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[mail2lj] Илья Муромец - герой американской фантастики :)
Есть вот такая книга - Liz Williams, Nine Layers of Sky (Bantam Spectra Sep 2003)
Liz Williams, Nine Layers of Sky (Bantam Spectra Sep 2003)
"Dark legends, failed dreams, and grim realism mix in this thriller of post-Soviet Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where a female former rocket scientist and a centuries old Russian hero are brought together by a strange artifact that accesses another world."(c) обзор в "Локусе"
From Publishers Weekly
A scientist and a mythological hero who is alive and well in the 21st century find new love and help alter two worlds in this character-driven, romantic sci-fi adventure. Elena, who was once in the Soviet space program and is now a janitor, lives in fallen Russia, a country that "runs on... dreams and air." She herself dreams of the future and of being an astrophysicist. In contrast, Ilya, an 800-year-old fallen hero, dreams only of the past and of heroin and death. The two are brought together by a strange object that, unbeknownst to them, operates a gateway to a world shaped by Russian dreams. Creatures from that realm track Elena and Ilya, who's experiencing withdrawal for much of the book, through the satellite states of Russia as they try to discern the nature of the artifact is and find their place in the world. The story's tone is appropriately dreamlike as hero and heroine calmly evade pursuers they aren't sure are following and just as quietly fall in love. The book's primary attraction lies in its portrayal of Russia's multifaceted soul. Williams (The Poison Master) does a wonderful job of describing the character of a place through the people who inhabit it and through the manifestations of their dreams. A difficult book to describe, this work will nonetheless satisfy readers with its rich settings and mythological power.
From Booklist
Former Soviet astrophysicist Elena Ivanova is now a cleaning lady, and weary bogatyr (Russian hero) Ilya Myuromets is tired of immortality and addicted to heroin. Ilya receives a visit from a sorcerer claiming to be an official. He wants Ilya to track down a certain ancient artifact in exchange for mortality. Enter Elena, who found the artifact during a border-crossing incident. Ilya intends to have Elena meet with his contacts and then die. Instead, the contacts are brutally murdered, and Ilya and Elena are forced to flee. In flight they discover that the artifact opens rifts between our world and Byelovodye, where all Central Asia's legends become real. But dreams are being siphoned off to support Byelovodye's totalitarian regime, and both worlds are suffering. Elena and Ilya must move quickly to save them. Williams' tale is fascinating and layered, and Byelovodye proves haunting because of its closeness to our own world. The tale's greatest strength lies in the incredibly rich heroic traditions of Central Asian myth that it draws on. Regina Schroeder
Из читательского отзыва:
"Nine Layers of Sky" is another great novel by the very impressive Liz Williams. This time out she takes her readers on a tour of the Silk Road states of Central Asia (and apparently that's a part of the world Williams is familiar with), ending up in Uzbekistan, in the ancient city of Samarkand.
Elena, now cleaning offices in Almaty, Kazakhistan, was once a scientist in the Soviet space program. After acquiring a strange metallic object she hooks up with Ilya, an 800-year-old "Bogatyr" (once a hero of Russia, now a junkie), and together they attempt to solve the object's mystery.
That in turn leads them to a parallel world, and then things really start to hum, as they encounter many strange and nefarious characters while they shuttle between this world and the parallel one, in which the Soviet Union didn't exactly die.
Williams is a playful author with a great sense of place. She makes the decay and despair of the former Soviet Republics seem very real--the rundown busses, the abandoned space facilities, the failed attempts to construct subways. And yet, this mock heroic quest is slightly tongue in cheek. Think of it as Elena and Ilya in Wonderland and you'll half get the point. And, as with the Carroll classic, the journey's far more important than the destination.
Вот он какой, роман Liz Williams Nine Layers of Sky
Никто не читал? :)
Upd.14.12.05. Спасибо![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
timtaler за отзыв. С одной стороны, все оказалось не так уж плохо, а с другой - опасения подтвердились. Судите сами.
Liz Williams, Nine Layers of Sky (Bantam Spectra Sep 2003)
"Dark legends, failed dreams, and grim realism mix in this thriller of post-Soviet Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where a female former rocket scientist and a centuries old Russian hero are brought together by a strange artifact that accesses another world."(c) обзор в "Локусе"
From Publishers Weekly
A scientist and a mythological hero who is alive and well in the 21st century find new love and help alter two worlds in this character-driven, romantic sci-fi adventure. Elena, who was once in the Soviet space program and is now a janitor, lives in fallen Russia, a country that "runs on... dreams and air." She herself dreams of the future and of being an astrophysicist. In contrast, Ilya, an 800-year-old fallen hero, dreams only of the past and of heroin and death. The two are brought together by a strange object that, unbeknownst to them, operates a gateway to a world shaped by Russian dreams. Creatures from that realm track Elena and Ilya, who's experiencing withdrawal for much of the book, through the satellite states of Russia as they try to discern the nature of the artifact is and find their place in the world. The story's tone is appropriately dreamlike as hero and heroine calmly evade pursuers they aren't sure are following and just as quietly fall in love. The book's primary attraction lies in its portrayal of Russia's multifaceted soul. Williams (The Poison Master) does a wonderful job of describing the character of a place through the people who inhabit it and through the manifestations of their dreams. A difficult book to describe, this work will nonetheless satisfy readers with its rich settings and mythological power.
From Booklist
Former Soviet astrophysicist Elena Ivanova is now a cleaning lady, and weary bogatyr (Russian hero) Ilya Myuromets is tired of immortality and addicted to heroin. Ilya receives a visit from a sorcerer claiming to be an official. He wants Ilya to track down a certain ancient artifact in exchange for mortality. Enter Elena, who found the artifact during a border-crossing incident. Ilya intends to have Elena meet with his contacts and then die. Instead, the contacts are brutally murdered, and Ilya and Elena are forced to flee. In flight they discover that the artifact opens rifts between our world and Byelovodye, where all Central Asia's legends become real. But dreams are being siphoned off to support Byelovodye's totalitarian regime, and both worlds are suffering. Elena and Ilya must move quickly to save them. Williams' tale is fascinating and layered, and Byelovodye proves haunting because of its closeness to our own world. The tale's greatest strength lies in the incredibly rich heroic traditions of Central Asian myth that it draws on. Regina Schroeder
Из читательского отзыва:
"Nine Layers of Sky" is another great novel by the very impressive Liz Williams. This time out she takes her readers on a tour of the Silk Road states of Central Asia (and apparently that's a part of the world Williams is familiar with), ending up in Uzbekistan, in the ancient city of Samarkand.
Elena, now cleaning offices in Almaty, Kazakhistan, was once a scientist in the Soviet space program. After acquiring a strange metallic object she hooks up with Ilya, an 800-year-old "Bogatyr" (once a hero of Russia, now a junkie), and together they attempt to solve the object's mystery.
That in turn leads them to a parallel world, and then things really start to hum, as they encounter many strange and nefarious characters while they shuttle between this world and the parallel one, in which the Soviet Union didn't exactly die.
Williams is a playful author with a great sense of place. She makes the decay and despair of the former Soviet Republics seem very real--the rundown busses, the abandoned space facilities, the failed attempts to construct subways. And yet, this mock heroic quest is slightly tongue in cheek. Think of it as Elena and Ilya in Wonderland and you'll half get the point. And, as with the Carroll classic, the journey's far more important than the destination.
Вот он какой, роман Liz Williams Nine Layers of Sky
Никто не читал? :)
Upd.14.12.05. Спасибо
timtaler за отзыв. С одной стороны, все оказалось не так уж плохо, а с другой - опасения подтвердились. Судите сами.
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Но... Илья Мьюромец?! И Central Asian myth?! Это все Блок со своими скифами виноват...
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И все-таки, пальму первенства уверенно держит Тертлдав :))
Бедный волк...
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