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Justina Robson, Glorious Angels (Gollancz, 2015, 507pp, £16.99)
Increasingly, the distinctions between science fiction and fantasy are breaking down, the 'and' with its binary either/or implications being replaced with the 'as well as'. Many key authors have either written works in both genres or, more specifically, produced work that is a blend of both science fiction and fantasy. Contemporary examples include Gwyneth Jones, China Miéville and Justina Robson, particularly her new release Glorious Angels. The blend of science fiction and fantasy goes beyond the (re)location of familiar character types from each into the same narrative, such as the elves and cyborgs of Robson's Quantum Gravity series (2006-11), this time taking core elements of each, fusing sfs technology with fantasy's magic so that the two become, at times, not just intertwined and indistinguishable but interdependent: Tralane stood, surrounded on all sides by the intricate astral light glyphs of a machine so intricately manufactured, so beautifully spellbound, she was at a loss for anything but awe.' This hybridity is a fertile fusion of some of the most alluring and essential aspects of both science fiction and fantasy, and establishes Glorious Angels as an intriguing, imaginative feat.
The reader is guided through the complex, twisting plot full of secrets, sex, blackmail, manipulation, politics, power struggles and the quest for knowledge by an array of wonderfully written, vivid characters, each unique and often multifaceted. Multiple...