Dancing with Bears

March 21, 2011
Following 2007's The Dog Said Bow-Wow, Swanwick sends his postapocalyptic con artists Darger and Surplus to ferry seven genetically enhanced brides from the caliph of Byzantium to the duke of Muscovy. Unfortunately, the plot requires Darger and Surplus to separate for much of the book, depriving readers of their entertaining banter. Moving among both the highest and lowest members of Russian society, including Pushkin in liquid form and aristocrats in self-cloned leather clothing, Darger and Surplus uncover a coup plot that involves political climbers, religious zealots, and the vengeful revenants of the ancient Internet, leading to a climactic battle in the streets around the Kremlin. Swanwick doesn't stint the whimsy while touching on the sadness and joy at the core of a story about losing the past to gain the future.

May 15, 2011

Con men Darger and Surplus, a biogenetically engineered human-dog crossbreed, make their way across a postapocalyptic Russia in the entourage of Prince Achmed of Byzantium and six of the world's most beautiful and accomplished virgins, the Pearls of Byzantium--a gift to the Duke of Muscovy. When a near catastrophe strikes the caravan, the resourceful pair pull off their greatest scheme in an atmosphere of intricate plots, nascent revolution, and forbidden romance. Steampunk meets postnuclear collapse in an infectious and convoluted tale of intrigue and madcap adventure by the author of Vacuum Flowers and The Iron Dragon's Daughter. VERDICT Swanwick's superb storytelling and offbeat humor make this a delightful tale sure to please sf fans and steampunk aficionados.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Sf and fantasy fans may already be familiar with Darger and Surplus, con men of the future, and new readers will be pleased to meet this talented duo as they embark on one of their greatest cons. What exactly theyre after isnt clear at the outset, but it involves a complicated, twisty scheme having to do with the Pearls of Byzantium, a group of seven beautiful but deadly, genetically optimized women destined to become the wives of the powerful Duke of Muscovy. By the end of the long and dangerous overland trip from Constantinople, Darger and Surplus are the only remaining members of the original escort, other than the Pearls Neanderthal bodyguards, to arrive safely in the capital of Old Russia. Swanwick creates a well-realized, steampunk-influenced alternate future peopled with a fascinating variety of humans, genetically engineered creatures, and even dangerously self-aware machines. The world and the story surrounding it are sure to appeal to fans of sf dystopias as well as of caper-based fantasies like Scott Lynchs The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)