Karen Memory is a steampunk novel by Elizabeth Bear. It was published by Tor Books, on February 3, 2015;[1] a Japanese-language version was published on October 20, 2017.[2]
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| Author | Elizabeth Bear |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Steampunk |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
Publication date | February 3, 2015 |
| Followed by | Stone Mad |
In 2018, a sequel, "Stone Mad", was released.[3]
Synopsis edit
In an alternate 1878, Karen Memery ("like memory only spelt with an e") is a teenage prostitute in the Pacific Northwest, whose life becomes complicated by the arrival of a serial killer, by a rival pimp's attempt to run for mayor, and by mad science.
Reception edit
National Public Radio described the novel as "a bracing yet charming adventure yarn," praising Bear for giving Karen a "strong, sympathetic, charismatic voice" whose "narrative is sharp, sly, and full of heart."[4] Locus considered it a "delight" and a "tour-de-force", comparing Karen to Huckleberry Finn,[5] while Kirkus Reviews found the characters to be "lively" and "engaging", with an "intriguing" and "steampunk-ishly surreal" plot.[1] Cheryl Morgan commended Bear for "straddl(ing) the fine line between sounding authentic and being irritating", and for depicting a multicultural and intersectional society, but found Bear's portrayal of a transgender character to be non-optimal, and conceded that readers "who identify more closely with other characters in the book's highly diverse cast" may find the portrayals of those characters to be similarly non-optimal.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Karen Memory, at Kirkus Reviews; posted online November 20, 2014; published December 1, 2015; retrieved March 30, 2016
- ^ "Serial Experiments Lain" Designer Covers "Karen Memory" Steampunk Novel, by Scott Green, at Crunchyroll; published September 21, 2017; retrieved August 30, 2018
- ^ Stone Mad, reviewed atPublishers Weekly; published March 19, 2018; retrieved August 30, 2018
- ^ 'Karen Memory' Builds Up A Good Head Of Steam, by Jason Heller, at NPR; published February 3, 2015; retrieved March 30, 2016
- ^ Russell Letson reviews Elizabeth Bear, by Russell Letson, in Locus; archived in Locus Online, January 28, 2015; retrieved March 30, 2016
- ^ Karen Memory, reviewed by Cheryl Morgan, at CherylMorgan.com; published no later than September 19, 2015 (date of earliest version on archive.org); retrieved March 30, 2016
External links edit
- Elizabeth Bear discusses Karen Memory at Skiffy and Fanty