Air (GollanczF.) [Hardcover]

Geoff Ryman (Author)

Book Description

Series: GollanczF. | Publication Date: July 21, 2005

This remarkable novel is about the effects of a new communications technology, Air, that works without power lines or machines. As pervasive technology ensures the rapid spread of pop culture and information access, few corners of the planet remain untouched. One of those few is Kizuldah, Karzistan, a tiny rice-farming village, predominantly Chinese Buddhist but with a strong Muslim presence, among whom sharply intelligent though illiterate Mae Chung, a self-styled fashion expert guiding the village women in dress, make-up and hairstyling, is an informal leader. When the UN decides to test the radical new technology Air, Mae is boiling laundry and chatting with elderly Mrs Tung. The massive surge of Air energy swamps them, and when the test is finished, Mrs Tung is dead, and Mae has absorbed her 90 years of memories. Rocked by the unexpected deaths and disorientation, the UN delays fully implementing Air, but Mae sees at once that her way of life is ending. Half-mad, struggling with information overload, the resentment of much of the village, and a complex family situation, she works fiercely to learn what she needs to ride the tiger of change.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ryman's novel is beautifully tragi-comic and filled with memorable characters. Rarer, it's a science fiction book that looks outside of Europe, North America and the cooler parts of Asia to remind us that the future will be lived by all humanity." -- Jonathan Wright SFX "None of Geoff Ryman's books is quite like another. His richest and best so far, Air is also perhaps his most mature." -- Roz Kaveney TIME OUT "Ryman weaves a simply engrossing tale of changing love, friendships and enmities. It's a terrific mix of backbiting, SF and even magic realism." -- Anthony Brown STARBURST "This is a novel you really have to read." VECTOR " 'Air' manages to be a serious mediation on the effects of technology in a Third World context without being patronising; it's a genial comic masterpiece with moments of real poigancy." -- John O'Connell TIME OUT CRITICS CHOICE 2005 "An exquisite, beautiful, moving, and perfectly-judged fictional marvel. Ryman gets everything right in the novel. It is an unforgettable piece of fiction." -- Adam Roberts INFINITY PLUS "Combining classic SF imagineering with Ryman's characteristically idiosyncratic take on magic realism." NEW STATESMAN

About the Author

Geoff Ryman was born in Canada and now lives and works in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (July 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575076976
• ISBN-13: 978-0575076976
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,936,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Geoff Ryman is a Canadian living in the United Kingdom. His first book based on events in Cambodia was published in 1985, the award-winning The Unconquered Country. The King's Last Song was inspired by a visit to an Australian archaeological dig at Angkor Wat in 2000. He has been a regular visitor since, teaching writing workshops in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap twice, and publishing three further novellas set in Cambodia. In Britain he produced documentaries for Resonance FM, London, on Cambodian Arts. He has published nine other books and won fourteen awards. He teaches creative writing at the University of Manchester.