Bull, Emma: Bone Dance
Bone Dance (1991)
Written by: Emma Bull
Genre: Science Fantasy
Pages: 315 (Trade Paperback)
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Sparrow’s my name. Trader. Deal-maker. Hustler, some call me. I work the Night Fair circuit, buying and selling pre-nuke videos from the world before. I know how to get a high price, especially on Big Bang collectibles. But the hottest ticket of all is information on the Horsemen-the mind-control weapons that tilted the balance in the war between the Americas. That’s the prize I’m after.
But it seems I’m having trouble controlling my own mind.
The Horsemen are coming.
My Rating
Must Have: I won't say this is my favorite book by Emma Bull, but it's still very good. There's a lot of originality packed in these pages, especially in the way that this is a dystopic vision of a fantastic (as in fantasy, not as in awesome) future, mixing science fiction elements with magic in such a way that it feels organic to the world. Nothing about this book sticks out like a sore thumb, and once the reader knows the truth about Sparrow and knows what's at stake, the book is quite the ride. If you haven't yet read Emma Bull, or if you haven't yet read this particular title, it's a easy one to recommend, particularly if you don't mind spending some time in the beginning getting immersed in the world. Because if Emma Bull can do one thing, she can world-build. She can paint a scene, so that the images and action of the book are quite striking still in my mind's eye. This is a book I definitely look forward to reading again.
Review style: Did you know that this book, in some ways interstitial? From its narrator to its world-building, this is a book that falls between the cracks of known genre conventions, mixing the familiar together in such a way that you end up with something rather strange. I want to talk about this strangeness, but to do that, I'll be spoiling some of the enjoyable surprises of the book, so if you haven't read the book yet and want to preserve the surprise, please do NOT click the link below for the full review at my LJ. Everyone else, onward. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Emma Bull's BONE DANCE
Happy Reading!
ALSO!!!
Book club selections @ calico_reaction. Hop on over! We'd love to have you!
November: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
December: Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
January: The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold