Novel by
Kathleen Ann Goonan. Published in
paperback on the 13 April 2000 by
Millennium Books (
ISBN: 1857988884).
Synopsis (from Amazon.co.uk):
"The world of "
Crescent City Rhapsody" is a world that is being changed by the day by advances in
nanotechnology, a world where
radio has died, a world of vastly increased
lifespans, and a world where
extra-terrestrials play a pivotal role in everyone's life."
An excellent book, one that I have just finished reading. Goonan's continuing
obsession with
bees and
bionan systems, and how they would affect a
society, add a rich background to this tale of
intrigue and
extra-terrestrial shenanigans. Goonan has used this formula before, in
Queen City Jazz and its sequel
Mississippi Blues, and as always, it has worked. The concept of huge bee-like
hive cities is interesting, and in realms of
nanotech, not completely
farfetched. However, it would only really be useful in the situation, the
Silence, that Goonan describes.
Heavily
researched and fascinating, Goonan has been described as the next
Stephenson, and after reading this and her earlier works, I have to agree. In some areas, such as plot, she even
surpasses the great Neal.