courtney_mcallister's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of Glorious Angels from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first exposure to Justina Robson's work. Although she is very popular in the UK, I have not seen or heard her work touted on this side of the pond. That's unfortunate, because I think she is a very interesting writer with a lot to offer readers who mistakenly think sci-fi/fantasy is bland, repetitious, or dependent on genre conventions.
Glorious Angels is an impressive work that combines the pacing of a thrilling adventure story with high-concept fantasy. Robson crafts an elaborate world destabilized by intrigue and power grabs, but the characters who populate that world are even more captivating. Hierarchies, inherited talents, and identity politics structure their lives, but they never come across as passive manifestations of cliches or stereotypes. Rather, each character's nuanced motivations and personal philosophies are fully realized, thanks to Robson's talent for subtly differentiating narrative perspectives. Each time the novel changed perspective, I felt as though I were seeing Glimshard through that character's eyes. And the novel's epic scope gives the reader the opportunity to see those perspectives shift and change over time.
Glorious Angels is an intricate novel - it often felt like I was examining a vast clockwork through a microscope. Each component was rich and complex in its own right, but there was a larger mechanism keeping all the individual parts in precisely choreographed motion. Aside from being impressed with Robson's ability to orchestrate such a feat, I loved the ideas and concepts that proliferate in Glorious Angels. The gender politics are interesting, but not tidy or overly simplified. And I was fascinated by the specialized powers that blur the line between magic and technology.
Robson plunges the reader into Glimshard's political upheaval in medias res without much context. Although the immersion mostly works, you have to read the first 25 pages very carefully. If your attention wanders even slightly during this section, you will have to backtrack so that subsequent actions and motives make sense. Also, this novel is presented as a stand alone, but not all of the threads get tied together at the end. It becomes evident during the last 40-50 pages that Glorious Angels needs a sequel or series of companion volumes. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't get your heart set on a satisfying resolution to all the plot lines Glorious Angels introduces.
This was my first exposure to Justina Robson's work. Although she is very popular in the UK, I have not seen or heard her work touted on this side of the pond. That's unfortunate, because I think she is a very interesting writer with a lot to offer readers who mistakenly think sci-fi/fantasy is bland, repetitious, or dependent on genre conventions.
Glorious Angels is an impressive work that combines the pacing of a thrilling adventure story with high-concept fantasy. Robson crafts an elaborate world destabilized by intrigue and power grabs, but the characters who populate that world are even more captivating. Hierarchies, inherited talents, and identity politics structure their lives, but they never come across as passive manifestations of cliches or stereotypes. Rather, each character's nuanced motivations and personal philosophies are fully realized, thanks to Robson's talent for subtly differentiating narrative perspectives. Each time the novel changed perspective, I felt as though I were seeing Glimshard through that character's eyes. And the novel's epic scope gives the reader the opportunity to see those perspectives shift and change over time.
Glorious Angels is an intricate novel - it often felt like I was examining a vast clockwork through a microscope. Each component was rich and complex in its own right, but there was a larger mechanism keeping all the individual parts in precisely choreographed motion. Aside from being impressed with Robson's ability to orchestrate such a feat, I loved the ideas and concepts that proliferate in Glorious Angels. The gender politics are interesting, but not tidy or overly simplified. And I was fascinated by the specialized powers that blur the line between magic and technology.
Robson plunges the reader into Glimshard's political upheaval in medias res without much context. Although the immersion mostly works, you have to read the first 25 pages very carefully. If your attention wanders even slightly during this section, you will have to backtrack so that subsequent actions and motives make sense. Also, this novel is presented as a stand alone, but not all of the threads get tied together at the end. It becomes evident during the last 40-50 pages that Glorious Angels needs a sequel or series of companion volumes. There's nothing wrong with that, but don't get your heart set on a satisfying resolution to all the plot lines Glorious Angels introduces.
nwhyte's review against another edition
2.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2636061.html
Probably more a reflection of my state of mind than the quality of the writing, but I've given up on this not quite half way through when I realised I had completely lost track of the characters and their motivations. Some excellent sex (in the book! in the book!) kept my attention for slightly longer than might otherwise have been the case.
Probably more a reflection of my state of mind than the quality of the writing, but I've given up on this not quite half way through when I realised I had completely lost track of the characters and their motivations. Some excellent sex (in the book! in the book!) kept my attention for slightly longer than might otherwise have been the case.
beardybot's review against another edition
2.0
The first 400 pages feel like a long-winded introduction, interspersed with the odd "shocking" sex scene. It's certainly not bad, and better when it picks up the pace, but feels stretched out.
Don't expect feminism. The author says so herself, and she's not joking. The ultimate powers might be in women in theory, and they certainly have talents not outside the usual sci-fi fare, but the best women are vulnerable and girlish, and the big strong man that gets stuff done in every case is a man. The main characters might be the Huntingore family, the empress Torada, and Parlumi Night on the surface, but the story doesn't happen at all without Tzaban, Alide, Mazhd, Borze or Gau Tam.
Don't expect feminism. The author says so herself, and she's not joking. The ultimate powers might be in women in theory, and they certainly have talents not outside the usual sci-fi fare, but the best women are vulnerable and girlish, and the big strong man that gets stuff done in every case is a man. The main characters might be the Huntingore family, the empress Torada, and Parlumi Night on the surface, but the story doesn't happen at all without Tzaban, Alide, Mazhd, Borze or Gau Tam.
colossal's review against another edition
3.0
Ancient technology, really alien aliens, magic, telepathy, group minds, engineers as heroes, odd and varied social and governmental structures. Kitchen sink? No, there's no room!
This one defies summarizing, but I'll give it a go.
Glimshard is an ancient but technologically advanced city on an alien world. It's an hedonistic matriarchy ruled by a young and inexperienced Empress who in turn is mind-linked to seven other Empresses who together rule a loose Empire. The Empire is imperiled by various barbarian groups that would tear it down if they could, and there's a continuous effort to try and regain the lost technology of long ago in an effort to hold them at bay. The largest find of lost technology turns out to be in territory controlled by the Karoo, a bizarre alien species with an agenda of their own.
Into all of this we follow the Tralane and her two daughters, Isabeau and Minnabar, the last of a lineage of powerful Sircene mages and engineers. The story revolves around this family, their lovers and friends and how Glimshard deals with rapidly changing situation around the technology found in the Karoo-controlled territory.
The world-building is the star of this one. Everything is here and far too much to go into, even in summary. Unfortunately the world-building is so involved and comprehensive that the author kind of forgets to tell much of a story. Yes, stuff happens. The plot, as it is, moves along at a good pace, but very little is resolved by the end of the book, and some of the interesting plot lines are cut short almost off-camera. There's a particular couple of events that happen with Isabeau and Borze (a military commander for Glimshard) that were complete standout WTF moments and the book as a whole has far too many of those to be really satisfying.
Still, I rate it three stars. Despite some clumsy plotting and some truly obscure sentence-construction early on, the sheer density of ideas here is just wonderful to soak in. I can't help but see the wonderful book this might have been with a comprehensive edit.
This one defies summarizing, but I'll give it a go.
Glimshard is an ancient but technologically advanced city on an alien world. It's an hedonistic matriarchy ruled by a young and inexperienced Empress who in turn is mind-linked to seven other Empresses who together rule a loose Empire. The Empire is imperiled by various barbarian groups that would tear it down if they could, and there's a continuous effort to try and regain the lost technology of long ago in an effort to hold them at bay. The largest find of lost technology turns out to be in territory controlled by the Karoo, a bizarre alien species with an agenda of their own.
Into all of this we follow the Tralane and her two daughters, Isabeau and Minnabar, the last of a lineage of powerful Sircene mages and engineers. The story revolves around this family, their lovers and friends and how Glimshard deals with rapidly changing situation around the technology found in the Karoo-controlled territory.
The world-building is the star of this one. Everything is here and far too much to go into, even in summary. Unfortunately the world-building is so involved and comprehensive that the author kind of forgets to tell much of a story. Yes, stuff happens. The plot, as it is, moves along at a good pace, but very little is resolved by the end of the book, and some of the interesting plot lines are cut short almost off-camera. There's a particular couple of events that happen with Isabeau and Borze (a military commander for Glimshard) that were complete standout WTF moments and the book as a whole has far too many of those to be really satisfying.
Still, I rate it three stars. Despite some clumsy plotting and some truly obscure sentence-construction early on, the sheer density of ideas here is just wonderful to soak in. I can't help but see the wonderful book this might have been with a comprehensive edit.
etchlings's review
5.0
OK, I really didn't like this book at first. The beginning chapters feel like it's trying to be two or three things at once that don't really gel in the way they should. Like, detailed and in depth character moments that don't seem to build up characters who maintain a level of importance that warrants the depth to which they were investigated. But then about 1/3 of the way through this book gets REALLY good. By the end I was thoroughly into it all.
rhodered's review
4.0
Real SF with slight romantic elements.
This is dense and chewy and keeps on surprising you. It took me a while to get into. Partly because I found myself arguing in my head with the author over how a matriarchy would treat men. (I don't think women would be all coy and wear painful high heels and plunging necklines.) also I could not stand the disrepair of the main heroine's ancient mansion.
I kept at it, largely because this is feminist, plus the heroine is the mother of two young adults. So, she's not shunted away so they can be heroines. Well they are as well, but her role is the lead. (Yay!) All that plus it's a LGBT-is-normal world, which I liked.
Then it deepened and finally during the last quarter I was galloping through and incredibly annoyed at interruptions. The ending was ... a bit flat and tidy. After all of that depth.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of creative genius here. Most of it's not like anything you've read, very few familiar tropes. So, I enjoyed that.
This is dense and chewy and keeps on surprising you. It took me a while to get into. Partly because I found myself arguing in my head with the author over how a matriarchy would treat men. (I don't think women would be all coy and wear painful high heels and plunging necklines.) also I could not stand the disrepair of the main heroine's ancient mansion.
I kept at it, largely because this is feminist, plus the heroine is the mother of two young adults. So, she's not shunted away so they can be heroines. Well they are as well, but her role is the lead. (Yay!) All that plus it's a LGBT-is-normal world, which I liked.
Then it deepened and finally during the last quarter I was galloping through and incredibly annoyed at interruptions. The ending was ... a bit flat and tidy. After all of that depth.
Nevertheless, there's a lot of creative genius here. Most of it's not like anything you've read, very few familiar tropes. So, I enjoyed that.
wyvernfriend's review
3.0
A bit of a slog for me, again I think it's a mismatch between reader and book. This is firmly a new weird book, suitable for fans of China Mieville.
In a city where women are in charge, in a world without a name where in general women have the upper hand, there is a family. Tralane Huntingore is the mother, renowned as a scientist she is the heiress of an ancient but defunct and broke line of mages, she has two daughters, both different from each other and both with paths of their own.
There's a war and the strange and alien Karoo are involved and things are going badly. The three women of this family are going to be pivots in the future of the world.
I still don't know what to think about this, strange and beautiful but not me.
In a city where women are in charge, in a world without a name where in general women have the upper hand, there is a family. Tralane Huntingore is the mother, renowned as a scientist she is the heiress of an ancient but defunct and broke line of mages, she has two daughters, both different from each other and both with paths of their own.
There's a war and the strange and alien Karoo are involved and things are going badly. The three women of this family are going to be pivots in the future of the world.
I still don't know what to think about this, strange and beautiful but not me.
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