Selling Out - By Justina Robson (#ReadingCram)

Quantum Gravity Series - Book 2

Book two of the Quantum Gravity series sees Lila Black drawn into the intoxicatingly dangerous demon realm. Capricious, in love with beauty, demons are best left to themselves. This is not easy when they can't resist tampering with humans.

Justina Robson's new series is a joyful melding of science fiction and fantasy brought together in the figure of the dangerously lovely Lila Black, a 21-year-old secret agent who's had much of her body replaced with weapon-and-armor-heavy intelligent metal and who isn't sure where her mind ends and her installed AI begins. Lila's world is one where demons, elves, and elementals live alongside people. And somehow Lila and the other agents of the security agency have to provide security for all and stay alive themselves.

I liked this more than the first. I think it was the demons and Daemonia. They were all fun, games and killing people. I loved the nuances on color that existed in their world and that they didn't worry themselves into knots. They love living life and this series needed a little more pizzazz to spice it up. I was intrigued by Teazle, he was obviously drawn to Lila and there was more explanation to their possible relationship in comparison to Zal. By that I mean not much because Zal and Lila were all up in each other for no reason. I have a major issue with the relationships in this novel not being fleshed out enough. Lila's friendships and working relationships have back story and meaning but her romantic ones seem more like a lucky dip. The culmination of Lila, Zal and Teazle's triangle was abrupt and unexplained. I had no idea how or why they all ended up together an not in a sexual manner. *smh*



In regard to plot, I was irked by the constant narration change. I know that Zal's little side adventure to Zoomenon was important in discovering the dark side of Elf history but I had to reorient every time it changed. I would have preferred it to be summarized. The imp companion was a helpful addition, acting more like a second narrator to the foreign land that is Lila's mind. He laid it out in logical fashion and often had me saying "Oh! I get it now." Despite the helpful imp, this book was still confusing. I think it's because there is a lot of assumed knowledge. While I'm often complaining that authors dumb it down Robson makes leaps and bounds that leave me in the dust. I will be reading the final three books of the series only because I hate leaving character stories unfinished. Still a good Sci-Fi and sparse on the romance.

3/5
xxx Literary George
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