Read: "Ra" (qntm), a self-published work free to read online. The simple premise is that something resembling "magic" has been discovered as a new branch of physics. Somehow, bizarrely, reality responds predictably to specific incantations, which must be uttered aloud, by people.
The MC is a prodigy of a mage who wants to advance the field far enough to fly into space without a craft - and maybe, just maybe, find her missing mother.
That premise actually reveals little about where the story ends up. This thing has a WILD plot and a large ensemble cast.
I can't explain what the story is really about without major spoilers, and IMO it's ideal to read this one blind, but I will say that artificial superintelligence ends up figuring in it. The events grow beyond Laura's personal quests and become truly epic in scope.
"Ra" has a weird narrative structure that employs tons of flashbacks and abruptly introduces new threads.
Honestly, it often left me thinking "Wait, WHAT now?". But everything resolves into a coherent whole if you honor it with some patience, and the diversions never get boring.
That loopy, crazy plot is the book's main strength. It will set your expectations and then mess them up multiple times. It's well-written too. I found the prose a *little* florid at first, but soon stopped noticing. And I love the pseudo-technical descriptions of magic; those were nicely done.
The ending may or may not be a downer, depending on your perspective. Some characters get out with happy lives; some don't. But this book is more about its high concepts than the individuals that play them out. Whether pleasant or not, the conclusion is at least *interesting.*
What troubled me more was my overall impression of brutality. I wouldn't call most of the main characters evil per se, but they are harsh and pragmatic and are treated harshly in turn.
Kindness, forgiveness, and loyalty are in short supply. Violence happens reflexively.
By the end, I was weary of watching people rip each other's throats out, and felt I'd done the mental equivalent of eating something that didn't agree with me, and needed to sleep it off. It's suspenseful, it's thought-provoking, but I don't know if I'd call it *fun.*
If you'd like to read "Ra" it is available from the author at https://qntm.org/ra.
@WriterOfMinds I have it bookmarkedwaiting for my right shoulder and arm to make a comeback.
@WriterOfMinds A good ending is where the audience's relation to the world is improved in some way, i feel. Which seems to agree with your view if i'm not mistaken?
@robinhartley What I'm defining as a "downer ending" here is one in which things turn out poorly for the setting and/or characters in the book, likely depressing the audience. Again, whether this book has a downer ending will probably be very dependent on individual reader opinion.
@WriterOfMinds Yeah, there are some other works that don't have the peachiest of outcomes, but can generate so many novel thoughts. I'd guess you've seen or played SOMA, so we probably on the same page about it. 