The Committee to Nuke Elysium

Johnston’s ability to, essentially, stealth-worldbuild is impressive, making the growth of the story past the central mystery of Abi and Michael seem both natural and effortless, drawing the reader in without tipping his hand about what he’s doing, or even where he’s going next (Within the 300+ pages of the Apocalyptic Edition collection, there’re a couple of reveals that surprise but make sense and stand up to re-readings). Making the characters recognizable without making them too familiar – and, thankfully, staying clear of cliched fake-swearing or language which shows that the writer is trying a little too hard to tell us that this world is different, really – he manages to pull our sympathies towards his characters while still giving them the space to surprise and make the wrong decisions without losing our interest or empathy.