Tings I talked about at a Worldcon - City and the City
And Lo,
a conversation about the best novel Catagory occured, amongst conrunners, and it was good, but as I could have predicted, it came to the City and the City to really make the conversation happen.
Again, I find that my perception of this book is at odds with other; here for your benefit is a bit of my opinon, to my review in a special Clarke issue of teh Drink Tank 248 (Full review and two other opinions here - http://efanzines.com/DrinkTank/DrinkTank248.pdf)
I really liked this book, it was quick, neatly
written, had a nice main character, and an incredibly
brilliant idea, which is the concept of 2 cities occupying
the same geographical space yet not actually, due to
some mystery the answer to which remains infuriatingly
illusive.
Each city is totally distinct, their own history,
society, race, language and some sort of metaphysical
separation that means they are on separate planes -
separate worlds perhaps but both there and not there,
to outsiders.
Well, that was my perception. Initially I felt it
was two parallel Earths apparent in one city, where one,
was slipping in through a failing of some parallel universe
system. Yet as the book progresses I found that these
cities actually have distinct sovereign authorities within
our known world, two countries, approachable by the
same routes but different services, and sometimes the
barrier between the cities is weak. One can Pass from
one city to the other through illegal and legal means.
I loved the two Alternative histories of these
invented cities...
What makes this book SF of course, is a
bigger question, the use of an invented setting, that
then puts pressure on the characters has been
the bread and butter of SF for decades, but the
setting has been science fictional, be it space with
with their opinion or detailed and explained
explanation of vision. I still would have liked it.
I am still fascinated and interested in the
construction of these cities, what allows them to be
in the same place but on two planes, and how these
planes then break down or weaken at points of cross
hatch or shared spaces. I want a map of the place. I
want answers...
Is Breach really Orciny!Can there be two places
in one? Is all fiction Fantasy? Is this Science Fiction?
Of Course, finding oneself at odds again, in the perception of this novel, with all around me is something I am getting used to, but luckily, I think Mike Moorcock read the same version, I did, as we reprinted in this Drink Tankl about the Hugo's - entitled The Spaces in between,
I am grateful and lucky that I found someone with a similar perception, who is eminant
(rebiew in here, with 2 others, including Peter Westons one)
http://efanzines.com/DrinkTank/DrinkTank252.pdf
I just love this book.
I had 3 conversations about this book over the weekend,
although the best conversation was with Teenagers, about Alternate History, Ned Kellys rising against the brits, the view of socialism, future work prospects and books I didnt know.
Must read Kraken, heard a chapter and sounded awesome.
J
a conversation about the best novel Catagory occured, amongst conrunners, and it was good, but as I could have predicted, it came to the City and the City to really make the conversation happen.
Again, I find that my perception of this book is at odds with other; here for your benefit is a bit of my opinon, to my review in a special Clarke issue of teh Drink Tank 248 (Full review and two other opinions here - http://efanzines.com/DrinkTank/DrinkTank248.pdf)
I really liked this book, it was quick, neatly
written, had a nice main character, and an incredibly
brilliant idea, which is the concept of 2 cities occupying
the same geographical space yet not actually, due to
some mystery the answer to which remains infuriatingly
illusive.
Each city is totally distinct, their own history,
society, race, language and some sort of metaphysical
separation that means they are on separate planes -
separate worlds perhaps but both there and not there,
to outsiders.
Well, that was my perception. Initially I felt it
was two parallel Earths apparent in one city, where one,
was slipping in through a failing of some parallel universe
system. Yet as the book progresses I found that these
cities actually have distinct sovereign authorities within
our known world, two countries, approachable by the
same routes but different services, and sometimes the
barrier between the cities is weak. One can Pass from
one city to the other through illegal and legal means.
I loved the two Alternative histories of these
invented cities...
What makes this book SF of course, is a
bigger question, the use of an invented setting, that
then puts pressure on the characters has been
the bread and butter of SF for decades, but the
setting has been science fictional, be it space with
with their opinion or detailed and explained
explanation of vision. I still would have liked it.
I am still fascinated and interested in the
construction of these cities, what allows them to be
in the same place but on two planes, and how these
planes then break down or weaken at points of cross
hatch or shared spaces. I want a map of the place. I
want answers...
Is Breach really Orciny!Can there be two places
in one? Is all fiction Fantasy? Is this Science Fiction?
Of Course, finding oneself at odds again, in the perception of this novel, with all around me is something I am getting used to, but luckily, I think Mike Moorcock read the same version, I did, as we reprinted in this Drink Tankl about the Hugo's - entitled The Spaces in between,
I am grateful and lucky that I found someone with a similar perception, who is eminant
(rebiew in here, with 2 others, including Peter Westons one)
http://efanzines.com/DrinkTank/DrinkTank252.pdf
I just love this book.
I had 3 conversations about this book over the weekend,
although the best conversation was with Teenagers, about Alternate History, Ned Kellys rising against the brits, the view of socialism, future work prospects and books I didnt know.
Must read Kraken, heard a chapter and sounded awesome.
J