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Liked It1 of 2 members found this review helpful “(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.) |
Didn’t Like It “I had a very hard time suspending disbelief. Love Charlaine Harris, Neill, Chance but this plot is too out there for me” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“loved this series, kind of a cyberpunk feel to it”
Hollybelle wrote this review Tuesday, October 11, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Cyberpunk meets fantasy. Various dimensions (human, elvish, demonic and something else I can't recall) have become.. stuck to each other as a result of a quantum bomb that nobody seems to be too clear about.
Spike Matthews wrote this review Thursday, September 15, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The mains character, Lila Black is prat of a law organisation in the human world, although she's only half human, as a result of an attack during a previous assignment. Technically, she'd be a cyborg, half human and half machine.
Her latest assignment is as bodyguard to an elf rock star. It's a pity, then, that there are a lot of elves that want him dead.
It's a fairly well-paced book, if a little heavy on detail. However, since it is the first book in a new series in a new world, I suppose we got off lightly. I mean, to have to explain various sciences, races, histories and magics as background means there will be a lot of exposition. And exposition, there is, but it is handled fairly well.
My only real problem with this book is the amount of existential angst that seems to be going on. Yes, have a personal crisis or two, but don't let it get away from your control. Other than that, a fun and fairly light book to read.”
“neither one thing or another - SF or Fantasy ...and to be honest the weaker for it. That said, a great fast-paced, lightweight read... just don't expect too much from it. ”
RussH wrote this review Tuesday, September 13, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I had a very hard time suspending disbelief. Love Charlaine Harris, Neill, Chance but this plot is too out there for me”
Magickdawn wrote this review Friday, June 3, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a good book. Fun, exciting story with a romantic touch.
emmy wrote this review Friday, November 26, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“Lila Amanda Black is no more. In her place is a half-human half cyborg hybrid body. Meshed with her own psyche and an onboard Ai, Lila is no ordinary girl anymore, but she still bleeds, and still feels within that drop dead exterior-even if she can bench-press a small auto.
fiendishlybookish wrote this review Friday, February 19, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Now working for Incon, Lila is test-driving her new body on a routine bodyguard assignment for one of the most popular bands to hit the realms. An unorthodox mix of faery and elven witchery, The No Shows have recently seen some press action since their lead, mysterious Zal Ahriman and Rolling Stone darling has been seriously threatened-with death. Lila has to get to the bottom of the conspiracy before she loses control of the situation and before she loses control of Zal. Little does she know that the death threats are of a political nature, that not only threaten her realm but others, and that Zal is not who he seems. Everything eventually comes full circle-including her life.
Magic and science collide in Robson’s worlds, the casualty of a super collider incident that split realities and opened the ‘verse up to multiple realms: Demonia, Alfheim, Zoomenon, Thanatopia and Faery, the aetheric magic wielding realms versus the non-aetheric technology driven Otopia (formerly Earth). Not everybody in the realms are happy about their worlds being revealed, and xenophobia as well as burgeoning terrorism is running rampant. There are also threads of real world scenarios that add a certain depth to Robson’s writing: racism, technology saturation, and ethnocentrism to name a few. It’s fairly coherent with the exception of some terminology and theorizing about interstitial space between the realms. I’d recommend a legend to accompany the reading.
Aside from that criticism Keeping it Real was like nothing I had ever read before and I loved every minute of it especially the intense attraction between Zal and Lila which only grows as she traverses the realms to rescue him. From the wilds of Zathanor to the clutches of the Jayon Daga and Arie, to the gig circuit where Zal and his band rock on, Robson doesn’t relent until she is sure that she has taken us for an incredibly lavish ride. Readers will detect a slight Isaac Adamson-Jamie Hewlett-Lester Bangs feel to the story. It’s a rock n’ roll tale merged with slick technology, magic, and futuristic popular culture. I’ve heard others remark that it reminds them of the Bionic Woman, but come on…the Bionic Woman only wishes she were as cool as Lila! I’ve already finished Selling Out, Book #2 and have started on Book #3 Going Under, that’s how much I have been sold on this series.
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“I dig the story and the author's writing style, it even prompted me to be a little impatient waiting for the next in the series. Great heroine, can't help but think of Trinity (The Matrix), which is a good thing - although this heroine get some depth relative to what we ever see of Trin. Harkens back to another book I just finished, Finder by Emma Bull. Similar themes of racial/species tensions between humans, elves and - in the case of Keeping It Real - demons, but does so with humor and cynicism woven in and without taking itself too seriously or getting mired in feelings.”
tin lizzy wrote this review Thursday, September 9, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“fluffy, fun, sexy”
skreads wrote this review Saturday, February 6, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Although pretty solid, there was quite a bit of sex; a future indicator of the series "pulling a Blake."”
Frank C wrote this review Saturday, November 21, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
