Marco and the Red Granny [Kindle Edition]

Mur Lafferty (Author), Cheyenne Wright (Illustrator)

Book Description

From the 2012 John W. Campbell Award Nominee and Two Time Parsec Award Winner

"Lafferty's most memorable and exciting creation to date." ~Goodreads.com

"...a really fun read. I love the setting (an alien settlement on the moon becomes "Mollywood", the hottest cultural Mecca of the 21st century), as well as how it looked at art, media, and commerce and the sometimes messy ways that they interact." ~Goodreads.com

Have you ever tasted a symphony? Listened to a seven course meal?

An alien species brings back the old artist patronage system, and suddenly Sally Ride Lunar Base is transformed into the new artistic center of the universe: “Mollywood.” These aliens can do amazing things with art and the senses, allowing a painting, for example, to stimulate other senses than simply sight.

Marco wanted a coveted patronage, once. But then his girlfriend got one and shuttled off to Mollywood for fame and fortune, and Marco stayed home, waiting for his own patron. His career faltered. His agent dumped him. But then he gets THE call.

But he’s about to find out that an artistic patronage isn’t what it was in the good old days, and that the only friend he’s made, a tiny old woman who’s the star of a blood sports reality series called The Most Dangerous Game, has secrets of her own.

Nominated for the 2011 Parsec Award for Best Novella Podcast

Product Details

• File Size: 358 KB
• Print Length: 109 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Restless Brain Media; V. 1.0 edition (November 4, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004ASORSE
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,105 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Great Ideas and Classic SF Fun June 10, 2011

By Jason Ramboz

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I normally don't like to start a review with criticism, but in this case I think my one critique of this novella says it all: the only thing really wrong with _Marco and the Red Granny_ is that it's too short.

This short novel is jammed full of interesting ideas and rich details. It's not _just_ a story about a lunar gladiatorial combat reality TV show and its geriatric star. It's not _just_ a story about what happens when you can mix creative media in ways almost beyond imagining, blending fashion with novels, baking with poetry, or sculpture with nostalgia. It's not _just_ a story about an alien culture dominating the entertainment industry and bringing artistic patronage back into vogue. It's all of those things, and that's not even mentioning the Alcoholics Guild, the story of lost love, or the struggle of an artist against a system stacked against anyone who doesn't get a lucky break. Oh, and it all takes place on the moon (naturally).

And that's a _lot_ of big ideas for so few pages! Any one element would have made for a great story, but Lafferty, as always, gives us everything she's got. With so many new concepts in the story, you'd expect a problem with infodumps or pacing. You needn't worry, though, as the story moves quickly, filled with plenty of action, while still managing to tell the reader everything he or she needs to know.

Again, my only criticism is that maybe it moves a little _too_ fast. It left me wanting more, not in the sense that I felt unsatisfied with what I'd read, but in the way that when you get off a roller coaster you wish the ride had been twice as long because you were just enjoying it that much.... I would love to see this novella fleshed out into a full-length novel--I'm reminded of _Ender's Game_, the original short story, in that regard--and I wouldn't hesitate to buy it and read the same story again. Failing that, I'd love to see a sequel (of any length).

Failing that, I still say reading _Marco and the Red Granny_ was time well spent. I highly recommend it, along with the rest of Mur Lafferty's work, to anyone who enjoys an exciting story full of thought-provoking ideas. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marco and Red Granny April 27, 2012

By Daniel E. Latham

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A satirical, sarcastic story, yet ended on a profound point. I will definitely buy more stories to read from Mur Lafferty.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read on a Rainy Afternoon March 25, 2012

By Roxanne Crouse

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Mur Lafferty is the host on the podcast I should be writing If you're a writer and you're not listening to it, you should. The podcast is a wonderful resource for self-published and traditionally published authors alike.

Mur Lafferty also publishes her own books and Marco and the Red Granny is one I recommend reading.

I enjoyed this book. It's a short, simple story that you can sit down and read in a day. Except for a few areas that could have used some editing, the book is written well with a style that's easy and flows naturally. The setting and world development are interesting. Everything is set on the moon with aliens that are patrons of the arts. The idea that you can put on a shirt and experience a novel from wearing it is unique.

The character Marco is likable and comes across real. The secondary character the red granny is also likable, I wish there was more of her in the story, more about her past and how she ended up in the Dangerous Game.

One gripe, it would seem to me that Marco would've had a harder time excepting Penelope's name change and in the narrative would have continued to call her Penelope.

I enjoyed the ending. I thought is was well plotted out and executed. The ending leads me to believe that there may be sequels to the story and I hope Mur Lafferty does write them.

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read July 14, 2012

By Womble

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was the first Sci-Fi I had read in a long time, and it has re-awakened an interest in the genre for me. There are some really cool concepts in this story, and I particularly liked the "alien art". The Red Granny was undoubtedly my favourite character, and the author's sarcastic sense of humour was also a highlight. I'm looking forward to reading more of Mur Lafferty's work in the future.

5.0 out of 5 stars Original and delightful June 3, 2012

By Michael Calabro

Format:Kindle Edition

I'm a hard SF fan and the technology here really appealed to me. Unique and imaginative, the central idea of the story isn't a pro-forma hack. It's really part and parcel with the characters, their actions and motivations. Well done! A nicely paced story, I didn't want to put it down. The finale was well thought out and executed perfectly. Like other reviewers, the thing I most want... is more! Definitely looking forward to reading more Mur Lafferty.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read! December 16, 2011

By Mak

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Marco and the Red Granny by podcaster and writer Mur Lafferty is short, and easily read in a day or so. None of that is to say it's a bad story. Far from it.

The Marco in the title is a down on his luck graphic artist and writer. Much of the artistic content being produced is under the control of aliens based on the Moon. They have developed a way of integrating art and sensory experience. So it is possible to now have a dress that makes you taste apple pie, or a sculpture that encompasses the plot of a story. The aliens have resurrected the practice of artistic patronage, bringing various artists from Earth to the Ride Lunar Base to help them create. Marco's ex-girlfriend accepted one such patronage and left him for it. One morning, Marco gets the call that he, too, has been chosen for a patronage. He sets off for the Moon, and on the way meets the Red Granny, an older woman who is the reigning star of a bloody, to the death reality fight show. Once he arrives on the Moon, Marco soon discovers that the coveted artistic patronages are not what they might seem, and that everyone, the Red Granny included, has secrets.

The story is interesting, with a neat take on alien invasion. If you're looking for space battles and laser cannons, you won't find it here. But the danger is no less threatening. There is some violence, though it is fairly minor. The characters are well-drawn, especially the Red Granny, who, although not the main character, is probably the most interesting. The aliens are alien, and enigmatic, and dangerous, a good combination in aliens. The plot kept my interest, with enough twists and a surprise or two to keep it moving along.

This was the first thing I purchased for my new Kindle, and it was a good choice.

More About the Author

2012 John W. Campbell Award Nominee for Best New Writer

2008 Winner of the Parsec Awards for Best Novella and Best Novel

"...the doyenne of scifi podcasting." ~Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.net

Mur Lafferty is a podcaster and writer from Durham, NC. She made her name with podcasting (I Should Be Writing, The Angry Robot Podcast, and Escape Pod, the premier SF podcast magazine) and has written for magazines, roleplaying games, and audio and video podcasts. Her newest ebooks are her very popular novellas, The Afterlife Series, originally published via audio podcast.