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Smoketown
The city of Leiodare is unlike any other in the post-climate change United States. Within its boundaries, birds are outlawed and what was once a crater in Appalachia is now a tropical, glittering metropolis where Anna Armour is waiting. An artist by passion and a factory worker by trade, Anna is a woman of special gifts. She has chosen this beautiful, traumatized city to wait for the woman she's lost, the one she believes can save her from her troubled past and uncertain future. When one night Anna creates life out of thin air and desperation, no one is prepared for what comes next-not Lucine, a smooth talking soothsayer with plans for the city; Lucine's brother Eugenio who has designs of his own; Seife, a star performer in the Leiodaran cosmos; or Rory, a forefather of the city who's lived through outbreak, heartbreak, and scandal. Told through their interlocking stories, Smoketown delves into the invisible connections that rival magic, and the cost of redemption.
220 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2011
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June 21, 2018A very weird book. It's a lyrical sf/f of the sort with nanotech and also magic, wildly imaginative and strange. On the one hand it's a fable set in a jungle city in post climate change US where birds are illegal after an avian-spread plague, but a woman who can bring her drawings to life starts drawing them while she waits for her lover to come back. On the other, it's a SF about virtual reality and corporate conspiracy. The two halves fit in a dreamlike way, along with the beginnings of a new love affair.
I remain mostly baffled tbh, but also haunted by a lot of the imagery, not least of this jungle city protected by an electric net to kill the birds , and inevitably being consumed by vast, horrific numbers of uneaten insects. A strange read.
In the LGBT Fantasy Storybundle at the time of writing.
I remain mostly baffled tbh, but also haunted by a lot of the imagery, not least of this jungle city protected by an electric net to kill the birds , and inevitably being consumed by vast, horrific numbers of uneaten insects. A strange read.
In the LGBT Fantasy Storybundle at the time of writing.
August 15, 2011
Smoketown, the debut novel of Tenea D. Johnson, belongs in a rare subset of speculative fiction novels that examine the relationship between art and society. These books include Pat Murphy's The City, Not Long After and a number of Samuel R. Delany's work, most notably Dhalgren. Smoketown, like the aforementioned works, blurs the boundaries between perception, magic and science, and the futuristic/transformed landscape is both a living metaphor and geography.
Anna Armour, an artist, is at the center of the nested narratives that comprise the novel that takes place in a distant, post-climate changed Southern city called Leiodare. A generation ago, the city was overrun with a mysterious epidemic called The Crumble, believed to have been spread by birds. As a result, a force field has been erected around the city that blocks birds from entering the city. Armour moves into the city, awaiting her on-and-off again lover Peru, who lives a nomadic existence as a 'virtuoso'--a living recorder of experiences for clients.
The cipher-like Peru is also the personal 'virtuoso' creator for Rory McClaren, the scion of the wealthy McClaren family, and its sole surviving member of the Crumble. Rory lives sequestered in his penthouse apartment, and has not left it for nearly 25 years, with no real human contact save through Peru's complex and beautiful 'virtus' (virtual reality creations). Rory's isolation is interrupted by the appearance of Dr. Eugenio Oliveria, a researcher and medical anthropologist at Leiodare's office of Emergency Management.
Eugenio is also a sometime practitioner of a religion/lifestyle called Mendejano; he is linked by this religion—which focuses on nature and reveres birds as sacred—to his soul sister Lucine, who is more devout. Eugenio is interested in talking to survivors of the Crumble and finds the McClaren family at the center of his research.
Anna is the catalyst for the action that effects the entire city—and she is connected (indirectly, sometimes) to the change that ripples through the character's lives. The introduction of magic in this mostly science fictional milieu makes perfect emotional sense.
The city of Leiodare is, itself, a character. It is a jungle city filled with many rich subcultures—including the titular Smoketown, a neighborhood of people of color who tend to numerous kilns. There is also an active gang culture—the main gang is called The Starlings.
Johnson weaves together all these strands together with lyrical prose and a thematic eye towards redemption and transformation.
Anna Armour, an artist, is at the center of the nested narratives that comprise the novel that takes place in a distant, post-climate changed Southern city called Leiodare. A generation ago, the city was overrun with a mysterious epidemic called The Crumble, believed to have been spread by birds. As a result, a force field has been erected around the city that blocks birds from entering the city. Armour moves into the city, awaiting her on-and-off again lover Peru, who lives a nomadic existence as a 'virtuoso'--a living recorder of experiences for clients.
The cipher-like Peru is also the personal 'virtuoso' creator for Rory McClaren, the scion of the wealthy McClaren family, and its sole surviving member of the Crumble. Rory lives sequestered in his penthouse apartment, and has not left it for nearly 25 years, with no real human contact save through Peru's complex and beautiful 'virtus' (virtual reality creations). Rory's isolation is interrupted by the appearance of Dr. Eugenio Oliveria, a researcher and medical anthropologist at Leiodare's office of Emergency Management.
Eugenio is also a sometime practitioner of a religion/lifestyle called Mendejano; he is linked by this religion—which focuses on nature and reveres birds as sacred—to his soul sister Lucine, who is more devout. Eugenio is interested in talking to survivors of the Crumble and finds the McClaren family at the center of his research.
Anna is the catalyst for the action that effects the entire city—and she is connected (indirectly, sometimes) to the change that ripples through the character's lives. The introduction of magic in this mostly science fictional milieu makes perfect emotional sense.
The city of Leiodare is, itself, a character. It is a jungle city filled with many rich subcultures—including the titular Smoketown, a neighborhood of people of color who tend to numerous kilns. There is also an active gang culture—the main gang is called The Starlings.
Johnson weaves together all these strands together with lyrical prose and a thematic eye towards redemption and transformation.
November 7, 2015
Dreamlike, post-apocalyptic novel with fabulous world-building. I liked the protagonist, the world building and the plot which makes a dotted-line connection between magic and science. The characters are diverse and interesting, and I love Johnson's writing. It's also a lovely little book, ornamented with an occasional drawing. My only complaint was that the ending felt a bit flat to me after the rest of the journey, but some of that was due to me wanting to read more about this world and these people. Recommended!
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October 26, 2020This book was not for me. The ideas were interesting but I had trouble getting into the writing.
January 5, 2018
A Kentucky native, Johnson named the story after Louisville’s Smoketown, a historically African American neighborhood that housed a 'large number of (smoke-producing) kilns'. Johnson retains the history of the people and place in her novel and transforms the futuristic Smoketown into a bustling district in the large city-state of Leiodare.
Climate change has altered the landscapes of the United States, converting Kentucky into lush, tropical lands. Twenty-five years prior to the story opening, a widespread avian virus called The Crumble exterminated several animal species and a fourth of humans. As a result, Leiodarans banned all birds.
"Smoketown" is told from the vantage points of three characters, including Anna Amour (the main character) and Dr. Eugenio Olievera. In Anna’s adolescence, she was struck by tragedy and grief, which unfolded a series of events that led to her current predicament. She’s alone in Leiodare and trying to locate her long-lost lover and friend, Peru, by the distinctions in virtu reals. A single corporation has revolutionized virtual technology and sparked a culture of virtu. A virtuoso makes virtu reals for a living, and some virtuosos risks their lives and livelihood for money and notoriety. Anna was a virtuoso along with Peru.
Eugenio is a medical anthropologist in the city’s Emergency Management Division, but he’s functioning as an entomologist. Due to the bird ban, Leiodarans are constantly grappling with overpopulated insect species, and some of these insects have evolved into superbugs. Eugiono is a member of Mendejano, a religious sect that reveres birds and believes there’s a way to fix anything. Therefore, Eugiono wants to unearth the real story behind The Crumble while simultaneously fixing the pest control problem.
The POV characters are strangers until their individual quests cross or influence the other’s actions. "Smoketown" has all the ingredients of good speculative fiction, from mind-blowing technology to semi-sinister customs. Johnson does a great job with world building and infusing interesting futuristic elements, particularly the role of virtu in Leiodare and Anna’s amazing gift. In this Leiodaran world, the author explores how people react to a plague and their changed physical and virtual worlds, as well as the relevancy of non-human species.
The novel is replete with detail, so I expected more of it to be devoted to Anna. The author provides pockets of Anna’s backstory, but I didn’t learn much about Anna as an adult woman. Although Anna played a pivotal role in a major plot event, she was primarily on standby. As a result, she felt inconsequential to many parts of the story.
"Smoketown" mixes big industry and conspiracy with hints of spirituality, sexuality, and fantasy to form a layered mystery. If you want a story with big action, the pacing of this novel won’t do it for you. But patient readers who enjoy depth to prose and storytelling may find "Smoketown" a satisfying read.
[Review originally posted at the Black Lesbian Literary Collective]
Climate change has altered the landscapes of the United States, converting Kentucky into lush, tropical lands. Twenty-five years prior to the story opening, a widespread avian virus called The Crumble exterminated several animal species and a fourth of humans. As a result, Leiodarans banned all birds.
"Smoketown" is told from the vantage points of three characters, including Anna Amour (the main character) and Dr. Eugenio Olievera. In Anna’s adolescence, she was struck by tragedy and grief, which unfolded a series of events that led to her current predicament. She’s alone in Leiodare and trying to locate her long-lost lover and friend, Peru, by the distinctions in virtu reals. A single corporation has revolutionized virtual technology and sparked a culture of virtu. A virtuoso makes virtu reals for a living, and some virtuosos risks their lives and livelihood for money and notoriety. Anna was a virtuoso along with Peru.
Eugenio is a medical anthropologist in the city’s Emergency Management Division, but he’s functioning as an entomologist. Due to the bird ban, Leiodarans are constantly grappling with overpopulated insect species, and some of these insects have evolved into superbugs. Eugiono is a member of Mendejano, a religious sect that reveres birds and believes there’s a way to fix anything. Therefore, Eugiono wants to unearth the real story behind The Crumble while simultaneously fixing the pest control problem.
The POV characters are strangers until their individual quests cross or influence the other’s actions. "Smoketown" has all the ingredients of good speculative fiction, from mind-blowing technology to semi-sinister customs. Johnson does a great job with world building and infusing interesting futuristic elements, particularly the role of virtu in Leiodare and Anna’s amazing gift. In this Leiodaran world, the author explores how people react to a plague and their changed physical and virtual worlds, as well as the relevancy of non-human species.
The novel is replete with detail, so I expected more of it to be devoted to Anna. The author provides pockets of Anna’s backstory, but I didn’t learn much about Anna as an adult woman. Although Anna played a pivotal role in a major plot event, she was primarily on standby. As a result, she felt inconsequential to many parts of the story.
"Smoketown" mixes big industry and conspiracy with hints of spirituality, sexuality, and fantasy to form a layered mystery. If you want a story with big action, the pacing of this novel won’t do it for you. But patient readers who enjoy depth to prose and storytelling may find "Smoketown" a satisfying read.
[Review originally posted at the Black Lesbian Literary Collective]
November 1, 2011
This book reminded me a lot of what I like about many of China Mieville's books: a fascinating setting that is both intriguing and disturbing, and a story that completely captures me. As you can see from the above summary, there are multiple characters in this story who encounter each other, and whose stories are intertwined and woven into each other, as well. Anna is, I feel, the real main character in the story -- we get to know her as the story progresses, and she is the focus of much of the book. What I really liked about this story, other than the setting (which is a character wholly unto itself; it is that alive), is that Anna's story is revealed bit by bit, sometimes without much of an explanation. She is not an open book, but rather, like an intricate puzzle box; you have to carefully go bit by bit to get to the center of her. I loved that.
This book is also beautifully written. The author's prose is descriptive without being overwrought, and most of the time, I had a very clear picture in my head of a character, or a setting, or what was happening to someone. I loved how it seemed the author would set something up, and then reveal it through her words -- does that make sense? It's almost like watching some detailed film where details are a bit smudgy, and then start to come into focus. Sometimes, I felt like what I was reading was crafted, not just written --- the words chosen as if the author were writing a poem. Here's an example (p. 14): "Already the night looked lighter, as if dawn were a short nap away and here she sat, a crime on her lap and unleashed power in her hands."
Full review on my blog, Fluidity of Time
This book is also beautifully written. The author's prose is descriptive without being overwrought, and most of the time, I had a very clear picture in my head of a character, or a setting, or what was happening to someone. I loved how it seemed the author would set something up, and then reveal it through her words -- does that make sense? It's almost like watching some detailed film where details are a bit smudgy, and then start to come into focus. Sometimes, I felt like what I was reading was crafted, not just written --- the words chosen as if the author were writing a poem. Here's an example (p. 14): "Already the night looked lighter, as if dawn were a short nap away and here she sat, a crime on her lap and unleashed power in her hands."
Full review on my blog, Fluidity of Time
August 19, 2013
I liked the premise of this book a lot. I liked Anna and her complicated relationship with Peru. I appreciate twists of the plot and I liked all of the characters. Most of all, I liked the mystery at the heart of the novel. I with that the novel had been longer and really developed the relationship between Anna and Peru & Anna and Seife. There were side characters whose background I didn't always understand. I found that I wasn't sure who the Starlings where. What was the purpose behind the things they did? I liked the reason that Smoketown exists. I really loved this book in so many ways and the potential to be excellent is presence. There were some grammatical errors that I couldn't figure out if they were publisher or author. Sometimes they pulled me out of the storyline. Also wanting to have the main characters developed more. I look forward to reading more of the author's work and seeing how she develops into her art over time.
October 18, 2013
In a post-apocalyptic city, a woman waits for her missing lover.
Fearful of a recurrence of plague (some kind of mutated avian flu?), the city of Leiodare has banned birds of all kinds, and most citizens have a phobia of them.
Anna, however, has a magical gift; her drawings can come to life - and she is compelled to draw birds.
In an emotional limbo, Anna's path intertwines with that of the inhabitants of Leiodare, which under the surface, is a pressure-cooker waiting to explode.
This short novel has a poetic feel to it which shines beautifully against its gritty background. Objectively, in some ways the book feels like the work of a new author (the plot sometimes felt a bit awkward and uncertain, almost shoehorned into the atmosphere; and some elements felt like they should've been in sharper focus), but it feels like the work of a very talented new author. Aesthetically, I loved it, thus the bump up to 4 stars.
I'll definitely seek out future work by Johnson.
Fearful of a recurrence of plague (some kind of mutated avian flu?), the city of Leiodare has banned birds of all kinds, and most citizens have a phobia of them.
Anna, however, has a magical gift; her drawings can come to life - and she is compelled to draw birds.
In an emotional limbo, Anna's path intertwines with that of the inhabitants of Leiodare, which under the surface, is a pressure-cooker waiting to explode.
This short novel has a poetic feel to it which shines beautifully against its gritty background. Objectively, in some ways the book feels like the work of a new author (the plot sometimes felt a bit awkward and uncertain, almost shoehorned into the atmosphere; and some elements felt like they should've been in sharper focus), but it feels like the work of a very talented new author. Aesthetically, I loved it, thus the bump up to 4 stars.
I'll definitely seek out future work by Johnson.
January 24, 2014
I owe this strong novel a longer review, and hope to post one later. For now I will say this: fascinating world-building and inclusion of believable cultural and environmental elements. Likeable, imperfect, intelligent heroine. The complexity, humor, and pacing of this novel take it far beyond typical dystopian themes.
This is no simple dystopia: in this world artists earn money by capturing and altering reality for those able to purchase escapism, and the simple beauty of birdsong has become an unsettling rarity. Fear of disease and of other people restrict daily life. Creativity and magic become even more powerful when blended with technology in Johnson's vividly rendered, well paced, and compelling story.
This is no simple dystopia: in this world artists earn money by capturing and altering reality for those able to purchase escapism, and the simple beauty of birdsong has become an unsettling rarity. Fear of disease and of other people restrict daily life. Creativity and magic become even more powerful when blended with technology in Johnson's vividly rendered, well paced, and compelling story.
April 6, 2012
I've been trying to figure out how to talk about this book. I always have this problem with books that surprise and astound me. Confident but subtle style and world-building. Compelling and complex characters. Entangled stories that weave together to create a fascinating larger story that builds to a breathless climax. I still can't believe this is a first novel.
November 6, 2015
Writing really kept reader at a distance. Anna is 30. Not sure about teen appeal. Felt more dystopian than post-apocalyptic which I think of as having more immediacy to it.
December 10, 2017
Too much jumping around--nonlinear narrative itself is fine, but you gotta mark when you're changing time periods if you want me to follow the plot.
February 6, 2012
Dreamlike storytelling with empathetic characters.
May 25, 2018
After being decimated by plague, the city of Leiodare stands isolated and safeguarded against the world near-future world. This is a book in which the setting is the central, and arguably most distinct, character; isolationist and traumatized; divided between advanced technology and gangs, cults and ritual. It's stylized and not especially convincing worldbuilding (I could do without the made-up nouns), but is also the book's highlight, an evocative, atmospheric study of society-building and social change. Plot and characters are by contrast vaguely forgettable. Of the trio of PoVs and overlapping plotlines, only Anna's interested me; there's big concepts at play in the plot, but they're underexplored and have predictable resolutions.
Smoketown reminds me of Brissett's Elysium, a more ambitious book with a similar focus on city as central character. I wonder if ambition could have saved Smoketown, made it more focused and concrete; or if the problem is that Johnson's abilities can't yet support the ambition of Smoketown. Her floaty voice compliments Leiodare, but it makes for a distant, dead narrative, particularly in dialog and character interactions. I'll consider reading her other work to find out; I think her intentions and potential are promising.
Smoketown reminds me of Brissett's Elysium, a more ambitious book with a similar focus on city as central character. I wonder if ambition could have saved Smoketown, made it more focused and concrete; or if the problem is that Johnson's abilities can't yet support the ambition of Smoketown. Her floaty voice compliments Leiodare, but it makes for a distant, dead narrative, particularly in dialog and character interactions. I'll consider reading her other work to find out; I think her intentions and potential are promising.
August 19, 2018
This was a little better than ok. The story is good, the structure of the story-telling was good, but the writing itself -- the way the words worked together on me as a reader -- was weak. The story has a dreamy, magical element to it in terms of the actual facts of the story but that dreamy magic never found its way into the author's language. There were parts that I felt could have been fleshed out more -- easily about 100 more pages worth of material -- but I found that I didn't really want to read what the author would have written if she had done so. The ending is decent though I can't say that I liked the epilogue chapters terribly much. My feeling after the very last chapter, , almost lead me to give this 2 stars but the story really was good enough that the even the weak language and the not-terribly-fulfilling epilogue didn't really warrant the demotion.
November 21, 2018
In what we now think of as Appalachia, Leiodare is a jungle due to pharma companies destroying the climate. Twenty-five years ago, an epidemic hit Leiodare called 'The Crumble,' and even though the quarantine of the city has been lifted, it's still not the same. Birds were blamed for the epidemic, and thus have been banned - with a sonic wall guarding the city and check-points at all entrances and exits. Anna is there awaiting her love's return when she re-discovers her power to make drawings that come to life by drawing a pair of swans that become real. But did birds really cause The Crumble?
.
I loved reading this book. It had just enough world building and drew out all of the various groups and coping mechanisms for this society left behind after the epidemic. It's filled with small details about the different neighborhoods and how they interact - there's even an insect problem due to the lack of birds. There's a wild twist in the middle that... I'm not sure how I feel about? But enjoyed this tale nonetheless.
.
I loved reading this book. It had just enough world building and drew out all of the various groups and coping mechanisms for this society left behind after the epidemic. It's filled with small details about the different neighborhoods and how they interact - there's even an insect problem due to the lack of birds. There's a wild twist in the middle that... I'm not sure how I feel about? But enjoyed this tale nonetheless.
January 12, 2024
3.5 stars, rounding up for how much I loved the premise. I wanted this to be a 5-star read but felt like there was a layer between the story and my experience of it, though I can't pinpoint why. Maybe I just wanted more drama and magic; maybe it was the use of past tense; maybe the narrative was a little bit on the telling side of things (though maybe not); maybe there were too many perspectives; or maybe I was just too distractable, reading too many other books and getting ready for Christmas and all that. I feel like I was sucked in as I read today, indicating a great book; but looking back on it, I feel like it lacked drama . And I also kind of want to re-read it, so maybe it was me.
January 24, 2022
This was an interesting little novella. The world building had solid legs, there were some truly unique aspects. However, there were just some things that were left unexplained that made it more difficult to be totally immersed. I think this suffered from too many good ideas, imperfect execution. The characters were strong but the reader didn’t get to spend enough time getting to know them. It’s rare that I say a book should have been longer but I think this story deserved some extra space. Will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.
February 6, 2019
I was captivated by the simultaneous bleakness and beauty of this story, and by the ending that gave some resolution but also possibility for a world continuing to change. The magical elements of the story were woven in so deftly I had to stop a few times and say "Whoa, that just happened!".
I did struggle to follow the story line a little bit, there were several point of view shifts, but it wasn't badly done, just required me to focus. Overall quite gorgeous.
I did struggle to follow the story line a little bit, there were several point of view shifts, but it wasn't badly done, just required me to focus. Overall quite gorgeous.
October 31, 2021
Very imaginative speculative fiction about a post apocalyptic city. It took a bit to figure out what was going on but then I really enjoyed it, especially the worldbuilding. This was a slow-paced book but the beautiful writing made me want to linger anyways. Already got the author's newest collection.
February 20, 2019
While it was a good book, there was definitely something missing from the storytelling. It was a bit like reading the second book in the series. I felt like a lot of chances were missed in the storytelling.
March 12, 2021
I really enjoyed the world building in this novel, but somehow the various aspects of the story didn’t quite come together for me. Maybe I missed something?
I want to read this author’s future works.
I want to read this author’s future works.
May 30, 2019
Could have used with more explanation on her ability. Besides that, awesome!
December 9, 2019
God never gave me magic bc he knew my dumb ass would use it to bring dinosaurs back when I was drunk and bored one night
April 21, 2020
Unbelievably fantastic, engaging, and beautiful. Every detail is thoughtful and intresting.
dnf
May 25, 2020On paper this sounded like exactly my kind of thing, but I'm not that into it. Like...it's fine? It's not bad. I just don't really feel motivated to finish it.
June 13, 2021
Smoketown was beautiful. In a close, but strange, future. Gorgeous, contained queer novella
June 23, 2016
Smoketown is a novel that’s hard to categorize. It’s got elements of the post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and urban fantasy. And the writing is simply lovely! So lyrical and beautiful. There’s a reason I’ve compared this one to the books of Charles de Lint. Really, it’s a huge shame that more people haven’t heard of Smoketown.
Twenty years ago the city of Leiodare, a futuristic city-state located in the former state of Kentucky, was struck by a plague. Birds were perceived to be the cause, and so birds were banned from Leiodare. Now Anna Armour, an artist and factory worker, is waiting in Leiodare in hopes of finding the woman she loved who left her. Anna also has a strange gift – she can use her art to bring her creations to life. Also in Leiodare is Eugenio, a medical anthropologist investigating the cause of the original plague, and Rory, the last member of the city’s most privileged family, who spends his remaining days watching the world go by from the windows of his apartment.
Smoketown is not plot focused. While there was a plot behind the origins of the plague and the history of the city, I found it weakly contrasted and not very compelling. The plot actually ended up feeling extraneous to the characters and atmosphere.
The focus of Smoketown is clearly on the world building. The city of Leiodare leaps off the page incredibly vividly. It was a beautiful piece of world building. I feel like it went very well with some of the themes of the book – change and creation mostly. There’s a sense of artistry to the entire novel.
If you’re looking for an exquisitely dreamy piece of genre blurring science fiction and fantasy, Smoketown is just the book for you. I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in queer black science fiction.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Twenty years ago the city of Leiodare, a futuristic city-state located in the former state of Kentucky, was struck by a plague. Birds were perceived to be the cause, and so birds were banned from Leiodare. Now Anna Armour, an artist and factory worker, is waiting in Leiodare in hopes of finding the woman she loved who left her. Anna also has a strange gift – she can use her art to bring her creations to life. Also in Leiodare is Eugenio, a medical anthropologist investigating the cause of the original plague, and Rory, the last member of the city’s most privileged family, who spends his remaining days watching the world go by from the windows of his apartment.
Smoketown is not plot focused. While there was a plot behind the origins of the plague and the history of the city, I found it weakly contrasted and not very compelling. The plot actually ended up feeling extraneous to the characters and atmosphere.
The focus of Smoketown is clearly on the world building. The city of Leiodare leaps off the page incredibly vividly. It was a beautiful piece of world building. I feel like it went very well with some of the themes of the book – change and creation mostly. There’s a sense of artistry to the entire novel.
If you’re looking for an exquisitely dreamy piece of genre blurring science fiction and fantasy, Smoketown is just the book for you. I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in queer black science fiction.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
June 16, 2015
This book was odd as hell! Not least on the genre front:
* It takes place in a futuristic city in the eastern US, post major climate change, where sensory/emotional simulations are the entertainment of choice, which is arguably mundane SF.
* But there's an intense enough sense of place and preoccupation with place to push it into urban SF (by parallel with the late-80s/early-90s iteration of “urban fantasy”).
* Also, the city is traumatized in the wake of a plague and lives in fear of birds, with importation banned and a killing forcefield walling in the sky, which maybe qualifies it as a soft eco-dystopia with a strong strain of post-9/11 American soul-searching. (I realize those aren’t consensus genres, but shut up, stay with me here.)
* Except that the main character has godlike magical powers of no knowable origin and can create animals from drawings, so that's DEFINITELY urban fantasy in probably a post-’00s-urban-fantasy mode.
* And at one point years ago (INCOMING SPOILER, but it doesn't ruin the book), in a trance of grief, she created a real live human woman in straight-up YHWH flesh-from-clay style, and you can't call THAT genre anything other than “Actual O.G. Frankenstein.”
* And for completeness we should mention that it's also lesbian SF and African American SF.
I loved it. This book is fuckin’ wild and maybe a bit of a mess, the sort of thing you'd write if you were worried no one would let you write another book and you figured you had to get it all out in one go. But it has awesome energy and a delicious sense of atmosphere, and I think I can honestly say I haven't seen anything like it. I will definitely keep an eye out for Tenea Johnson’s other stuff.
* It takes place in a futuristic city in the eastern US, post major climate change, where sensory/emotional simulations are the entertainment of choice, which is arguably mundane SF.
* But there's an intense enough sense of place and preoccupation with place to push it into urban SF (by parallel with the late-80s/early-90s iteration of “urban fantasy”).
* Also, the city is traumatized in the wake of a plague and lives in fear of birds, with importation banned and a killing forcefield walling in the sky, which maybe qualifies it as a soft eco-dystopia with a strong strain of post-9/11 American soul-searching. (I realize those aren’t consensus genres, but shut up, stay with me here.)
* Except that the main character has godlike magical powers of no knowable origin and can create animals from drawings, so that's DEFINITELY urban fantasy in probably a post-’00s-urban-fantasy mode.
* And at one point years ago (INCOMING SPOILER, but it doesn't ruin the book), in a trance of grief, she created a real live human woman in straight-up YHWH flesh-from-clay style, and you can't call THAT genre anything other than “Actual O.G. Frankenstein.”
* And for completeness we should mention that it's also lesbian SF and African American SF.
I loved it. This book is fuckin’ wild and maybe a bit of a mess, the sort of thing you'd write if you were worried no one would let you write another book and you figured you had to get it all out in one go. But it has awesome energy and a delicious sense of atmosphere, and I think I can honestly say I haven't seen anything like it. I will definitely keep an eye out for Tenea Johnson’s other stuff.
August 25, 2016
In this inventive story, the reader is plopped into the middle of a world that is somehow very familiar yet quite different from our own - a work of almost cultural anthropology.
The author remarkably gives very little background, and yet somehow the world of Leiodare emerges almost as a work of cultural anthropology. There is wealth and poverty, shiny and mysterious technology in the middle of a very grounded physical reality. There is unexplained magic (that perhaps is simply new techology), strange paranoia and civic customs, and a religion born from surviving climate change and sea level rise. And there are the characters, falling in love, fulfilling their own ideas of destiny - grappling with social and political events that no longer make sense.
Anna, who guards her past and her secrets even as she falls in love with a performer whose voice she recognizes. Eugenio, the scientist and desk bureaucrat who survived his own disaster and seems rather obsessed with uncovering the roots of a different disaster. And there is Rory, the remnant of a rich playboy cocooned by trauma but willing to redeem himself. These characters (along with others) are far from stock players - they are as richly imagined as the world of Leiodare and the neighborhood of Smoketown (which has survived since the American Civil War). I look forward to reading more by this author.
The author remarkably gives very little background, and yet somehow the world of Leiodare emerges almost as a work of cultural anthropology. There is wealth and poverty, shiny and mysterious technology in the middle of a very grounded physical reality. There is unexplained magic (that perhaps is simply new techology), strange paranoia and civic customs, and a religion born from surviving climate change and sea level rise. And there are the characters, falling in love, fulfilling their own ideas of destiny - grappling with social and political events that no longer make sense.
Anna, who guards her past and her secrets even as she falls in love with a performer whose voice she recognizes. Eugenio, the scientist and desk bureaucrat who survived his own disaster and seems rather obsessed with uncovering the roots of a different disaster. And there is Rory, the remnant of a rich playboy cocooned by trauma but willing to redeem himself. These characters (along with others) are far from stock players - they are as richly imagined as the world of Leiodare and the neighborhood of Smoketown (which has survived since the American Civil War). I look forward to reading more by this author.
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