Allison Hurd’s Reviews > When Gravity Fails > Status Update

Historically, Effinger was writing in a turbulent period for the Middle East. The Arab Cold War had just ended, whilst the Sunni-Shi'a conflicts of the 80's and 90's were beginning.

In the US, it was the Reagan Era. The US was the lone superpower.

North Africa where the series is set, was quiet. The Algerian Civil War still being about 5-years away.

I wonder how he landed on a North African set story?

I find myself wondering how much research he put into available transgender surgery and Islam/North Africa. There's a lot of conceptualization that I wouldn't have figured he'd have done