- Paperback: 445 pages
- Publisher: Angry Robot; Original edition (27 Dec 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0857661930
- ISBN-13: 978-0857661937
- Product Dimensions: 14 x 2.8 x 21.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,628,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Empire State
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Adam Christopher's debut novel is a noir, Philip K Dick-ish science fiction superhero story a novel of surreal resonances, things that are like other things, plot turns that hearken to other plot turns. It's often fascinating, as captivating as a kaleidoscope just feel it in all its weird glory.- Cory Doctorow, author of Makers and Little Brother Adam Christopher maintains a punchy, bestseller prose style that keeps the action rocketing along, and protagonists that seem right both in their own setting, and appropriate to what we already recognise as super heroes. Empire State is an excellent, involving read, and it fully deserves to be the start of a new universe. - Paul Cornell, Doctor Who scriptwriter, and author of Stormwatch and Demon Knights A daring, dreamlike, almost hallucinatory thriller, one that plays with the conventions of pulp fiction and superheroes like a cat with a ball of yarn. Kurt Busiek, Eisner Award-winning writer of Astro City and Marvels Stylish, sinister, and wickedly fun, Empire State is not your average sexy retro parallel universe superhero noir. - Lauren Beukes, Arthur C Clarke Award winning author of Zoo City Destined to be a science fiction classic, Empire State is a breathtakingly original noir tale of intrigue, mystery, and quantum physics, deftly played out in storytelling so brilliant I'm finding it hard not to hate the author. - Diana Rowland, author of My Life as a White Trash Zombie This is simply one of the greatest science fiction books I have ever read... So if you are looking for a super stylish, utterly engrossing, fast paced, smart and quirky read, I couldn't recommend this highly enough. 9/10 - Starburst Magazine Fantastic stuff... The author is truly at the top of his game here. Goddamitt, I want more. - The Founding Fields
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
THE EMPIRE STATE IS THE OTHER NEW YORK. A parallel-universe, Prohibition-era world of mooks and shamuses that is the twisted magic mirror to our bustling Big Apple, a place where sinister characters lurk around every corner while the great superheroes that once kept the streets safe have fallen into dysfunctional rivalries and feuds. Not that its colourful residents know anything about the real New York… until detective Rad Bradley makes a discovery that will change the lives of all its inhabitants. Playing on the classic Gotham conventions of the Batman comics and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, debut author Adam Christopher has spun this smart and fast-paced superhero-noir adventure, the sort of souped-up thrill ride that will excite genre fans and general readers alike.
File Under: Science Fiction [ Pocket Universe | Heroes or Villains | Speak Easy | Loyalties Divided ]
e-book ISBN: 978-0-85766-194-4
File Under: Science Fiction [ Pocket Universe | Heroes or Villains | Speak Easy | Loyalties Divided ]
e-book ISBN: 978-0-85766-194-4
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mean streets...,
By
This review is from: Empire State (Angry Robot) (Paperback)
In his office, a shabby, ex hotel room, lit by the orange glare from the street sits a PI, waiting for his next client. Hidden in a basement nearby is Jerry's, the speakeasy where he spents his spare time: at the back of the office is a tiny bedroom where he sleeps. Welcome to the Empire State, a twisted projection of 1930s New York, isolated in its own "pocket universe" and created when... but that would be a spoiler.Christopher's novel flits back and forth between Empire State and New York proper - a New York where superheroes battle amidst the mobsters and corrupt judges. As if the Chandleresque PI and superheroes weren't enough, we have robots, goggles and and airships (and fog) - so it's kind of SF-ish, noir steampunk-lite, if you're still trying to find the right pigeonhole - but I don't think one really exists. All of which gives the book, especially the first half, a wonderful atmosphere, as Rad (the PI) investigates a case brought to him by a smartly turned out young woman (of couse) - but with a twist I won't, again, give away. Cue a breakneck trip through the murky world of the Empire State, confused by (and intercut with) those superheroes, a shady preacher, hoodlums in gas masks and a great deal else. It's enchanting, wonderful, and the pages keep turning. However, I was disappointed by the ending. Like an Agatha Cristie story, pretty much everyone is gathered together (albeit in a Government warehouse, not a cosy library). In around 20 pages, plot is explained, alliances are made, broken and reformed and characters clash in various combinations. It was alla bit too much, a bit too intense; some of these characters are hard to tell apart - again, I won't say why (spoilers!) and, by the time I reached the end, I felt I'd lost most of my sense of what had really been going on. A degree of double (and triple) crossing and confusion one thing, but I just wasn't convinced by all the twists and turns. That aside, this is an atmospheric, enthralling and (n places) funny book - there is a running joke about Rad losing his hat, which might not sound funny, but by the end, is - and lots of allusions to pulp classics. But for the ending, I'd give this four stars but as it is, i think that three is right. But despite that, this is well worth a read.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Super atmospheric noir novel,
This review is from: Empire State (Angry Robot) (Paperback)
One of the most buzzed about debuts for 2012, ever since it was announced, Adam Christopher's Empire State is a much anticipated release around the blogosphere. Normally not given to reading superhero novels or comic books, I do enjoy a good noir detective, so I was curious to read the book and see why everyone was so excited about this book. While I really enjoyed the story, I did have some issues with it, but I do understand the buzz for Empire State.What stands out most in this book are the atmosphere Christopher creates and the world building, which was very well done. You can feel the fog and the rain; see the gritty, yellowish light of the Empire State. The Prohibition vibe was laced through everything. I also really liked the idea of an alternate dimension NYC. The idea of doubles being created in this alternate dimension was pretty cool and I liked the way the author played with this conceit. What also spoke from the atmosphere and world building was Christopher's love for New York City, he lovingly paints its picture and that of the Empire State. In fact, the writing was such that I think the book would make for an excellent film, with leeched colours and lots of rain! The character of Rad was well drawn; I really liked his everyman, good guy outlook, even though he is a bit of a PI gone to seed. He gives the reader a hook to understand what's going on, because he's discovering these facts for himself, thus for the most part staying away from the dreaded info dump. The secondary characters were good too, especially Captain Carson. I really liked this old gentleman and his companion Byron. I thought he was interesting and his back story would make for interesting reading as well, though by the end of the book, for reasons I'll explain later, he became a little exasperating to me. Much has been made of the superhero angle of the book, but to me they were the characters that came to the fore and to life the least. For most of the book they just seemed the means to an end - to give us a reason for the Empire State - only at the end of the book does their role really interact with the narrative. My main issues with the book were that for me it was a bit of a slow starter - it took me a while to get into the story - and the last few chapters. During the last part of the book, there are lots of crosses, double-crosses and triple-crosses and at one point I just lost track and felt a little worn out by it all. Even though by the wrap up of the novel, it all made sense, during those last chapters I just felt needlessly confused and started rolling my eyes whenever people switched sides. I could have done with a few less switches and a more straight-forward denouement of the novel. Then again, your mileage may vary on this point, as I'm convinced there will be lots of people who will love the complexity of those final chapters, but for me, it didn't work very well. In the end though, despite my reservations stipulated above, I had a really good time with Empire State. I really liked Rad and wanted to know how his story ended and when an author succeeds in investing me in a character that much, he's done his job well. I personally hope the book will be optioned for a film, because I think that would make for a fantastic flick! If you like a good noir tale, Empire State is a book you won't want to miss. For a full on superhero book, you might want to wait for Christopher's next novel, Seven Wonders, due out from Angry Robot Books in September 2012. Empire State will be released next Tuesday, December 27th, though it has already been spotted out in the wild! This book was provided for review by the publisher.
2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's not Hardboiled; It's Deviled-egg!,
By
This review is from: Empire State (Angry Robot) (Paperback)
Empire State is an extremely accomplished debut from Angry Robot. Rad Bradley is a private detective in the Empire State, which is a strange, alternate totalitarian New York. It's wrapped in eternal fog and has almost been frozen in time in the 1930s-Prohibition Era. No one dares ask to many questions about what lays beyond the fog, or else they have a way of disappearing. Meanwhile, in a New York almost like our own, another man names Rex stumbles upon a mystery of his own. What these two cities have in common are two superheroes who are at odds. Empire State is a noir mystery with alternate dimensions, superheroes, robots, airships, a cult, goons in gas masks, and lots of fog and rain and secrets.The setting of the two cities are palpable. Christopher's writing has a very visual style, and I imagined it as an old film or a comic book. Empire State is eerie and hazy. The Empire State also made me think it was a commentary on the different approaches America could have taken to wartime--The Empire State is America isolationism at its finest, locked in perpetual war with an un-named Other. If you're a fan of Chandler and the classic noir, then you'll like Empire State. Rad channels a bit of Marlowe, if Marlowe was a black past boxer in Prohibition-era alternate New York with robots instead of 1930s Los Angeles. My favourite scene was when the stereotypical posh, put-together young woman sashays into Rad's office, but the expectation is turned on its head when Rad realizes just who she's asking him to search for. Empire State flirts with the conventions of past mysteries, but gives each element a subtle twist. There's a lot of secondary characters and all have their own plot arcs, such as Captain Carson and Kane Fortuna and the City Commissioner. Rad is dragged into a mystery that goes deeper than he could have imagined, resulting in twisted doppelgangers, people who change allegiance at the drop of a white fedora, and the discovery of a strange, other place called New York. While I loved the atmosphere and the plotting and the writing, I did have some minor quibbles. The story did start a little slowly and it took me a bit of time to get a feel for Rad as a character. Additionally, there's a decided lack of female character screen-time, which is a bit of a shame. I would have liked to know a lot more about Kopek and Saturn. The end was complicated and it was difficult to keep track of the characters and what side they were on, but I managed just fine, though I did find myself going back and re-reading to make sure I understood events properly when it would have been better to not interrupt the flow. Overall, it's an excellent book, and if you like comics, the TV show Fringe, and pulpy hardboiled mysteries, then this is a book to pick up.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
