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Liquid City
Abandoned as a teenager on a strange planet, Casp Alkin earns a living transporting cargo through the ancient tunnels which lie beneath the rapidly industrialising Liquid City. It's a dirty, dangerous game but one which affords them the independence they always longed for.
But the offer of a lucrative contract persuades Casp to break with their established routine and journey into the unexplored parts of the tunnel network, deep underground. Accompanied by an ill-tempered cephalopod and the scientist daughter of their wealthy sponsor, Casp embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey. But they quickly find that success will mean an end to the livelihoods of the tunnel folk who have become their family, destroying the community which has relied on the tunnels for generations.
Casp has little hope of saving the tunnelling industry, but they are persuaded to take to the tunnels one last time. Because some believe that humans weren’t the first to inhabit this isolated planet, and what they find will shift the balance of power in Liquid City forever.
But the offer of a lucrative contract persuades Casp to break with their established routine and journey into the unexplored parts of the tunnel network, deep underground. Accompanied by an ill-tempered cephalopod and the scientist daughter of their wealthy sponsor, Casp embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey. But they quickly find that success will mean an end to the livelihoods of the tunnel folk who have become their family, destroying the community which has relied on the tunnels for generations.
Casp has little hope of saving the tunnelling industry, but they are persuaded to take to the tunnels one last time. Because some believe that humans weren’t the first to inhabit this isolated planet, and what they find will shift the balance of power in Liquid City forever.
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 5, 2015
Liquid City is an adventure story, on a strange and interesting world in the far future. Casp Alkin and their cephalopod pilot Zek search for the source of the mysterious power source Selnon, and in doing so discover things about the planet, their past and themselves. Casp is a sympathetic protagonist who you can't help but hope will come out okay. A lovely short read.
February 25, 2019
I don't want to think of this as Journey to the Centre of the Earth with a Squid, but I do. It's a comparison that's only mildly accurate. Casp and their cephalopod sidekick are squeezing a living out of cargo runs, when the scientist daughter of an extremely rich man hires them and their vessel to explore a network of underground tunnels. It's essentially a cave system, going deeper into the earth, and of course they discover new and exciting things, because that's what happens in exploration adventures. There's a reason it's a popular genre!
Anyway, I really enjoyed the world building and the characterisation. Being raised on Star Trek has left clear imprints though, because with this established world of interplanetary travel and multiple species living and working together, the diversity factor has a clear and positive impact - except that Casp, our protagonist, is non-binary and this is somehow seen as exclusionary and causing family problems in a universe defined by different identities. Science fiction has always been metaphor, and I suppose it's a comment on the longevity and hypocrisy of prejudice, because there's something very dispiriting about a community that's able to accept any number of alien species but no divergence from gender norms in their own. It's an interesting perspective, watching these two facets of the society rub up against each other. By far my favourite part of the book, however, was the world building at the end. I don't want to spoil or give things away, but in the explanation for the title of the book Buchanan hits that sci-fi sense-of-wonder button hard. I actually got chills, which was delightful.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the world building and the characterisation. Being raised on Star Trek has left clear imprints though, because with this established world of interplanetary travel and multiple species living and working together, the diversity factor has a clear and positive impact - except that Casp, our protagonist, is non-binary and this is somehow seen as exclusionary and causing family problems in a universe defined by different identities. Science fiction has always been metaphor, and I suppose it's a comment on the longevity and hypocrisy of prejudice, because there's something very dispiriting about a community that's able to accept any number of alien species but no divergence from gender norms in their own. It's an interesting perspective, watching these two facets of the society rub up against each other. By far my favourite part of the book, however, was the world building at the end. I don't want to spoil or give things away, but in the explanation for the title of the book Buchanan hits that sci-fi sense-of-wonder button hard. I actually got chills, which was delightful.
October 8, 2015
This is something really different.
It was the cranky sentient octopus that drew me in but the fascinating new world that trapped me. There is some serious imagination in this (I also love the idea of aquines!)
It is also the first book I have read with a non-binary protagonist (someone who doesn't identify as either male or female) and I enjoyed getting a glimpse inside their head. I thought it was done very nicely. It wasn't all 'look at this strange specimen' it was 'this is the story, this is the protagonist and these are the issues they are facing.' I found myself identifying with them even though in so many ways I can never really.
This is a short, quirky, enlightening read and I'm looking forward to more.
It was the cranky sentient octopus that drew me in but the fascinating new world that trapped me. There is some serious imagination in this (I also love the idea of aquines!)
It is also the first book I have read with a non-binary protagonist (someone who doesn't identify as either male or female) and I enjoyed getting a glimpse inside their head. I thought it was done very nicely. It wasn't all 'look at this strange specimen' it was 'this is the story, this is the protagonist and these are the issues they are facing.' I found myself identifying with them even though in so many ways I can never really.
This is a short, quirky, enlightening read and I'm looking forward to more.
March 29, 2023
I always enjoy this author's writing. They have an imagination that produces enthralling stories and a clear writing style that does justice to the worlds and characters in those stories. Everything about Liquid City is highly original and warrants revisiting when the sequels are published.
December 14, 2016
This is one of those books that starts out good, and just gets better until the beautiful crescendo that it ends on. I adore the main character, the world-building, the prose itself. Just, everything. According to the afterword, there's a sequel in the works, and while I don't think it needs one I very much look forward to reading it.
May 25, 2015
Beautifully written with an engaging world, one I wasn't ready to leave when the story finished.
I want to know more about the characters, the universe and what went before. I'm really looking forward to more of Buchanan's writing.
I want to know more about the characters, the universe and what went before. I'm really looking forward to more of Buchanan's writing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews