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Johanna Sinisalo: The Core of the Sun (2016) 3 stars

Set in an alternative historical present, in a "eusistocracy"--An extreme welfare state -- that holds …

A very topical dystopia

4 stars

The "Finnish Weird" label that I've seen bandied around fits but also doesn't quite - it had me expecting a bit of a lighter quirkier book than this turned out to be. The first scene or two definitely feels like that, but it quickly becomes apparent that a more serious dystopia is being spun, along lines set out by the cover.

Actually I should praise the cover more: it's one of the best book covers I've ever seen, because it tells a lot of the story but without spoilers since none of it made sense until I had reached the relevant parts of the book.