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The Glorious Angels
On a world where science and magic are hard to tell apart, a stranger arrives in a remote town with news of political turmoil to come. And a young woman learns that she must free herself from the role she has accepted.
512 pages, Paperback
First published March 19, 2015
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813 people want to read
About the author
Justina Robson
65 books287 followersJustina is from Leeds, a city in Yorkshire in the north of England. She always wanted to write and always did. Other things sometimes got in the way and sometimes still do...but not too much.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 5, 2018
Not quite a 3 star read for me, but I'm willing to round up. I love science fantasy, and so it's not that this book just isn't my thing. There are some really amazing ideas and worldbuilding here, but the execution did not quite work for me. Some things were overly detailed, but not as well explained as they could be (if that makes any sense), and even by the end of the book I would say there was a not insignificant portion that I just couldn't put together in my head.
The writing was fine, but the pacing was a bit odd for me. Some parts took forever, but then other parts that I thought could have used more space to explore were just over with very quickly. I liked the variety of characters, and this was probably the strongest part for me, but again, I would have liked them all to have been rounded out a bit more.
I'm glad I read this one, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
The writing was fine, but the pacing was a bit odd for me. Some parts took forever, but then other parts that I thought could have used more space to explore were just over with very quickly. I liked the variety of characters, and this was probably the strongest part for me, but again, I would have liked them all to have been rounded out a bit more.
I'm glad I read this one, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
February 22, 2017
Ancient technology, really alien aliens, magic, telepathy, group minds, engineers as heroes, odd and varied social and governmental structures. Kitchen sink? No, there's no room!
This one defies summarizing, but I'll give it a go.
Glimshard is an ancient but technologically advanced city on an alien world. It's an hedonistic matriarchy ruled by a young and inexperienced Empress who in turn is mind-linked to seven other Empresses who together rule a loose Empire. The Empire is imperiled by various barbarian groups that would tear it down if they could, and there's a continuous effort to try and regain the lost technology of long ago in an effort to hold them at bay. The largest find of lost technology turns out to be in territory controlled by the Karoo, a bizarre alien species with an agenda of their own.
Into all of this we follow the Tralane and her two daughters, Isabeau and Minnabar, the last of a lineage of powerful Sircene mages and engineers. The story revolves around this family, their lovers and friends and how Glimshard deals with rapidly changing situation around the technology found in the Karoo-controlled territory.
The world-building is the star of this one. Everything is here and far too much to go into, even in summary. Unfortunately the world-building is so involved and comprehensive that the author kind of forgets to tell much of a story. Yes, stuff happens. The plot, as it is, moves along at a good pace, but very little is resolved by the end of the book, and some of the interesting plot lines are cut short almost off-camera. There's a particular couple of events that happen with Isabeau and Borze (a military commander for Glimshard) that were complete standout WTF moments and the book as a whole has far too many of those to be really satisfying.
Still, I rate it three stars. Despite some clumsy plotting and some truly obscure sentence-construction early on, the sheer density of ideas here is just wonderful to soak in. I can't help but see the wonderful book this might have been with a comprehensive edit.
This one defies summarizing, but I'll give it a go.
Glimshard is an ancient but technologically advanced city on an alien world. It's an hedonistic matriarchy ruled by a young and inexperienced Empress who in turn is mind-linked to seven other Empresses who together rule a loose Empire. The Empire is imperiled by various barbarian groups that would tear it down if they could, and there's a continuous effort to try and regain the lost technology of long ago in an effort to hold them at bay. The largest find of lost technology turns out to be in territory controlled by the Karoo, a bizarre alien species with an agenda of their own.
Into all of this we follow the Tralane and her two daughters, Isabeau and Minnabar, the last of a lineage of powerful Sircene mages and engineers. The story revolves around this family, their lovers and friends and how Glimshard deals with rapidly changing situation around the technology found in the Karoo-controlled territory.
The world-building is the star of this one. Everything is here and far too much to go into, even in summary. Unfortunately the world-building is so involved and comprehensive that the author kind of forgets to tell much of a story. Yes, stuff happens. The plot, as it is, moves along at a good pace, but very little is resolved by the end of the book, and some of the interesting plot lines are cut short almost off-camera. There's a particular couple of events that happen with Isabeau and Borze (a military commander for Glimshard) that were complete standout WTF moments and the book as a whole has far too many of those to be really satisfying.
Still, I rate it three stars. Despite some clumsy plotting and some truly obscure sentence-construction early on, the sheer density of ideas here is just wonderful to soak in. I can't help but see the wonderful book this might have been with a comprehensive edit.
May 4, 2015
Effortlessly and exuberantly inventive, with an awesome tapestry of characters (loved loved Tralane and her two daughters), and world building that just kills it. The meld of science and magic is my sweet spot, so I'm not surprised I enjoyed it so much. There's entire novels' worth of world building there, and little throwaway details that make this feel like a real, lived-in world. Plus very interesting gender and sexual politics (I'm not even sure I got everything!)
Also, it never really went where I expected it to go (except in one case), which is a very high plus in my book.
Also, it never really went where I expected it to go (except in one case), which is a very high plus in my book.
February 16, 2017
DNF @30%. Not feeling it.
January 28, 2015
*Text from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Glorious Angels is one of the most original works I’ve read in the last twelve months. It’s unabashedly clever, uncompromising, and full of scintillating ideas. It does have some flaws, but the core of the text is an enticingly intelligent read.
The story is set in a world living in the shadow of its past. In the first few pages, the idea of a civilisation living in and around technology it neither understands nor really requires is presented, alongside a low level magic which is presented as both subtle and pervasive. The society shown seems almost to be in a gentle senescence, its dynamism sapped by a distant war which it appears, largely, not to need or understand.
This aging techno-magic society is carefully portrayed; the entire environment is crafted around the blend of technology and magic, and it seeps through the narrative, a subtle underlay to all the character interactions. And it’s entirely believable, and beautifully done. Over the top of this underlying structure is a society where the traditional gender role of power is held by women – and much like the world, this is never presented to the reader with a sledgehammer, but carefully drawn out from the way characters thing and interact with each other. It’s a very convincing portrayal of how a society in this state might work, and the character dynamics and situations it presents are fascinating.
The layer above both the society and the characters is the politics and the actions around them– the book begins with a melange of political plotting laced through the setting, though it certainly doesn’t stay there. That said, whilst there is a certain amount of action, murder and running about, especially in the latter part of the book, it’s not the focus; the majority of the plot comes out in dialogue, and in characters internal musings.
This does have a bit of an impact on the pacing of the text; it definitely starts with a bit of a slow burn, as the reader is brought up to speed with the world, with the characters, with their motivations and drivers – the pebbles before the avalanche. The pace definitely picks up around the halfway mark, though.
The only other issue is wrapped up in the characters and their roles; there are a few rather explicit love scenes near the start of the text; this isn’t really a problem (though it was a bit unexpected at the time), and fits the characters involved and their narratives – but be aware, if it’s something you’d be uncomfortable reading in rather excruciating detail! On balance, I think it adds to the text, but others may disagree.
Overall then, this is a that rarity, a novel of ideas, which demands a great deal from its audience, and refuses to talk down to them – but rewards close reading, rewards perseverance, and has a lot of really interesting things to say, presented inside a narrative that is both interesting and compelling to read. Well worth taking the time to read.
Glorious Angels is one of the most original works I’ve read in the last twelve months. It’s unabashedly clever, uncompromising, and full of scintillating ideas. It does have some flaws, but the core of the text is an enticingly intelligent read.
The story is set in a world living in the shadow of its past. In the first few pages, the idea of a civilisation living in and around technology it neither understands nor really requires is presented, alongside a low level magic which is presented as both subtle and pervasive. The society shown seems almost to be in a gentle senescence, its dynamism sapped by a distant war which it appears, largely, not to need or understand.
This aging techno-magic society is carefully portrayed; the entire environment is crafted around the blend of technology and magic, and it seeps through the narrative, a subtle underlay to all the character interactions. And it’s entirely believable, and beautifully done. Over the top of this underlying structure is a society where the traditional gender role of power is held by women – and much like the world, this is never presented to the reader with a sledgehammer, but carefully drawn out from the way characters thing and interact with each other. It’s a very convincing portrayal of how a society in this state might work, and the character dynamics and situations it presents are fascinating.
The layer above both the society and the characters is the politics and the actions around them– the book begins with a melange of political plotting laced through the setting, though it certainly doesn’t stay there. That said, whilst there is a certain amount of action, murder and running about, especially in the latter part of the book, it’s not the focus; the majority of the plot comes out in dialogue, and in characters internal musings.
This does have a bit of an impact on the pacing of the text; it definitely starts with a bit of a slow burn, as the reader is brought up to speed with the world, with the characters, with their motivations and drivers – the pebbles before the avalanche. The pace definitely picks up around the halfway mark, though.
The only other issue is wrapped up in the characters and their roles; there are a few rather explicit love scenes near the start of the text; this isn’t really a problem (though it was a bit unexpected at the time), and fits the characters involved and their narratives – but be aware, if it’s something you’d be uncomfortable reading in rather excruciating detail! On balance, I think it adds to the text, but others may disagree.
Overall then, this is a that rarity, a novel of ideas, which demands a great deal from its audience, and refuses to talk down to them – but rewards close reading, rewards perseverance, and has a lot of really interesting things to say, presented inside a narrative that is both interesting and compelling to read. Well worth taking the time to read.
January 16, 2019
I've been meaning to read Justina Robson for a while, and oof, this was quite a showstopper to start with! It's an intricate novel of ideas, set in a kind of crumbling world of mostly-humans, in which magic and science are easily confused.
The main character is Tralane Huntingore, engineer, mother of two daughters, head of an old and extremely broke household, subject of blackmail...so she doesn't have any time for romance, does she?
Next up are her daughters, Minna and Issa, both testing their wings in different ways; both with surprises in store for their mother.
Add in an empress who controls her people by scent, and who is magically linked to several other empresses in other cities; infomancers who read minds and spy on the populace; a host of politicking; and another group of beings called the Karoo, who have emerged from the forests after going unseen for generations.
There's also the fact that, in this world, the women are in charge. If many media works fall victim to the problem of the male gaze, with this book Robson explicitly went for the "female gaze", and this is challenging to read at times, if always thought-provoking. This isn't a "what if women ruled the world" novel, but the power swap very definitely underpins most of what goes on.
I mentioned the romance element earlier, slightly whimsically, because there is actually a fairly strong romance subplot to this novel, which is otherwise awash with worldbuilding and what ifs and politics. And it is the characters that pulled me through, although it's the ideas and the worldbuilding that will have me rereading as soon as I can.
This is the kind of novel that takes over your brain while you're reading it. It shifts from one character to the next, focusing on around five core characters, but Robson is not afraid to bring in more peripheral points of view for occasional insights into what's going on.
If I have a criticism, it's that the ending felt a little flat after the headlong rush to get there. I understand a sequel is in the works, which I'm happy to hear. In the meantime, I'm going to reread Glorious Angels to see what I missed the first time around.
The main character is Tralane Huntingore, engineer, mother of two daughters, head of an old and extremely broke household, subject of blackmail...so she doesn't have any time for romance, does she?
Next up are her daughters, Minna and Issa, both testing their wings in different ways; both with surprises in store for their mother.
Add in an empress who controls her people by scent, and who is magically linked to several other empresses in other cities; infomancers who read minds and spy on the populace; a host of politicking; and another group of beings called the Karoo, who have emerged from the forests after going unseen for generations.
There's also the fact that, in this world, the women are in charge. If many media works fall victim to the problem of the male gaze, with this book Robson explicitly went for the "female gaze", and this is challenging to read at times, if always thought-provoking. This isn't a "what if women ruled the world" novel, but the power swap very definitely underpins most of what goes on.
I mentioned the romance element earlier, slightly whimsically, because there is actually a fairly strong romance subplot to this novel, which is otherwise awash with worldbuilding and what ifs and politics. And it is the characters that pulled me through, although it's the ideas and the worldbuilding that will have me rereading as soon as I can.
This is the kind of novel that takes over your brain while you're reading it. It shifts from one character to the next, focusing on around five core characters, but Robson is not afraid to bring in more peripheral points of view for occasional insights into what's going on.
If I have a criticism, it's that the ending felt a little flat after the headlong rush to get there. I understand a sequel is in the works, which I'm happy to hear. In the meantime, I'm going to reread Glorious Angels to see what I missed the first time around.
April 2, 2016
It has alzabos in it.
Foreigner meets Gilmore Girls, but there's more to it than that, and for anyone familiar with SFF and its long history of can-do heroes who get all the girls, it's best to approach this novel with a sense of humor. When the book is taking itself seriously, it's an investigation of instinct versus intellect, with lots of sexy moments that Robson dares us to overintellectualize... just before Isabeau puts us in our place.
Foreigner meets Gilmore Girls, but there's more to it than that, and for anyone familiar with SFF and its long history of can-do heroes who get all the girls, it's best to approach this novel with a sense of humor. When the book is taking itself seriously, it's an investigation of instinct versus intellect, with lots of sexy moments that Robson dares us to overintellectualize... just before Isabeau puts us in our place.
May 31, 2018
The writing is not engaging and the story is unfocused.
But most of all, I'd rather not have to read about a grown man having sex with a 16 year old.
But most of all, I'd rather not have to read about a grown man having sex with a 16 year old.
March 24, 2020
Truly Justina Robson is one of our smartest, most extraordinary writers. No one writes even slightly like her. High-concepts galore, beautiful prose, and characters you'd follow to the grave.
October 31, 2015
I received a free copy of Glorious Angels from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first exposure to Justina Robson's work. Although she is very popular in the UK, I have not seen or heard her work touted on this side of the pond. That's unfortunate, because I think she is a very interesting writer with a lot to offer readers who mistakenly think sci-fi/fantasy is bland, repetitious, or dependent on genre conventions.
Glorious Angels is an impressive work that combines the pacing of a thrilling adventure story with high-concept fantasy. Robson crafts an elaborate world destabilized by intrigue and power grabs, but the characters who populate that world are even more captivating. Hierarchies, inherited talents, and identity politics structure their lives, but they never come across as passive manifestations of cliches or stereotypes. Rather, each character's nuanced motivations and personal philosophies are fully realized, thanks to Robson's talent for subtly differentiating narrative perspectives. Each time the novel changed perspective, I felt as though I were seeing Glimshard through that character's eyes. And the novel's epic scope gives the reader the opportunity to see those perspectives shift and change over time.
Glorious Angels is an intricate novel - it often felt like I was examining a vast clockwork through a microscope. Each component was rich and complex in its own right, but there was a larger mechanism keeping all the individual parts in precisely choreographed motion. Aside from being impressed with Robson's ability to orchestrate such a feat, I loved the ideas and concepts that proliferate in Glorious Angels. The gender politics are interesting, but not tidy or overly simplified. And I was fascinated by the specialized powers that blur the line between magic and technology.
Robson plunges the reader into Glimshard's political upheaval in medias res without much context. Although the immersion mostly works, you have to read the first 25 pages very carefully. If your attention wanders even slightly during this section, you will have to backtrack so that subsequent actions and motives make sense. Also, this novel is presented as a stand alone, but not all of the threads get tied together at the end. It becomes evident during the last 40-50 pages that Glorious Angels needs a sequel or series of companion volumes. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't get your heart set on a satisfying resolution to all the plot lines Glorious Angels introduces.
This was my first exposure to Justina Robson's work. Although she is very popular in the UK, I have not seen or heard her work touted on this side of the pond. That's unfortunate, because I think she is a very interesting writer with a lot to offer readers who mistakenly think sci-fi/fantasy is bland, repetitious, or dependent on genre conventions.
Glorious Angels is an impressive work that combines the pacing of a thrilling adventure story with high-concept fantasy. Robson crafts an elaborate world destabilized by intrigue and power grabs, but the characters who populate that world are even more captivating. Hierarchies, inherited talents, and identity politics structure their lives, but they never come across as passive manifestations of cliches or stereotypes. Rather, each character's nuanced motivations and personal philosophies are fully realized, thanks to Robson's talent for subtly differentiating narrative perspectives. Each time the novel changed perspective, I felt as though I were seeing Glimshard through that character's eyes. And the novel's epic scope gives the reader the opportunity to see those perspectives shift and change over time.
Glorious Angels is an intricate novel - it often felt like I was examining a vast clockwork through a microscope. Each component was rich and complex in its own right, but there was a larger mechanism keeping all the individual parts in precisely choreographed motion. Aside from being impressed with Robson's ability to orchestrate such a feat, I loved the ideas and concepts that proliferate in Glorious Angels. The gender politics are interesting, but not tidy or overly simplified. And I was fascinated by the specialized powers that blur the line between magic and technology.
Robson plunges the reader into Glimshard's political upheaval in medias res without much context. Although the immersion mostly works, you have to read the first 25 pages very carefully. If your attention wanders even slightly during this section, you will have to backtrack so that subsequent actions and motives make sense. Also, this novel is presented as a stand alone, but not all of the threads get tied together at the end. It becomes evident during the last 40-50 pages that Glorious Angels needs a sequel or series of companion volumes. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't get your heart set on a satisfying resolution to all the plot lines Glorious Angels introduces.
March 26, 2015
Tralane Huntingore is one of the main characters of ‘Glorious Angels’. She is a mother of teenage daughters and an engineer would rather be tinkering with the vast array of junk in the decaying home of her ancestors than having to manoeuvre her way through the political minefield that is the city of Glimshard (one of eight cities each controlled by an Empress).
Although there is generous cast of characters in the novel, each with their own part to play in the story, it is refreshing to see an older heroine able to give as good as she gets and Tralane is a character that a reader can find themselves getting very attached to.
Tralane lives in a matriarchal society with eight Empresses mind-linked together. This is a situation that the men seem content to work loyally with and if there is any resentment towards the current Empress it is she is still very young.
This sense of parity is very much in evidence when the reader suddenly comes upon some very graphic sexual encounters. They are, however, not exploitative or there to shock and the quality of the writing is such that they have a natural feel to them, making them an integrated part of this complex world.
The descriptions of Tralane’s world provide plenty of information and a sense that it would be possible to step out of the story for a moment and take a look round the corner of the next street to see what’s going on.
Justina Robson uses a variety of points of view, sometimes switching them during the chapter, to great effect. This creates a very rich narrative of the political and personal interplay between the characters, as well as their inner landscapes, which is handled well without confusing the reader or losing the rhythm of the scene.
The archaeology site where excavations are taking place for the technology that might be found there (and where the story eventually moves to) is introduced in a way that produces a very visceral sense of the fear the characters are living in.
Although loose ends are tied up well towards the end of the book, there is a sense that the story hasn't finished yet and that it will be interesting to see where it leads.
Although there is generous cast of characters in the novel, each with their own part to play in the story, it is refreshing to see an older heroine able to give as good as she gets and Tralane is a character that a reader can find themselves getting very attached to.
Tralane lives in a matriarchal society with eight Empresses mind-linked together. This is a situation that the men seem content to work loyally with and if there is any resentment towards the current Empress it is she is still very young.
This sense of parity is very much in evidence when the reader suddenly comes upon some very graphic sexual encounters. They are, however, not exploitative or there to shock and the quality of the writing is such that they have a natural feel to them, making them an integrated part of this complex world.
The descriptions of Tralane’s world provide plenty of information and a sense that it would be possible to step out of the story for a moment and take a look round the corner of the next street to see what’s going on.
Justina Robson uses a variety of points of view, sometimes switching them during the chapter, to great effect. This creates a very rich narrative of the political and personal interplay between the characters, as well as their inner landscapes, which is handled well without confusing the reader or losing the rhythm of the scene.
The archaeology site where excavations are taking place for the technology that might be found there (and where the story eventually moves to) is introduced in a way that produces a very visceral sense of the fear the characters are living in.
Although loose ends are tied up well towards the end of the book, there is a sense that the story hasn't finished yet and that it will be interesting to see where it leads.
October 22, 2015
I feel like the term 'science fantasy' has fallen out of use in recent years, as it tends to conjure up images of incredibly cheesy 1980s SF novels that couldn't be bothered to get their science right, or wanted to include unicorns. It's a term I keep coming back to regarding 'Glorious Angels', though, because whilst this is definitely SF, much of the technology is poorly understood by the characters who use it, becoming almost magical instead (and the term 'mage' is actually used).
Maybe that sounds just as cheesy as space unicorns, but don't let it put you off: this is an absolutely fantastic book, full of complex characters, subtle plotting, gender politics (which are interesting but never in-your-face) and extraordinary world-building. I would say world-building is where Robson most excels - there are simply so many disparate yet beautifully meshed ideas thrown in here, many of which are casually mentioned where another writer would spend a whole book on them - but that would do a disservice to her excellent characterisation. There are a lot of characters in 'Glorious Angels', but each POV is perfectly distinct from the others, and their paths intertwine in intriguing and satisfying ways.
My one grumble was the pacing of the ending, which I won't go into detail over to avoid spoilers. Suffice to say, after the careful building of tension throughout the book, it felt a bit abrupt, somehow, both wrapping up some threads too quickly and leaving others with less resolution than I'd have liked.
That's really only a minor gripe, though, in an otherwise very strong book. This is the best, and most sophisticated, SF novel I've read in quite some time - and whether you class it as 'science fantasy' or pure science fiction, it's massively enjoyable either way.
[Review copy provided as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.]
Maybe that sounds just as cheesy as space unicorns, but don't let it put you off: this is an absolutely fantastic book, full of complex characters, subtle plotting, gender politics (which are interesting but never in-your-face) and extraordinary world-building. I would say world-building is where Robson most excels - there are simply so many disparate yet beautifully meshed ideas thrown in here, many of which are casually mentioned where another writer would spend a whole book on them - but that would do a disservice to her excellent characterisation. There are a lot of characters in 'Glorious Angels', but each POV is perfectly distinct from the others, and their paths intertwine in intriguing and satisfying ways.
My one grumble was the pacing of the ending, which I won't go into detail over to avoid spoilers. Suffice to say, after the careful building of tension throughout the book, it felt a bit abrupt, somehow, both wrapping up some threads too quickly and leaving others with less resolution than I'd have liked.
That's really only a minor gripe, though, in an otherwise very strong book. This is the best, and most sophisticated, SF novel I've read in quite some time - and whether you class it as 'science fantasy' or pure science fiction, it's massively enjoyable either way.
[Review copy provided as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.]
April 10, 2016
The Glorious Angels is an odd one. Considering its Matriarchal Alien Steampunk feel, I should have loved it. An alien world with a forgotten past, a mixture of science and magic, an emphasis on women, an interestingly constructed society, a mysterious artifact, spies, philosophy, sex - what's not to like? And I did like parts of it, especially when more about the world and characters was revealed.
But to me, this was one of the books where the concept was stronger than the execution. Someone said it's a book about ideas and it is, and interesting ideas at that, but they have not always been successfully turned into a novel. The tone, especially in the beginning, was so aloof that it was difficult to care about anyone or anything. In the end, I did like quite a few of the characters - I'm a sucker for lady scientists; empresses bearing huge burdens; silent, noble bodyguards; men of ambiguous morals doing the right thing - but often despite the way they were depicted. I liked the idea of them, so I just overlooked when they were written underwhelmingly. The plot seemed often contrived: this is a society ruled with sensuality, so let's add a sex scene here, here and there; sensuality and intellect are in conflict, so let's have the characters discuss! The pace picked up in the second half of the book, where 200+ pages of set-up started to pay off, but the ending was abrupt and somewhat confusing (or some parts of it simply beyond my understanding).
Still, no regrets about reading this. It's original and provides food for thought to those who like to think about gender and otherness and how societies function. And there are bits of fun too. And magical goggles.
But to me, this was one of the books where the concept was stronger than the execution. Someone said it's a book about ideas and it is, and interesting ideas at that, but they have not always been successfully turned into a novel. The tone, especially in the beginning, was so aloof that it was difficult to care about anyone or anything. In the end, I did like quite a few of the characters - I'm a sucker for lady scientists; empresses bearing huge burdens; silent, noble bodyguards; men of ambiguous morals doing the right thing - but often despite the way they were depicted. I liked the idea of them, so I just overlooked when they were written underwhelmingly. The plot seemed often contrived: this is a society ruled with sensuality, so let's add a sex scene here, here and there; sensuality and intellect are in conflict, so let's have the characters discuss! The pace picked up in the second half of the book, where 200+ pages of set-up started to pay off, but the ending was abrupt and somewhat confusing (or some parts of it simply beyond my understanding).
Still, no regrets about reading this. It's original and provides food for thought to those who like to think about gender and otherness and how societies function. And there are bits of fun too. And magical goggles.
March 29, 2017
31/2 stars. I liked parts of this book: There were some really good ideas but it was just so hard get through...this is going to sound so juvenile...a lot of Robson's sentences were just too damn long! I would have to read and reread just to follow what she was trying to say. Also, I felt like there were too many unanswerwd questions. I got to the end and thought "that's it?".
August 21, 2016
I am usually bored to tears by the endless parade of hero(ine)s beset by a variety of perils and challenges in an almost earthlike yet uninteresting setting with various unoriginal elements of magic or tech or both.
But....this one caught my interest from the first chapter and I read it though with much enjoyment.
Not surprising as Natural History was superb.
Very nicely done Ms Robson. Very nicely done indeed.
But....this one caught my interest from the first chapter and I read it though with much enjoyment.
Not surprising as Natural History was superb.
Very nicely done Ms Robson. Very nicely done indeed.
April 17, 2016
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2636061.html
Probably more a reflection of my state of mind than the quality of the writing, but I've given up on this not quite half way through when I realised I had completely lost track of the characters and their motivations. Some excellent sex (in the book! in the book!) kept my attention for slightly longer than might otherwise have been the case.
Probably more a reflection of my state of mind than the quality of the writing, but I've given up on this not quite half way through when I realised I had completely lost track of the characters and their motivations. Some excellent sex (in the book! in the book!) kept my attention for slightly longer than might otherwise have been the case.
August 27, 2018
I have liked many of Robson’s books and she often seems to write novels that mix up science fiction and fantasy which I have generally enjoyed but this time the emphasis is far more on the fantasy side and consequently far less to my liking, which is a shame as it is a good if slightly slow moving fantasy thriller with definite elements of science fiction. Ten years ago when I was still reading fantasy I’d have probably lapped it up but now it was really just okay.
January 17, 2020
Review originally published in SFX magazine, 2015. 4.5 stars.
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Justina Robson could be described as chameleonic. Not in the sense that she can literally change colour (although we wouldn’t be surprised to find out she could). But in her career to date, Robson has repeatedly dodged assumptions about what sort of writer she is – and done so with panache. From the hard sf of Silver Screen (1999) and Mappa Mundi (2001) (both shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award), through the space opera of Natural History (2003; runner-up for the Campbell Award) and the decidedly weirder Living Next-Door to the God of Love (2005), to the five-volume ‘Quantum Gravity’ series (2006-2011), which started out like urban fantasy (of a sort) and ended up somewhere else entirely, Robson has never stood still.
The Glorious Angels, her first novel in four years, is another showcase for her restless imagination. It tap dances along the lines between genre boundaries, kicking up its heels with a giddy, ferociously smart inventiveness, reminiscent of 70s and 80s feminist science-fantasy like Joanna Russ’ Adventures of Alyx, or a (much) bolder and spikier Anne McCaffrey. Does Robson’s unnamed world run on science, magic, or some mixture of both? Who can say? Certainly not the characters, all of whom have ideas about how things work, but far from a complete understanding.
The city of Glimshard lies over the ruins of long-dead civilisations, and uncovering the relics of this past is a lucrative (and cut-throat) game: while much of the knowledge needed to operate the technology is long gone, this doesn’t stop everyone with the means from scrabbling to get a piece of the pie, on the off-chance they’ll happen across something both usable and spectacular. Tralane Huntingore is an engineer, and a woman of simple tastes. Appealingly blunt and strong-willed, all she wants is to be left alone to tinker with the broken remnants of ancient tech passed down through her family for generations, and to keep half a baffled eye on the antics of her chalk-and-cheese teenage daughters. But with Glimshard embroiled in a war to the south allegedly caused by the aggression of the ‘barbarian’ Karoo – but which may in fact be related to an archaeological expedition in Karoo territory – her expertise makes her a person of interest to spies, assassins, and the Imperial court.
Advance publicity has made much of the fact that this is a world where women rule. Women sit at the top of the tree in political, professional and social life, while men are sexualised and their status rests on making themselves appealing to powerful women. This reversal plays out in the narrative, too, in subtle and clever ways: most key roles are played by women characters, with the only prominent male characters being the protagonists’ love (or rather sex) interests, albeit – if you’ll forgive the pun – well-rounded ones.
But this is understated, and it’s only a part of the sheer, glorious weirdness of Robson’s worldbuilding, which takes in flying cities, eight telepathic Empresses, and shapeshifting tiger-dog-parahumans who absorb knowledge by eating people. The setting is complex and layered without feeling bogged down by detail. Tying all this together is a core theme about the relationship between human mind and body, something the characters’ experiences continually interrogate and complicate. Robson explores links between mental and physical trauma, and how the Karoo’s non- or partially-human physiology translates to different patterns of thought and social organisation; more broadly, the story pivots on parallels between the mental manipulation of telepathy and the chemical reactions underlying love and sex. It’s a deeply thoughtful – and thought-provoking – thread, which gives weight to a rich tale of intricate politicking, fast-paced action, frank sexuality and extreme archaeology (yes, really!).
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Justina Robson could be described as chameleonic. Not in the sense that she can literally change colour (although we wouldn’t be surprised to find out she could). But in her career to date, Robson has repeatedly dodged assumptions about what sort of writer she is – and done so with panache. From the hard sf of Silver Screen (1999) and Mappa Mundi (2001) (both shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award), through the space opera of Natural History (2003; runner-up for the Campbell Award) and the decidedly weirder Living Next-Door to the God of Love (2005), to the five-volume ‘Quantum Gravity’ series (2006-2011), which started out like urban fantasy (of a sort) and ended up somewhere else entirely, Robson has never stood still.
The Glorious Angels, her first novel in four years, is another showcase for her restless imagination. It tap dances along the lines between genre boundaries, kicking up its heels with a giddy, ferociously smart inventiveness, reminiscent of 70s and 80s feminist science-fantasy like Joanna Russ’ Adventures of Alyx, or a (much) bolder and spikier Anne McCaffrey. Does Robson’s unnamed world run on science, magic, or some mixture of both? Who can say? Certainly not the characters, all of whom have ideas about how things work, but far from a complete understanding.
The city of Glimshard lies over the ruins of long-dead civilisations, and uncovering the relics of this past is a lucrative (and cut-throat) game: while much of the knowledge needed to operate the technology is long gone, this doesn’t stop everyone with the means from scrabbling to get a piece of the pie, on the off-chance they’ll happen across something both usable and spectacular. Tralane Huntingore is an engineer, and a woman of simple tastes. Appealingly blunt and strong-willed, all she wants is to be left alone to tinker with the broken remnants of ancient tech passed down through her family for generations, and to keep half a baffled eye on the antics of her chalk-and-cheese teenage daughters. But with Glimshard embroiled in a war to the south allegedly caused by the aggression of the ‘barbarian’ Karoo – but which may in fact be related to an archaeological expedition in Karoo territory – her expertise makes her a person of interest to spies, assassins, and the Imperial court.
Advance publicity has made much of the fact that this is a world where women rule. Women sit at the top of the tree in political, professional and social life, while men are sexualised and their status rests on making themselves appealing to powerful women. This reversal plays out in the narrative, too, in subtle and clever ways: most key roles are played by women characters, with the only prominent male characters being the protagonists’ love (or rather sex) interests, albeit – if you’ll forgive the pun – well-rounded ones.
But this is understated, and it’s only a part of the sheer, glorious weirdness of Robson’s worldbuilding, which takes in flying cities, eight telepathic Empresses, and shapeshifting tiger-dog-parahumans who absorb knowledge by eating people. The setting is complex and layered without feeling bogged down by detail. Tying all this together is a core theme about the relationship between human mind and body, something the characters’ experiences continually interrogate and complicate. Robson explores links between mental and physical trauma, and how the Karoo’s non- or partially-human physiology translates to different patterns of thought and social organisation; more broadly, the story pivots on parallels between the mental manipulation of telepathy and the chemical reactions underlying love and sex. It’s a deeply thoughtful – and thought-provoking – thread, which gives weight to a rich tale of intricate politicking, fast-paced action, frank sexuality and extreme archaeology (yes, really!).
July 16, 2017
Real SF with slight romantic elements.
This is dense and chewy and keeps on surprising you. It took me a while to get into. Partly because I found myself arguing in my head with the author over how a matriarchy would treat men. (I don't think women would be all coy and wear painful high heels and plunging necklines.) also I could not stand the disrepair of the main heroine's ancient mansion.
I kept at it, largely because this is feminist, plus the heroine is the mother of two young adults. So, she's not shunted away so they can be heroines. Well they are as well, but her role is the lead. (Yay!) All that plus it's a LGBT-is-normal world, which I liked.
Then it deepened and finally during the last quarter I was galloping through and incredibly annoyed at interruptions. The ending was ... a bit flat and tidy. After all of that depth.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of creative genius here. Most of it's not like anything you've read, very few familiar tropes. So, I enjoyed that.
This is dense and chewy and keeps on surprising you. It took me a while to get into. Partly because I found myself arguing in my head with the author over how a matriarchy would treat men. (I don't think women would be all coy and wear painful high heels and plunging necklines.) also I could not stand the disrepair of the main heroine's ancient mansion.
I kept at it, largely because this is feminist, plus the heroine is the mother of two young adults. So, she's not shunted away so they can be heroines. Well they are as well, but her role is the lead. (Yay!) All that plus it's a LGBT-is-normal world, which I liked.
Then it deepened and finally during the last quarter I was galloping through and incredibly annoyed at interruptions. The ending was ... a bit flat and tidy. After all of that depth.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of creative genius here. Most of it's not like anything you've read, very few familiar tropes. So, I enjoyed that.
April 19, 2021
The pacing is seriously messed up in this book. The first 200 pages consisted of world-building in the form of shifting points of view (not a big fan of the latter, I must admit; I've probably binged too many badfics to be able to appreciate things like that). The same 200 pages contained only slight hints of the overarching story and I would have preferred getting some action before that.
(And not the action I got, )
But then... everything escalated. Couldn't put the book down and so I read the remaining 300+ pages in one go. I don't think I got all the twists and turns and subtleties of everything going down; I might have to return and re-read later. (Skipping much of the first half. )
(And not the action I got, )
But then... everything escalated. Couldn't put the book down and so I read the remaining 300+ pages in one go. I don't think I got all the twists and turns and subtleties of everything going down; I might have to return and re-read later. (Skipping much of the first half. )
November 16, 2019
The first 400 pages feel like a long-winded introduction, interspersed with the odd "shocking" sex scene. It's certainly not bad, and better when it picks up the pace, but feels stretched out.
Don't expect feminism. The author says so herself, and she's not joking. The ultimate powers might be in women in theory, and they certainly have talents not outside the usual sci-fi fare, but the best women are vulnerable and girlish, and the big strong man that gets stuff done in every case is a man. The main characters might be the Huntingore family, the empress Torada, and Parlumi Night on the surface, but the story doesn't happen at all without Tzaban, Alide, Mazhd, Borze or Gau Tam.
Don't expect feminism. The author says so herself, and she's not joking. The ultimate powers might be in women in theory, and they certainly have talents not outside the usual sci-fi fare, but the best women are vulnerable and girlish, and the big strong man that gets stuff done in every case is a man. The main characters might be the Huntingore family, the empress Torada, and Parlumi Night on the surface, but the story doesn't happen at all without Tzaban, Alide, Mazhd, Borze or Gau Tam.
November 7, 2023
DNF
I was intrigued, but then the fucking started. Holy shit, I ain't a prude or nothin', Marge Piercy is one of my favorite authors, but this is just a nerdy fuckbook. After a while instead of thinking, "Gee, how is this political intrigue gonna pan out" I was thinking, "Who's gonna fuck that handsome boy?", "Who's gonna fuck that sexy lady?", "That Centaur* is definitely gonna get fucked."
Two guys fuck a nubile babe DP style and the vibrations of one of the man's throbbing cumming cock makes the other guy cum! Bro, I signed up for political intrigue sci-fi fantasy! I just got done reading the Ancillary series and Leckie was like, "Gotta read Robson". No Ann, No!
*Karoo
I was intrigued, but then the fucking started. Holy shit, I ain't a prude or nothin', Marge Piercy is one of my favorite authors, but this is just a nerdy fuckbook. After a while instead of thinking, "Gee, how is this political intrigue gonna pan out" I was thinking, "Who's gonna fuck that handsome boy?", "Who's gonna fuck that sexy lady?", "That Centaur* is definitely gonna get fucked."
Two guys fuck a nubile babe DP style and the vibrations of one of the man's throbbing cumming cock makes the other guy cum! Bro, I signed up for political intrigue sci-fi fantasy! I just got done reading the Ancillary series and Leckie was like, "Gotta read Robson". No Ann, No!
*Karoo
September 27, 2018
This was one of the most fascinating books I have read in a while and it was wild ride that rarely went where expected. I loved that not everything was explained instantly and you were encouraged to ferret things out for yourself much in the way some of the principal characters had to work their way through the challenges placed in front of them. The scale and sweep of the world building was breathtaking and left me aching to know more. The melding of magic and science brought layers to the story, not to mention the complexities of the characters with their various inborn specialist abilities, not to mention the very alien aliens. It s hard not to give anything away so suffice it to say that the twists and turns and how the characters interact is endlessly fascinating. I really, really, really want to know what happens next
October 9, 2023
Science fantasy is difficult to pull off in a way which satisfies me. Justina Robson is one author who can do it. One (mild) complaint is that the names can be confusing until you get your sea legs. Too many names have Zs, and she has a habit of using a character's given name in the text, but surname in the section headings. Until I got about 50 pages in, I got a little confused regarding whose PoV a given section was from. And the ending feels a little rushed. But those are really very minor issues, which don't detract much from an exceptional book that I strongly recommend.
February 7, 2017
A devilishly clever book, perhaps too clever for its own jacket sometimes as you felt Justina Robson's fantastic world building too a touch too much precedence over character developments. For the best part of half the novel it feels more like an SFF espionage/spy work then everything kicks off with matriarchal notes, though not hammered obviously, more suggested in plain sight. Well worth your time.
December 6, 2017
OK, I really didn't like this book at first. The beginning chapters feel like it's trying to be two or three things at once that don't really gel in the way they should. Like, detailed and in depth character moments that don't seem to build up characters who maintain a level of importance that warrants the depth to which they were investigated. But then about 1/3 of the way through this book gets REALLY good. By the end I was thoroughly into it all.
February 6, 2020
Incredibly dense with ideas and almost entirely populated with fascinating, multidimensional characters, it reminded me a little of Perdido Street Station.
March 20, 2020
I didn't understand the story, felt like lots of loose ends when it finished.
May 24, 2020
I gave it a good 90 pages but the characters were uninteresting, there was no discernible plot and the world-building was unremarkable, so I dumped it.
August 16, 2015
I was fortunate enough to get an advanced copy of this book to read and review and I'm so glad that I did. What a fantastic reward.
I know I love this book. I know I'm going to re-read, and then re-read it again. I just don't know how to write a review about it. It was so complex. So many different strands of narratives, politics and mystery intertwine to make for an absorbing and scintillating read. I don't want to go into a synopsis of the plot here, primarily because I don't want to spoil the sheer vastness of the tale, but suffice to say that the romance and the politics go hand in hand. I adored the layers that are slowly revealed, the complexity of who we think is pulling the strings, only to learn that there's much more going on than we had first thought. No two characters are the same, no two driving motivations are the same and yet, the book is cohesive, and doesn't feel clunky or bulky, but instead flows from one person's thoughts and actions, to another's, giving us a scene by scene narrative of the unfolding drama. I'll stop here now, but will come back to this review in a while once I let my thoughts form a more cogent pattern.
Add on to the review 16/08/2015
I think one of the most interesting aspects of the book was how the author plays with the women being in charge of society, no matter what type of leadership structure the state/place has. And yet, while it makes much of the power of maternal lineages, it also shows, how important it is to have balance. Both sexes, both strengths are needed for a just, satisfying and fulfilling society. Similarly, to do away with ties of friendship, of love, of family, to make things logical and rational also removes something fundamental to the happiness of society. The need for balance in all things, and yet, also, the need to go beyond that for fulfilment of life and living made an interesting juxtaposition in the narrative.
I know I love this book. I know I'm going to re-read, and then re-read it again. I just don't know how to write a review about it. It was so complex. So many different strands of narratives, politics and mystery intertwine to make for an absorbing and scintillating read. I don't want to go into a synopsis of the plot here, primarily because I don't want to spoil the sheer vastness of the tale, but suffice to say that the romance and the politics go hand in hand. I adored the layers that are slowly revealed, the complexity of who we think is pulling the strings, only to learn that there's much more going on than we had first thought. No two characters are the same, no two driving motivations are the same and yet, the book is cohesive, and doesn't feel clunky or bulky, but instead flows from one person's thoughts and actions, to another's, giving us a scene by scene narrative of the unfolding drama. I'll stop here now, but will come back to this review in a while once I let my thoughts form a more cogent pattern.
Add on to the review 16/08/2015
I think one of the most interesting aspects of the book was how the author plays with the women being in charge of society, no matter what type of leadership structure the state/place has. And yet, while it makes much of the power of maternal lineages, it also shows, how important it is to have balance. Both sexes, both strengths are needed for a just, satisfying and fulfilling society. Similarly, to do away with ties of friendship, of love, of family, to make things logical and rational also removes something fundamental to the happiness of society. The need for balance in all things, and yet, also, the need to go beyond that for fulfilment of life and living made an interesting juxtaposition in the narrative.
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