Justina Robson’s Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity, Book 1)
“While Keeping It Real by Justina Robson is her fifth published novel, she shows off the full strength of her imagination here and announces to those who may not have heard already that she is a major talent and that she will write a blend of science fiction and fantasy that demands to be read. …Robson keeps the novel moving at a reasonably fast clip with action, excitement, elf sex, imperfect cyborg machinery, inept fake assassination attempts, and a heroine who is broken more on the inside than on the outside…and this is the woman who must protect Zal, and elf who barely wishes to be protected. ….Keeping It Real is perhaps the most original science fiction or fantasy novel I have read in some time and it is because Robson is able to blend the two genres so seamlessly that it is simply just good storytelling. “
I picked it up today at Borders and since the book I had picked to read next seems somewhat uncompelling, I am going to break my rules and try this one next, since I loved Paragaea and I am hoping lightning strikes again.
I am going to keep my fingers crossed it does, naturally.
http://www.skyseastone.net/jvstin/unjvst/006493.html
Hey Paul – you came back!
I am very glad you like the book. Since you are two for two, I have to be really careful when I recommend what I think you should try next! A safe bet would be to suggest you just read the other Roberson and Robson books – but if you like the ass-kicking motorized heroine of KIR you might really like Joel Shepherd’s Cassandra Kresnov books (Crossover, Breakaway, and later this year, Killswitch.) I’d also be curious to see what you thought of Sean Williams’ The Crooked Letter or Kay Kenyon’s Bright of the Sky. What are some of your recent favorite books (non-Pyr), and I’ll see if I can triangulate your tastes!