Steel Sky [Hardcover]

Andrew C. Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2006

In a world of compromised ethics and impossible choices, the survivors of the last global disaster are as estranged from each other as they are from reason. Humans live within the stone and steel Hypogeum, beneath the fluorescent light of an unmoving sun. The air is poison, the population is culled at random by invisible assassins, and privacy is a thing of the past. As tensions between the tightly enforced social castes begin to boil, the Winnower, an ancient spirit of cleansing, is dispatched to rid the city of sinners. But the Winnower cannot escape the consequences of its own misdeeds, and neither can the Hypogeum and its residents. Insightful and running over with wry humor, this futuristic dystopia is hauntingly easy to envision.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The citizens of the Hypogeum inhabit an enclosed, self-sufficient world, constructed after an ancient global disaster and supposedly buried in a cosmos of stone. This derivative debut borrows heavily from Heinlein and Orwell, but its terse chapters and efficiently defined characters make for brisk reading. Unaware that any other world exists beyond their immediate horizons, the people of Hypogeum are ruled by Orcus, whose villainous family maintains dominion with incestuous intermarriage, complete control of a ubiquitous network of spying cameras and a team of "Deathsmen" who cull the population of the sick. Orcus's boorish son, Hump, is dangerously obsessed with the novel's beautiful heroine, Amarantha, who naturally prefers her lover Cadell. A masked V for Vendetta-style vigilante called the Winnower provides the action as he wreaks moralistic havoc on the decaying society. As in Heinlein's 1941 novella "Universe," the citizens see the majesty of the stars when they finally penetrate the walls.
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Review

"Andrew Murphy is a rising talent in science fiction ... with a strong imagination and real storytelling verve." -- David Brin (New York Times Bestselling Author)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Per Aspera Press (April 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974573450
• ISBN-13: 978-0974573458
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,757,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sci-fi thriller with complex motivations and setting, June 5, 2006

By 

Laverne LaTubis (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steel Sky (Hardcover)

I read Steel Sky quickly, wanting to learn more about the bizarre (yet well-thought out and easy to imagine) world and complicated characters. The pacing is excellent, moving between different groups of characters, and revealing suprises and layers throughout. Although Steel Sky is bit more violent than my usual sci-fi fare, humor and a good buddy plotline lightened the mix. The author throws in some homegrown vocabulary, but it is self-explanatory and adds to the atmosphere rather than distracting from the plot. The book is complete and satisfying, but still want to know what happens next!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read, May 19, 2006

By 

Erin E. (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steel Sky (Hardcover)

It's too bad Amazon doesn't let you review books that haven't come out. I've read the ARC for Steel Sky, and I have to say I loved it.
Steel Sky is a phenomenal book, particularly from a first time author. I was especially impressed with the world Murphy puts forth. "Underground city" might seem expected, but he's put a lot of thought into what could happen centuries later--overcrowding, toxic air pollution, state and religiously condoned cannibalism of the dead, constant therapy, a strictly stratified society and euthanasia of the useless. This world and its story does what all good science fiction should: it gives us room to consider the problems of our own world. When, if ever, is violence right? When is society right? Who has the authority to decide when or how we die?

A thinking book, but also a great read.