Customer Reviews

Midnight Robber (Gemstar)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've just finished this book, and I enjoyed it tremendously, even the heartbreaking parts. Even the parts that pose major moral questions for which nobody has any answers. It's a great read, like all books by this author. It's also unusual because although it's written in a dialect (a Creole dialect) the language never gets in the way of the story or distracts the reader. On the contrary; the dialect is an advantage rather than a drawback. I recommend _Midnight Robber_ without reservation.

Suzette Haden Elgin ocls@madisoncounty.net

Patois speaking frilled lizard creatures, succulent fruits, deadly plants, a problematic father and a main character with fire in her soul. This book was hard to put down as soon as I cracked it open. The blend of Caribbean folklore and the sci-fi genre was very cool and unique. It also teaches you some patois as you read. If you want to be taken somewhere realistically fantastic, check out this book!

_Midnight Robber_, nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards, is a pretty darn good book. It's told in a Caribbean-flavoured English "patwa", which quickly reads entirely naturally, and adds a musical dimension to the prose that enhances the book greatly. The story itself begins slowly, and I think I would have severely cut (or restricted to flashbacks) the opening segments, set on the main character's home planet. But the bulk of the novel is excellent, with a convincing and involving main character, and a neat setting on an alien planet with cool aliens, and a solid plot involving the main character dealing with severe family issues and coming of age.

The story is about a girl from the planet Toussaint, called Tan-Tan. Toussaint is a highly technological planet: most of the work is done by machines, and everybody (except a few resisters) has an implant which connects them to a planet-wide AI. The AI monitors everybody as well as linking them to news and such -- thus crime would seem to be difficult, and when crime does happen, the criminals are treated harshly, exiled to a primitive planet called New Half Way Tree. Tan-Tan is the daughter of the Mayor of her town, Antonio. Antonio is a serial adulterer himself, but when he catches his wife in flagrante, he flies into a rage. Eventually his actions lead to exile to New Half Way Tree -- and more or less by accident, he takes Tan-Tan with him. This whole first section is a bit slow, and not well enough integrated with the rest of the novel. Antonio doesn't seem well-portrayed -- and Tan-Tan's mother Ione is both an unpleasant and unnecessary character. Moreover it introduces a subthread about the anti-tech people on Toussaint (those who choose not to be linked to the AI, and who do their own hand work) which doesn't really go anywhere. Also, there is some mumbo-jumbo about the connection and means of transport between Toussaint and New Half Way Tree that was superfluous. (There are bits about Tan-Tan's childhood and about the tech background to Toussaint that are important -- those could have been introduced in flashbacks, I thought.) But I am making a mountain out of a molehill.

Once Tan-Tan and Antonio get to New Half Way Tree, the book comes alive. They are met by an intriguing ostrich- or lizard-like alien called Chichibud, who guides them through some peril to a human village. The village is ruled harshly but apparently fairly by a couple of hard men. It seems that the aliens are regarded as rather simple by the humans, but they engage in mutually beneficial trade, and though there are mysteries, no human has time to investigate on this harsh planet. Tan-Tan grows up, making friends with the simple-minded daughter of another exile, and with a local boy. But her relationship with her father grows horrible, and she is driven to a terrible act as she turns 16. The rest of the book follows her into the wilderness, where she is saved by Chichibud and brought to his home, where she learns something of the secrets of the aliens (called douens) way of life. When her past comes to threaten the aliens as well, she leaves and wanders the bush with an alien friend. Soon she is the "Midnight Robber", trying to atone for her crimes and her guilt, some of which is misplaced, by acting as a sort of Robin Hood character in the various human villages.

Eventually Tan-Tan must find a way back into human society. I thought possibly some of the resolution was just a bit convenient -- also I thought the time scale to the book a bit compressed towards the end. But it remains exciting and interesting, and the resolution if convenient is still satisfying. There are some open questions about the human/douen relationship, but though a sequel is possible, its not necessary.

Occasionally one is privileged to stumble across a new writer who has it all: plot, style, wit and emotion. Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring was a startling debut. Midnight Robber is even better. Midnight Robber is a fast paced sf novel which moves between two different worlds; between reality and myth making; and between human and alien. The language is a delight, intrinsic to a plot in which each character appropriates metaphor and sound for their individual purpose. One of the best sf books of the year.

On the planet Toussaint, womanizing Cockpit county Mayor Antonio catches his wife sleeping with Quashee. Irate, Antonio moves out of their home, but for the next five months does nothing about being cuckolded. He has only a few hours left to challenge Quashee to a duel of honor in the fight yard before the legal limit for such a matter ends. The rules do not allow for loss of life, but Antonio kills his opponent anyway.

Under arrest for murder, Antonio, accompanied by his daughter Tan-Tan flees their technically advanced planet through a dimension shifter to land on its primitive "twin," New Half Way Tree. On their new home planet, the dinosaur-like Douen that are mythological creatures on Toussaint thrive. As the years pass Antonio drifts into a world of alcohol and sexually abuses his daughter, who ultimately kills him in self-defense. As she flees from her stepmother's ire, Tan-Tan begins to understand her new tree mates the Douen and soon becomes the MIDNIGHT ROBBER, a legend on her former home planet.

The MIDNIGHT ROBBER is an excellent science fiction tale because author Nalo Hopkinson makes both of her worlds seem vividly real. Toussaint appears to be a technologically advanced Caribbean planet while New Half Way Tree seems very primal. Antonio is a strange, but fully developed character while Tan-Tan will steal the hearts of the audience. As with BROWN GIRL IN THE RING, the award winning Ms. Hopkinson proves she has a unique and wonderful perspective that provides a fresh voice in the science fiction arena.

Harriet Klausner

With a voice and a world-building style startlingly different from the usual SF or Fantasy author, Ms. Hopkinson transports readers into an altogether different sort of future. The story is of Tan-Tan, a young girl growing up on the Caribbean-colonized planet called Touissant. There she lives in relative wealth and comfort, until her father flees the authorities, and the two become exiles in the strange, and unforgiving world of New Half-Way Tree. It is in this realm of strange creatures, and hard-bitten men and women that Tan-Tan must come of age, and discover her own story. The struggle is a long and arduous one, and persevering against all the odds will cost Tan-Tan a great deal more than she imagines. It is this struggle and her growth into adulthood that allow her to take possession of the Robber Queen myth for herself.

There is so much here that is impressive. Ms. Hopkinson's skill with world building is a treat. So much of the standard fantasy and SF scenarios and metaphors are cleared from the field, and a wealth of mythology, story telling and culture from the African and Caribbean worlds are set in place. The result is a departure from what this genre usually has to offer, a deft weaving of myth and technology a grittier and oft-times harsher world-view. The narrator's poetic voice and author's skilled use of language serve to cement the landscape and confirm that the reader has departed from the tried and true paths, into the wilds of another culture, another realm, where anything might happen. The Caribbean flavor of the language is spicy and powerful-strong and primal. These are storyteller words, delicious to read aloud and savor. And Ms. Hopkinson is able to paint her story with this language without making the read ponderous or awkward. Ms. Hopkinson provides a much needed voice in the realm of women's and multicultural fiction. There is not enough representation of African or Caribbean voices or main characters in today's SF and Fantasy, and this author's efforts are helping to help fill the gap. She's a strong writer, with a lot of potential and a hungry audience waiting for her to fulfill that potential.

Beyond the praise, however, I didn't feel that MIDNIGHT ROBBER was quite the story it could have been, despite all that is wonderful about it. Ms. Hopkinson sets up readers for an exotic and flavorful feast-but does not pace the meal well. The story seems to be forever waiting to start. So much goes on, and there are magical breaks of story telling from the narrator, but these stories and the life of Tan-Tan don't really meet up until the last bit of the book. The narrator refers to telling an anansi story, but I felt the spider's web somehow got disconnected-and didn't quite make the tapestry they were aiming for.

At the opening of this tale, Ms. Hopkinson introduces Tan-Tan's father, Antonio as a complex and interesting character involved in political intrigues and a troubling love life. Yet, these first scenes and actions seemed to have relatively little to do with the story that develops. Antonio fails to remain interesting, instead becoming a vehicle by which Tan-Tan is swept into the world of New Half Way Tree. The world of Toussaint, as compared to New Half Way Tree, where two thirds of the book takes place, was actually the more vivid and fascinating world. New Half Way tree seemed simplistic by comparison. Simplistic and brutal. Characters tended to be less developed than their environment. Ms. Hopkinson's debut novel, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING was more complete in regard to story and pacing. The villains were obvious, the goals were comprehensible and the outcome satisfying. In MIDNIGHT ROBBER these lines are not as clearly drawn-and didn't allow for a comfortable conclusion. The story begs for a sequel, for the rest of Tan-Tan's magical and legendary heritage to be revealed.

Similar to her debut novel, Ms. Hopkinson has created a story is strongly feminist in tone. It's refreshing to see strong women characters that face the world on their own terms and it's beneficial for young readers to have another type of heroine to identify with. However, I must contend that Ms. Hopkinson's male characters in this story are almost entirely vilified and/or emasculated. There is no male protagonist in this book that commands respect or admiration. Nearly all the men are full of villainy and corrupt thoughts and motives. I think it a disservice to Tan-Tan's character that there is not any male characters that come close to being a match for her-either as allies or adversaries. It would allow for a more powerful story. A word of warning to readers, this is not a light or sweet book. It deals with dark and violent imagery and actions. Rape, murder and treachery are all part and parcel of this story. It is not a "fairy tale" in the way so many readers are exposed to them today, but it has a lot in common with the older, darker fairy tales that are their origins. At its heart it is a story of survival and overcoming obstacles; it is a story about human perseverance and the power that resides in one's self.

Personally, I think it would be worthwhile to see a story set solely in the world of Toussaint-there are so many elements of the lifestyle and technology that exists that Ms. Hopkinson only touches on in passing, and I would enjoy seeing them explored further. I can only hope Ms. Hopkinson's writing will improve and that she will continue writing, I feel she has a lot to offer her readers and look forward to her future endeavors.

Happy Reading! -shanshad ^_^

I'll start by agreeing with everyone else that the lilt of the Caribbean dialect alone makes this book worth reading. I loved the main character Tan-Tan and the fact that the book doesn't flinch from covering difficult material like the sexual abuse Tan-Tan suffers at the hands of her father. The original home planet Toussaint is vividly recognized in the first 70 pages of the book, and so engrossing that for a day or so after reading the book, I thought white people looked funny and I missed my eshu. However, this long introductory section is essentially wasted space in terms of the story, which veers off to New Half-Way Tree leaving several interesting threads dangling. I really wanted to know what happened with the runners who eschewed high technology, and I wanted to know whether Ione ever grew up (though it's not hard to place a bet on that one).

I found New Half-Way Tree itself to be competently rendered, but not as inherently interesting. For the most part, the story itself is believable, but interspersed too often with long folk-tale type diversions that added nothing to the story until the last two pages, at which point they do nothing but hint at a sequel. I also couldn't believe the technological progress made by Janisette, Michael and Gladys in going from building a barely functioning car to having a smoothly purring "death-tank" in a matter of months. Someone must have decided that the dramatic effect was worth the complete abandonment of verisimilitude. Sigh.

In short, I enjoyed this book and would like to read more of Nalo sometime, but I don't think it should win the Hugo or the Nebula. I hope any sequels spend more time on Toussaint and weave some of the dangling threads from this novel into a tighter whole.

This is the first piece of Nalo Hopkinson's work that I have read and I have to say that I am impressed. I must qualiify that, however.

She seems to have the same problem as a lot of other genre writers, which is a wealth of interesting ideas while being a bit weak when it comes to pacing and plot. There are, in my opinion, fairly large parts of the novel which do not advance the plot or our understanding of the characters in any meaningful way. The ending also has a rushed, tacked on, feel to it.

I was most impressed with her consistently natural sounding dialogue (a trait that has become somewhat hard to find in alot of mainstream sci-fi).

I expect that Hopkinson will only improve as she is obviously further along in her development as a writer than most of the young turks out there. Pick up this book so you can track the growth of someone who I think has a bright future.

Hopkinson spins an imaginative tale about a young woman named Tan-Tan who lives on a Caribbean colonized planet named Toussaint. Tan-Tan`s world is embellished so completely with technology that manual labor is practically unheard of and each citizen of Toussaint is connected to a central computer system that operates somewhat like a matriarch Orwellian Big Brother network. To escape persecution, Tan-Tan and her father travel to New Half-Way Tree, a co-existing dimension where technology is null and the creatures of mythology and bed time cautionary tales are real. In this rugged world, Tan-Tan matures into a self assured and powerful young woman despite the mistrust many of the people of New Half-Way Tree feel for her and her father, difficulties negotiating unfamiliar territories and cultures, and unwanted sexual advances.

Hopkinson story telling had developed beautifully. Her strength and talent as a writer shine in Midnight Robber. As in Brown Girl, Hopkinson writes once again in a Patois peppered Caribbean dialect that reads effortlessly and sounds like music if you try to read it aloud. The characters she creates are thick and full-blooded. Tan-Tan is a shero in she own right and the planet, people and creatures of Toussaint and New Half-Way Tree will keep your fingers turning page after page after page.

As a kid, I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy: Madeleine L`Engle`s, C.S. Lewis, Ursula K. Leguin, Ray Bradbury, Piers Anthony, Issac Asimov and Choose Your Own Adventure novels. However, up until a few years ago, I did not know of any people of color writing science fiction. But my list has grown. There is of course Octavia E. Butler. Other sci-fi writers include Jewel Gomez, Samuel Delaney, Tananarive Due, Phyllis Alesia Perry and Steven Barnes. Too, the recent anthology, Dark Matter edited by Sheree Thomas offers a wide array of Black speculative fiction writers whose work spans decades. So if you thought Star Trek`s Luitenent Uhuru and Mr. Sulu were about it as far as colored folks in space and beyond, rest assured you`re dead wrong.

In recent years many sci-fi authors have been attempting to project non-First World cultures into the future and into the supernatural, to avoid the golden age sci-fi trap of white Americans in space. I like to dabble in such literary experiments, and have found few better at the task than Nalo Hopkinson. Here we have Caribbean culture transplanted onto multiple versions of an alien world, and that's a cool enough start. But that's just the backdrop to an expertly-written and fully-realized story of personal redemption in a universe in which creatures and characters from Caribbean folklore come to life. Some of the other reviewers here seem to be unfairly criticizing Hopkinson's efforts to inject homegrown mythology into the plotline, and while I'm quite hesitant to say that other reviewers are flat-out wrong, they are at least missing most of the point of the book. Without that unique cultural worldview you'd have just another boring near-future experiment. Instead, Hopkinson delivers a fascinating exploration of how another culture would react to new technologies and alien worlds and make them its own, through characters that are culturally specific but somehow universal. The homegrown Caribbean thoughts and views of the characters, the enjoyable patois of the narration and dialogue, and especially the seamless integration of authentic culture, all propel this book far beyond tired old stereotypes. [~doomsdayer520~]