novella
Active Member
Just finished this. It's his latest I think, and goes back to his Gorky Park mode, with Arkady Renko, the Moscow detective reappearing. This, however, is set in the New Russia, full of Mercedes mobsters, and also in the Chernobyl Zone of Exclusion.
Apparently Cruz Smith did his research. The Zone of Exclusion sections are chilling, with a kind of Mad Max post-apocalyptic madness in society there. The main characters, with one exception, are well built. There are a couple of interesting subplots, including his friendship with a mute chess-playing kid, and the end is acceptably plausible in light of the whole novel--something not many books are doing these days.
Over all, if you liked Gorky Park (which I did) and like Cruz Smith (I've also read Polar Star and Rose), this book is a good read. There are a few poetic moments, but Cruz Smith's real strength is in his characters and settings. The language is usually straightforward, not transcendant.
Apparently Cruz Smith did his research. The Zone of Exclusion sections are chilling, with a kind of Mad Max post-apocalyptic madness in society there. The main characters, with one exception, are well built. There are a couple of interesting subplots, including his friendship with a mute chess-playing kid, and the end is acceptably plausible in light of the whole novel--something not many books are doing these days.
Over all, if you liked Gorky Park (which I did) and like Cruz Smith (I've also read Polar Star and Rose), this book is a good read. There are a few poetic moments, but Cruz Smith's real strength is in his characters and settings. The language is usually straightforward, not transcendant.