Nova Swing
First UK edition cover
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| Author | M. John Harrison |
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| Cover artist | Dominic Harman |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
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Publication date
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January 2006 |
| Media type | hardback, paperback |
| Pages | 247 pp. |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 69022198 |
| 823/.914 22 | |
| LC Class | PR6058.A6942 N68 2006 |
| Preceded by | Light |
| Followed by | Empty Space |
Nova Swing is a science fiction novel by M. John Harrison published in 2006. It takes place in the same universe as Light. The novel won the Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick Awards in 2007.
Nova Swing takes place long after the events of Light, which focussed on a disturbance in the space-time continuum known as the Kefahuchi Tract. In Nova Swing, which is set in a galaxy light years away in the city of Saudade. At the centre of Saudade, and the novel's thematic focus, is the 'event zone', a space-time membrane created when a piece of the Tract fell to the ground in the city, transforming the appearance and even physics of the event site. The zone draws tourists from Saudade, led by hardened guide Vic Serotonin, who specializes in dangerous "tours" of this chaotic zone. Many of the narratives threads play out as a consequence of 'artefacts' being brought out of the event zone by tourists. The motif of the event zone in this work recalls the 'plague zone' of Harrison's third Viriconium novel In Viriconium.
Publishers Weekly said " Harrison privileges atmosphere over plot, using grotesquely beautiful narration and elliptical dialogue to convey the beautifully delineated angst of Saudade's extraordinary inhabitants. Although not for everyone, Harrison's trippy style will appeal to sophisticated readers who treasure the work of China Miéville and Jeff VanderMeer." Regina Schroeder in her review for Booklist said " with its gritty, noirish atmosphere, elements of space opera, and some impressive moments of explosive action, this is a tasty, entertaining morsel, deeply flavored to satisfy the thoughtful.Kirkus Reviews described it as "a cross between J. G. Ballard's intense, static The Drowned World and Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's terrifying Roadside Picnic. The upshot: This science-fiction noir cum literary and social criticism is memorable, perplexing and challenging in equal measure."
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