Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomorrow and Tomorrow | 2014 | Tom Sweterlitsch | Buy |
| 2 | The Gone World | 2018 | Tom Sweterlitsch | Buy |
Tom Sweterlitsch has published two standalone novels, both of which combine science fiction premises with the structure and mood of crime fiction. The books are unrelated to each other and can be read in either order, though Tomorrow and Tomorrow came first.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow (2014) imagines a future Pittsburgh that has been destroyed by a nuclear explosion. The city exists only as a detailed digital recreation, and a man named Dominic becomes obsessed with solving a murder he discovered within the archive. The Gone World (2018) follows NCIS agent Shannon Moss, who investigates the murder of a Navy SEAL’s family while using classified time-travel technology that allows her to visit possible futures. The book was widely praised for the way it blends hard science fiction with procedural investigation.
Both novels share Sweterlitsch’s interest in Pittsburgh as a setting and his talent for building mysteries that work on both a genre level and a more philosophical one. The Gone World received particular attention for its complex plotting and was optioned for a film adaptation. Readers who enjoy sci-fi that reads like a detective novel will find a lot to like here.