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Nanotech #1
Queen City Jazz
In Verity's world, nanotech plagues decimated the population after an initial renaissance of utopian nanotech cities. Growing up on an isolated farm, she finds her happy life changing course when Blaze, the only young man in the community and Verity's best friend, is shot. With Blaze's body wrapped in a nanotech cocoon, Verity sets off on a quest to the Enlivened City of Cincinnati. It is a place of legend, where huge bio-engineered bees carry information through the streets and enormous nanotech flowers burst from the tops of strange buildings. It is the place where Blaze might be brought back from the brink of death. But Cincinnati is a city of dreams turned into nightmares, endlessly reliving the fantasies of its creator, a city that Verity must rule--or die.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
23 people are currently reading
1312 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Ann Goonan
67 books52 followersFrom Locusmag.com
Author Kathleen Ann Goonan, 68, died January 28, 2021. She was born May 14, 1952 in Cincinnati OH and at age eight moved to Hawaii for two years while her father worked for the Navy, after which the family moved to Washington DC. She got a degree in English from Virginia Tech in 1975, and earned her Association Montessori International Certification in 1976. She taught school for 13 years, ten of those at Montessori schools, including eight years at a school she founded in Knoxville TN. She spent a year back in Hawaii and took up writing full time before returning to the DC area in 1988, the same year she attended Clarion West. She began teaching at Georgia Tech in 2010, where she was a Professor of the Practice.
Goonan’s first story ‘‘Wanting to Talk to You’’ appeared in Asimov’s in 1991. Notable stories include ‘‘Kamehameha’s Bones’’ (1993), Nebula Award nominee ‘‘The String’’ (1995), British SF Award finalist ‘‘Sunflowers’’ (1995), and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist ‘‘Memory Dog’’ (2008).
Debut novel Queen City Jazz (1994), a New York Times Notable Book, was shortlisted for a British Science Fiction Association Award, and launched her Nanotech Quartet: sequel Mississippi Blues (1997), Nebula Award-nominated prequel Crescent City Rhapsody (2000), and final volume Light Music (2002), also a Nebula Award finalist. Standalone The Bones of Time (1996) was a Clarke Award finalist. Alternate history In War Times (2007) won the Campbell Memorial Award and was the American Library Association’s Best SF Novel of 2007, and was followed by sequel This Shared Dream (2011), a Campbell Memorial Award finalist. Angels and You Dogs, a short story collection, was published by PS Publishing in 2012.
Goonan and her work were featured in venues such as Scientific American (‘‘Shamans of the Small’’) and Popular Science (‘‘Science Fiction’s Best Minds Envision the Future’’). As a member of SIGMA, she gave talks for the Joint Services Small Arms Project and the Global Competitiveness Forum in Ryhad. She published more than 40 short stories, including ‘‘A Love Supreme’’ (Discover Magazine 10/12), ‘‘Bootstrap’’ (Twelve Tomorrows 9/13), ‘‘Sport’’ (ARC 2/14), ‘‘What Are We? Where Do We Come From? Where Are We Going?’’ (Tor.com), ‘‘Girl In Wave; Wave In Girl’’ (Hieroglyph), ‘‘Wilder Still, the Stars’’ (Reach for Infinity), and ‘‘Tomorrowland’’ (Tor.com).
Goonan lived in Tennessee and Florida with husband Joseph Mansy, married 1977.
Author Kathleen Ann Goonan, 68, died January 28, 2021. She was born May 14, 1952 in Cincinnati OH and at age eight moved to Hawaii for two years while her father worked for the Navy, after which the family moved to Washington DC. She got a degree in English from Virginia Tech in 1975, and earned her Association Montessori International Certification in 1976. She taught school for 13 years, ten of those at Montessori schools, including eight years at a school she founded in Knoxville TN. She spent a year back in Hawaii and took up writing full time before returning to the DC area in 1988, the same year she attended Clarion West. She began teaching at Georgia Tech in 2010, where she was a Professor of the Practice.
Goonan’s first story ‘‘Wanting to Talk to You’’ appeared in Asimov’s in 1991. Notable stories include ‘‘Kamehameha’s Bones’’ (1993), Nebula Award nominee ‘‘The String’’ (1995), British SF Award finalist ‘‘Sunflowers’’ (1995), and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist ‘‘Memory Dog’’ (2008).
Debut novel Queen City Jazz (1994), a New York Times Notable Book, was shortlisted for a British Science Fiction Association Award, and launched her Nanotech Quartet: sequel Mississippi Blues (1997), Nebula Award-nominated prequel Crescent City Rhapsody (2000), and final volume Light Music (2002), also a Nebula Award finalist. Standalone The Bones of Time (1996) was a Clarke Award finalist. Alternate history In War Times (2007) won the Campbell Memorial Award and was the American Library Association’s Best SF Novel of 2007, and was followed by sequel This Shared Dream (2011), a Campbell Memorial Award finalist. Angels and You Dogs, a short story collection, was published by PS Publishing in 2012.
Goonan and her work were featured in venues such as Scientific American (‘‘Shamans of the Small’’) and Popular Science (‘‘Science Fiction’s Best Minds Envision the Future’’). As a member of SIGMA, she gave talks for the Joint Services Small Arms Project and the Global Competitiveness Forum in Ryhad. She published more than 40 short stories, including ‘‘A Love Supreme’’ (Discover Magazine 10/12), ‘‘Bootstrap’’ (Twelve Tomorrows 9/13), ‘‘Sport’’ (ARC 2/14), ‘‘What Are We? Where Do We Come From? Where Are We Going?’’ (Tor.com), ‘‘Girl In Wave; Wave In Girl’’ (Hieroglyph), ‘‘Wilder Still, the Stars’’ (Reach for Infinity), and ‘‘Tomorrowland’’ (Tor.com).
Goonan lived in Tennessee and Florida with husband Joseph Mansy, married 1977.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 2, 2019
When I started this book, I was one book ahead of schedule on my reading challenge, and now that I'm done, I'm three behind. SO IT GOES.
I really struggle with what to say about this one. Conceptually, it was one of my favorite sci-fi novels I've ever read. Its depiction of nanotechnology as a way that humans will simply and quite literally keep repeating their emotional traumas struck me as a brilliant way of expressing something fundamentally true about how we become sort of stuck in certain moments and can't escape them.
But it also kept putting me to sleep! It reminded me of those seasons of Lost when Ben Linus would be, like, "Eh eh eh!" if anybody asked him a question, and there was a really good plot reason for why the hero here kept getting stonewalled, but it kept pushing me away from the plot. Everything was just so fucking WEIRD, and Goonan never once sat down and explained it in a way where I could really wrap my head around it. I admire that, but I admire it more than I love it.
A super interesting treatment of this particular theme, though. I think I'd recommend it on those grounds, which kept me from going lower than a three. I get why some people LOVE this one.
I really struggle with what to say about this one. Conceptually, it was one of my favorite sci-fi novels I've ever read. Its depiction of nanotechnology as a way that humans will simply and quite literally keep repeating their emotional traumas struck me as a brilliant way of expressing something fundamentally true about how we become sort of stuck in certain moments and can't escape them.
But it also kept putting me to sleep! It reminded me of those seasons of Lost when Ben Linus would be, like, "Eh eh eh!" if anybody asked him a question, and there was a really good plot reason for why the hero here kept getting stonewalled, but it kept pushing me away from the plot. Everything was just so fucking WEIRD, and Goonan never once sat down and explained it in a way where I could really wrap my head around it. I admire that, but I admire it more than I love it.
A super interesting treatment of this particular theme, though. I think I'd recommend it on those grounds, which kept me from going lower than a three. I get why some people LOVE this one.
April 15, 2011
This was highly recommended as an important SF read so I think I persevered with it where I might otherwise have put it aside. It was an interesting and engaging read that started well, though in need of some tight editing. The Alice in Wonderland/coming of age theme is very strong and has some charm but is played out for far too long.
The jazz conceit is just irritating. I really don't see the point of the slavish binding of every aspect of the story to the Jazz metaphor. But then I don't see the point to jazz either. Again some judicious editing needed.
Strong descriptive prose beautifully written. The landscape seemed in some ways more fully rounded than the reader's access to the characters who seemed a little elusive.
I will read the next because the story and key characters where engaging enough.
The jazz conceit is just irritating. I really don't see the point of the slavish binding of every aspect of the story to the Jazz metaphor. But then I don't see the point to jazz either. Again some judicious editing needed.
Strong descriptive prose beautifully written. The landscape seemed in some ways more fully rounded than the reader's access to the characters who seemed a little elusive.
I will read the next because the story and key characters where engaging enough.
May 9, 2024
6.5/10
I feel like this is a book that couldn’t quite decide what kind of story it wanted to tell—a young girl’s coming of age, or maybe a quest to save a city, or a treatise on the nature of consciousness, or a story of conflicting world visions, or a dystopian tale of nanotech run amok, or maybe a love story—and just what is love, or perhaps a perspective on our attitudes toward death… You get the idea—the plot was just being pulled in too many directions, as if the author had all these fantastic ideas and rather than pare them down to a manageable few, she tried to weave them all into a rather unwieldy story that suffered from uneven pacing and tone.
Yet the characters were interesting, even as they sometimes metamorphosed into other characters, and the world-building was well done. The reader was fully immersed in Shaker Hill, Dayton, the voyage to Cincinnati, and the Queen City itself, in all its weirdness. Along the way, I learned a lot about bees and, while not a jazz aficionado, I could appreciate the importance of music and dance as a means of emotional expression and communication with others.
I feel like this is a book that couldn’t quite decide what kind of story it wanted to tell—a young girl’s coming of age, or maybe a quest to save a city, or a treatise on the nature of consciousness, or a story of conflicting world visions, or a dystopian tale of nanotech run amok, or maybe a love story—and just what is love, or perhaps a perspective on our attitudes toward death… You get the idea—the plot was just being pulled in too many directions, as if the author had all these fantastic ideas and rather than pare them down to a manageable few, she tried to weave them all into a rather unwieldy story that suffered from uneven pacing and tone.
Yet the characters were interesting, even as they sometimes metamorphosed into other characters, and the world-building was well done. The reader was fully immersed in Shaker Hill, Dayton, the voyage to Cincinnati, and the Queen City itself, in all its weirdness. Along the way, I learned a lot about bees and, while not a jazz aficionado, I could appreciate the importance of music and dance as a means of emotional expression and communication with others.
February 25, 2009
This is one of the first good nano-novels in sf history. It was written before nanotech was even cool, back when Drexler was someone no one had heard of and Neal Stevenson was still working on Snow Crash (which is a great book, by the way). Its also strange, scary and occasionally incomprehensible- some of the stylistic choice are a little suspect (I don't share Ms. Goonan's jazz obsession) but the book is well written, compelling and fascinating.
Its a damn good first novel, too.
Its a damn good first novel, too.
May 30, 2013
Reading this is like assembling a rich, multi-layered jigsaw puzzle. Slowly the pieces emerge, and you think you might have a sense of the big picture, but nothing is really clear until the final piece falls into place. Delightful riffs on American literature and music along the way. She drew me in completely and kept me fascinated, although I can see how the extensive details on DNA and nanotechnology architecture might be too much for some. Hard science fiction with a true puzzle to solve while playing with literature along the way. Who could ask for more?
July 24, 2011
This book is simply beautiful. If you could combine The Great Gatsby with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn then turn them into a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic story, I'm pretty sure this is what you would get.
November 24, 2022
For as long as she can remember Verity has lived with a loving but strict Shaker family in the countryside outside of Dayton Ohio. The enclave is fearful of ‘old’ technology, called nan, which they blame for the destruction of much of the planet, and in particular they fear the great Enlivened City of Cincinnati - The Queen City. Enlivened matter is constructed by nano assemblers (she discovers) carried by artificial Bees, and the Queen City is a wondrous place full of ever-changing buildings, streets and people - or so it seems. But remnants of the old failed tech persist - the Plague - where rogue nan affects human brains to destruction, and the Seam, where the nan outbreak suddenly just stopped. When Verity witnesses her friend Blaze killed by an infected Shaker, she uses some forbidden tech blankets to hopefully save his life, and that of her dog as well. This leads her to a journey into the Living City. Verity was adopted at three yeras of age and has always had small nubs under her hairline behind her ears and when she enters the City she starts to suspect a startling truth. Among the mostly holographic residents of the City are real people, but stored for indeterminate times in the City mind, and the City Hive’s queen seems to have an obsession with Verity. Fascinating cyberpunk and an entertaining first novel from Kathleen Ann Goonan.
May 7, 2022
One part Alice in Wonderland, one part faerie lore, one part 30s Jazz scene, and one-half part each of nanopunk and biopunk. This book is absolutely nuts in the best way.
November 29, 2015
This is the book that redeems all the books I've slogged through just because my book group was reading them. Because I slogged through this one, too, but it was worth it.
For the most part, I did not enjoy reading it. The beginning, with the neo-Shakers, was interesting and caught my attention; but our heroine leaves home relatively early, and there's a long section in the middle there where things get weird -- like, drug-trippy weird; and even though it's not drugs and there is a science fictional and integral-to-the-story reason for it, it felt a lot like the 70s New Wave SF that was heavily into drugs, which I actively disliked.
But when I was about 60% of the way through, I suddenly realized I was engaged with the story; I cared about the character; and I wanted to see how things would work out.
The book is at once a hero's journey, a coming-of-age story, a post-apocalypse story, a druggie vision quest story, and a story with some very interesting science fictional ideas, and I think it suffered by trying to do all of this at once. It also uses a storytelling strategy in which neither the viewpoint character nor the readers have any idea what is really going on, and everything is bewildering and confusing until gradually, in flashbacks, things start to become clear: in other words, the story is told backwards for much of the book. This seems to be an increasingly popular storytelling strategy which I find increasingly annoying, and I think I finally became engaged when I did because by that point I finally had enough of the backstory to start caring. I will say that the flashbacks are presented in a way that is perfectly integrated into the plot, which isn't always the case.
There were a lot of allusions to literature, music, and drama - I'm sure most of that went over my head as I'm not well enough read in the humanities. I suspect too that the author was deliberately attempting a literary version of jazz in this story, and I don't actually like jazz very much, which probably contributed to the slogging. A significant theme in the book was the relationship between life and art, and the temptation to value art more than life; this reminded me of School of Light, although it's treated much more lightly (ahem) in that book.
There were also a lot of beautifully written sentences and paragraphs -- I kindle-highlighted a *lot* of passages in this book -- which makes me believe that the slogging was the result of an intentional stylistic choice that I don't enjoy, rather than an inability to write; and makes me want to read more by this author. Probably even the next book in this series, although not for a while yet: this one needs time to settle. It will be interesting to see if I like the "Blues" better than I did the "Jazz".
My biggest peeve: although the protagonist is a young woman, and although there are several other important women characters in the book, most of them turn out to be
There are some good meaty themes here, and some original ideas, both of which were interesting to read about and to think about. Despite how little I enjoyed reading this book, I'm extremely happy to have read it.
For the most part, I did not enjoy reading it. The beginning, with the neo-Shakers, was interesting and caught my attention; but our heroine leaves home relatively early, and there's a long section in the middle there where things get weird -- like, drug-trippy weird; and even though it's not drugs and there is a science fictional and integral-to-the-story reason for it, it felt a lot like the 70s New Wave SF that was heavily into drugs, which I actively disliked.
But when I was about 60% of the way through, I suddenly realized I was engaged with the story; I cared about the character; and I wanted to see how things would work out.
The book is at once a hero's journey, a coming-of-age story, a post-apocalypse story, a druggie vision quest story, and a story with some very interesting science fictional ideas, and I think it suffered by trying to do all of this at once. It also uses a storytelling strategy in which neither the viewpoint character nor the readers have any idea what is really going on, and everything is bewildering and confusing until gradually, in flashbacks, things start to become clear: in other words, the story is told backwards for much of the book. This seems to be an increasingly popular storytelling strategy which I find increasingly annoying, and I think I finally became engaged when I did because by that point I finally had enough of the backstory to start caring. I will say that the flashbacks are presented in a way that is perfectly integrated into the plot, which isn't always the case.
There were a lot of allusions to literature, music, and drama - I'm sure most of that went over my head as I'm not well enough read in the humanities. I suspect too that the author was deliberately attempting a literary version of jazz in this story, and I don't actually like jazz very much, which probably contributed to the slogging. A significant theme in the book was the relationship between life and art, and the temptation to value art more than life; this reminded me of School of Light, although it's treated much more lightly (ahem) in that book.
There were also a lot of beautifully written sentences and paragraphs -- I kindle-highlighted a *lot* of passages in this book -- which makes me believe that the slogging was the result of an intentional stylistic choice that I don't enjoy, rather than an inability to write; and makes me want to read more by this author. Probably even the next book in this series, although not for a while yet: this one needs time to settle. It will be interesting to see if I like the "Blues" better than I did the "Jazz".
My biggest peeve: although the protagonist is a young woman, and although there are several other important women characters in the book, most of them turn out to be
There are some good meaty themes here, and some original ideas, both of which were interesting to read about and to think about. Despite how little I enjoyed reading this book, I'm extremely happy to have read it.
December 23, 2008
Queen City Jazz was actually a re-read for me--because I recently picked up a copy of her sequel to this, Mississippi Blues, and I wanted to refresh my memory about the events in the first one before I started working my way through the rest of the series.
My original impression of this book still stands: a damn fine novel, and I am still very impressed with Ms. Goonan's way with a word. The bit of this book that always resonated as a free-floating phrase in my head, "as if the very air was imbued with courage", leaped off the page at me when I got to it at last, on page 271. And a bit of memory pinged into my head about deciding perhaps to name Ynderra's son Blaze after the character in this book. Hee. However, I must also admit that one thought of the heroine's unfortunately now reminded me of Invader Zim: I will beat you, City! Zim wasn't quite what one needs to have in mind when reading this book. Heh.
But aside from that, this is nevertheless an excellent read. Goonan is both lyrical and concise in her language in a way I deeply admire, in a way that's particularly appropriate for a plot into which music is so thoroughly woven. She does a fine job of presenting the reader with a post-apocalyptic world right out of the gate, a world in which people don't really seem to know what the heck happened--or only know tantalizing bits and pieces, put together out of science and tech and religion and leftover bits of pre-apocalyptic culture.
The one quibble I think I have with it on a re-read is that I was almost disappointed that our heroine Verity was pulled out of having to sacrifice herself so that her love interest and their companion and everyone in Cincinnati could escape from the bees. It felt almost too easy a solution, as if thrown together at the last minute to make sure Verity would be around for the next book. Not that I'm really disappointed that she will be around--because I do want to see her continue to figure out what happened to the world at large, and it'll be nice to see how her relationship with Blaze progresses.
My original impression of this book still stands: a damn fine novel, and I am still very impressed with Ms. Goonan's way with a word. The bit of this book that always resonated as a free-floating phrase in my head, "as if the very air was imbued with courage", leaped off the page at me when I got to it at last, on page 271. And a bit of memory pinged into my head about deciding perhaps to name Ynderra's son Blaze after the character in this book. Hee. However, I must also admit that one thought of the heroine's unfortunately now reminded me of Invader Zim: I will beat you, City! Zim wasn't quite what one needs to have in mind when reading this book. Heh.
But aside from that, this is nevertheless an excellent read. Goonan is both lyrical and concise in her language in a way I deeply admire, in a way that's particularly appropriate for a plot into which music is so thoroughly woven. She does a fine job of presenting the reader with a post-apocalyptic world right out of the gate, a world in which people don't really seem to know what the heck happened--or only know tantalizing bits and pieces, put together out of science and tech and religion and leftover bits of pre-apocalyptic culture.
The one quibble I think I have with it on a re-read is that I was almost disappointed that our heroine Verity was pulled out of having to sacrifice herself so that her love interest and their companion and everyone in Cincinnati could escape from the bees. It felt almost too easy a solution, as if thrown together at the last minute to make sure Verity would be around for the next book. Not that I'm really disappointed that she will be around--because I do want to see her continue to figure out what happened to the world at large, and it'll be nice to see how her relationship with Blaze progresses.
June 12, 2012
Every once in a while, I read artful books, because it's good for me to think about what I do and don't like in stories. This one had many things I liked, like a relatively clear plot and a relatable main character. Verity is, through all her adventures, a person I would like to know. Her life as we come to know her is quiet and peaceful and pretty. Her journey from that to a ruined beautiful city is logical but scary. Her internal journey is even scarier, as she has her mind invaded by other imperatives, programming, and people.
"A juxtaposition of clashing possibilities, almost like the clash of fencing swords, surfaced briefly far back in her mind, and she felt deep despair and keen, blossoming anger at all she did not know about herself."
It took me a long time to read this book, because there was so much stuff around and part of the story. It wasn't just a pearl-handled pistol of a story. It was a story with pearl handles and gold chasing and engraved butts and maybe a hologram. I think I wanted it to be a shorter book, because the heart of it is interesting, but Verity ended up wandering like the Israelites in the desert, and the manna got old.
Read if: You like noodling on the state of consciousness, being, or individuality. You enjoyed Dhalgren.
Skip if: You were looking for an adventure story. You are creeped out my nanotech. You want a clear resolution.
"A juxtaposition of clashing possibilities, almost like the clash of fencing swords, surfaced briefly far back in her mind, and she felt deep despair and keen, blossoming anger at all she did not know about herself."
It took me a long time to read this book, because there was so much stuff around and part of the story. It wasn't just a pearl-handled pistol of a story. It was a story with pearl handles and gold chasing and engraved butts and maybe a hologram. I think I wanted it to be a shorter book, because the heart of it is interesting, but Verity ended up wandering like the Israelites in the desert, and the manna got old.
Read if: You like noodling on the state of consciousness, being, or individuality. You enjoyed Dhalgren.
Skip if: You were looking for an adventure story. You are creeped out my nanotech. You want a clear resolution.
December 7, 2011
It took me a long time to figure out what I thought about this book. Even after finishing it, I can't be quite sure what I just read. It was all very surreal and dreamlike, and main character Verity seemed more like a reporter than an actor. In the end, I'd say this book was about a world, and that the world was the only real character in it.
If you're really into weird and creative science fiction, this might be for you. I cannot fault the author's imagination, nor her descriptive ability. She did make an absurd world come to life for a short time. The trouble is that it wasn't particularly fun to imagine. This, I think, was due to the lack of characters. As I said, I didn't feel there was a single human character in the book -- only a world.
As far as possibilities go, nanotech is one of those science fiction buzzwords that often takes the place of magic in fantasy novels. In this case, nanotech seems to have destroyed the world as we know it, and replaced it with something else, something broken, something that might have stripped the humanity out of humans. This made me think of this book as a horror novel.
If you're really into weird and creative science fiction, this might be for you. I cannot fault the author's imagination, nor her descriptive ability. She did make an absurd world come to life for a short time. The trouble is that it wasn't particularly fun to imagine. This, I think, was due to the lack of characters. As I said, I didn't feel there was a single human character in the book -- only a world.
As far as possibilities go, nanotech is one of those science fiction buzzwords that often takes the place of magic in fantasy novels. In this case, nanotech seems to have destroyed the world as we know it, and replaced it with something else, something broken, something that might have stripped the humanity out of humans. This made me think of this book as a horror novel.
January 31, 2015
Fascinating take on nanotechnology, what can happen with personal agendas and the development thereof, and a good character study of a woman on a Hero's Journey to find out who she is. And Cincinnati, Queen City. Winston Churchill said that Cincinnati is the most beautiful inland city in America. I think it was just America and I think it was Winston Churchill, but whose memories am I housing? The big plot chunks are excellent. Start with nan. Then nan on walkabout. Then all the people who respond to the outcome in ways that humans throughout history have a tendency to do. The religious will find some god to worship in the aftermath, the seekers will take a trek, the techies will attempt to diagnose, and the Microsoft people will reboot. Goonan wrote this 20 years ago, and it's as fresh today. Then, it would have been what William Gibson called "unforgettable." Still is.
September 8, 2017
DNF, I had terminal WSOD problems. Got good revs, Locus etc.
February 21, 2019
The world has been changed vastly by nanotechology, which can reshape cities and people alike and, like any computer program, can have a lot of bugs in it. Verity lives in a small community that has tried to keep apart from technology and the plagues it's caused... despite that she herself may be infected. But when violence strikes her home and her best friend is killed, forbidden technology is able to preserve him... and, possibly, allow her to find a way to revive him. But that requires a trip to one of the Enlivened cities.
I read this book once, long long ago, and recently got an ebook version so I figured I'd give it another try. I remembered not being too into the book, for whatever reason, but not exactly why. When I started it for the second time, I was really enjoying it... at first. Then, I ran into what I suspect are the same issues that hurt my enjoyment the first time.
I suppose the biggest problem, for me, was that (after the promising beginning section) it's a story in which identities themselves are fluid, and certain characters are forced into new ones or start acting out somebody else's life, and often for reasons that, in-universe, are subtle or sudden, so it's a bit frustrating when characters suddenly abandon whatever they were doing and start acting in weird ways or relive a memory. Combine that with characters who refuse to explain what's going on and it can be more than a little frustrating, like the book is just constantly teasing answers and then withdrawing, which might be fine if the plotline itself was particularly strong, but it just sort of meanders from place to place until it's finally time to reveal what's been going on. And by that time I've been teased so much that I didn't care as much anymore.
I didn't find it as off-putting as I think I did the first time, but it did put a downer on what I thought was a pretty entertaining start. Overall, I liked it (probably in the 2.75 star range but of course Goodreads still only thinks in whole numbers), and there's enough promise that I think I might try and track down one of the sequels to see if it's closer to what I'm into or if, now that one of the central mysteries is resolved, it becomes more about the story of the characters.
I read this book once, long long ago, and recently got an ebook version so I figured I'd give it another try. I remembered not being too into the book, for whatever reason, but not exactly why. When I started it for the second time, I was really enjoying it... at first. Then, I ran into what I suspect are the same issues that hurt my enjoyment the first time.
I suppose the biggest problem, for me, was that (after the promising beginning section) it's a story in which identities themselves are fluid, and certain characters are forced into new ones or start acting out somebody else's life, and often for reasons that, in-universe, are subtle or sudden, so it's a bit frustrating when characters suddenly abandon whatever they were doing and start acting in weird ways or relive a memory. Combine that with characters who refuse to explain what's going on and it can be more than a little frustrating, like the book is just constantly teasing answers and then withdrawing, which might be fine if the plotline itself was particularly strong, but it just sort of meanders from place to place until it's finally time to reveal what's been going on. And by that time I've been teased so much that I didn't care as much anymore.
I didn't find it as off-putting as I think I did the first time, but it did put a downer on what I thought was a pretty entertaining start. Overall, I liked it (probably in the 2.75 star range but of course Goodreads still only thinks in whole numbers), and there's enough promise that I think I might try and track down one of the sequels to see if it's closer to what I'm into or if, now that one of the central mysteries is resolved, it becomes more about the story of the characters.
February 25, 2019
It is very hard for me to give a 1 star or 5 star review. It is simply a combination of either the book is perfect (rare) or the book has no redeeming features (rarer still). And I want to preface this review that from everything I can find, Goonan is a heck of an author and excellent at what she does. But for those people who read "critically acclaimed" or "modern day classic" and think that they will instantly love the book, I'm here to tell you I thought the same thing until I read and finished it.
What's worse is that I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about sci-fi and so it hurts double to actually type some of this out. I just don't get it. There I said it. Verity goes on this journey to the Queen City, Cincinnati to save her foster brother, Blaze and her dog, Cairo. When she gets there to this enlivened city she encounters an immense situation of people where many are infected with a nanotech plague.
The quest starts off reasonably enough (and actually the journey there is much more interesting than once she gets to Cincinnati) but somewhere between all of the bees, jazz references and the inane flashbacks, we get a story that feels very much in the past even though it supposed to represent the future. Furthermore, Verity has to eventually save the city that she has come to and I'm not entirely sure that it is a city that wants to be saved.
Also, the book has a horrible habit of being unfocused. I get there needs to be some exploration of the city, but it's almost a scenario (until the end anyway) of oh wait, Blaze, right yeah I need to do something about that. It even had a chapter near the end nevertheless where they are attending a baseball game that really has no sense to the actual plot. Maybe the baseball game was supposed to be an allegory to something else, I'm not sure but by then I was so frustrated I just got through it.
Kathleen Ann Goonan is an accomplished author, that's for certain but perhaps the way she wrote this landmark book is not going to be for everybody. It hurts to be so critical but when it takes me double the time to get through it and actually drags me down personally, then I have to let others know. Take care.
What's worse is that I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about sci-fi and so it hurts double to actually type some of this out. I just don't get it. There I said it. Verity goes on this journey to the Queen City, Cincinnati to save her foster brother, Blaze and her dog, Cairo. When she gets there to this enlivened city she encounters an immense situation of people where many are infected with a nanotech plague.
The quest starts off reasonably enough (and actually the journey there is much more interesting than once she gets to Cincinnati) but somewhere between all of the bees, jazz references and the inane flashbacks, we get a story that feels very much in the past even though it supposed to represent the future. Furthermore, Verity has to eventually save the city that she has come to and I'm not entirely sure that it is a city that wants to be saved.
Also, the book has a horrible habit of being unfocused. I get there needs to be some exploration of the city, but it's almost a scenario (until the end anyway) of oh wait, Blaze, right yeah I need to do something about that. It even had a chapter near the end nevertheless where they are attending a baseball game that really has no sense to the actual plot. Maybe the baseball game was supposed to be an allegory to something else, I'm not sure but by then I was so frustrated I just got through it.
Kathleen Ann Goonan is an accomplished author, that's for certain but perhaps the way she wrote this landmark book is not going to be for everybody. It hurts to be so critical but when it takes me double the time to get through it and actually drags me down personally, then I have to let others know. Take care.
October 29, 2022
Une histoire de fin du monde, de maladie et de technologie aux Etats-Unis.
Un livre complexe.
Complexe dans le fond, car l'histoire est riche en évènements et en personnages, on y débarque complètement, comme en plein milieu d'une pièce, sans aucune explication sur le pourquoi du comment on est là et où on va. Et pourtant j'avais lu la quatrième de couverture!
Complexe dans la forme, avec une écriture parfois à la limite de l'ellipse, ou du délire psychédélique. On a parfois l'impression que c'est exactement ce que recherche à rendre l'auteur: le délire psychédélique. Si c'est ça, c'est réussi, mais c'est évidemment un peu plus compliqué à suivre.
On se retrouve ainsi dans une lecture floue et incompréhensible, dans un monde qu'on ne comprend pas, avec des évènements dont on ne connaît pas l'histoire, donc qu'on ne comprend pas, avec des références mystérieuses à des évènements passés inconnus non explicités clairement. Donc qu'on ne comprend pas.
Et c'est comme ça pendant plus des 2/3 du livre! Et même après ça, il faut attendre presque la fin du bouquin pour enfin comprendre de quoi il retourne, ou en tout cas avoir l'impression de comprendre.
Et pourtant j'ai continué à lire. Il faut croire que c'est quand même rudement bien foutu, avec tout ce mystère qui paraît tentant à souhait, et c'est toujours à la limite du y en a marre de rien comprendre mais, si, j'avais envie de continuer, d'aller plus loin dans ce monde incroyable et incompréhensible, avec son héroïne qui est magnifique et sa fin du monde angoissante et ses décors fantastiques.
Une sorte d'expérience mystique pas désagréable du tout.
(Concernant la quatrième de couverture, je ne peux que conseiller de ne pas la lire, histoire de débarquer encore plus et de s'en prendre encore plus plein les neurones)
Un livre complexe.
Complexe dans le fond, car l'histoire est riche en évènements et en personnages, on y débarque complètement, comme en plein milieu d'une pièce, sans aucune explication sur le pourquoi du comment on est là et où on va. Et pourtant j'avais lu la quatrième de couverture!
Complexe dans la forme, avec une écriture parfois à la limite de l'ellipse, ou du délire psychédélique. On a parfois l'impression que c'est exactement ce que recherche à rendre l'auteur: le délire psychédélique. Si c'est ça, c'est réussi, mais c'est évidemment un peu plus compliqué à suivre.
On se retrouve ainsi dans une lecture floue et incompréhensible, dans un monde qu'on ne comprend pas, avec des évènements dont on ne connaît pas l'histoire, donc qu'on ne comprend pas, avec des références mystérieuses à des évènements passés inconnus non explicités clairement. Donc qu'on ne comprend pas.
Et c'est comme ça pendant plus des 2/3 du livre! Et même après ça, il faut attendre presque la fin du bouquin pour enfin comprendre de quoi il retourne, ou en tout cas avoir l'impression de comprendre.
Et pourtant j'ai continué à lire. Il faut croire que c'est quand même rudement bien foutu, avec tout ce mystère qui paraît tentant à souhait, et c'est toujours à la limite du y en a marre de rien comprendre mais, si, j'avais envie de continuer, d'aller plus loin dans ce monde incroyable et incompréhensible, avec son héroïne qui est magnifique et sa fin du monde angoissante et ses décors fantastiques.
Une sorte d'expérience mystique pas désagréable du tout.
(Concernant la quatrième de couverture, je ne peux que conseiller de ne pas la lire, histoire de débarquer encore plus et de s'en prendre encore plus plein les neurones)
June 11, 2020
Got about 300 pages in out of 400 and actually deleted it. It was interesting early on but I found it very hard to really get into. It sort of reminded me of a dream in a way, in that it went off on multiple tangents and never seemed to really tell you what was going on. It made me think about the show Lost a bit as well since it just never seemed to reveal anything that would help explain what was going on. I can appreciate some of the settings the author created but the characters were actually pretty weak. I suppose I must also give props to the author's ability to create a very different world. At times it was captivating and I had high hopes early on. Sadly this book ended up boring me to death and at the point I stopped reading I realized I was just reading it to get it over with so that's a sure sign for me when enough is enough. Realistically it's probably a 2 or 3 star book but I'm giving everything a 1 that I couldn't get through.
September 21, 2023
The imagery in this book is excellent for a creative mind, there is almost an abstractness to the writing and language between the characters, giving a constant overlay of surrealism in the atmosphere. Yet, one never forgets the ground under the main characters feet with its unexpected gritty moments. Often this book feels like a puzzle, and each chapter it gives small scattered pieces to make a whole, which ironically reminds me of the scattered various forms of music in Jazz. The book despite its innocently deceptive and complicated narrative is steadfast and unique. I can honestly say though I've read my share of dystopian futures I've never run into one quite like this. It is in a few words: Positively unique. It has a slow start, but the pacing feels very deliberate and I find myself curious to read the sequel.
May 5, 2023
The first 60%: amazing and detailed worldbuilding with really original and fascinating ideas. No real story, to be honest, and the female MC is completely passive (in truth just a witness, never a real factor, always pushed around by others), but the sense of wonder more than makes for that. Loved it. The next 20%: endless and boring introspection and inner MC doubts, plus thick packets of infodump served exactly as infodump: the MC, and therefore the reader, simply receives episodes of explanations from the past. Still no story, too many unintersting and unidimensional SC, and too much jazz references, unfortunately (I love blues but really, really hate jazz)... At 80% i couldn't cope with the slugging boredom anymore and gave up. A hugely wasted opportunity of an amazing scifi world...
September 28, 2022
On the form: Outstanding prose and a really developed world but a plot that felt disconnected, hard to parse, and unaware of the intended tone.
This book feels like an incredibly odd confluence of interests of mine; I’m currently taking a break from Gravity’s Rainbow to read this, who’s work this was clearly inspired by (Pynchon is referenced I think 4 times in the novel), as well as urban planning/architecture (my career field) and the idea of communicating information without the abstraction of speech, something I’ve been personally chewing on for years.
This was a bit of a slog to get through at times, far from a page turner, but I’ll probably pick up this series later on.
This book feels like an incredibly odd confluence of interests of mine; I’m currently taking a break from Gravity’s Rainbow to read this, who’s work this was clearly inspired by (Pynchon is referenced I think 4 times in the novel), as well as urban planning/architecture (my career field) and the idea of communicating information without the abstraction of speech, something I’ve been personally chewing on for years.
This was a bit of a slog to get through at times, far from a page turner, but I’ll probably pick up this series later on.
October 7, 2023
So I've had this on my shelf since 1994 when it came out and this is one of those books that reads differently on a reread. It's a wonderful strange and difficult read, and I have to admit the first time around I didn't see that the nature of consciousness is a major theme of the book. And I'm keeping it to reread again, because I didn't realize it this time until halfway through, and I want to read it all the way through with that understanding to enjoy it more.
Anyway, that's where it fits in with the jazz.
I remembered it as one of the best books I've ever read and it stood the test of time: great books grow with you.
But it's defintely not for everyone.
Anyway, that's where it fits in with the jazz.
I remembered it as one of the best books I've ever read and it stood the test of time: great books grow with you.
But it's defintely not for everyone.
January 12, 2020
I enjoy the opening chapters … until the story evolves from one of discovery into a series of quests.
The beginning has a perfect mixture of profound mystery and interesting characters. Then halfway through, the style changes abruptly, developing into more into Alice in Wonderland vignettes. Each new encounter brings weirdness, unexplained dialogue, and a quick excuse to move on to the next one. For me, that ruins the story and pushes me away.
The beginning has a perfect mixture of profound mystery and interesting characters. Then halfway through, the style changes abruptly, developing into more into Alice in Wonderland vignettes. Each new encounter brings weirdness, unexplained dialogue, and a quick excuse to move on to the next one. For me, that ruins the story and pushes me away.
February 17, 2023
In post apocalyptic world, young Verity has to go to Cincinnati to help a friend. The city has been overrun by nanotech. Verity encounters a beautiful and dangerous world in this infested city. Can she work out this city. Does she have a special relationship to the city. This is an intriguing book. This shows the dark and bright side of nanotech. Really invokes that good old fashion sense of wonder.
May 20, 2017
I was intrigued enough by her universe to plod on thru. It was patently obviously a first novel, however, and the storyline and characters left much to be desired. I managed about 10 pages/day which for me is beyond slow.
I guess there was a reason for it to sit on my to-be-read shelves for 20 years.
I guess there was a reason for it to sit on my to-be-read shelves for 20 years.
June 28, 2025
Science fiction in the weird and poetic mode. Some plot, but mostly vibes. I enjoyed the Cincinnati references but they weren't particularly important to the book and this could have been set anywhere. The blend of nanotech, bees / hive mind, and DNA really dates this book to the nineties, especially with the Eric Drexler quotes at the start of a couple sections.
June 20, 2024
This is a good book, but it does take patience to read it. It does have a few language problems in it, but not enough to discourage a reader. It is sf version of huckleberry Finn in a strange way. Read the series and see what you think.
June 20, 2022
intriguing concept but I found long boring narrative indicative of a first novel.
January 28, 2024
too much jazz for me but i still give it points for being weird
April 29, 2024
Complex and beautiful.
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