Nova Swing, by M. John Harrison. In a far future universe, a piece of unstable matter called the Kefahuchi Tract has fallen to ground on a run-down vacation planet. Mysteriously, dozens of black cats pour out of the Event Site each evening, only to saunter back in the next morning. Meanwhile, a diverse cast of characters, each struggling with his or her own noirish sense of ennui, are drawn to the site's tractless geography of warped physics—for speculative science types, it’s something like a naked singularity—where anything can happen. Little do these adventurers realize, whatever or whoever ventures into Kefahuchi (except perhaps the cats) does not remain unchanged... A remarkable blend of dark urban fantasy, speculative science, and beautifully poetic writing, Nova Swing is an exploration of human curiosity and drive that will leave readers willing to brave its unanswered questions with a sense they’ve just read something mythic. Nova Swing is intended as a companion piece to Harrison’s Light, but it is not necessary to have read the earlier novel. Reviewed by Constance O'Shea, ILL/CM Assistant [June 17, 2008]