An Urban Fantasy I can recommend
Aug. 10th, 2008 12:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieI had a fun time at Barnes & Noble today (I always do, being in a bookstore always gives me a high).
And, to make it even better, I bought a book I love to bits so far: Keeping It Real by Justina Robson. I've been eyeing it for a bit, and finally decided if I keep eyeing the damn thing, I should buy it.
The plot is kinda awesome. The world of KIR is pretty close to our earth, 20 or so years in the future, except due to a quantum bomb, the fabric that kept different dimensions apart got blown to bits, and now Earth is just one of six realms: there is the realm of faerie (they seem to be interested in Earth enough to like travelling there), Demonia (not much info on it is given yet), an Elemental realm (not big on interactions), a realm of the dead, which humans can't travel to, and the realm of Elves (who are standoffish and not interested in the human realm, maintaining the barest minimum of diplomatic relations).
Our protagonist is Lila Black, who was once a pretty normal woman, if your definition of normal is 'top-notch intelligence operative.' Now she is half-woman, half-cyborg, not yet fully used to her new body. Her newest job is to pose as a member of a crack bodyguard agency and to guard the frontsman for a madly popular band who has been recieving some pretty creepy threats and who happens to be...an Elf. The intelligence agency is not keen on making the frosty relationships between the Elf realm and Earth even more complicated by having the rare Elf who decided to slum it with humans for whatever reason, to be offed while on Earth. Even if the threats seem to come from the Elven realm, actually.
To say Lila is not pleased with the assignment is an understatement. She has a thorough loathing of Elves which, if you consider the fact that Elves are the reason she ended up with enough of her internal organs external to require her to become a bionic woman, is not unreasonable.
Of course, there is the fact that Zal the Elf is hardly a normal Elf. Not only is it super weird in the first place that an Elf would want to come over to a human realm to hang out anyway, let alone be in a rock band (normally about as likely as a fish buying a bycicle), he has a whole bunch of weird, un-Elfy habits. Pretty bizarre, if you ask Lila...
I liked the book from the start: it has a cool, strong, no-nonsense female protagonist, a fun fictional world, a sharp writing style, plus a yum hint of a possibility for a romance, and definitely more than a hint of a possibility of adventure.
And then I got to this point and LOLed and got sold:
"Now she was sitting opposite an elf with unmistakably high-caste features, who could have easily passed for High Snot of the Brotherhood of Ultimate Superiority, a member of an entirely vegentarian species, watching him eat raw steak."
Heeee.
So far, so awesome.
ETA: Yup, it's official. I love both Lila and Zal.
ETA2: Flipped through the book and we have snark AND hurt/comfort (of both genders). This book and me are going to be good friends.
ETA3: I totally cheated and flipped to near the end and there is SEX! After they've been both wounded, and they are on the run, and potentially will die soon. And it's hot and swoony and romantic and awesome and seriously, this book has been written for me, hasn't it?
And, to make it even better, I bought a book I love to bits so far: Keeping It Real by Justina Robson. I've been eyeing it for a bit, and finally decided if I keep eyeing the damn thing, I should buy it.
The plot is kinda awesome. The world of KIR is pretty close to our earth, 20 or so years in the future, except due to a quantum bomb, the fabric that kept different dimensions apart got blown to bits, and now Earth is just one of six realms: there is the realm of faerie (they seem to be interested in Earth enough to like travelling there), Demonia (not much info on it is given yet), an Elemental realm (not big on interactions), a realm of the dead, which humans can't travel to, and the realm of Elves (who are standoffish and not interested in the human realm, maintaining the barest minimum of diplomatic relations).
Our protagonist is Lila Black, who was once a pretty normal woman, if your definition of normal is 'top-notch intelligence operative.' Now she is half-woman, half-cyborg, not yet fully used to her new body. Her newest job is to pose as a member of a crack bodyguard agency and to guard the frontsman for a madly popular band who has been recieving some pretty creepy threats and who happens to be...an Elf. The intelligence agency is not keen on making the frosty relationships between the Elf realm and Earth even more complicated by having the rare Elf who decided to slum it with humans for whatever reason, to be offed while on Earth. Even if the threats seem to come from the Elven realm, actually.
To say Lila is not pleased with the assignment is an understatement. She has a thorough loathing of Elves which, if you consider the fact that Elves are the reason she ended up with enough of her internal organs external to require her to become a bionic woman, is not unreasonable.
Of course, there is the fact that Zal the Elf is hardly a normal Elf. Not only is it super weird in the first place that an Elf would want to come over to a human realm to hang out anyway, let alone be in a rock band (normally about as likely as a fish buying a bycicle), he has a whole bunch of weird, un-Elfy habits. Pretty bizarre, if you ask Lila...
I liked the book from the start: it has a cool, strong, no-nonsense female protagonist, a fun fictional world, a sharp writing style, plus a yum hint of a possibility for a romance, and definitely more than a hint of a possibility of adventure.
And then I got to this point and LOLed and got sold:
"Now she was sitting opposite an elf with unmistakably high-caste features, who could have easily passed for High Snot of the Brotherhood of Ultimate Superiority, a member of an entirely vegentarian species, watching him eat raw steak."
Heeee.
So far, so awesome.
ETA: Yup, it's official. I love both Lila and Zal.
ETA2: Flipped through the book and we have snark AND hurt/comfort (of both genders). This book and me are going to be good friends.
ETA3: I totally cheated and flipped to near the end and there is SEX! After they've been both wounded, and they are on the run, and potentially will die soon. And it's hot and swoony and romantic and awesome and seriously, this book has been written for me, hasn't it?
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 01:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 12:52 pm (UTC)Yup. LOL!
And you've sold it to me as well. *g* I like urban fantasies. I can see a trip to the bookshop ahead tomorrow. I might just get lucky and find it.
Btw, have you read any of Mercedes Lackey's urban fantasy series 'The Serrated Edge'? I've read all of those out so far.
Your book rec. for 'Troublesome Young Men' was spot on, I'm about half way through and loving it!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 01:23 pm (UTC)KIR is so much fun, so far!
I've only read one book of lackey's, set after WW1 and liked it. Must find this.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-10 04:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-11 04:05 am (UTC)