I have a huge stack of books I've read waiting for blog posts. Some seem like much harder work than others. Selling Out by Justina Robson is one of the easy ones.
This is book two in the Quantum Gravity series, and this time I've actually read the first one. What I love about this is the blend of science fiction and fantasy. It's set in the near-future after a world-changing event, the nature of which is not clear at this point. The protagonist is an experimental cyborg spy who is sent on missions to the new worlds (elf, fairy, demon, etc) that were revealed by the event. I'm all for a bit of genre-bending and Robson is a great writer so it all comes together seamlessly.
When I read the first book I thought it was fun and well-written but lacking the depth and complexity of Living Next Door to the God of Love, which was the first of Robson's novels that I read. After reading Selling Out I think I might be wrong. It's still great fun, and still has a light feel to it, but the character development and foreshadowing in this book make me suspect that by the time I get to the end of the series a grand vision will have been realised.
In this book, I noticed how the dialogue stood out. It worked hard to move the plot along and reveal character. It's snappy, witty and highly engaging.
Justina Robson is one of my favourite authors and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. And everything else she's written.
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