A great new sci-fi novel for Iain M. Banks fans, a masterpiece French crime epic, and a great new jangly power-pop album

Roundup 01/19/2024

Greetings from Read Max HQ, and welcome to our weekly roundup column, in which I pick out some worthwhile and often overlooked books, articles, movies, and music to recommend to paying subscribers. For this week’s round-up, I’ve got:

• An excellent new sci-fi novel about space travel and alien intelligence for fans of Iain M. Banks, Martha Wells, and Charles Stross;

• a phenomenal crime epic set in French prison, now available on Netflix; and

• a terrific new album in the vein of Hüsker Dü and Big Star.

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Now, the roundup.