The Child Garden: A Low Comedy (Paperback)

by Geoff Ryman (Author) "It was an audience of children..." (more)
Key Phrases: grey book, south ken, Rose Ella, Mike Stone, Milena Shibush (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A future city afflicted with a viral epidemic is the setting of Ryman's acclaimed novel; winner of the John W. Cambell and Arthur C. Clarke Awards.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Excellent...Dark and witty and full of love, closely observed, and sprinkled with astonishing ideas. Science fiction of a very high order."--Greg Bear

"A richly absorbing tale--with a marvelous premise expertly carried out."--Kirkus Reviews

"One of the most imaginative accounts of futuristic bioengineering since Geg Bear's Blood Music."--Locus

"A heady novel bursting with speculation."--Library Journal

"An exuberant celebration of excess set in a resource-poor but defiantly eneregtic 21st century...you will not be bored."--The New York Times
-- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books; 1st edition (April 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312890230
• ISBN-13: 978-0312890230
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,070,072 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for lovers of sci-fi and Dante alike...., February 4, 1999

By A Customer

This is a truly wonderful book, that deserves a lot more attention than it got. Ryman has an incredible range, a gift for characterization, and has mastered the art for precise observation that he can nevertheless make iconic. This book is very ambitious - and he gets away with it. He weaves together Marx, the theory of relativity, hologram productions of Dante, vampires, and genetic engineering - and it works. This is one of those books that I press into my friends' hands saying, "You have got to read this." Then I have to show up at their door to get it back because they love it so much that they don't want to give it back. If you like this book you should also read "Was," Ryman's book that tackles "The Wizard of Oz." He is a truly great modern writer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Philosophical Science Fiction, December 13, 1996

By A Customer

Like his brilliant "mainstream" novel "Was", "The Child Garden" is a novel that works on many levels, it leaves your mind reeling. Like Delany, LeGuin, and Crowley, Ryman is one of the masters of "serious" science fiction. This novels interweaves a lesbian coming out story with bio-engineering extrapolation in a future London. But the coming out story is just a springboard for ideas about the Self in Society, about alienation, memory, human connection. And Ryman somehow manages to weave consensus politics and the struggle of the artist into the bio-engineering theme. On top of this, the entire novel is about Art's healing powers. Through all this cerebral imagery, there are unforgettable characters, wit, and a whole lot of love. Few science fiction novels -- and novels about ideas in general -- can make one weep and think. This novel is the rare one that does both

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I didn't really enjoy it, August 29, 2000

By A Customer

Take your chances with this book. I didn't like it really. I bought it because it was an award winner. And though the details of the story were cool, it was too pretentious for me to get into. I give 2 stars for originality and being able to convey the fantastic in rich detail. But there was nothing underneath it to hold it together. I just have to voice this opinion - you will of course make your own decisions. But the Marxism and the opera and the flash-back-forward-around was not so much impressive as tedious.