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New Scientist recommends: Naomi Alderman's sci-fi novel The Power

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

By Thomas Lewton

24 January 2024

Daniela Vega (Sister Maria) — Daniela Vega is Sister Maria in The Power
Ludovic Robert/Amazon Prime Video

I have just finished the TV adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s science fiction novel The Power (pictured above, on Amazon Prime Video), in which a biological quirk causes society to unravel. Young women begin generating electricity in a once-dormant organ, learning how to shoot sparks from their fingertips.

The global balance of power shifts overnight, as told through half a dozen parallel storylines set in different countries. We see revolution in the Middle East, near-biblical resurrection in the US and revenge in eastern Europe…

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