White Queen

Set in 2038, a world reshaped by violent geology is a place of quakes, eruptions and shifting land. The United States has become a socialist state, a wave of retroviruses moves through the population, and everyday machines run on a powerful organic substance called "clay" rather than microchips.

Johnny Guglio, an American who left his homeland and settled in an African community he now calls home, finds his quiet life upended when extraterrestrial ships touch down nearby. Braemar Wilson, a ruthless journalist, cultivates a friendship with him so she can get ahead on the biggest story of the decade. Nobody can say what the visitors want, and an anti-alien movement called White Queen starts quietly eroding public trust.

As envoys from both worlds negotiate, Braemar and Johnny find themselves in an unusual position, and they must cooperate if they hope to learn what is really happening. The novel opens the first book of Gwyneth Jones's Aleutian trilogy, and it received the James Tiptree Jr. Award.