The Etched City - K. J. Bishop


Not reviewed for Usenet (or see Google archive)

The Etched City
K. J. Bishop
Tor Publishers
ISBN: 1405041609 (Amazon link)


I've been waiting for this novel since I read the sample chapter on the Fantastic Metropolis site. It was worth the wait.

I'm glad I don't harbour any ambition to become a writer because if I did, reading this book would have crushed any hopes I had been nursing. With her first novel K. J. Bishop has written something better than many authors ever manage. The Etched City is hugely original and can easily stand beside anything by established "New Weird" authors like Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville, Paul Di Filippo or Jeffrey Ford. I've not seen such fulsome praise on the cover of a book since picking up MacLeod's The Light Ages or Wolfe's The Knight, so I think I'm safe in saying I'm not alone in liking this book!

As an aside, Tor's cover for this novel is gorgeous. Kudos to their marketing people.

Normally, I'd babble on about how good this book is, but I can't seem to write anything more coherent than, "Oooh, so good, go read." and I'm pressed for time, so I'll be lazy and point you at Michael Moorcock's review (in The Guardian newspaper). For once, I agree with almost all of what he says. Now go and order a copy of this fabulous book for yourself.

Highly recommended.

Posted: Wed - February 11, 2004 at 11:59 PM        

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