Going Under

July 21, 2008
Uneven pacing and an overcrowded cast try the reader’s patience in Robson’s third Quantum Gravity novel (after 2007’s Selling Out
). Though the part Goth, part rock-and-roll tone is consistent throughout, the template shifts halfway through. Series protagonist Lila Black mopes through the book’s first half with occasional interruptions from would-be assassins, pausing at intervals to puzzle over her built-in robotic weaponry’s new self-upgrading abilities or to bicker with her two husbands—elf-lord Zal and demon Teazle—and with Tath, the dead necromancer whose consciousness she’s hosting. Little of note happens until Lila and her entourage journey deep into faery realms, where a seemingly simple mission quickly turns into a surprisingly traditional fairy-tale quest with potentially world-altering consequences. The novel belatedly sparkles in this final section, suddenly sprouting a cleverly nuanced plot. Newcomers should look up prior volumes first, but series fans will be reasonably satisfied.

July 15, 2008
The Quantum Bomb of 2015 caused a fusion of dimensions, opening Earth to the creatures of Faerie, ghosts, demons, and elementals. Special Agent Lila Black, part human, part artificial intelligence, and all business, travels deep into the world of the fae, where she becomes involved in their tricksterish, deadly games as she tries to sort out both herself and her new world. The third outing for Lila Black ("Keeping It Real; Selling Out") tackles the elusive world of Faerie, a place far from the stereotypes of legends. Robson's ("Mappa Mundi") mercurial style suits her quick-witted heroine in a fantasy/sf adventure that is a good addition to most fantasy or sf collections.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2008
In the third Quantum Gravity novel, Lila is in Demonia, dealing with husbands Zal and Teazle, the challenges her presence among the demons brings, and the results of a healing received in Alfheim, the elves world, which has caused her cyborg parts to do some very interesting things. Her Otopian bosses call to send her to the fey lands to stop the infestation of Moths rampaging across the human world. She accidentally ends up in the depths of faerie, with her only allies the motley crew she has acquired so far. The series remains an immensely entertaining mixture of rock and roll, introspection, and action.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)