Book excerpt: This is a work of neurodiverse, culturally diverse, gender-bendy, socio-politico-economic, drunken-arguments-in-the-pub science fiction – not bang-bang-pew-pew science fiction. Other stories will take you to Mars. This one will take you inside the boardroom, the pub, and the bedroom with the people planning the mission. Gurdeep is an engineer and a soldier. Georgie’s a food scientist. One is pragmatic with a tough outer shell; the other's an optimist, a person of ideas and compassion. In the span of a single afternoon, the couple find themselves in charge of planning a self-sustaining colony on Mars. Together, they’re humanity’s last hope for survival. They have 160 slots to fill with experts from all over the world as they set about designing an all-new society with its own government, economy, and culture – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Among those chosen for the mission is Devon, an autistic scientist with a unique skill set who finds life on Earth strange and alienating. Maybe a whole new planet is exactly what's needed. With 1,114 days until the launch, excitement and tensions run high. Earth’s second chance hangs in the balance. Between strict genetic requirements and the dangers of the dystopian almost-present, will everyone make it to the final countdown? REVIEWS 'This book is tailor-made for armchair scientists who enjoy the process of world building. Devon’s Island is a surprisingly topical book for our moment, and I look forward to seeing where Clarke takes the story next.' Miranda, The Lesbian Review 'It reminded me of Becky Chambers but a bit more sciencey.' Sarah, GoodReads 'No character is who you expect them to be.' Caroline, Amazon UK * * * * * * * * * Fans of these other spec-fic authors may also enjoy this series: Gareth Powell, Robert J Sawyer, Becky Chambers, Charlie Jane Anders, Lindsay Buroker, John Scalzi, John Wilker, Matthew Metzger, Kaia Sønderby, Corinne Duyvis, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dave Walsh, Mike Chen, P. Djèlí Clark, Charles Stross, Laura Lam, Elizabeth May, Temi Oh File under: fully automated luxury gay space communism, hard science fiction, feminist sci-fi, quirky characters, misfit characters, Canadian, British, strong female characters, lesbian characters, asexual, autistic characters, found family, outsiders, London, Scotland, near-future, impending disaster, queer fiction, Mars colony, planning for disaster, pandemic fiction, multicultural, fictional pubs