From the press release...
Solaris is delighted to announce that author Gaie Sebold is to follow up her fantastically well-received debut, Babylon Steel.
With a bold frankness that eschews fantasy’s usual reluctance to deal with sex and gender politics, Sebold has conceived one of the most stunning and well-realised female characters in the genre – ex-mercenary turned brothel owner Babylon Steel.
And Babylon is set to return in Dangerous Gifts, which will be published in February 2013.
Babylon Steel runs the best brothel in Scalentine, city of portals. She’s escaped her past and it’s all going pretty well. Apart, that is, from the racial conflict and economic misery boiling up in Scalentine.
Her lover, Chief Bitternut of the City Militia, is trying to keep the lid on, while hunting a killer whose real target is a lot closer than he knows. Just as things are getting really tense, Babylon is forced to take another job. Bodyguard to Enthemmerlee Entaire: symbol of hope or object of disgust for most of her country’s population, and a prime target for assassination, along with anyone who happens to be in the way. Such as her bodyguard.
Unintentionally dragging a very annoyed government employee along in her wake, Babylon struggles to turn Enthemmerlee’s squabbling household guard from liability into security, dodge the rigid Moral Statutes of Incandress, and keep both herself and her client alive. She soon realises that the situation is far worse than she thought, her past hasn’t quite let go of her yet, and she will be driven to a choice that will have far-reaching consequences…
I never got round to reading 'Babylon Steel' (although I think it might still be on the shelves somewhere...), has anyone here read it and what did you think? Would you pick up 'Dangerous Gifts'...?
Sounds like a Pratchett novel sort of thing, especially the 'annoyed government employee' bit. Well, Pratchett but a little more serious :)
ReplyDeleteI wrote on GOODREADS:
ReplyDelete"It does not happen that often that I stop reading a book.
I stopped reading Babylon Steel after 170 pages. There have been some nice ideas but I could not really connect to the characters and the story went along like a snail"
It has not been my cup of tea, Therefore I will not read the sequel.
Haven't read it but based on what the release says about the character, I kind of want to now. Thanks for the review! :D
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed Babylon Steel. It was pretty cheesey, but a lot of fun all the same, and it had a slightly different angle and plenty of quirks. I knew Gaie was writing a sequel and I'm really pleased that it's been picked up by the publisher. I'll be buying and reading when I see it.
ReplyDeleteI quited enjoyed it. Its a good starter novel and has some really interesting concepts. The author is working on the second novel now and i'm looking forward to seeing what she plans to explore in the Babylon Steel world.
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