Empire State
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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. - 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 - 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 - Fantastic stuff... The author is truly at the top of his game here. Goddamitt, I want more. - The Founding Fields
Product Description
It was the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole in reality, and birthed the Empire State - a young, twisted parallel prohibition-era New York. When the rift starts to close, both worlds are threatened, and both must fight for the right to exist. File Under: Science Fiction [Pocket Universe | Heroes or Villains | Speak Easy | Loyalties Divided].
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
it's New York, and Rad Bradley is a private detective working to survive, as you do. Then he gets assigned a missing person case, and he is pulled into parallel worlds, the future, and many other places he'd rather not be. The aforementioned Parallel World is the Empire State, a very twisted Manhattan. Things will never be the same for Rad again...
It took me quite a bit of trying to get into this. Maybe it didn't help that I started it while in the bar area of the Hammersmith Apollo while whoever was opening for Thin Lizzy was playing. But still, I should have been able to get into this. But it just left me quite confused. I didn't really understand the whole thing concerning the superheroes, ie the Science Pirate and the Skyguard. This does get resolved alter with explanations, but it would have been nice to pick up quicker. The general world building, even of "normal" New York, wasn't very good at all.
I also couldn't really imagine Rad or Rex. Not good when these are the two major characters. This meant I couldn't really visualise lots of things happening, and some things that I could, I just wasn't sure if I was getting the right idea of those things.
Some things I did get though. The four worlds in this book are 20/30s New York (is writing a few days after reading and has forgotten fine details), 50s New York, the Empire State and the Space Beyond. All of these were well imagined and fit together neatly, even if it is very confusing to start with.
And we never get any explanation of why the superheroes exist. That I understood. Don't like that. I did like the time travel elements.
It's a very slow start. The first third, I wasn't sure why I was carrying on reading this, aside from just hoping that something would happen. Luckily, a mystery is built in time for me to stay hooked, developing further on in the book, and it definitely picks up further on in the novel.
2/5 to a promising and actionfilled, but confusing book. If you really do enjoy sci-fi/reading about Manhattan, then you should read this. Otherwise, maybe give this a miss.
It took me quite a bit of trying to get into this. Maybe it didn't help that I started it while in the bar area of the Hammersmith Apollo while whoever was opening for Thin Lizzy was playing. But still, I should have been able to get into this. But it just left me quite confused. I didn't really understand the whole thing concerning the superheroes, ie the Science Pirate and the Skyguard. This does get resolved alter with explanations, but it would have been nice to pick up quicker. The general world building, even of "normal" New York, wasn't very good at all.
I also couldn't really imagine Rad or Rex. Not good when these are the two major characters. This meant I couldn't really visualise lots of things happening, and some things that I could, I just wasn't sure if I was getting the right idea of those things.
Some things I did get though. The four worlds in this book are 20/30s New York (is writing a few days after reading and has forgotten fine details), 50s New York, the Empire State and the Space Beyond. All of these were well imagined and fit together neatly, even if it is very confusing to start with.
And we never get any explanation of why the superheroes exist. That I understood. Don't like that. I did like the time travel elements.
It's a very slow start. The first third, I wasn't sure why I was carrying on reading this, aside from just hoping that something would happen. Luckily, a mystery is built in time for me to stay hooked, developing further on in the book, and it definitely picks up further on in the novel.
2/5 to a promising and actionfilled, but confusing book. If you really do enjoy sci-fi/reading about Manhattan, then you should read this. Otherwise, maybe give this a miss.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The multiple worlds that Adam Christopher has created for this book are genuinely unique and interesting places in which all manner of exciting tales could be told, but unfortunately this book is not one of them.
Three quarters of the book are taken up with clumsy exposition about the setting - pages and pages of characters literally explaining to the central character how the multiple worlds work - and the remaining quarter is filled with confusing and nonsensical action. The central character is supposed to be a private detective who is the key to an inter-dimensional plot, but he never does any detective work, and just gets dragged dumbly along, never doing anything to advance a story that in truth could have carried on quite well with out him.
The conclusion is supposed to be an exciting series of crosses and double crosses, but none of the characters' behaviour makes any sense, the betrayals being present more because the author felt they were required of the genre rather than because they had anything to do with the motives on the characters. I kept expecting a clever twist at the end that would suddenly make the rest of the book make sense, but when in came to the final page I was just left disappointed.
Ultimately Empire State is an ambitious attempt to cross multiple genres, but sadly it fails to satisfy in any of them. Disappointing.
(Also - why is the main character so obsessed with his hat?)
Three quarters of the book are taken up with clumsy exposition about the setting - pages and pages of characters literally explaining to the central character how the multiple worlds work - and the remaining quarter is filled with confusing and nonsensical action. The central character is supposed to be a private detective who is the key to an inter-dimensional plot, but he never does any detective work, and just gets dragged dumbly along, never doing anything to advance a story that in truth could have carried on quite well with out him.
The conclusion is supposed to be an exciting series of crosses and double crosses, but none of the characters' behaviour makes any sense, the betrayals being present more because the author felt they were required of the genre rather than because they had anything to do with the motives on the characters. I kept expecting a clever twist at the end that would suddenly make the rest of the book make sense, but when in came to the final page I was just left disappointed.
Ultimately Empire State is an ambitious attempt to cross multiple genres, but sadly it fails to satisfy in any of them. Disappointing.
(Also - why is the main character so obsessed with his hat?)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you've never read a steampunk novel, a graphic novel or seen the movie Dark City you may enjoy this book.
I thought the characters were one dimensional (ironic given the nature of the story). The rules of the author's world were conveniantly broken which ended up having a detrimental effect (why didn't the same thing happen to all the characters that travelled between the cities?).Combined with a typo that gave away a significant plot point made this a disappointing read, great cover though.
I thought the characters were one dimensional (ironic given the nature of the story). The rules of the author's world were conveniantly broken which ended up having a detrimental effect (why didn't the same thing happen to all the characters that travelled between the cities?).Combined with a typo that gave away a significant plot point made this a disappointing read, great cover though.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Above Average
Not bad for a first "proper" released book.
Interesting location and premise, but the plot became a bit "clunky" and I would have preferred more science behind the cause... Read more
Interesting location and premise, but the plot became a bit "clunky" and I would have preferred more science behind the cause... Read more
Published 10 days ago by M. HENDERSON
Empire State
A fab debut novel. Echoes of Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett. Set against a backdrop of 1920's prohibition Manhattan with some superheroes and alternative universes thrown in for... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Marshall
Could do better
Few books I have picked up recently have come with so many pre-publication endorsements. If the author of My Life as a White Trash Zombie things that Empire State is a great book,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by John Fletcher
Internal Combustion Punk Noir
It must say something interesting about the possibilities of science and technology and our attitudes to them that the science fiction of the 40s and 50s was forward looking,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by P. G. Harris
No Spandex Required
I so wanted to love 'Empire State'. With its vibrant Art-Deco style cover to its promise of super-heroes in prohibition era New York, and a Chandler influenced protagonist, it... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Quicksilver
A fresh exciting fantasy tale
I forgot the golden rule of alternative reality stories whilst reading Empire State, everyone has a double. Read more
Published 2 months ago by pnoris14
Inventive
If you're looking for something that blends multiple genres with interesting quirks and characters that really grab you then this new release from Adam Christopher could be the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
Genre-crossing box of delights
Books are great, aren't they? There are crime novels, science fiction novels, period novels - then sometimes someone throws the whole lot in a blender and out comes something... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Peter
Mean streets...
In his office, a shabby, ex hotel room, lit by the orange glare from the street sits a PI, waiting for his next client. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. Harris
Crime noir with a twist of noodle
This is the first published novel by Adam Christopher. I've met Adam once and he is one of those genuine people, so it is no surprise that he got the chance to pitch for this novel... Read more
Published 4 months ago by IuchiAtesoro
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