion Summer would fall into that category!

This is a smartly written book, and one that feels incredibly realistic, which ultimately makes the whole thing pretty fucking scary. I wouldn’t exactly call this one a MUST READ, but I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Our main character is Matt. We don’t get tons of background info about him or his qualifications, but what we do know is that Matt has constructed an aquaculture boat…it’s basically a huge floating ring, which allows for lots of travelers. In the center is a big net, which almost functions like a fishery. It’s self sustaining, to a point.

Which is good…because a black hole is moving towards earth, and cataclysmic climate change follows. Matt and some of his friends take refuge in the ocean. What follows in the book is sort of like the early days of a post-apocalyptic story. People are struggling to hang on to their way of life, while Earth’s infrastructure collapses all around them. Death tolls are high, as the temperatures become extreme in both directions.

There’s not a ton of character development in this, but we do get some glimpses into the type of guy Matt is, and how he’s just motivated to help people, however he can.

The book is never overly scientific, which I appreciated. It’s much more about how people will (or won’t) come together in the face of this catastrophic change to our planet. In that regard, of course this feels like a deeply troubling cautionary tale.

Thanks to TOR.COM PUBLISHING for sending me a copy!! Perihelion Summer releases today, April 16th!!