Customer Reviews

Bone Dance: A Fantasy for Technophiles

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If life held any justice, Emma Bull would be at least as famous and as (presumably) wealthy as Neil Gaiman. Anyone who enjoys his writing will positively revel in hers.

'Bone Dance' first caught my eye as a library book almost ten years ago and it was with vast happiness I bought a used copy from Amazon last summer. And really, it's the PERFECT book to read around St. John's Eve.

The protagonist is Sparrow, a mysterious but deeply engaging character with a shadowy past and a sudden tendency to black out, only to later meet characters who seem to know more about these episodes than poor Sparrow does. The greater plot concerns the Horsemen, supersoldiers created by a now-defunct U.S. government who had no bodies, gifted with the ability to seize any host body and destroy its owner's mind. Sparrow and friends (Sherrea, Theo, and many others, all finely and absorbingly drawn) are now living in a world after the Horsemen caused a nuclear holocaust, where folk magic has new credence and technology is precious.

I can't decide which I like better: the plot(which is dynamite), the characters (all of whom you'd love to spend time with), or the prose itself (witty, sparkling, and apt to make you lose whole hours while reading it). I generally don't go in for a lot of cyberpunk beyond William Gibson, simply because it's usually too invested in its own tragically hip and fiercely cutting-edge coolness to actually entertain the hapless readers who find it, but this is pure quicksilver magic. I'd give it ten stars if I could.

Like most of Emma Bull's work, _Bone Dance_ is better than 98% of everything that's on the fantasy shelves today. I didn't find it as fabulously built as _War for the Oaks_, but it was still a marvelous read. Bull takes a common theme (life after nuclear war and the breakdown of civilisation-as-we-know-it), and turns it sideways . To begin with, it takes place in a city, not the usual post-nuclear desert; for another, not everybody has turned into punk-rockers/bikers. Instead the city has become a multi-cultural meeting ground, with a government whose power seems to be based on control of energy and communications resources and an economy large enough to support an entertainment business and a trade in luxury goods (such as pre-war compact disks and videotapes). Add in a likeable protagonist, a lot of voudou, and a former member of the psychic clique responsible for the war, now on a mission of penance (she's spent the past few decades killing off her former colleagues), and we have a plot that more than fits the fascinating milieu. Best of all, Bull had abandoned the tired old USA-USSR backstory for her post-nuclear world; instead there was apparently a war between North and South America Particularly interesting is the fact that--judging from the heavy Hispanic and Afro-French influence in the un-named City--the two were apparently rather similar to each other by the time they came to blows.

Ms. Bull does not have very many titles to her credit, but each one of them is very unique, very different from the average run-of-the-mill fantasies that clutter up the bookstore shelves.

Bone Dance starts with a post-nuclear setting, but rather than a world of deserts and a civilization blasted back to stone-age technology, here we still have cities, electricity, even full-flavored showings of old movies and music clips intertwined in the best traditions of artistic DJ's. Of course, the infrastructure that produced the technological goodies needed to do such shows no longer exists, thereby providing employment for Sparrow, our first-person narrator, as he is one of the few that still has the necessary knowledge of electronics to repair this gear when there are the inevitable breakdowns.

Sparrow has a problem, however, of having `blank' spots in his memory, times when he can't remember what he did or where he went, only knowing that where he woke up is far from when his last memory says he was. Finding out the answer to these blank spots involves tarot cards, the Horsemen, the dictator of the city, a search for revenge on the person who helped instigate the nuclear war, hoodoo magic, and a cast of very well realized characters. Each of these characters have their own pasts and problems, and they all grow and change considerably during the course of this book's action. Some of the action is very `unpretty', almost gross, but provides a strong line of plot thread that well illuminates one of the main thematic points here, of the importance of friendship and community and that the means to find these things involves baring your soul a bit to others. The odd meld of magic and technology here is refreshing, with some interesting descriptions of the meaning behind the various tarot cards, something I don't normally subscribe to, but Ms. Bull makes them an integral part of the plot, and here it works well.

A strong book with a taut plot that is not telegraphed, highlighted by characters that are very different but quite recognizable, a setting and a group of ideas that are not just a rehash of stuff seen hundreds of times elsewhere, all are very good. I had some quibbles with some of the minor characters not being presented with enough force to make them memorable when they reappear after fifty page gaps, and I found some of the descriptive work either over- or under-done, sometimes leaving me floundering about just what the scene was or wishing she would get on with the story. These are definitely minor quibbles, however, as the general prose is quite adequate, the story line engrossing, the main characters real. Recommended for all those readers who are tired of crumbling castles and yet another dragon quest.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

This one's even better than Falcon, though I gave them both a rating of 9. Here Bull uses the first person narrative to spring a surprise on us -- the protagonist has a secret that's never mentioned but is perfectly obvious in retrospect, and that's all I'm going to say. We've seen the post-apocalypse setting before, but Bull makes it fresh again by bringing in references to voodoo. The lull after the first climax is the only thing that keeps this book from earning a score of a perfect 10 (and even the "slow part" has lots of interesting stuff going on, just not at the breathless pace that preceded it). GREAT read

"Bone Dance" (along with "Falcon") has got to be one of my favorite all-time books. Emma Bull is an amazingly gifted storyteller with a sure, deft touch. If you haven't yet discovered her, you are in for a treat: complex characters, layered plots, detailed world-building, humor, and, above all, a compassionate yet clear-eyed understanding of human weakness make this an outstanding story, which, in my opinion, far exceeds "War for the Oaks" (perhaps her best-known work.) While "Oaks" is a delightful story, it is in "Bone Dance" that Bull really hits her stride. If you like Lois McMaster Bujold, Diana Wynne Jones, or Tanith Lee, then you will probably like Emma Bull too. This is a book that will haunt you long after you put it down.

Thrilled to learn that this gem is finally being reissued on July 7, 2009 - Bone Dance: A Fantasy for Technophiles. Now, if they will also reissue "Falcon"...

Bone Dance is subtitled "A Fantasy for Technophiles," but aficionados of tarot, Santeria (the religion of which voodoo is a derivative), Raymond Chandler, and classic movies are also in luck.
In the aftermath of a nuclear war between the US and South America, most people go about their lives and mind their business, but narrator/protagonist Sparrow keeps getting involved with the exceptions, like the dancing Jammers who seem to have a group mind and a direct line to the gods, or the scary-dangerous Beano, who deals in pain, or mysterious strangers who talk in riddles. A techno-wizard, able to coax cables and wires to deliver the goods, and keeper of a cache of irreplaceable recordings from the past, Sparrow can sell a copy of Singing in the Rain to the wealthiest man in town and then help man the sound and lighting mix at the local nightclub. But then the memory blackouts begin, and Sparrow starts losing the hustler's edge, and a tarot card reading presents more Greater Trumps in a single spread than any mere street urchin should ever evoke. The carefully guarded secret of Sparrow's past is tied to the origins of the war and the special agents, the Horsemen, who triggered it. Now the last surviving Horsemen are seeking each other out for a final showdown, and Sparrow is the trump card each one wants to wield. Hubris, despair, love and hope are at war with each other.
Sparrow is almost torn apart by the struggle, but eventually comes to a place where choice, real choice, becomes possible.
Emma Bull is such a good story-teller that I get vertigo just thinking about what her IQ must be. Some rajah or sultan ought to pour rubies, gold, and emeralds into her lap. This is no read-and-forget distraction novel; it etches itself into your mind and changes you. I just wish the new publication included an index with source-references for all the movie quotes. I only caught about half of them, and inside jokes are more fun if you're, well, on the inside. Yes, it's lame to need an index, but I'd rather be lame and learn than remain uninformed.

"Bone Dance" is a really great thought provoking book. It's set in a near future post-apocalyptic Minneapolis, and for quite a while it's unclear if the narrator of the book, Sparrow, is hiding something about a mysterious past, or if memories of the past have been obliterated through nefarious means. It's hard to describe, but an amazing read even for those who aren't a fan of sci-fi or futuristic books. I would definitely suggest tracking down this book to read or give to others.

Emma Bulls' "Bone Dance" is a remarkable book. From the early introduction to Sparrow, the video Dealer, he rapidly becomes the focal point. One Debbie Reynolds fix is not enough for his high end client, he wants the Horsemen. As we learn quickly, (and to paraphrase Monty Python), Nobody wants the Horsemen!. We also find that Sparrow is not what he seems, yet he becomes part of a community rather than a loner struggling to survive.

I appreciate the writing style. It is terse, and highly interesting. One of the nice touches that turn this into a matter of style as well as substance, is the definitions tha accompany each chapter. Crowley, for instance changes meaning from section to another. From "transformation and the logical development of existing conditions thwarted. His magical weapon is the pain of the obligation. His magical power is necromancy ." to "Immortality. Truth unveiled. The Great Mother communicating to those below in the measure that they can achieve their understanding." , we see an ingenuity that is always evident in her work.

If this book were written today, it would not have the same impact. Cyberpunk had to have a beginning, and this book is part of the canon.

Great book. Great read!

If only Ms. Bull would write more! Lots and lots more. A stunner of a book, with a premise that at first looks well-used but then turns out to be stranger than you can imagine. And really, really GOOD. The language is amazing, the characters real and intriguing, and every time I finish this I want a sequel. It should be back in print--if The Secret Country trilogy is freshly on the shelves, why not this?

I've loved Emma Bull since I first discovered "War for the Oaks," a book I have pressed on pretty much everyone I know who's likely to enjoy a modern urban fantasy featuring a hot guy who dresses like Prince and long descriptions of the main's character's band. So, I've been slowly acquiring her books for a few years as they come in and out of print and show up from time to time in used book stores.

"Bone Dance" is, like most of Bull's work, well written and skillfully developed, structurally complex, and completely, fascinatingly bizarre, but (alas!) secondary to her one book that's actually famous. (Isn't it usually the opposite?)

Set in a post-apocalyptic, post-climate change version of Minneapolis, Bone Dance is told from the perspective of Sparrow, a genderless media enthusiast and technologist with mysterious origins. Our hero makes a living hawking classic films to wealthy collectors and mixing for a local nightclub. The rest of the time, Sparrow just tries to act normal and keep acquaintances at as much distance as possible. But lately Sparrow has started loosing time--waking up in the middle of nowhere with no memory of the night before, running into strangers who seem to have a bone to pick, and getting truly creepy tarrot readings from the friendly neighborhood Vodou priestess. The whole thing is very mysterious, but it just may have something to do with the Horsemen--psychic warriors capable of possessing, or "riding," other people (like a horse, get it?).

Bull doesn't hold her readers' hands. There's not a single pronoun relating to Sparrow in the first 3/4 of the novel (this could not have been written in the third person); she throws slang around, names people and places without explaining who or what they are, and expects us to catch on. After a while, we do, becoming acclimated to the unusual linguistic structure and the odd mix of eclectic classic movie quotes, noir references, vodou magic, and body-snatcher-style possession.