Every now and then a wonderful book comes along that completely fails to capture the attention of the readership it deserves. Every reader can name a book like that, and any reviewer or commentator can name a handful.
For me, the book that comes to mind when I think of books that the world should have fallen in love with is Gwyneth Jones Bold as Love. Smart, savvy, wonderfully written, it takes aim at the point where popular culture meets politics, and envisages a near future where the British union has dissolved, the climate is on the verge of collapse, mysticism is becoming ever more popular, and some kind of consensus world view is needed to avoid everything from civil ward to jihad in the British Isles. That consensus manifests itself in the person of three rockstars who become politicians and then royalty, in a story that is at first science fiction then fantasy and then maybe something else.
When the first of the Bold as Lovequintet was published some readers scoffed at the idea that rockstars could, through any means, end up running a government. That scepticism seems harder to swallow in a world where a rock star petitions governments to forgive Third World debt and stalks the corridors of power as readily as he does a concert stage.
The first and best book in the quintet, Bold as Love, was published in 2001, won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel, and was recently published in the US for the first time by Night Shade. It’s been followed by Midnight Lamp, Castles Made of Sand, Band of Gypsys, and now Rainbow Bridge.
I’ve not yet read Rainbow Bridge, though I expect to shortly. In the meantime, you can read a sample of Gwyneth Jones’s website. And, if you’re in the States, you can order that handsome Night Shade edition as a starter.
Jonathan,
I think one of the main reasons the BOLD AS LOVE quintet has been overlooked outside of England — and not picked up by a New York publisher — is because the content is simply too British-centric. I copyedited the Night Shade Books edition of BOLD AS LOVE, and though I did enjoy the novel (as much as a copyeditor can enjoy what s/he is editing, that is), that’s the first thing that came to mind: to really enjoy this book thoroughly, one has to have an intimate knowledge of British politics, the British countryside, people, places, dates, etc. None of which I possess, so I’m sure I lost most, if not all, of the subtle nuances of the book.
Marty Halpern
I can see that. Although I doubt many would agree with me, it seems to me to be a book that comes out of the Thatcher years, and if that doesn’t mean much to a reader, then the book may not.
I’m actually coming to the view, btw, that the presidency of Reagan and the prime ministership of Thatcher were two defining events in the history of SF.