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Describe your latest work. Blueprints of the Afterlife is a novel about the following things: giant heads that appear in the sky, a mystical... Continue »
  1. $9.80 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

    Blueprints of the Afterlife

    Ryan Boudinot 9780802170910

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Living Next Door to the God of Love

by Justina Robson

Living Next Door to the God of Love Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Where do you run when a world is out to get you?

AIs, Forged beings, superheroes, angels, and worlds that change in the blink of an eye–here is a richly imagined tale of ordinary redemption in an extraordinary world from one of the most provocative writers working today.

Francine is a young runaway looking to find a definition of love she can trust. In Sankhara, she finds a palace where rooms are made of bone, flowers, and the hearts of heroes. She finds a scientist mapping the territory of the human mind. She finds a boyfriend. And she finds Eros itself — incarnated in the androgynously irresistible form of Jalaeka.

But not everyone is in love with the god of love. Unity, for one, wants to assimilate Jalaeka along with every other soul in the universe. And contrary to what everyone always believes, love alone can't save the day. It will take something both more and less powerful than the human heart to save the worlds upon worlds at risk when gods collide.

Review:

"If William Gibson and Norman Spinrad had dropped acid together, this fourth SF novel by British author Robson (Natural History) is the book they might have written. It's a bizarre exploration of theories about human nature, set in a post-Singularity future where AIs are in charge of both real and virtual worlds, genetic manipulation is so common that 'unevolved' people are disdained, and anyone can use magic as long as they don't mind occasionally being possessed by Theo, the personification of knowledge, as he hunts for his twin, Jalaeka, the personification of the ineffable. Unfortunately, the tale's visionary qualities are drowned out by the overabundance of undefined vocabulary, queasily fluctuating scenery and dizzying perspective swaps among half a dozen protagonists. Some chapters are less than a page, and almost all are written in the first person, adding narrative confusion despite Robson's credible efforts to distinguish the characters' voices. The experimental nature that makes the novel worth starting sadly ends up rendering it hard to finish." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"For Robson, world-building is a literary device like any other, useful for exposing buried fears and desires to the light of day, no matter how strange the sun." New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Robson's sweet, crazy story presents a conflict that has been brewing for ages between a crypto-deity that consumes to comprehend and the individuals, human and otherwise, who don't want to be comprehended." Booklist

Synopsis:

Following her novel "Natural History," Robson takes readers into the unimaginable worlds that were created from the spark of "Natural History's" first contact--worlds where the impossible is possible, and gods are made flesh.

About the Author

Justina Robson was born and brought up in Leeds. She studied philosophy and linguistics before settling down to write in 1992. Her earlier novels, Silver Screen and Mappa Mundi, were both shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780553587425
Author:
Robson, Justina
Publisher:
Spectra Books
Subject:
Science Fiction - Space Opera
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Love stories
Subject:
Science / Space Opera
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-Space Opera
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
20060331
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
453
Dimensions:
8.20x5.26x1.02 in. .76 lbs.

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Living Next Door to the God of Love Used Trade Paper
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$5.95 In Stock
Product details 453 pages Spectra Books - English 9780553587425 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "If William Gibson and Norman Spinrad had dropped acid together, this fourth SF novel by British author Robson (Natural History) is the book they might have written. It's a bizarre exploration of theories about human nature, set in a post-Singularity future where AIs are in charge of both real and virtual worlds, genetic manipulation is so common that 'unevolved' people are disdained, and anyone can use magic as long as they don't mind occasionally being possessed by Theo, the personification of knowledge, as he hunts for his twin, Jalaeka, the personification of the ineffable. Unfortunately, the tale's visionary qualities are drowned out by the overabundance of undefined vocabulary, queasily fluctuating scenery and dizzying perspective swaps among half a dozen protagonists. Some chapters are less than a page, and almost all are written in the first person, adding narrative confusion despite Robson's credible efforts to distinguish the characters' voices. The experimental nature that makes the novel worth starting sadly ends up rendering it hard to finish." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Review" by , "For Robson, world-building is a literary device like any other, useful for exposing buried fears and desires to the light of day, no matter how strange the sun."
"Review" by , "Robson's sweet, crazy story presents a conflict that has been brewing for ages between a crypto-deity that consumes to comprehend and the individuals, human and otherwise, who don't want to be comprehended."
"Synopsis" by , Following her novel "Natural History," Robson takes readers into the unimaginable worlds that were created from the spark of "Natural History's" first contact--worlds where the impossible is possible, and gods are made flesh.
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