Annabel Scheme and the Adventure of the New Golden Gate

Annabel Scheme #2

by Robin Sloan

This is a detective story about all the possible versions of a place. It features a bustling city built on a filled-in San Francisco Bay, a pop star tech genius named Quintessandra, a sea witch, and internet teeth.

Excerpted from Robin Sloan's Note to Readers:
"This story was initially published as a daily serial in two Bay Area newspapers, the Mercury News and East Bay Times, in 2020. It ran from June 7 to June 21. ... This adventure is neither sequel nor prequel to the original Annabel Scheme novella published in 2009. It is instead...another possibility. Scheme fans will understand."

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction

ebook

First published June 7, 2020

About the author

Robin Sloan is the author of the novels Sourdough, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and Moonbound, all published in the U.S. by MCD. He grew up in Michigan and now splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley of California.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short & sweet review: Annabel Scheme is back in a new adjacent tale! Scheme is absolutely delightful to read and this version of alternate San Francisco is even more fascinating than the last (burrito launchers!). This is a quick read, and I hope we see more installments in the future! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•
Follow me on Instagram & Twitter @whatalexreads for book reviews, recommendations, and more!

[Don LeClair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Robin Sloan's previous books, Mr. Penumbra and Sourdough. I did like this book, but it is pretty far out there as a fantasy. Annabel Scheme and her digital assistant were a great pair of investigators. The early history of both is rather mysterious, and you can decide if it really gets much clearer at the end.
This is defintely a fast-paced novella. I hope there will be another to unravel some more of the story!

[Erik Hanberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Robin Sloan’s style. It flits so well over science fiction ideas.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Alternate SF Bay areas - and set in one where the whole bay is filled in!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this. It's a novella of 44 pages that was originally published in a newspaper, available to read now online. I am not from California so some of the local references went over my head, but some of them inspired me to study up on the San Francisco. I learned quite a bit!

[Darice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since reading Mr. Penumbra and the 24-hour Bookstore, I follow Robin Sloan's newsletter. Hence when he did funding to publish his latest work I chipped in. The weekly serial story about Annabel Scheme (a follow up to the book 'Annabel Scheme') he wrote for the newspaper. Bundled in an e-book and online web version.

Read: Annabel Scheme and the Adventure of the New Golden Gate

It's an offbeat science fiction/occult story set in the not so distant futuristic future, much like Mr. Penumbra and Sourdough. I think if you are familiar with San Fransisco, especially the Bay Area, you'll enjoy this book much more.

On a sunny Tuesday in June, Stella Pajunas missed her burrito. This wouldn’t have been a problem except that multiple pedestrian onlookers watched her step onto the sidewalk, reach upward, and vanish. Burrito, splat.


Dramatic enough way for a mystery to begin.

[Alisha Pack · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Robin Sloan and his character Annabel Scheme, this is the story for you. In another timeline, Annabel is still sleuthing out weird cases and saving the world. In this timeline, she is asked to investigate the sudden disappearance of one of the most powerful people in San Francisco, but it is a San Francisco that has filled in the bay. As Annabel delves deeper into this disappearance she uncovers a plot to combine all the possible San Franciscos into the best San Francisco. For a wild ride through technology, song, and a really good Boba, check out this story that was originally published as a serial in the East Bay Times, in 2020. It ran from June 7 to June 21.

[Michelleluster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The imagination and creativity of Robin Sloan continues, so far, unbound and energetic. This book is plot driven and hopeful in a time where it’s hard to know what we should hope for. Even if you’re not in or from the Bay Area I’ll bet you get the wistfulness for a bygone time that might not ever come back.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Robin Sloan books I've read so far exist in a shared universe. This one does too, I think; it features a Lois who is extremely different from the Lois of Sourdough but there is no way the name is coincidental. So I'm assuming that the 2 Loises are from different parallel universes (Which works in the context of this novella).

[Robert Luff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, I've really enjoyed these Annabel Scheme novellas! Robin Sloan's wit -- and his ability to make sentences like "The burrito cannons blared at noon" become plausible story hooks -- are a delight to read.
I especially loved the ending, his it causes both novella to sunrise together just the way two disparate Annabel Scheme stories should. I really hope he writes a third one!

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sloan's Annabel Scheme books are a fun read. This one was a bit hard to track down, since it was originally a serial. I'd love to see this as an official kindle/epub release. A spiritual but not direct sequel to the first book, it still manages to charm and call back to the novel. no spoilers here, just a recommendation to read.

[Shrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will happily read anything by Robin Sloan. I appreciate that he writes about the Bay (almost as a state of mind) in the way that New Yorkers write about New York. Plus lots of Easter eggs for folks that have read his other stuff.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this second story. I was a little worried about the San Francisco-centric-ness of it as warned in the reader's note but I let it just wash over me and it was fine. I would love more Annabel stories.

[Lee Thames · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading second 'Annabel Scheme' novel I see his brilliance.

I hope Mr. Sloan takes this in the same direction as Sherlock Holmes. A series of short stories. I missed the first two kickstarter campaigns. I don't plan on missing the next.

[Peter Stonecipher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the Annabel Scheme short stories as much as I did "Sourdough", however, there is just enough of what I like about Robin Sloan's writing here to make these fun and worthwhile.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really think Robin Sloan and I would make good friends, is all.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely little story, it crackles. couldn't put it down

[Martin Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Almost as good as the first one. I love these books so much. I would easily read another 10 or 15.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it as much as the first story. A nice variation on the alternate dimensions theme.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am over the multiverse. And then there is a story like this one. Just a story of another Annabele Scheme noir-ish detective willing to go balls to the wall to save the world.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun short story that takes place in a future SF Bay Area.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I enjoyed the first Annabel Scheme novella more than either of the author’s novels, I was excited for this. Fun little romp, with some lines that are just *chef’s kiss* and an ending full of heart, though it kind of goes sideways in the middle.

[Jeremy Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have often said that if a city doesn’t change, the city dies.

People in the Bay Area love to complain about how it has changed, and how it is now worse than ever.

Change is good. Your favorite part of the city ruined someone else’s favorite part. And that’s ok.

Now where’s my flying burrito?

[Jean Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more like a novella in terms of length — it’s a collection that was originally serialized in a newspaper. I quite like Sloan’s writing (including his newsletters), and this was as enjoyable as anything else I’ve read by him.