Living Next Door to the God of Love

Unity spread. This could be what happens when you throw perhaps an English Tom Robbins type into a multiverse machine and see what you get. A whacky introduction with superpeople and more, mini universes, gender shifting and a conflict between the not wanna be United and the Unity. Robson's writing is just as decent as in the rest of her stuff, but this book is perhaps a little too wild and sprawling and all over the place in places going from bizarre to mundane. 3.5 out of 5

Tough book to read, but full of interesting ideas, and performed with an overload of style. Falls apart a bit towards the end, but overall a complex, challenging and entertaining piece of writing. We want more like it!

I'm a huge sci-fi fan -- and strict too, no horror except lovecraft, and no fantasy except in weak moments -- and I loved this book. Ms Robson's previous novel, Natural History, was one of the most haunting science fiction I have read in years. I just couldn't get the creepy techno-erotic story of longing, loneliness and difficult choices out of my mind for months. This novel takes those themes and expands on them in a most interesting, engaging, and intelligent manner. If you like reading completely original visions of the future -- you know, the kind where your mind is racing most of the time to try and figure out what's going on, because the backstory is only given in small organic pieces of the story -- you should pick up this and other books by this author.

In Metropolis on Sankhara what existed yesterday does not exist today as every night the world is remade based on the dreams of those who reside there. For instance in a short period of time, Jalaeka has lived several lives from a prostitute, to a pilgrim, a pirate, a princess and a physics student. Through all his nightly transformations, he believes he deserves better though his dreams speak otherwise. Still he is determined to find a mage or God or something stronger to help him because his creator is coming for him. Teenage runaway Francine removes her identity chip and flees the emptiness of her AI sub world for Sankhara. Instead she finds a bone castle containing a scientist searching for the seemingly vanished light of the universe by mapping the human mind. Francine and Jalaeka meet are attracted to one another. However, instead of him having been chased by the minion of Unity, she serves as the focus of a war between the Gods that only she can prevent from destroying all who live in Sanhara by displaying love to others especially Jalaeka. LIVING NEXT DOOR TO THE GOD OF LOVE is not an easy book to read. The changing perspectives mostly between Jalaeka and Francine, but also including others like an intriguing female warrior is difficult to follow and the subject is complex. However, those who prefer a deep science fiction cerebral yet action-packed tale will want to journey to this odd world where change is more than the norm, it is life. With NATURAL HISTORY and now this thrilling tale, Justine Robson has carved out a niche starring her creative realms. Readers will want more works set in the Robson universe where physics does not necessarily repeat each time the experiment is run. Harriet Klausner