Going Under (Quantum Gravity, Book 3) [Paperback]

Justina Robson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2008

Lila Black is off with the faeries . . .

Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015 things have been different; the dimensions have fused and suddenly our world is accessible to elves, demons, ghosts and elementals and their worlds are open to us. Things have been different for Special Agent Lila Black too: tortured and magic-scarred by elves, rebuilt by humans into a half-robot, part-AI, nuclear-fueled walking arsenal, and carrying the essence of a dead elfin necromancer in her chest, sometimes she has trouble figuring out who she is.

And a mission to the world of the fae may not help her work it out.

The fae are beautiful, glamorous, exotic, and talented. Their inventions make food taste better, make beer divine, and bring sparkle and mischief to the world but that's only the surface. And Lila is being sent in at the deep end, to the deepest, darkest levels of Faerie: on the primal level, nothing about the fae is glamorous at all.

In a winter-locked, raw, and primitive world, Lila has to deal with the fae at their most basic levels, as tricksters and dealmakers and the only deals worth making are bloody ones. If Lila's quest is to succeed, and if she is ever to escape Faerie, the right question must be asked, the right sacrifice must be made, and the right quarry must be hunted down on the winter solstice. All of which is difficult, when the only aides Lila brought to Faerie are her friends . . .

Justina Robson's new series combines her trademark themes of identity and reality, magic and technology, break-neck plots, a mischievous sense of fun, and a seriously sexy new heroine.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Uneven pacing and an overcrowded cast try the reader's patience in Robson's third Quantum Gravity novel (after 2007's Selling Out). Though the part Goth, part rock-and-roll tone is consistent throughout, the template shifts halfway through. Series protagonist Lila Black mopes through the book's first half with occasional interruptions from would-be assassins, pausing at intervals to puzzle over her built-in robotic weaponry's new self-upgrading abilities or to bicker with her two husbands—elf-lord Zal and demon Teazle—and with Tath, the dead necromancer whose consciousness she's hosting. Little of note happens until Lila and her entourage journey deep into faery realms, where a seemingly simple mission quickly turns into a surprisingly traditional fairy-tale quest with potentially world-altering consequences. The novel belatedly sparkles in this final section, suddenly sprouting a cleverly nuanced plot. Newcomers should look up prior volumes first, but series fans will be reasonably satisfied. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In the third Quantum Gravity novel, Lila is in Demonia, dealing with husbands Zal and Teazle, the challenges her presence among the demons brings, and the results of a healing received in Alfheim, the elves’ world, which has caused her cyborg parts to do some very interesting things. Her Otopian bosses call to send her to the fey lands to stop the infestation of Moths rampaging across the human world. She accidentally ends up in the depths of faerie, with her only allies the motley crew she has acquired so far. The series remains an immensely entertaining mixture of rock and roll, introspection, and action. --Regina Schroeder

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591026504
• ISBN-13: 978-1591026501
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Justina Robson is the author of Keeping It Real, Selling Out, Going Under, and Chasing the Dragon (Books 1-4 of the Quantum Gravity series). Her first novel, Silver Screen, published in August 1999 in the UK and in 2005 by Pyr, was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the BSFA Award, and is currently nominated for the Philip K. Dick award. Her second novel, Mappa Mundi, together with Silver Screen, won the Amazon.co.uk Writer's Bursary 2000 and was also short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2001. A third novel, Natural History, a far future novel, placed second in the 2004 John W. Campbell Award and was short-listed for the Best Novel of 2003 in the British Science Fiction Association Awards and the Philip K. Dick Award. A fourth novel, Living Next Door to the God of Love, was a finalist for the BSFA Award. Visit Justina Robson's website at www.justinarobson.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the series so far, June 28, 2009

By 

Michael Lichter (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Under (Quantum Gravity, Book 3) (Paperback)

In GOING UNDER, cyborg hero Lila Black of Otopia, formerly Earth, continues her quest to emerge from her personal Hell (see SELLING OUT); take whatever steps are necessary to locate and destroy -- or render harmless -- the boxes that might let the spy agency that created her take control of her body; and learn the truth about the technologies that were used to make her what she is today. All in all, it's a typical fantasy/sci-fi coming of age story :). Need I mention that sometime between SELLING OUT and GOING UNDER she married half-elf/half-demon rock star Zal and demon assassin Teazle? Or that an invasion of Mothkin is plaguing Otopia and demanding her attention?

As in KEEPING IT REAL, the central dilemma of GOING UNDER does not emerge until the middle of the novel, when Lila and Zal find themselves cast deep into coldest, most dangerous Faery. To survive they must either avoid or thwart Lost Jack, a faery of immense power, and it doesn't look likely they will be able to do either. It's here that GOING UNDER connects most clearly to conventional high fantasy, as Lila and Zal and friends bump into the Lord of the Hunt, someone who may or may not be Queen Mab, etc. Nevertheless, GOING UNDER maintains the cyberpunkish edge of the earlier books and continues to develop the sci-fi cosmology of the Otopian universe.

Beyond the action and the sci-fi sheen of the series, one of its strengths is the ongoing dialog within Lila and between she and her companions about who she is. Is she somebody extraordinary, or simply a regular person thrown into extraordinary situations? Are her self-doubts justified, or just self-delusion, denial, and useless self-indulgence? Is she a doer of good, an agent of the Light (and we see clearly what apparently-cynical Robson thinks of such people late in the novel), a disloyal selfish child, as some in the agency think, or is she just herself? In many novels, these kinds of ruminations are often tedious and forced and consist mainly of babbling. Robson is wise and kind enough, I guess, to pull this off without awkwardness or (too much) sentimentality.

While according to one review, the "real" action doesn't start going until halfway through the book, I found all of it engaging and worthwhile. There were certainly elements that didn't quite make sense -- explain to me again why Teazle led them on that wild goose chase that got a close friend killed? -- and bits that could have been left out, but nevertheless I thought this was the most solid entry in the series so far.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars, better than the last book, but the plot is still kind of all over the place, February 15, 2010

By 

Karissa Eckert "Devourer of all books fantasy" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Under (Quantum Gravity, Book 3) (Paperback)

This is the third book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justin Robson. There are supposed to be at least 5 books in this series. The fourth book "Chasing the Dragon" came out in August of 2009. This was a decent book, I liked it better than "Selling Out" book 2, but there are still some things that are a bit crazy about this book especially towards the end. I listened to this as an audio book and the quality was okay but not the best I have heard.

The book start with Lila Black in Demonia. Right away we find out she has married both Zal and the demon Teazle and they are honeymooning in Demonia. The honeymoon consists primarily of fighting off various demon assassins to prove herself worthy of her husbands. Then Malichi shows up and tells Lila that her and the boys are needed in Otopia to deal with the Moth Crisis that is going on. Lila and Zal end up being pushed into fairy before they are ready and then the whole gang is suddenly dealing with events in the realm of fairy that are way bigger than they are. Lila is also continuing to change as her machine and natural body parts become less and less separate.

This was an interesting book. If the first book in the series was about the elven world and the second was about Demonia, then this book is about the fairy realm. As has been the case with these books there is a lot going on and it seems like Lila (Or maybe Robson) looses site of what the main story plot is. The book is a bit slow to start as we get to watch Lila, Zal, and Teazle "relax" in Demonia. Once they get pulled into the Fairy Realm then things really pick up pace and get very interesting. This book is more linear than the last book was and doesn't switch viewpoint as much.

The biggest strength in this series is the world building. The characters are also very interesting. The biggest thing I have a problem is with the plot; it kind of skitters around everywhere. There are so many things that are mentioned but never really addressed. For example the worlds cracking apart is talked about but never really dealt with, getting rid of the Moths appears to be a major goal of the stories but is dealt with in passing, Lila and Zal's Game is brought up once but never really dealt with, etc. etc. I am still unsure about how I feel about Robson's writing style. It takes me a bit to get used to, but after I get used to it I am okay with it.

The usual cast of characters is brought into the book and sometimes I found them overwhelming. Now we are not just dealing with Lila and Zal, but Lila, Zal, Teazle, the imp, Malichi, and Tath...not to mention all the side characters. I guess I just feel like this book could have been tighter and a bit better planned. I won't include any spoilers but the end of the book left me kind of confused and dissatisfied, not to mention it didn't really sum up anything.

Overall, I am still fascinated by Robson's world and her characters. I am disappointed in the plot and how it goes all over the place bringing up a million new issues but resolving none of them. Will I read the fourth book? Probably. This is a very creative and intriguing series and that draws me to it, but I may not read any more after that it the plot is still scattered.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Heavy in unexplained mythology and unexplained solutions, February 18, 2010

By 

Russell Turburville "turnerevil" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going Under (Quantum Gravity, Book 3) (Paperback)

For what was meant to be a lighter set of books than her previous works the Quantum Gravity series has become very heavy going. The heroine has been in a sprial of depression, frustration and anger since book 2 which shows no sign of abateing. The mythological components are poorly explained and where they are explained it is in exposition heavy parts of the text. The hero's escape from no-escape perilous situations are a blur of confusion which without fail lead into further depression and peril without let up. I thought "Living next door to the God of love" was excellent, as was everything before Quantum Gravity, this series has lost me.