River of Gods

Despite a too-succinct ending, River of Gods is an incredible story of individuals living in an India of 2047 whose lives intersect and converge in an imaginative and exciting tale. McDonald is a master at creating a totally believable set of characters and conjuring up a future India that integrates ultra-sophisticated technology with an ancient culture. At times, the settings seem reminiscent of Blade Runner. This is a sci-fi novel that demands the reader think as he reads, so if you're up for both a challenge and a fantastic read, I suggest you check this one out.

I have read McDonald's previous novels, and found them adept and entertaining, but not breaking any essentially new ground. This one, on the other hand, works at every level. The setting in a future India, fragmented into regional nations, is much more than an exotic backdrop. Great science fiction is a kind of cultural anthropology which brings you to another place, and in the process shows you something essential about the world you live in. The shift to South Asia provides the kind of distance McDonald needs for this task. The book has everything else you could want. The characters are deep, engaging and thoroughly human. The plot is complex enough, with a wonderful balance between daily detail and broad sweeps of historical forces. Most important. the central issues and dilemmas the characters face are real - so even when the fantastic technology and novelty of events carry you to a far distant place, the emotional force of the book brings you right back. I usually find the current spate of trilogies and sequential novels tiresome - but this is one case where I really hope that the author thinks about setting another novel in the same place/time and continuing with some of the characters.

Picture this: A novel set in 2047, just far enough ahead so that the reader can be shown some extremely possible developments of today's society, and not just in technology, but in politics, social structure and sexual relations. But a novel set in India rather then western society so that the developments are thrown into a strange side-lighting where the shadows give shape to events. A situation just different enough to show us something we may not have noticed about western society. A group of characters who are well developed enough that we can empathize with them, even when they seem very different from us. A suspenseful mystery that can keep us turning the pages, even when we want to slow down to understand the characters, the society and the science. That's "River of Gods". Some of the developments seem to be quite reasonable given our present day world. For example, India is no longer a single nation, but rather, has been balkanized into smaller states similar to those that existed before the Raj. Some humans have found ways to change themselves biologically so that they avoid the problems of being either male or female. At the same time, many elements of this society are recognizable and unchanged like the undercurrent of hatred between Hindus and Muslims on the subcontinent. And picture a society trying to cope with artificial intelligence, not wanting to abandon it, but not wanting to let it get out of hand. And picture a Hindu policeman whose job it is to track down possibly self-aware a.i.'s and who calls each of the programs that he uses to do the job by the name of a Hindu god whose area of expertise relates to the god's role in the older society. In this world, there is a soap opera that everyone watches, where not only are some of the characters on the show a.i.'s, but some of the actors are a.i.'s. Moreover, the public seems just as concerned about the private lives of the actors, including the a.i.'s, as any current-day fan. McDonald writes beautifully, occasionally deliberately confusing us as to what is happening with the result that we have a feeling of insight when we suddenly understand. And luckily the author furnishes us with a glossary of Indian words, although one may want to photocopy the list to avoid flipping back and forth as one encounters unfamiliar terms. McDonald also tells the story from the points of view of several characters that are different enough that we are not confused by them, but rather understand what is going on better than any character. Initially it's hard to see the relationship or purpose of these characters but as the book comes together we see how individual lives shape and are shaped by events and other lives. As you may have guessed, I enjoyed this book, found it exciting, and had my mind challenged to understand how the future is shaped by the past.

Don't know why it seems to be necessary to look up Ian McDonald to find out when one of his new books comes out, but B & N and Borders don't seem to do much in-store promotion for him. He gets a lot less publicity and shelf space than Terry Pratchett (of course) but, man, what an excellent writer. It's always worthwhile to track down and read whatever he writes, but "River of Gods" may be the most memorable since "Desolation Road" and therefore a true classic. Why summarize? Read, enjoy, and be swept away by the stylings of a prose master. Not only that, he knows how to tell a tale AND bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Most highly recommended.

Nominated for Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke awards, British writer Ian McDonald's ambitious, sprawling novel of 2047 India demands a certain patience from the reader but rewards that patience with a feast for the imagination. The book opens with the measured introduction of eight major characters - and each character gets a full chapter to him or herself. There are no explanations or even hints as to how these disparate characters will relate to one another or the story. What the story itself will be is also pretty much a mystery at this point. A painterly, colorful writer, McDonald's introductory portraits of these characters arouse immediate interest, but the sheer number grows daunting. It's 100 pages before their paths begin to cross and a tantalizing multi-layered plot begins to coalesce out of all the personality, mystery and information we've been gathering. However, these characters emerge from a background that grows more vivid, complex and alive with every page. India - crowded, smelly, scheming, opulent, impoverished, filthy, opportunistic - India with all its contradictions, in-fighting factions, mysticism and ingenuity, seizes center stage and engages the characters in a dance beyond their understanding. India dazzles and its position in the world plays a direct role in the complex plot. The major players cover a wide spectrum. One of the most interesting is a Krishna Cop whose job it is to hunt down rogue ais - artificial intelligences - that have turned on their human masters. Another is a stand-up comedian whose CEO father renounces his worldly position to embark on a Hindu pilgrimage, leaving his sons in charge of his power company. There's also an ambitious Swedish journalist of Afghan blood undergoing an identity crisis, a surgically androgynous "nute" set designer on the country's most popular soap, a gangster on the skids with a bit of a conscience, a cabinet ministry adviser with a secret, a reclusive scientist approached by a strange girl with seemingly telepathic powers and a deep naivety, and his ex-lover and colleague who makes a baffling discovery in an ancient space artifact. All of these characters come alive as they act and interact - pawns, schemers, lovers and sometimes all three - all of them caught up in teeming India. India in 2047, approaching the centennial of its independence form Britain, is a nation of 12 semi-independent nations, one and a half billion people and 9 million gods. There has been no monsoon for three years and the sacred Ganges has been dammed and is drying up. A water war is imminent. Technology has made possible a new caste of genetically engineered children who age at half the rate of normals and a shady riverside boat town where computer-conducted surgery allows foreign doctors to get rich doing things that are illegal in their home countries. There are lots of things permitted in India that are not permitted in other places. The US, for instance, has mandated that no artificial intel