Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In the Watchful City explores borders, power, diaspora, and transformation in an Asian-inspired mosaic novella that melds the futurism of Lavie Tidhar's Central Station with the magical wonder of Catherynne M. Valente's Palimpsest.
The city of Ora uses a complex living network called the Gleaming to surveil its inhabitants and maintain harmony. Anima is one of the cloistered extrasensory humans tasked with watching over Ora's citizens. Although r world is restricted to what can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from all harm.
All that changes when a mysterious visitor enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around the world, with a story attached to each item. As Anima's world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places--and possibilities-- never before imagined to exist, finds rself asking a question that throws into doubt r entire purpose: What good is a city if it can't protect its people?
Synopsis
This masterful work positions Lu among the vanguard of contemporary futurism and speculative fiction.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
S. Qiouyi Lu's In the Watchful City explores borders, power, diaspora, and transformation in an Asian-inspired mosaic novella that melds the futurism of Lavie Tidhar's Central Station with the magical wonder of Catherynne M. Valente's Palimpsest.
The city of Ora uses a complex living network called the Gleaming to surveil its inhabitants and maintain harmony. Anima is one of the cloistered extrasensory humans tasked with watching over Ora's citizens. Although r world is restricted to what can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from all harm.
All that changes when a mysterious visitor enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around the world, with a story attached to each item. As Anima's world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places--and possibilities-- never before imagined to exist, finds rself asking a question that throws into doubt r entire purpose: What good is a city if it can't protect its people?
Synopsis
This masterful work positions Lu among the vanguard of contemporary futurism and speculative fiction.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
The city of Ora is watching.
Anima is an extrasensory human tasked with surveilling and protecting Ora's citizens via a complex living network called the Gleaming. Although r world is restricted to what can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from harm.
When a mysterious outsider enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around with the world with a story attached to each item, Anima's world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places--and possibilities-- never before imagined to exist. But such knowledge leaves Anima with a question that throws into doubt r entire purpose: What good is a city if it can't protect its people?
In the tradition of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, debut author S. Qiouyi Lu has written a multifaceted story of borders, power, diaspora, and transformation.
Synopsis
In the tradition of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, debut author S. Qiouyi Lu has written a multifaceted story of borders, power, diaspora, and transformation with In the Watchful City.
This masterful work positions Lu among the vanguard of contemporary futurism and speculative fiction.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
The city of Ora is watching.
Anima is an extrasensory human tasked with surveilling and protecting Ora's citizens via a complex living network called the Gleaming. Although r world is restricted to what can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from harm.
When a mysterious outsider enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around with the world with a story attached to each item, Anima's world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places--and possibilities-- never before imagined to exist. But such knowledge leaves Anima with a question that throws into doubt r entire purpose: What good is a city if it can't protect its people?
Synopsis
This masterful work positions Lu among the vanguard of contemporary futurism and speculative fiction.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
In the tradition of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, debut author S. Qiouyi Lu has written a multifaceted story of borders, power, diaspora, and transformation with In the Watchful City.
The city of Ora is watching.
Anima is an extrasensory human tasked with surveilling and protecting Ora's citizens via a complex living network called the Gleaming. Although r world is restricted to what can see and experience through the Gleaming, Anima takes pride and comfort in keeping Ora safe from harm.
When a mysterious outsider enters the city carrying a cabinet of curiosities from around with the world with a story attached to each item, Anima's world expands beyond the borders of Ora to places--and possibilities-- never before imagined to exist. But such knowledge leaves Anima with a question that throws into doubt r entire purpose: What good is a city if it can't protect its people?