Publisher's Weekly Review
Anderton's debut impressively combines far-future world-building, conspiracies, and a redemption quest. Elite architect Tanyana manipulates particles called pions, creating beautiful monuments. After a mysterious accident injures her head, she wakes up unable to see pions but cursed with the ability to see the titular debris, the dangerous offshoot of pion work. Forcibly converted into a cyborg debris collector, she finds herself working with a team of fellow outcasts. The most notable is Lad, a brain-damaged strongman who hears voices that may not be imaginary. As Tanyana adapts to her new way of life and lowered social status, she attempts to persuade anyone-her new team, her upper-class lover, assorted bureaucrats-that the accident was sabotage. Anderton clearly telegraphs the overall plot arc, but keeps it interesting with Tanyana's strong, proud narrative voice and the complex culture built up around the pions and debris. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Guardian Review
In the country of Varnia, pions are intelligent particles of light that gifted individuals can manipulate to build material objects. Tanyana is an architect with the ability to control pions, but disaster strikes during the construction of a massive statue and Tanyana is badly injured. Worse, she has lost her ability and finds herself cast out of society to become a collector of debris - the stuff that accretes in the ancient city wherever pions are used. Australian first-time novelist Anderton has created a refreshingly original and complex far-future society and uses Tanyana's fall, and subsequent investigation into who was behind it, to examine issues of privilege and poverty, loyalty and betrayal. The first book in The Veiled Worlds trilogy marks an accomplished debut. - Eric Brown In the country of Varnia, pions are intelligent particles of light that gifted individuals can manipulate to build material objects. - Eric Brown.
Library Journal Review
Set in a world where mental powers construct fabulous works of engineering and architecture, this series opener revolves around a young woman who can use her abilities to destroy and build. An accomplished debut reminiscent of the visionary works of China Mieville. (LJ 10/15/11) (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.