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

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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.)
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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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591026504
• ISBN-13: 978-1591026501
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 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 (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series!, January 12, 2009

By	Richard Wolfe "Wolf" (Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have just finished the first three Quantum Gravity books and I have pre-ordered the fourth. Justina Robson is a marvel. In 40 years of reading SF, very few authors have delighted me or kept me guessing about what was going to happen next as Robson.

Robson hasn't so much blended SF and fantasy tropes as she's smashed them together in a supercollider. She has filled her story with myth, legend, deep metaphysical exploration, gestalt psychology, scientific speculation and sweet sexuality without slowing down the roller coaster ride.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non-Stop Thrill Ride, November 23, 2008

By	Kyle Oathout (Melbourne, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent continuation of a fantastic series. It answers many questions left from the previous book, while leaving you hanging for yet another sequel. Ending up deep within ancient Fairy, left to solve an ancient quest, many of our favorite characters come face to face with pasts they had long ago left behind. Yet another nonstop, heart pumping, action and drama filled episode in the life of Lila Black, unwilling superheroine extraordinaire.