Chasing the Dragon (Quantam Gravity)
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Product Description
Product Description
Lila Black returns in the fourth volume of high-octane, high-magic, high-tech adventures. For ten years now mankind has lived in Otopia - our world, but our world changed. Ever since the Quantum Bomb our dimension and realms of faerie, demonia, of the elementals and of death have been intermingled. We live alongside creatures from our myths, dreams and nightmares. Lila Black, half-robot, all attitude works for Otopia's secret service. In love with a half-elf, half-demon, and carrying the spirit of another elf inside her, her life is quite complicated enough already. But other complications, other loves, other fears, other deaths wait just around the next dimensional corner. This is bright, fast moving and accessible SF that mixes in fantasy and a cool cult-lit sensibility to create a series that will appeal to all fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Peter Hamilton alike.
About the Author
Justina is from Leeds, a city in Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to write and always did. Other things sometimes got in the way and sometimes still do...but not too much.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the fourth book in the Quantum Gravity series. You have to read the previous books ('Keeping It Real', 'Selling Out' and 'Going Under') to have any chance of making sense of this one.
It is fifty Otopian (Earth) years since the end of 'Going Under'. What in Faery would have been a year and a day, as Lila bargained, has wrought huge changes. Sarasilien has disappeared, Zal is nowhere to be found, only Teazle and Malachi, initially, seem to be pretty much as they were. Lila, although human, has been changed; metal elementals have broken down the boundary between her flesh and her cyborg implants. There is a lot to fix.
That's the start. From there, the whole novel turns into something pretty extraordinary. I have to say that I think this is far and away the best book of the series so far. It is dark, brooding, very well written with many powerful and evocative metaphors and classic one-liners. It almost defines its own genre.
Initially, the series seemed a bit 'The Lord of the Rings' meets 'Terminator' but slowly the books have evolved into a sort of exploration of alternate dimensions (the realms of Faery, Alfheim, Demonia and the rest) phase-shifts in reality, 'magic' that is based on manipulation of Superstrings and the Quantum Foam. In places, it reads more like Michio Kaku.
And slowly the books have been stripping away the layers of 'reality' to try and find a base, a starting point, almost a big bang. Metaphorical creatures and places abound - besides elves, faeries and demons, we have angels, the Three Sisters, Thanatopia (and death is not quite what it appears to be), the Void, Under, dragons and Mother Night. Even half-machine human Lila is in touch with The Signal, her own 'Akasha' (from Wicki: 'the Sanskrit word meaning "aether" in both its elemental and mythological senses...is the omnipresent incontrovertible transcendent eternal source of all energy, the realm of promise, potential, paths to be walked and the primal source that creates and nourishes the other four elements...').
Slipping between these dimensions/realms/realities, sometimes without much warning, this book can be hard to figure, to nail down. It is really pretty trippy in places, reminding me both of Jeff Noon and 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', even 'Time Bandits' and 'Hellboy 2'.
Still, overall, you do empathise with these creatures, you do get involved in their trippy worlds and that is partly because of the story but also because of the writing. Justina Robson's writing is tight, clear, precise and highly evocative. There are some great characters here - besides Lila, Malachi, Teazle and Zal, there's the tragic human strandloper Calliope Jones, the remarkable cheroot smoking, bourbon drinking Glinda, the curious Mr V, even the relatively mundane Temple Greer - who all add depth and purpose. And then there's Tatterdemalion...can you call a dress a 'character'? Apparently so.
It is not a light read. You need to keep your wits about you as scenes change midway through sentences, characters change midway through scenes, but hang in there, it's worth it. And it's a truly worthy addition to the series.
Thanks again Justina!
It is fifty Otopian (Earth) years since the end of 'Going Under'. What in Faery would have been a year and a day, as Lila bargained, has wrought huge changes. Sarasilien has disappeared, Zal is nowhere to be found, only Teazle and Malachi, initially, seem to be pretty much as they were. Lila, although human, has been changed; metal elementals have broken down the boundary between her flesh and her cyborg implants. There is a lot to fix.
That's the start. From there, the whole novel turns into something pretty extraordinary. I have to say that I think this is far and away the best book of the series so far. It is dark, brooding, very well written with many powerful and evocative metaphors and classic one-liners. It almost defines its own genre.
Initially, the series seemed a bit 'The Lord of the Rings' meets 'Terminator' but slowly the books have evolved into a sort of exploration of alternate dimensions (the realms of Faery, Alfheim, Demonia and the rest) phase-shifts in reality, 'magic' that is based on manipulation of Superstrings and the Quantum Foam. In places, it reads more like Michio Kaku.
And slowly the books have been stripping away the layers of 'reality' to try and find a base, a starting point, almost a big bang. Metaphorical creatures and places abound - besides elves, faeries and demons, we have angels, the Three Sisters, Thanatopia (and death is not quite what it appears to be), the Void, Under, dragons and Mother Night. Even half-machine human Lila is in touch with The Signal, her own 'Akasha' (from Wicki: 'the Sanskrit word meaning "aether" in both its elemental and mythological senses...is the omnipresent incontrovertible transcendent eternal source of all energy, the realm of promise, potential, paths to be walked and the primal source that creates and nourishes the other four elements...').
Slipping between these dimensions/realms/realities, sometimes without much warning, this book can be hard to figure, to nail down. It is really pretty trippy in places, reminding me both of Jeff Noon and 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', even 'Time Bandits' and 'Hellboy 2'.
Still, overall, you do empathise with these creatures, you do get involved in their trippy worlds and that is partly because of the story but also because of the writing. Justina Robson's writing is tight, clear, precise and highly evocative. There are some great characters here - besides Lila, Malachi, Teazle and Zal, there's the tragic human strandloper Calliope Jones, the remarkable cheroot smoking, bourbon drinking Glinda, the curious Mr V, even the relatively mundane Temple Greer - who all add depth and purpose. And then there's Tatterdemalion...can you call a dress a 'character'? Apparently so.
It is not a light read. You need to keep your wits about you as scenes change midway through sentences, characters change midway through scenes, but hang in there, it's worth it. And it's a truly worthy addition to the series.
Thanks again Justina!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a self professed "hard core" science fiction addict I've kept quiet about my enjoyment of this series from Justina Robson not through embarrassment or reserve just a view that others would be better reviewers. Of course that's not to say that this isn't just as hard core as stuff from Peter Hamilton or Alistair Reynolds but that the series has an overlay/spine of emotion, metaphor and whimsy which distinguishes it from many other works.
I've thoroughly enjoyed every book in the series; the world building, characterisation, plot and heart behind it are without compare and in her heroine, Lila Black, she has created one of the most interesting, compelling and basically sexy literary creations I've read in quite some time.
However I didn't enjoy this volume in the series quite as much as the others, as Lila's journey moves from the material world to those more and more radically different from "here'n'now" the narrative for me has lost its way somewhat. It's often said that the best books are those which deliver new insights to the reader upon each successive reading, and that was certainly true of the last volume, "Going Under", but for me the middle third of the book was a trifle too stuffed with metaphor and allusion to maintain the tight focus the previous books had.
In short this is a good volume in a great series; it's just not quite as good as those which came before it.
I've thoroughly enjoyed every book in the series; the world building, characterisation, plot and heart behind it are without compare and in her heroine, Lila Black, she has created one of the most interesting, compelling and basically sexy literary creations I've read in quite some time.
However I didn't enjoy this volume in the series quite as much as the others, as Lila's journey moves from the material world to those more and more radically different from "here'n'now" the narrative for me has lost its way somewhat. It's often said that the best books are those which deliver new insights to the reader upon each successive reading, and that was certainly true of the last volume, "Going Under", but for me the middle third of the book was a trifle too stuffed with metaphor and allusion to maintain the tight focus the previous books had.
In short this is a good volume in a great series; it's just not quite as good as those which came before it.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have noticed that Robson can go off on one and the sci-fi element can get a bit esoteric for me. However, although she does indeed get into some complicated fantasy sci-fi notions she hasn't strayed away from her story, and at the end of the book I was left eagerly awaiting the next one.
It helps that I like the characters and so I want to know what happens to them.
Robson is a brave writer, and one I respect. Looking forward to the next installment!
It helps that I like the characters and so I want to know what happens to them.
Robson is a brave writer, and one I respect. Looking forward to the next installment!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Chasing more than the Dragon: Quantum Gravity
Justina Robson has a mind like a top shell, endlessly coiled, with unexpected twists of smooth mother-of-pearl. A real delight. Read more
Published on 3 May 2010 by Ms
WHY IS THIS NOT A BESTSELLER?
I don't understand why Justina Robson's awesome series Quantum Gravity is not on the bestseller list. I cannot recommend her highly enough!! Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by Ms. T. K. Mccorry
Is Justina running out of steam?
I have read all the Quantum Gravity books. This is the first where I found the process of reading it laboured. Read more
Published on 2 Mar 2010 by PJ Online
High concept - just hold on to those characters!
Loved the previous three books and agree with other reviewers that Robson is really experimenting with stretching the genre (though, what genre is the originating one I'm having... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2010 by Ms
If you've missed the other don't start here.
The fourth book in the series by Justina Robson and one that continues to tell the plight of our star crossed lovers. Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2010 by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
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