عصر هسته‌ای

Empire State #2

by Adam Christopher, Zahra Rahimi (translator)

امپایر استیت در شرف نابودی است. شکافی که این جهانِ توده‌ای را به نیویورک وصل کرده، ناپدید شده و شهر در یخبندانی زمستانی مدفون شده. با کاهش منابع انرژی، مردم از دولت انتظار دارند به دوران ممنوعیت و جیره‌بندی مواد غذایی بازگردد.
در همین اثنا، قدرت‌های سیاسی در نیویورک هم جابه‌جا شده و نمرود و سازمانش حالا مجبورند زیر نظر گروه جدیدی به نام «اتم برای صلح» فعالیت کنند که رهبری‌اش را زنی مرموز با نام اِولین مک‌هیل بر عهده دارد.
در همان حال که رد مشغول کشف چیز جدیدی است که شهرش را تهدید می‌کند، اتم برای صلح نیز درصدد مهیا کردن ارتشی برای تهاجمی فرابعدی است و هدف‌شان پیروزی مطلق یا انهدام کامل امپایر استیت است.

Genres: Science Fiction, Alternate History, Fantasy, Steampunk, Fiction, Mystery, Superheroes

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Adam Christopher is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith and Master of Evil,  Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town. He has also written official tie-in novels for the hit CBS television show Elementary and the award-winning Dishonored video game franchise.

Co-creator of the twenty-first-century incarnation of Archie Comics superhero The Shield, Adam has also written for the universes of Doctor Who and World of Warcraft, and is a contributor to the internationally bestselling Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View anniversary anthology series and the all-ages Star Wars Adventures comic.

Adam’s original novels include Made to Kill and The Burning Dark, among many others, and his debut novel Empire State was both a SciFi Now and Financial Times book of the year.

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sci-fi pulp feel of THE AGE ATOMIC along with the engaging and unique characters make this a really fun book to read. While different to THE EMPIRE STATE, THE AGE ATOMIC continues some of the themes prevalent throughout its predecessor while maintaining its own identity. I like it when sequels are distinct works in their own right and author Adam Christopher certainly achieves that here.

The impending threat of invasion by a sinister robotic army constructed in the basement of the Atoms For Peace headquarters lead by the villainous Evelyn McHale (a delicately crafted mix of the supernatural and superhero) looms over the Empire State, who, in-turn forge their own army of half humans in response.

The King of 125th street, a charismatic character with flare and a furious temper - his method in madness defined throughout the course of proceedings, Harlem may be frozen but hell is hot, he has the power of the fissure to create his army of robots. It's these robot 'gangs', misfits and part people on the streets that lead Rad (private investigator of the hardboiled tradition) and Special Agent Jennifer Jones, in search of her missing naval brother and on the trail of those responsible for creating a robot army to the King's doorstep and ultimately to the fissure itself.

Action abounds and a villain’s quest is articulated; the rationale and conceptual plot elements fleshed out with each chapter and verse, culminating in an explosive ending that closes the age atomic while preparing readers for more stories in this well-defined and immense world.

Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...

[ewondare · Rating 2 out of 5]

ریویو برای جلد دوم امپایر استیت، عصر هسته‌ای:

خوب نبود.


فکر می‌کردم مشکل شخصیت‌پردازی قرار بود در این جلد حل بشه. اما حباب توخالیِ شخصیت پردازی بد فقط بزرگ‌تر‌و بدقواره‌تر شده بود.
و بعد همین مشکل، به اضافه ی شخصیت‌های فرعی زیاد، باعث شده بود که به هیچ‌کدوم از شخصیت‌های اصلی در جلد دوم درست پرداخته نشه و هیچ رشد و سفر درونی نداشته باشن.

و وقتی شخصیتی که هیچ رشدی نداشته آخر کتاب می‌آد و یه راه حل از توی جیبش درمیاره و کتاب به خوبی و خوشی تموم می‌شه فقط باعث می‌شه حس کنم به سخره گرفته شدم.

فرآیند جلو رفتن در کتاب ناقص بود. خیلی از صحنه‌هایی که باید می‌بودن نبودن و نویسنده از زیرشون قسر در رفته بود. همین یکی از علت‌های عدم وجود سفر درونی برای شخصیت‌ها بود.

نکته‌ ی دیگه‌ای هم که می‌خوام بهش اشاره کنم چپتر/قسمت‌هایی سه تا پنج صفحه‌ای بودن که بارها تکرار شده بودن در کتاب و به نظر میومد با نوشتن راجع به یه لوکیشن جدید و شخصیت‌هایی که قرار نبود بشناسیم در ادامه داستان رو مرموزتر کنن. اما چون خوب ‌و هدف‌دار نوشته نشده بودن فقط کتاب رو بیش‌ از حد گنگ کرده بودن. اون هم وقتی که کتاب به خیلی سوالات جواب نداد. حتی تا آخر کتاب.
مرموز بودن کتاب وقتی خوبه که هدف‌دار باشه و مخاطب/خواننده رو درگیر کتاب کنه نه اینکه باعث بشه زده بشی.


به پایان ناقص برای شخصیت‌های اصلی هم می‌خوام اشاره کنم. ولی فقط یه اشاره. چون در کل پایان خیلی بدی نبود.
در آخر باید بگم خیلی بیشتر انتظار داشتم از این کتاب اما متاسفانه خوب نبود.

۱.۷۵/۵

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Empire State is dying due to the fissure connecting this reality to New York disappearing. The populace is in a panic, demanding the return of prohibition and rationing of energy. Meanwhile in 1954 New York there has been a dynamic political change. A new group called Atoms for Peace are preparing a robot army for a trans-dimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State.

Private Investigator Rad Bradley is back in the sequel to Empire State. This time the twisted parallel prohibition-era New York City is falling apart and a robot army are planning to invade. Adam Christopher spent a lot of time building this amazing inter-dimensional city with some wacky atomic age technology and doppelgangers; in Empire State he has this brilliant tech noir story happening which I really enjoyed. But then we get to The Age Atomic and all noir elements have gone and the plot just feels like a generic atomic age thriller.

The world building he has done to give up this trans-dimensional New York is great and Rad Bradley is a wonderful character, so I can understand why he would want to stay in this world. I just think I was expecting another neo-noir type novel but was left we a pretty average science fiction thriller. The term ‘killing your darlings’ is often used and I’m wondering if Christopher should have just used the same world and created new characters. The return of Rad Bradley (an obvious homage to Ray Bradbury) just meant I expected more hard-boiled adventures from him.

I love this world but I’m very disappointed with the way this book turned out, I think Adam Christopher has the skills and tools to write great alternative reality or neo-noir novels but for me I think the genre switch left me dissatisfied. I recommend you read Empire State and if you are planning to continue to series, be warned, it’s not the same. I’m pleased to see that Adam Christopher added his writing and editing soundtrack again. This book could have been better, I will have to check out WorldBuilder again and see what other people have done with this world, since that is the most interesting part of the whole book.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2013/...

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the events of Empire State, all seemed to be well in both New York and it’s counterpart, The Empire State. However, when we pick things up in The Age Atomic, the fissure is missing and The Empire State is suffering. Plunged into a deep freeze, the citizens struggle to get through each day with what little they have. To make matters worse, the returning Rad Bradley and newcomer Special Agent Jennifer Jones, uncover an underground movement regarding the creation of a robot army.

Things in New York are not exactly perfect either. A new organization dubbed ‘Atoms for Peace’ is overseen by the once-suicidal-turned-Goddess Evelyn McHale. McHale begins preparing to mount an offensive against The Empire State with one goal in mind: trans-dimensional destruction.

I could probably say a lot more about The Age Atomic but I’m not interested in giving too much away. That being said, I easily had as much fun reading this as I did Empire State. It helped that your core characters returned while injecting new and interesting folks for them to interact with. Rad Bradley shone in the first book and once again, proves to be a guy you can’t help but root for. While he still carries that charm of the loveable underdog, Bradley has certainly grew leaps and bounds since the events of The Empire State. Rad is noticeably more confident this time around and implores a more ambitious side than we had previously seen.

The mystery of the fissure’s disappearance plays out well with twists and turns that throw away the book on predictability. Taking the real life tragedy of Evelyn McHale and re-imagining her as a super villain was pretty bold on the author’s part but succeeded where others may have dropped the ball. I loved her character as she played the perfect foil to the stubborn Nimrod, someone just as ambitious as he but with infinitely more power.

While the ideas behind this series show that Adam is imaginative and bright, it’s the writing that keeps you enthralled. I couldn’t tell you the amount of evenings where I lost track of time reading this book – it’s that good. Judging by my interview with the author, he’s not satisfied with just coasting along and seems to loving playing around with different styles and settings. It keeps things fresh and shows his drive to grow as a writer. The ending sets events up perfectly for a sequel, which I can only hope will arrive sooner rather than later.

I really hate to sound like a broken record here but based on the stuff I’ve read, Angry Robot is publishing some excellent work and you would be doing yourself a disservice if you’re passing it over.

Now, to get my hands on Seven Wonders.

-----

Cross posted on Every Read Thing

Check out my interview with Adam Christopher.

[aLirEza nEjaTi · Rating 1 out of 5]

دنیایی بزرگ و مخلوطی از علمی‌تخیلی، ابرقهرمان‌ها، نوآر و ماجراجویی!

متأسفانه، نمی‌تونم بگم که عصر هسته‌ای به عنوان یک ادامه بهتر از جلد قبلیش عمل کرد. همون‌طور که نمی‌تونم بگم ضعیف‌تر عمل کرد. (اتفاقی که معمولا برای جلدهای دوم مجموعه‌ها اتفاق می‌افته). اما این عدم پیشرفت داستان........ نمی‌دونم چه واکنش بهش داشته باشم!
عصر هسته‌ای تقریبا از همون نقص‌هایی که جلد اول داشت رنج می‌برد و با شرح و بیان کُند و با هدف نامشخص و تقریبا ناآشکارش خواننده رو گاها گیج و نامطمئن می‌ذاشت. البته، پایان کتاب و نتیجه‌ی نهایی تقریبا مشخص‌تر و مفهوم‌تر بود. اما به‌طور کلی این پایان داستان چندتا خط داستانی مهم داستان رو اون‌طور که باید و شاید به سرانجام نرسوند و منِ خواننده رو منتظر پایانی گذاشت که به‌نظر می‌رسه قرار نیست بیاد :(
مخصوصا درباره ربات‌های امپایر استیت حرف می‌زنم که با پایان باز آخر کتاب نتیجه راضی‌کننده‌ای به من نداد
متاسفانه عصر هسته‌ای پتانسیل بالای خودش رو اون‌طور که باید استفاده نکرد و نتونست برای من خیلی خوش بدرخشه
یکی‌ هم اینکه عاشق رنگ سبز کاورشم 😆
همین 💚_💚

[Milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the original review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/04/....

“A wonderful novel, The Age Atomic proves that Adam Christopher can write sequels just as well as anyone. The most fun read of 2013 so far, and one of the best.” ~The Founding Fields

I loved Adam Christopher’s first novel, Empire State, when I first read it back in 2011. It would have made it high on my best of 2011 list as well, but for the fact that Seven Wonders was better. Needless to say, The Age Atomic was one of my most anticipated releases for 2013 and would be high on a list if I had actually remembered to make one. Regardless, it is nonetheless an awesome book and if you enjoyed Empire State then you should certainly pick up this novel, which might well be the first book classified as Atompunk that I’ve read.

The sequel to Empire State – the superhero-noir fantasy thriller set in the other New York.

The Empire State is dying. The Fissure connecting the pocket universe to New York has vanished, plunging the city into a deep freeze and the populace are demanding a return to Prohibition and rationing as energy supplies dwindle.

Meanwhile, in 1954 New York, the political dynamic has changed and Nimrod finds his department subsumed by a new group, Atoms For Peace, led by the mysterious Evelyn McHale.

As Rad uncovers a new threat to his city, Atoms For Peace prepare their army for a transdimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State.

Whilst the book itself is set several years after Empire State, in 1954 – the other New York has only seen a few months changing in a very CS Lewis-esque fashion. But of course, don’t go expecting any Narnian-related themes with The Age Atomic, for I think it’s quite obvious that Lewis and Christopher are both very different authors and both really strong ones. Things seem to be going to hell in both worlds – Empire State has Rad Bradley and newbie Special Agent Jennifer Jones discovering an underground organisation and the creation of a new robot army, whilst as is expected, things in New York aren’t too pretty as well, and that is largely due to the new group, Atoms for Peace, led by Evelyn McHale – a character who is one of the key players in this book and really adds another layer of awesomeness and originality to the story with her character. I won’t spoil it for you, but she plays a key role in the book, as does most of the cast. Her role however is mainly notable for the fact that she was indeed a real life character who committed a real life suicide, as Christopher explains at the end of the book. You’re probably asking – how can she appear in this book if she committed suicide? Well, the answer can either be found on other reviews or in the actual book – I’ll just leave the ‘surprise’ there for you because I’d rather not spoil what I can.

The action here is wide and varied and we get some awesome scenes in Empire State and New York. Christopher’s pace is fast and furious and you’ll struggle to be able to put the book down – I loved every second of this. The noir aspects of The Age Atomic are just as clear here as they were in Empire State, however the novel is a whole different beast to its predecessor even if it is recognizably part of the same series. The book manages to be as a result not only entertaining and fun, but also fresh, for the problem with some sequels that I’ve read is that they can feel very similar to the original - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the sequel to The Hunger Games, being a prime example.

The cliffhanger at the end of The Age Atomic is epic. Seriously, if you enjoyed Empire State and are looking forward to this then you will be blown away by it. Christopher has crafted a strong sequel, with a very fast pace and a very fun book. Bradley is a strong character again here and he continues to develop over the course of the story along with the other cast, showing that Christopher has mastered the split between the increasing of the tension and the development of characters. I am fully looking forward to where he takes the reader with the next book, or if he chooses to write in another setting.

All that said, The Age Atomic might just be one of my favourite reads of 2013. It’s certainly the most fun, out-beating The Emperor of All Things, another fun read that I’ve read recently. For the best, I think it’s tied with Peter V. Brett’s The Daylight War and Myke Cole’s Fortress Frontier.

VERDICT: 5/5

THE EMPIRE STATE SERIES: The Empire State, The Age Atomic,

[Kara Babcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so behind on my Angry Robot subscription. It’s bad, guys. I read Empire State 3 years ago, and The Age Atomic came out half a year later. I barely remember the first book—no, that’s a lie; I had entirely forgotten the first book. I remembered exactly none of the characters when Adam Christopher reintroduced them here. But the vague memories that I stir up from reading my review suggest that these two books are fairly disjoint.

If Empire State was a noir mystery built into a pocket universe, The Age Atomic is nukepunk baked into a thriller crust. Rad Bradley teams up with Jennifer Jones, who has spunk, and they tangle with some humans-turned-robots, and bad things happen. Meanwhile, in the New York side of things, Nimrod tries to figure out why a Doc Manhattan wannabe, Evelyn McHale, wants to destroy the universe.

So it goes.

Whereas Empire State had a fairly deep mystery to drive it, the sequel lacks that energy. Despite the literal chill enveloping the Empire State, most of the urgency in this plot comes from the main characters running away from bad guys. Don’t get me wrong—that’s a great way to add a sense of urgency. But the plot, meanwhile, plods along in the background.

I never cared strongly about any of the characters or their problems. For one thing, even though Jennifer’s motive for slumming it with people like Rad is so she can find her brother, we don’t learn much about her beyond that. Similarly, aside from a few sentences to remind us of his backstory, Rad remains opaque. The character development here is underwhelming, at best.

I guess the most impressive part of The Age Atomic is the surfeit of wise-cracking crazy anachronistic atomic-powered robots. And that is cool. But it’s cool in the way sugary kids’ breakfast cereal is cool: it tastes good and fills you up but is bad for you and leaves you hungrier in an hour. There are so many fascinating ideas here, sure. Yet they all feel like echoes of ideas that have shown up everywhere else already and been explored more deeply by those authors. Ghosts and transdimensional fissures and robots and nuclear madmen? I shouldn’t be yawning, but the way these ideas burst at the seams of The Age Atomic means Christopher can’t spend much time on many of them.

I powered through this like one of Christopher’s robot creations: single-minded but disinterestedly. To say this is a bad book oversimplifies things. It’s not what I consider a good read, but it’s more like one of those movies where the writer/director has tried to do something cool and you’re just not into it. In my previous review I commended Christopher for taking risks even if they don’t pay off, and I’ll echo that comment here. The Age Atomic is not for me, and maybe Christopher himself is not the writer for me. But I’m open to trying him again, later down the line, and seeing if that changes.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'The Age Atomic' by Adam Christopher is book 2 of the Empire State series. Like the last book, it had a cool idea and vibe, and I liked it about as much.

Events in 'The Empire State' left a weird rift, called The Fissure, between the Empire State and New York city. It's now 1954 and a mysterious woman named Evelyn McHale is working for a shadowy new group known as Atoms For Peace. Meanwhile, in Empire State, Rad Bradley has been hired to find a missing man. It's not as straightforward as it seems and leads him to discover a strange conspiracy, some old friends, and a huge robot army.

I like the concepts. I like the world. I even like some of the characters, but something about it just doesn't quite seem to add up to something I would love, and it seems like the sort of thing I really would. Still, I'm glad I read it, and it's a pretty cool take on a pocket universe featuring an alternate New York.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Angry Robot and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Abhinav · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:

http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/05/...

Shadowhawk reviews the sequel to the excellent 2012 debut Empire State by Adam Christopher.

“Quite simply, this was disappointing in the extreme.” ~The Founding Fields

Reading sequels is often an experience filled with trepidation. They have the ability to annoy, to frustrate, to amaze, to stun beyond expectations. Sometimes they will meet your expectations almost spot on, although that is a rather rare case. As much as I wish otherwise, The Age Atomic is a sequel that falls in the category of “too complicated, too confusing, too aimless”, or, to use the previous terminology, “annoying and frustrating”. Empire State (my review) was a fantastic novel. It was the first such cross-genre SF novel that I had read in a long time, and I was completely taken with the world and characters that the author had created. The undercurrents of mystery and thrills that are threaded through the narrative made for a reading experience that was as intensely satisfying as it was fun. But, The Age Atomic failed to live up to that same standards set in Empire State. Most of all, the novel lacks a heart, that element of excitement and thrill, that was so prevalent in the debut.

One of the hallmarks of Empire State was that the novel managed to incorporate a lot of different concepts, characters, events into a cohesive whole. Almost all the story-arcs progressed well enough and got a satisfactory conclusion that also promises a lot for the future adventures of these same characters. In The Age Atomic, characters and events were too disparate to ever come together for a satisfactory conclusion. Rad Bradley, one of my favourite characters from the previous novel and the protagonist in both, felt completely flat and dull to me. He went about his investigations as if he was on auto-pilot, just going through the motions and no interest in anything beyond “I need to do this”. That’s not a character I can get behind and root for. If the character lacks any kind of excitement, then that’s not going to get me worked up either. For me, the vibe that I got from the character was that he has remained completely unchanged from the previous novel, that The Age Atomic represents a character reset, sort of.

This extended to Nimrod’s character as well. We saw him in Empire State in final third of the novel, and he was a fairly major character at that point. Where The Age Atomic is concerned, he is almost as important to the narrative as Rad is since through him we see how things are progressing in the real-world New York since the concluding events of Empire State. There were occasional flashes of adrenaline-pumping excitement in Nimrod’s arc, but they were too few to make any significant impression, and ultimately, his arc felt dull and uninspiring as well.

[Gef · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Empire State and walking away with a lukewarm feeling, I was a little hesitant about picking up its sequel, The Age Atomic. The series was so well received by others, and it's a melding of genres I enjoy, I wondered if I just wasn't in the right mood to read something like Empire State. Well, I made sure to wait until I got a hankering for some genre-mashing goodness before picking up The Age Atomic.

The book starts out with Empire State quite literally in the winter of its discontent, as the Fissure which connected the pocket universe to the original New York City (at least the alternate version Christopher has invented) is gone and Empire State is growing colder and deader by the day. Rad Bradley, the rough-and-tumble private eye who served as the hero in the first book, returns and is on the case to find out why an army of robots is being held in storage and who is responsible. At his side is the equally capable Jennifer Jones who has motives of her own in rooting out the robot menace. Meanwhile, back in New York City, a ghostly woman once known as Ellen McHale has assumed control of an organization called Atoms for Peace, designed to assess and contain the threat posed by the existence of the Empire State.

The mosaic of robots, ghosts, superheroes, mad scientists, hard-boiled detectives, airships, and good ol' fashioned fisticuffs might be a lot to take in at once. And frankly, it felt a little too muddled when done in Empire State. But with The Age Atomic, it looks like Adam Christopher really has struck a balance with the universe he's created--or I finally started smoking from the same hookah as he. The visual of a robot army laying in wait was a cool one, especially of the foreboding it offers as a similar one is constructed in the original universe. And seeing two sets of villains, one of each universe, almost working in tandem to bring about the ruin of Empire State and everyone in it created all kinds of what-if scenarios.

Rad Bradley felt like a much stronger and more fully realized character than before, and Jennifer Jones as the newcomer (in so much that I don't recall her from the first book) added a new angle to the action, especially in the second half of the story. Plenty of old face from Empire State reappear, more than one thought a goner, so if you want to really appreciate every that is happening it's best to read the first book before attempting to dive into this one, because the plot really requires a familiarity with what's already happened. And if you can read the two book back-to-back, all the better.

There's lots of room for a third book in this universe, but all the loose ends are adequately addressed in the confines of this book, so worries of cliffhangers and unresolved issues are only fodder for the epilogue that teases a brand new dilemma. As for The Age Atomic, I offer a much heartier recommendation than I did with its predecessor and I'll be looking out for more for Adam Christopher.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Age Atomic
Written by Adam Christopher
Read by Phil Gigante

The Age Atomic continues where Empire State left off. Some time has passed since the events of Empire State but the fissure has disappeared from the Empire State. Since the fissure in Battery Park is the source of sustenance to The Empire State, the climate begins to edge toward an ice age as time goes on. While this is happening, Rad Bradley uncovers a plot involving robots. On the other side of the fissure in New York City, a mysterious blue woman made purely of energy (I'm looking at you Watchmen) heads up a secret organization that seems to be researching Empire State technology for no good.

It would be hard to comment on this book without comparing it to Empire State. The Age Atomic is a little lighter on the detective noir and heavier on the robots, airships, and odd superheroes. I found the story much easier to follow than it's predecessor because the plot was a bit more direct and the character's loyalties weren't in such a state of flux. I enjoyed the book more because of these differences - especially the more straight forward plot.

In the end, the book was a fun listen, the characters were enjoyable, and I had some serious flashbacks of Watchmen (down to the blue energy character). I especially like Captain Carson/Nimrod as the old-timey adventurer and would love to see a book involving his adventures. I would recommend this book to people who like comic books, robots, super heroes, and detective stories...or at least a decent subset of that group.

As for the audiobook performance, Phil Gigante did a great job as usual. He was easy to understand and did some good voices for the different characters. I also found this book much easier to audiobook than it's predecessor because of the straightforward plot. I didn't feel the need to back up as if I missed anything this time around.

[C.S. Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough wonderful things about this series. I love the setting. I love the Science Fiction noir. I like the crossing of genres and how it feels like I am reading a well written pulp novel. I know Christopher will be leaving this world for a little while but if he ever comes back I am waiting to dive in again. My favorite new author.

[Enrique Latino]

In The Age Atomic, two universes become intertwined and fight for survival. This results in Rad searching for a way to save his world from an everlasting winter and a robot army coming to wipe the city out. Set in New York and a counterpart universe, the book describes the weight of our choices and the impact it has. One example is that without the fissure the city becomes cold and unlivable but without it powering the defenses there will be nothing to stop the oncoming army from wiping everyone out. Rad helps to prove this when he says “Without the Fissure we’re all dead - the city needs the energy. The whole place is breaking up. You must know that” (Christopher 150). Along with the upcoming dangers, Rad has to deal with one more problem, Evelyn McHale, otherwise known as The Director. “Through his goggles he could see the blue glow of the Director besides him; she was as she was before - not a woman, but a ghost and a god” (Christopher 211). Evelyn is crucial for the fate of Rad because she is not human, she is part of the fissure that connects the two worlds and with that, she is feared. Feared enough to control the people around her, and do whatever she pleases. Overall, I enjoyed the complexity of the plot and the way it pieced together and lead to bigger turns in the story, creating a feeling of a never-ending climax. I recommend this book to anyone that loves science fiction and the possibilities of different realities.

[Mar · Rating 2 out of 5]

ریویو برای دوگانه ی امپایر استیت:

خب من نظرم درمورد هر دو جلد امپایر استیت رو همین جا میگم.
اول از همه بگم که بنظرم جلد اول خیلی قویتر از جلد دوم بود.
از نظر نگارشی فقط دوتا ایراد میتونم به داستان بگیرم ؛ اول اینکه شخصیت پردازی خیلی ضعیف بود و من به شخصه اصلا ارتباط برقرار نکردم و دوم اینکه یه قسمت هایی از داستان که مخاطب باید کامل در جریان اتفاقات قرار میگرفت توضیح کامل داده نشده بود ولی برعکس تو قسمت هایی که شخصیت ها باید خیلی سریع عمل میکردن زیادی توضیح داده بود یجوری که انگار نویسنده میترسید مخاطب متوجه اتفاقات نشه. یه مقداری هم حاشیه وجود داشت که بنظرم ضروری نبود ولی به هر جهت از بابت نگارشی بیشتر از این نمیشه قضاوت کرد چون ما نسخه ترجمه شده خوندیم.
مشکل بعدی که من با داستان داشتم ایده پردازی بود. اینکه اخر کتاب درمورد نویسنده توضیح داده بود خیلی کمکم کرد که این حالت داستان رو هضم کنم اما بازم این مسئله یه مشکل خیلی بزرگه و اونم اینه که ایده داستان شدیدا تکراری بود. این داستان یه مخلوط ناموفق از کامیک بوک های ابرقهرمانی( بخصوص دی سی ) و جنگ ستارگان بود‌. و این یعنی این دوگانه صرفا به کسانی توصیه میشه که درجریان هیچ چیزی از این دو دنیا نباشن.
بطور کلی از ایده و سرعت داستان راضی نبودم ولی از درصد علمی که در داستان دخیل بود ، آغاز و پایان بندی و سوال برانگیز بودن جریان داستان خیلی خوشم اومد.
ترجمه هم خیلی خوب بود . بنظرم ترجمه بهتر از این برای این کتاب نمیشد.

امتیاز من به این کتاب : ۲/۲۵

[Mark Isaak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set partly in Prohibition-era New York City and partly in an alternate universe version of the same, this book tells of power struggles on both sides of the Fissure (which connects the two universes), using robots and atomic power, that threaten to destroy all universes. The book is filled with action, with cliffhangers and/or life-and-death struggles seemingly in almost all of the 50-some chapters. Think robot noir. To my taste, the action was overdone. The plot stayed interesting (if sometimes incredible) as it unfolded. The invented physics often was ad-hoc, as when a character survived a major crash with no more explanation than: a certain ghost-like entity protected him. The setting, however, was depicted so authentically that I was surprised to see that the book was written in 2013, not the 1950s or 60s.

[Mahsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

۴.۵

کتاب فوق‌العاده جذابی بود. شخصیت پردازی های خیلی خوبی داشت و شخصیت های داستان نسبت به کتاب قبل زیادتر بودن ولی این باعث نمیشد از کیفیت شخصیت پردازیشون کم بشه.

رمنس کمی داشت که اگر زیادتر می‌بود خیلی جذاب‌تر میشد اما رمنس کمش نقطه ضعف محسوب نمیشه چون کتاب علمی تخیلیه.

نیم نمره‌ای که کم کردم به خاطر این بود که بعضی از فضاسازی هاش یکم گیج کننده بود و فهمش سخت بود و واقعا نیاز نبود انقدر با جزئیات زیاد و پیچیده خواننده رو گیج کنه که البته این نظر منه و خیلیا با فضاسازیش مشکلی نداشتن

ولی در کل از کتاب قبل بهتر بود به نظر من چون قلم نویسنده پیشرفت کرده بود و کتاب از همون ابتدا خیلی هیجان‌انگیز شروع شد و سرعت پیش‌روی کتاب خیلی خوب تنظیم شده بود و حوصله‌ی من که سر نمی‌رفت موقع خوندنش.

در کل کتاب خیلی قشنگیه و به همه پیشنهاد میکنم که یه شانس به این کتاب بدن و بخوننش

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

این جلد, بنظر من جذابیت بیشتری از جلد اول مجموعه داشت.
شاید چون جلد اول همش دنبال پیدا کردن حقیقت بودیم. شاید هم چون نویسنده پیشرفت کرده.
بخشی که بیشترین جذابیت رو برای من داشت, ویلنِ کتاب بود که یه خانم جذاب بود :)
ترجمه‌ی کار عالی بود و تمام چیزهایی که نیاز به توضیح داشت هم در پاورقی توضیح داده شده بود.
درسته که زیاد به رمنس علاقه ندارم ولی خیلی خوب میشد اگه جنیفر و رد مومنت های بیشتری میداشتن :)
و پایانش... شاید خیلی ها از پایان کتاب راضی نبودن ولی به نظر من بهترین پایان بندی همین بود!
شاید بخاطر اینه که من ویلنِ کتاب رو دوست داشتم :)

[Dorsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

جلد دوم مجموعه‌ی امپایر استیت شروع خیلی جذابی داشت و با چندتا شخصیت زن خیلی جذاب در طول داستان روبرو شدیم
روند داستان خیلی کشش داشت و ما بیشتر با ربات ها و سروکار داشتیم چند قسمت خیلی عجیب هم پیش اومد اما من پایانش و زیاد دوست نداشتم میتونست واقعا خیلی بهتر باشه از شخصیت های اصلی یعنی رد و جنیفر و کارسون بیشتر اطلاعات بده

[Johnathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't thrilled with this one. The first was new and exciting. This one...not so much. I didn't understand the villain's motivations or really anything that was going on in the Empire State. I'm still down to check out Adam Christopher's other robot series.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, if a little disjointed. Enjoying the series so far.

[Damian Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book

[Derya Erisdottir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird and fun. Try to read it soon after the first book or it's really tough to get back into it.

[Pete Goodchild · Rating 4 out of 5]

More action, more adventure but for me not quite as good as the first

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a huge step up from the original novel with a much more coherent story, but the ending left a lot to be desired.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was... interesting. I finished it all in one sitting, partially because it was an enjoyable read, partially because I didn't have anything better to be doing at 2 AM. My immediate impression upon finishing is that this book feels like the middle book of a trilogy. I don't know if it's intended to be, although until I randomly saw this on a shelf at the bookstore, I had no idea that Empire State had a sequel. But the ending feels vaguely unsatisfactory, like there's more story to be told.

In terms of positives, this book feels like what it is - the sequel to a debut where in the interim, the author has gotten a better grip on his tone and found a clearer voice. The characterization in this book feels more fleshed out as compared to the first one, and the worldbuilding feels much less forced. There's more female characters, which is something I always approve of. The action is better paced, as well; with the first book I felt like the build-up to the action took too long and the action itself was rushed. The Evelyn subplot didn't really click for me until close to the end, and I feel like I'll understand it better and like it more after a re-read. Nuclear power is a big plot point in this book, which I admit is something I don't know as much about as I would like, and as such, don't have strong opinions on. The author, however, clearly does, which I will leave unspoiled for now.

At the beginning of the book, there was a small scene of Rad contemplating his nature as a sort of substitute, an alternate version of a person in the Origin, and how that makes him feel, knowing that he's an echo of something "real". I wish that had been more fleshed out, but it was very quickly dropped. Jennifer, as a character, also needs more time on-page, I desperately want to like her character, but we need to know something about her besides "loves her brother and wants to learn more about what happened to him and the robots". Hopefully if this is indeed the second book in a trilogy/series, we can find out more about her.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. Like the first one, I sort of just felt swept along by the plot like "okay, here's some noir superheroes, and here's a detective, and here's some robots, and here's a nuclear ghost, and wow look at all these cool things happening yeah, this is badass". There's never really any downtime, and I can't decide if that's good or bad. I like some downtime in most books I read, but the timeline of this book is so tight that I think any kind of noticeable slowing of the plot would feel disruptive or out-of-place, like "uh hey, aren't you supposed to be saving the world right now?" I guess in the end, this book works as what it is, and it's the type of thing I find enjoyable, but if you didn't get a thrill out of the first book, you won't have much use for this one either.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Age Atomic is set a number of years after Empire State, in 1954, but in the Empire State (the first novel is named after the setting), only a few months have passed. In the The Age Atomic, we meet an old friend from the previous novel, Rad Bradley, who has to deal with a rather dire situation: The Empire State is plunged in a perpetual winter, Captain Carson, who took charge of the Empire State at the end of Empire State has gone missing, chaos is spreading and a mysterious figure known as The King of 125th Street is assembling an army of robots, recruited from the Wartime navy. He gets help, of sorts, from a mysterious woman named Jennifer Jones who works for the City Commissioner but also has her own agenda. To make matters worse, Nimrod, Rad’s ally from our-reality New York has not made contact with the Empire State in a while.
Nimrod has his own troubles in New York, Eisenhower’s government has set up a new organisation, Atoms for Peace, headed by Evelyn McHale, a suicidal woman turned goddess by the fissure which created the Empire State. Evelyn is mercurial, possibly insane and Nimrod does not trust her but is forced to cooperate.
Just as in Empire State, Adam Christopher manages to create a gripping noir tale, this one set at the very beginning of the US’ post-War golden age. I also consider The Age Atomic to be the first real Atompunk novel, quite a feat. The story is again multi-facetted and there are once more enough twists and turns to keep the readers surprised and at the edge of their seats. Very few things in The Age Atomic are what they appear, there is a hidden agenda behind almost everything. The McCarthy era paranoia runs strong in The Age Atomic and adds a very fitting bitter flavour to it. And just as in the real world: The wrong ones get accused of being communists.
The Age Atomic also has its share of tragic characters, adding a layer Empire State did not have. Two of the main protagonists are destined to die, but… (and I will not say more, it would be a major spoiler). And there are the discoveries, Captain Carson has made… Oh the implications! More fuel for WorldBuilder!
The novel also ends with one of the biggest cliff hangers I have ever encountered, but I can completely understand Nimrod’s action, believe me.
To sum up: The Age Atomic is another masterful tale by Adam Christopher. An action-packed noir Atompunk tale with more layers, facettes and twists than one would expect and which keeps the reader enthralled from the first to the last page. Highly recommended reading!
I WANT A SEQUEL!

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've changed my mind about this book a couple of times reading it, but for me, it came good in the end. It is worth pointing out, though, that it's a bit different from Christopher's Empire State to which it is a sequel.

Like the earlier book, Age Atomic is set in the Empire State, a "pocket universe" that is a twisted copy of 50s New York City, and in New York itself. The hero of Empire State, PI Rad Bradley, returns. He is still living in the back of his shabby office, still walking the mean streets. However, this book doesn't have the noirish bite of the previous volume - it is more straightforward SF, albeit at the softer end of SF: there are robots, there is an airship, there are, er, more robots, there is NUCLEAR FUSION... and did I mention the robots?

It is a rollercoaster of a story, and to begin with I was a little disappointed at the lack of noir, and perhaps at the (slightly) forced plot, as Rad goes into action, saving the heroine, Jennifer (I'm still not quite sure how that came about). But the story soon begins to rattle along as twin threats emerge on both side of the rift that connects the Empire State and New York. There are forces at work engaging in a kind of arms race that mirrors the one the 1950s US is part of. The plotting has many twists and turns, and although simpler than that of Empire State, it keeps the pages turning - and I think the ending is rather better. Don't, though, look for much logic in the mechanics of the interlinked worlds or of the mysterious Director - as I said, this isn't hard SF, not even firm SF. It is what is is, an enjoyable romp.

At the end, Christopher seems to be setting up for another sequel, and I look forward to that.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam Christopher created a wholly original world in EMPIRE STATE so I was extremely pleased to get a chance to review THE AGE ATOMIC and I’m happy to say that Christopher doesn’t disappoint.

The second book in his Empire State series takes place in 1954 (a good bit of time after the first), yet in the Empire State only a few months have gone by. Even worse the Empire State has been plunged in to a perpetual winter and Captain Carson – who took over the Empire State at the end of the first book – has gone missing. We also catch up with Rad Bradley and meet a new villain, the King of 125th Street.

Meanwhile in the New York of our reality, Nimrod is dealing with some chaos of his own. Atoms for Peace was created by the Eisenhower administration and is being run by Evelyn McHale. Evelyn is captial-C crazy and it doesn’t help that she was turned in to a goddess by the same atomic incident that create the Empire State to begin with.

Confused yet? That’s understandable. Christopher has written a book full of winks and nods to the super hero comics of old, noir detective novels, and science fiction. All of these combine to tell a story so full of twist and turns that I was constantly having to flip back a few pages to remind myself of what the heck was going on. This is a book for people who love that sort of thing and thankfully I’m one of them. You’ve got political intrigue, super heroes and villains, and a cracking good mystery. What’s not to like? My only word of warning though is that this is not a series you can just jump in to. You do need to read the previous volume or you’ll be completely lost. Which is a good thing, because the first book is stellar as well.

[Kate Curtis-Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that the empire state can never catch a break. In the first novel they were under the threat of destruction, in Mr. Christopher's sequel to his first book, Empire State, the parallel New York is in trouble once again. 

In the second book the fissure connecting New York and the empire state has dissapeared, and this dissapearance has caused the city to go into a deep freeze. This steady decline in temperature will evetually cause everyone to freeze and something needs to be done. Meanwhile, Nimrods government department has been aquired by Atoms for Peace, a new government organization that has its own goals. 

The best thing about Mr. Christopher's sequel is the fact that it has improved, he has done the impossible and written a book better than the original. The largest change I noticed was the writing itself, The Age Atomic is written much better than its forefather. Mr. Christopher has added an element of charisma to his prose that makes the book an excellently fun and intriguing pulp. 

I loved the overall plotline and the standard format of "you don't know what's going on" that was present in the first book. The story is original and I found myself continually trying to piece together the mystery. I must say that the characterization has improved but I still just didn't find myself caring very much about them. 

Overall, The Age Atomic is a worthy successor to its parent novel. It's one that takes and improves upon the original plot and idea and is a quick and fun read. I see a lot of potential in Mr. Christopher and am very interested to see where his career takes him in the future. 

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not as good as The Empire State, the Age Atomic is still an excellent read. We return to Rad Bradley and the Empire State about a year after the events of the first book, and there is a lot going on.

First, the Empire State has lost contact with New York, the Fissure connecting the two vanished, leaving the Empire State slowly turning into a block of ice while earthquakes rack the Pocket Universe. Rad Bradley and Jennifer Jones are trying to keep things together while they are falling apart, fighting robots and delusional madmen in the pocket.

Meanwhile back in New York, Captain Nimrod and his group are squaring off against Evelyn McHale, the Ghost of Gotham, for control of the Fissure and the safety and future of the worlds beyond.

This book is a very different animal to the first one, and that is neither a criticism nor a commendation of it. By nature of the universe that he created, Adam Christopher would not be able to pull the same gag twice, and he really does a great job of mixing it up and making it different this time around. We get a strong sense of continuity from the first book, with many characters returning, but it does not feel like some sort of stale rehash of Empire State.

The Age Atomic moves the action from a 1930's Noir style, which typified the Empire State, to a more streamlined 1950's espionage style. This matches the primary time periods in the New York that the stories are based out of well, and gives you a sense of the strange dichotomy between New York and the Empire State. Overall I recommend this to any who liked Empire State, but also to anyone who likes a well thought out espionage story a la Ian Fleming.