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Crescent City Rhapsody

Crescent City Rhapsody

List Price: $7.50
Your Price: $7.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: SF romance
Review: A series of electromagnetic pulses from space disrupt the operation of human civilization and ultimately force it to come up with something new, namely nanotechnology. Several powerful female figures are central to this, and overcoming chaos in the meantime, while all male figures in the book are basically cute side-kicks. The book never resolves the overarching question: who is sending those pulses and how are we going to kick the **** out of them? Does this mean we're in for a follow-up story that wraps this up? The book presents nothing new or original in the way of technology. You have read this all before in "The Diamond Age" and others. Literary value of the book is low. The author divulges herself in stereotypical descriptions, flat emotions, lazy language. People are always shooting glances at each other, their hearts are beating hard, anger is welling up etc. There is not one, not two, but three love stories going on in this book. A bit too much, unless you enjoy the 50-cent type of romance stories you can buy at the kiosk. The author violates in many places the golden rule: write about what you know. One of the main characters is a Japanese scientist and that's why the author takes us to Japan. She makes people bow in places where no Japanese would bow, she misspells literally EVERY Japanese word she cares to employ ("doma" for domo, "kannitchiwa" for konnichiwa") and generally fails to create a credible atmosphere for scenes taking place in this country. In what other areas that I don't happen to know well has the author allowed herself this kind of sloppiness? Anyway, when I reached the end of the story I was scratching my head asking myself what this was all about. And I paid money for this.

Avoid this book.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too Long!
Review: After the first couple of pages I already liked one of the primary characters, Marie, and I was hooked. This novel really illustrates, as I believe, that it is science and technology, nanotechnology here in this novel, that determines our future, and not what politicians allow or disallow, the technology just moves underground or overseas if necessary, and the politicians are left to their window dressing, science determining ultimately how we live.

However, as I read more of this book I found myself in a tedious, long drawn out affair, with so many characters it was hard to keep track of them all. Because of this I felt a diversion of interest, just too much to keep track of. I did like the philosophy that permeates this novel as a whole, very refreshing indeed. This novel occurs in the same universe as two of Goonan's previous novels, QUEEN CITY JAZZ, and MISSISSIPPI BLUES, and this novel explains much of the background of those two novels.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You'll Never Look at the Stars the Same Again
Review: Crescent City Rhapsody absorbed me in a way no other novel has in recent history. Kathleen Ann Goonan has the gift for creating complex, interesting characters who people a richly developed plot that takes an intriguing, if terrifying look at the future. Far and away the best of the trilogy, and I liked the other books a lot, too. As a professional writer, I'm a tough customer, but I really loved this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You'll Never Look at the Stars the Same Again
Review: Crescent City Rhapsody absorbed me in a way no other novel has in recent history. Kathleen Ann Goonan has the gift for creating complex, interesting characters who people a richly developed plot that takes an intriguing, if terrifying look at the future. Far and away the best of the trilogy, and I liked the other books a lot, too. As a professional writer, I'm a tough customer, but I really loved this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pleasing, but...
Review: Crescent City Rhapsody is the third in Kathleen Ann Goonan's nanotech/jazz series. It opens with a staggering collapse of global communications and ends with the promise of a better tomorrow. In between the ride is bumpy, sometimes compelling and sometimes not. Of the three, this one has a far higher level of suspense and far less speculation than the other two, probably because the time is so much closer to our own. Solid characters, stunning prose, and only a couple of weak spots make this a book well worth reading.

About those weak spots though,...

After the stunning portrayal of Hawaiian culture in "Bones of Time", the cultural symbols in this book often leave one wondering about their significance. The sections on Voudoun rites and ritual, although accurate and sympathetic, seem forced and awkward, as if they are wondering why they are even here. When she drops into Japan for a brief stint, she confuses common foods and falls back on a few tired cliches about Japanese culture. Other than those two minor weaknesses, an excellent book and a superb addition to her repertoire.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pleasing, but...
Review: Crescent City Rhapsody is the third in Kathleen Ann Goonan's nanotech/jazz series. It opens with a staggering collapse of global communications and ends with the promise of a better tomorrow. In between the ride is bumpy, sometimes compelling and sometimes not. Of the three, this one has a far higher level of suspense and far less speculation than the other two, probably because the time is so much closer to our own. Solid characters, stunning prose, and only a couple of weak spots make this a book well worth reading.

About those weak spots though,...

After the stunning portrayal of Hawaiian culture in "Bones of Time", the cultural symbols in this book often leave one wondering about their significance. The sections on Voudoun rites and ritual, although accurate and sympathetic, seem forced and awkward, as if they are wondering why they are even here. When she drops into Japan for a brief stint, she confuses common foods and falls back on a few tired cliches about Japanese culture. Other than those two minor weaknesses, an excellent book and a superb addition to her repertoire.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Dont pay for this one
Review: Cresent City has many amusing and intricate little plots, a couple cute ideas, and a bit of politics. That is it folks! The show is over! Half the plots are never resolved and it's not written well enough for me to forgive Goonan for that. Electronic equipment can be protected from electromagnetic impulses, and the entire premise of nanites being automaticaly immune to the impulse is absurd. The idea of pheremone comunication is about the only thing in the book that is plausible. Read some Neal Stephenson or find a "Transmetropolitan" graphic novel. If you feel the need to read Cresent City Rhapsody go to the library.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Interesting ideas and style
Review: I love the meticulous way in which Goonan describes her world. I also love the way she cuts back and forth between characters, showing how the "Silence" affects different people in different situations. This requires the reader to do more thinking and analyzing, and perhaps this turned some other readers off.

It is true that the speculative science is not all explained in detail, but there is a strong implication that this will be resolved in later books (or earlier? This is my first Goonan book). The parts that are explained are those that the characters understand, which is eminently reasonable.

(possible spoiler)
The one problem I had with the book was the extreme reaction of the U.S. government at the beginning of the "Silence," but this is actually explained towards the end of the book. I haven't decided if I like this part or not, but at least it was explained.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Interesting ideas and style
Review: I love the meticulous way in which Goonan describes her world. I also love the way she cuts back and forth between characters, showing how the "Silence" affects different people in different situations. This requires the reader to do more thinking and analyzing, and perhaps this turned some other readers off.

It is true that the speculative science is not all explained in detail, but there is a strong implication that this will be resolved in later books (or earlier? This is my first Goonan book). The parts that are explained are those that the characters understand, which is eminently reasonable.

(possible spoiler)
The one problem I had with the book was the extreme reaction of the U.S. government at the beginning of the "Silence," but this is actually explained towards the end of the book. I haven't decided if I like this part or not, but at least it was explained.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Interesting ideas and style
Review: I love the meticulous way in which Goonan describes her world. I also love the way she cuts back and forth between characters, showing how the "Silence" affects different people in different situations. This requires the reader to do more thinking and analyzing, and perhaps this turned some other readers off.

It is true that the speculative science is not all explained in detail, but there is a strong implication that this will be resolved in later books (or earlier? This is my first Goonan book). The parts that are explained are those that the characters understand, which is eminently reasonable.

(possible spoiler)
The one problem I had with the book was the extreme reaction of the U.S. government at the beginning of the "Silence," but this is actually explained towards the end of the book. I haven't decided if I like this part or not, but at least it was explained.


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