Nine Layers of Sky [Mass Market Paperback]

Liz Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

In such novels as The Poison Master and Empire of Bones, Liz Williams sparked readers’ imaginations by creating worlds at once strange and familiar. Now this bold new writer delivers a profound and provocative look at human nature in a timely novel of a nation--and a world--torn asunder, and of a hope that refuses to die.

Nine Layers of Sky

A former Soviet rocket scientist, Elena Irinovna now cleans office buildings--until she crosses paths with Ilya Muromyets. A remnant of Russia’s glorious and fabled past, Ilya is an eight-hundred-year-old hero turned heroin addict, dreaming of a death that never comes. They are brought together by a strange artifact Elena has found, which offers a glimpse into another dimension, creating a dangerous breach in a world Elena only thought she knew...

Ilya is no stranger to the unexplained. He’s been hired by a mysterious organization to track down the artifact. But nothing prepares him for what it offers--or for a woman like Elena. Fighting their own inner demons as well as those from across the breach, Ilya and Elena embark on a harrowing trip between nations and worlds. And for the first time the man of myth and the woman of science discover that they have a dream to defend--and even die for...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A scientist and a mythological hero who is alive and well in the 21st century find new love and help alter two worlds in this character-driven, romantic sci-fi adventure. Elena, who was once in the Soviet space program and is now a janitor, lives in fallen Russia, a country that "runs on... dreams and air." She herself dreams of the future and of being an astrophysicist. In contrast, Ilya, an 800-year-old fallen hero, dreams only of the past and of heroin and death. The two are brought together by a strange object that, unbeknownst to them, operates a gateway to a world shaped by Russian dreams. Creatures from that realm track Elena and Ilya, who's experiencing withdrawal for much of the book, through the satellite states of Russia as they try to discern the nature of the artifact is and find their place in the world. The story's tone is appropriately dreamlike as hero and heroine calmly evade pursuers they aren't sure are following and just as quietly fall in love. The book's primary attraction lies in its portrayal of Russia's multifaceted soul. Williams (The Poison Master) does a wonderful job of describing the character of a place through the people who inhabit it and through the manifestations of their dreams. A difficult book to describe, this work will nonetheless satisfy readers with its rich settings and mythological power.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Former Soviet astrophysicist Elena Ivanova is now a cleaning lady, and weary bogatyr (Russian hero) Ilya Myuromets is tired of immortality and addicted to heroin. Ilya receives a visit from a sorcerer claiming to be an official. He wants Ilya to track down a certain ancient artifact in exchange for mortality. Enter Elena, who found the artifact during a border-crossing incident. Ilya intends to have Elena meet with his contacts and then die. Instead, the contacts are brutally murdered, and Ilya and Elena are forced to flee. In flight they discover that the artifact opens rifts between our world and Byelovodye, where all Central Asia's legends become real. But dreams are being siphoned off to support Byelovodye's totalitarian regime, and both worlds are suffering. Elena and Ilya must move quickly to save them. Williams' tale is fascinating and layered, and Byelovodye proves haunting because of its closeness to our own world. The tale's greatest strength lies in the incredibly rich heroic traditions of Central Asian myth that it draws on. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553584995
• ISBN-13: 978-0553584998
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fortunate Find, September 27, 2004

By 

mayfayre "mayfayre" (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Nine Layers of Sky (Mass Market Paperback)

This was one of those books where the cover caught my eye, the blurb intrigued my mind, and the book fed my soul. As I was reading it, I thought to myself, "I'm enjoying this one just the same way I enjoy Charles deLint's stories". It's one of those books that takes you out of your normal reading rut and makes you want to explore various topics raised in the book and see the places mentioned.

It's an urban fantasy with an unusual setting - the new republics in what was formerly Soviet Central Asia. I loved the protagonists too - a former Soviet astrophysicist now reduced to office cleaning for Mobil Oil, and a heroin-addicted, 900 year old hero from Russia's mythic past. The developing romance between them was done quietly and beautifully. The story is an interesting blend of modern-day reality, scifi and mythology. The setting itself was just so interesting - the various republics that are only names in the news when something horrible happens, post-Soviet society, the changes that have been engendered, and the reactions to those changes. For all that the Soviet system was the Big Bad Thing in Western eyes, this book shows that some good was also lost when the system collapsed.

I read Liz William's "The Poison Master" and enjoyed that one, and now I enjoyed this book by her too. I'm adding her to my list of must-buy authors. I hope you'll give this book a try.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elena and Ilya go down the Silk Road, February 24, 2004

By 

lb136 "lb136" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nine Layers of Sky (Mass Market Paperback)

"Nine Layers of Sky" is another great novel by the very impressive Liz Williams. This time out she takes her readers on a tour of the Silk Road states of Central Asia (and apparently that's a part of the world Williams is familiar with), ending up in Uzbekistan, in the ancient city of Samarkand.

Elena, now cleaning offices in Almaty, Kazakhistan, was once a scientist in the Soviet space program. After acquiring a strange metallic object she hooks up with Ilya, an 800-year-old "Bogatyr" (once a hero of Russia, now a junkie), and together they attempt to solve the object's mystery.

That in turn leads them to a parallel world, and then things really start to hum, as they encounter many strange and nefarious characters while they shuttle between this world and the parallel one, in which the Soviet Union didn't exactly die.

Williams is a playful author with a great sense of place. She makes the decay and despair of the former Soviet Republics seem very real--the rundown busses, the abandoned space facilities, the failed attempts to construct subways. And yet, this mock heroic quest is slightly tongue in cheek. Think of it as Elena and Ilya in Wonderland and you'll half get the point. And, as with the Carroll classic, the journey's far more important than the destination.

Until now, Williams hasn't done sequels (and an advert in the back of the book would indicate that her next novel will surely not be one), but she's left a few loose ends here (and she's far too clever to have done so by accident), so maybe some day a sequel there will be.

We can only hope.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exotic Urban Fantasy - A Compelling & Satisfying Read!, October 4, 2003

By 

Jennifer Juday "Working Mom & Cook" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nine Layers of Sky (Mass Market Paperback)

"Nine Layers of Sky" is a compelling and satisfying novel. I highly recommend it, and will be watching for more from this new author. I see that this is her 4th novel, so I will have to start by catching up!

"Nine Layers of Sky" contains elements of urban fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. It is set in the former Soviet Union, a land of limitations and abandoned dreams. At the beginning of the story, we meet our heroine Elena as she helps out in a small-time smuggling operation. A former Soviet space scientist, she still dreams of working in a space program, and is mopping floors and smuggling in order to raise the cash to emigrate. She is brought together with Ilya Muromyets, an 800-year old immortal Slav and current heroin addict. Elena being a profound skeptic, she is not particularly receptive to an encounter with a hero out of Russian fantasy, and Ilya is not looking too heroic.

Elena and Ilya are brought together by an odd little artifact that seems to open windows into alternate worlds. Such an artifact is a valuable thing, and a number of people are out to get it. Over the course of the novel, we unravel the mystery of who Ilya is, what the artifact is and what is to be done with it, and what Elena and Ilya will do next with their lives.

If you enjoy this novel, you may also want to check out the work of Charles DeLint, Emma Bull and Neil Gaiman.