Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity #1)

Mar 21, 2009 Inara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels-sf-fantasy

If you like to read an action-filled book with a strange heroine in a strange world pick this one up and start reading immediately.
After a fatal explosion at a research center in Texas nothing on earth (or Otopia as earth is called now) is as it has been before. The explosion opened spheres to other realities - magical spheres where elves, demons and other strange creatures dwell. Some years after this incident Lila Black, a special agent, receives the order to protect an elvish rock star who g...more If you like to read an action-filled book with a strange heroine in a strange world pick this one up and start reading immediately.
After a fatal explosion at a research center in Texas nothing on earth (or Otopia as earth is called now) is as it has been before. The explosion opened spheres to other realities - magical spheres where elves, demons and other strange creatures dwell. Some years after this incident Lila Black, a special agent, receives the order to protect an elvish rock star who gets letters with death threats.
Lila isn´t your average bodyguard – she´s a cyborg, half a beautiful young woman, half a Terminator (sorry, I couldn´t resist..g). After almost tortured to death Lila was rebuilt as a cyborg and in her mind she struggles with her condition, she´s worried how far she´s still human and not only a killing machine powered by her own nuclear reactor inside. Of course her first mission doesn´t go as planned and Lila has to go to Alfheim, the realm of the elves to save Zal (the elvish rock star) and to face her past because in this realm she was nearly killed...
This book is an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy, magic and technology coexist in bizarre worlds with all kind of strange creatures you can imagine. I liked Lila although I couldn´t comprehend some of her decisions I admit. She has not only to live with her human worries and her cyborg body but to make things even worse - when an elven necromancer is killed during her resuce mission he slips into Lila´s mind to her annoyance and discomfort and builds up his home inside her. There´s also snappy humor, even romance (and sex) isn´t missed out and references to LOTR (but in this book the elves are really snobs) made me smile. I liked Zal who is an unusual elf and who doesn´t mind that Lila is umpteen times stronger than he and who doesn´t bother about her half-machine self.
I´m sure the exceptional mix this book offers will not be everyone´s cup of tea but for me the book worked very well and I will certainly read the second volume in this series "Selling Out".

Website of the author: http://www.justinarobson.co.uk/
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Nov 27, 2007 Res rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: locus_poll, sff, didnt-finish

The one where half-robotic Lila is hired as a bodyguard for an elf rock star.

OK, mega-points for originality here; this book is chock-full of interesting stuff. I'm especially intrigued by the idea that elves have a sort of a sense organ made of magic. Very clever. Wish I'd thought of it. And as romantic conflicts go, "I've been alienated from my body since I became bionic" beats the hell out of "My parents had a rough divorce."

In the end, though, I was driven away from it by:

- Science, quality...more

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Jul 19, 2007 Ian rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Romance readers who feel like trying something different

This is a romance novel in disguise. Suckered in by the cyborg on the cover, seduced by the concept of a universe formed by the juxtaposition of elves n fairy's n humans I foolishly continued reading past the introduction into the angst ridden world of the bionic woman with appearence issues (granted of course she is now a meld of machinary and woman, so she is fairly justified in this regard).

The redeeming feature of cool wiz-bang sci-fi goodness coupled with a magic should have made this a win...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Melissa Proffitt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, science-fiction, action-adventure, flawed

This book was kind of a mess. I don't know if it was listening to it instead of reading it that made it also seem very slow, but I think that was an effect of the author changing her mind in midstream. The setting is fascinating--a "quantum event" breaks reality into seven (?) realms, all of them based on some part of Earth mythology (elemental realm, demonic realm, etc.) and makes Earth history fuzzy so people aren't even sure what parts of it are real. The main character is a woman who was mad...more This book was kind of a mess. I don't know if it was listening to it instead of reading it that made it also seem very slow, but I think that was an effect of the author changing her mind in midstream. The setting is fascinating--a "quantum event" breaks reality into seven (?) realms, all of them based on some part of Earth mythology (elemental realm, demonic realm, etc.) and makes Earth history fuzzy so people aren't even sure what parts of it are real. The main character is a woman who was made a cyborg after being horrifically tortured, and Robson has also given this a lot of thought, what with Lila's difficulties in adjusting to her new body, how it feels to carry so much weight, even how the joins between her flesh and metal aren't fully integrated yet.

It's the story I couldn't take. It starts as a typical bodyguard scenario, with Lila assigned to guard a famous musician who happens to be an elf. This section feels like a bunch of incidents strung together instead of an actual plot, and Lila ends up unconscious way too often. Zal the elf has had death threats, hence the bodyguard, but instead he's kidnapped and taken to the head of this sort of terrorist group (I apologize for the oversimplification), and Lila has to go into one of the elven realms to get him.

Which is where the science fiction story turns into a kind of fantasy quest. Suddenly there's a lot of care and attention lavished on a side character who turns out to be a main character, and then *another* character is introduced and given more care and attention. The first side character, Dar, is a double agent with the terrorists and happens to be the guy who tortured Lila; the second guy whose name I've forgotten is actually a dead elf from the opposition whose "spirit body" (thanks to the audiobook I can't spell what it actually is) latches on to Lila like a parasite. Lila has very little trouble getting over both of these things, which I find improbable, though I admit Robson does a good job rehabilitating Dar--I just don't think it would be that easy for anyone to be able to trust their torturer. Also, Dar's excuse for why he did it is lame and selfish (he wanted to keep her alive but also establish his cred with the bad guys. Way to be compassionate).

This was the point where I decided I didn't care very much about any of the characters, and stopped reading.

Abandoned 2/20/13.(less)

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Aug 19, 2009 Josh rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Nobody with imagination

Well, first impression - sceptical about the redhead on the front. From what I could see, she was apparently meant to be a sexy, leather-clad cyborg. Hm. Ok.

The premise for the book, the idea of science and magic co-existing with a case of broken history sounded promising at first. Despite the clumsily written lore at the start and the extremely-difficult-to-pronounce Interstitial, I was looking forward to some science/magic fusion.

Not so. Maybe a third of the book has anything much to do with t...more Well, first impression - sceptical about the redhead on the front. From what I could see, she was apparently meant to be a sexy, leather-clad cyborg. Hm. Ok.

The premise for the book, the idea of science and magic co-existing with a case of broken history sounded promising at first. Despite the clumsily written lore at the start and the extremely-difficult-to-pronounce Interstitial, I was looking forward to some science/magic fusion.

Not so. Maybe a third of the book has anything much to do with that fusion at all, and it's all at the start. Pretty soon it devolves entirely into some fairly run-of-the-mill Fantasy, complete with stunning elfscapes and Dragons. Ho hum. Even the inclusion of a few other races (Faeries, Daemons etc) didn't really save this from becoming a book more or less centred around ill-considered elfin societies

The central character, the redhead cyborg (Lila), gains a few points back from being more than just a wet dream character, but quickly loses them when the cyborg body turns out to be (Incidentally the year is 2020, apparently. Am I expected to find the idea of a bionic woman believable?) just a plot device used to heal said redhead and her mates whenever nessecary.

The actual plot itself is somewhat lacklustre. Whilst promising at first the last third of the book is full of Deus Ex Machina twists and turns which make you suspect that the Channel Four team wrote this as Big Brother Elfish Edition.

I suppose my next gripe would be the underlying suspicion that I've just read a piece of chick-lit in disguise. Whilst I was relieved that this wouldn't be wish-fulfillment from an undersexed teen author, most of the significant turns in the book seem to either be about Lila's dog, dad or as yet non-existent lover. The invention of an elfish "andalune" secondary body seems to be just a way of getting more potential hands than the usual two into the inevitable duo of sex-scenes later on (Niether of which entertained me)

Rather than go on like this forever, it would be unfair of me not to mention the other two good points about the book. The first being that the word "moist" did not turn up at all. Thank heavens for that. The dragon of the last third of the book was very vividly described, even though it did inexplicably turn into a Deus Ex Machina plot device.

All in all, I really wouldn't bother picking this book off the shelf. The same effect can be achived by reading some CS Lewis and following with some erotica for good measure.(less)

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Apr 16, 2009 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, recommend-to-joci

Uniquely envisioned story, another satisfying combination of Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres. I have to admit I enjoyed the first half (sci-fi) a little more than the second half (fantasy); can't really pinpoint exactly why. It felt... faster-paced, and more engrossing. Harder to put down. (I really just enjoy a good chase scene on a motorcycle.)

I am waffling as to whether or not to put it on my lesson-in-feminism shelf or not, but I think I won't. Yes, it's a revisionary female character... she's st...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Blue Eyed Vixen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of exotic, erotic elves, dangerous faeries, wicked demons, and a gutsy heroine.

Recommended to Blue Eyed Vixen by: Lucky find in my library

Shelves: would-re-read, science-fiction, urban-fantasy, all-time-favorite, favorites

*Nearly worth 5 stars* I often flick through the shelves at my local library to see what covers catch my attention - yes... I also freely admit that I judge books by their covers.

It's easy to understand, then, why I was drawn to this one. “What's this? A sexy lycra clad vixen with enough metal weaponery in her arms and legs to start a war?”. I read the back cover and was even more enticed: Agent Lila Black, half human-half robot, all attitude!

This was a cross between between Lord of the Rings,...more

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Dec 05, 2008 Jennifer Busch rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Keeping It Real...
just didn't keep it real for me. In a nutshell: I couldn't put the book down, but I really didn't like it. I have a hatred of Danielle Steel books and this book rang of DS only with elves, faeries, and an altered universe.

I had a few “jump the shark” moments here. The idea of Lila falling in love with Zal so quickly was foreign to me. This was a woman who had suffered a major trauma at the hand of elves, who went in to the mission dreading being near an elf and yet, she is in...more Keeping It Real...
just didn't keep it real for me. In a nutshell: I couldn't put the book down, but I really didn't like it. I have a hatred of Danielle Steel books and this book rang of DS only with elves, faeries, and an altered universe.

I had a few “jump the shark” moments here. The idea of Lila falling in love with Zal so quickly was foreign to me. This was a woman who had suffered a major trauma at the hand of elves, who went in to the mission dreading being near an elf and yet, she is in love with him in minutes. It may be the effects of the Game, maybe not. That was never clearly defined.

I do not understand why Lila was made field operational when her parts weren't fully fused together. Simply running after Zal tore her apart.

Zal seemed weak for a main character, although maybe that is because there is so much mystery surrounding who he is. His abilities and importance seemed to blur each time they had just come into focus. His reason for being hunted, his importance to the balance between realms was unclear to me for the majority of the book. At the beginning, I thought it was something blood or magically related. I left the book feeling like it was discrimination against his choices which seems rather unimportant in the grand scheme of the adventure.

My favorite character was Dar. He seemed to have the most believable character depth. But they killed him off so unless he pulls a Daniel Jackson, this first book is the last we'll see of him.

I found Arie annoying and, as a leader, unbelievable.

Up until the time of the final escape, I kept thinking, “Oh just come on and blast your way out of this!” The dragon seemed needless and the faeries attacking was a pointless twist although maybe both aspects will be built upon in future books.

The sex. The sex was nicely written and interesting. It just was thrown in at really odd times. I've never understood stories where the main characters are running for their lives but they have more than enough time to stop and shag (as Lila puts it). And the bad guys never catch up – except in a horror flick.

All in all, I couldn't put it down, it was a fast read. But I left it just going, “huh?”
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Dec 27, 2008 CD rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Excellent fantasy read with hot elf romance. A Quantum Bomb changed the nature of the world when it allowed the other dimensions access to the human world. Elves, elementals, demons and other magic realms are all now connected and there are some (mainly the high elves) who are a bit pissy about it all. In comes Lila Black (half machine, half human) who is assigned bodyguard duty to a rocker elf named Zal. Things are not what they seem, dangerous machinations are afoot and a deadly game has...more

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Mar 23, 2008 Tim Pendry rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone with a sense of fun

Shelves: heroic-fantasy, science-fiction

Now this one is really fun. It postulates a surprisingly believable universe of us, demons, faeries, elementals and elves (and all sorts) with a hard science (of sorts) back story.

The heroine is a tough girly fantasy figure but not stupidly so. She's a bit of a lonely ladette and I suppose she's been written up for the modern twenty something rather than old salts like this reviewer. But she seems real enough and characterisation is good.

Be prepared for some genuinely raunchy sex scenes (find...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

New series that looked intriguing from the blurb on the back. NOT your typical fantasy at all! Very fun! This book/series breaks all the fantasy stereotypes. Humerous writing, clever, and unique.

Lila Black is a survivor of a magickal attack, saved only by technology that makes her body more machine than human, except for her heart. Her first job out of recovery is to protect Zal, rockstar and somewhat renegade elf, from a death threat from his own people. What seems like a simple bodyguard job...more

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Nov 13, 2011 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-julia

KEEPING IT REAL was reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings, ON THE ROAD, and DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? all rolled into one, though the way these elements came together is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Magical and lyric and lovely, this book sweeps from page to page like breathing, wrapping you in the world building so completely it is both foreign and utterly encompassing. Like learning a language through immersion, the music of what you read carries you along until the meaning...more KEEPING IT REAL was reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings, ON THE ROAD, and DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? all rolled into one, though the way these elements came together is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Magical and lyric and lovely, this book sweeps from page to page like breathing, wrapping you in the world building so completely it is both foreign and utterly encompassing. Like learning a language through immersion, the music of what you read carries you along until the meaning emerges, and even now I’m still trying to put together the pieces into a greater whole.

This immersion style affects both world building and characters. Both Lila and Zal are presented as inscrutable and larger than life, but as events unfold their secrets start to dribble out on to the page. Not that this makes them any more predictable, nor their happily-ever-after even remotely certain, but the romance aspects of KEEPING IT REAL were the raft that kept me afloat in this complex story. There were definitely parts of the story where losing sight of Lila and Zal had my attention wandering from the book, but never to the point where I lost the thread of the plot. The world building in KEEPING IT REAL is fascinating, and despite an opening primer called “Common Knowledge”, much of what Robson teaches readers comes on the fly, woven into the action of the story. I particularly enjoyed how drastically Lila’s perception of elves changes over the course of the novel, either her growing understanding of elves’ formal, stilted speech or her complicated relationship with the elf who’s torture was the reason Lila had lost so much of herself.

Like classic fantasy and science fiction, KEEPING IT REAL is not light reading in and of itself, and it’s the start of a series that promises to be a serious (if rewarding) time investment. Despite my five bats, I still recommend readers check out the excerpt linked above before buying, the style of KEEPING IT REAL is very different from the usual Urban Fantasy fare (to the point where I don’t think that genre label really applies). Dole this book out to yourself when you’re willing to be immersed and swept away and you won’t be disappointed.

Sexual Content: Sex scenes and references to sex.(less)

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Jan 01, 2011 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, adult-futuristic

When I read the blurb for this book I couldn't decide if it was a futuristic, an urban fantasy, a Sci-Fi, or just a straight out fantasy. I just knew that I wanted to read it. After I started it, I found out that it's pretty much a mix of all of the above. Just like Lila is a mesh between human and machine.

After the Quantum Bomb, the world changed forever. Even the name changed, Earth is now known as Otopia. But more importantly, the fabric between the dimensions was torn, opening up the way to...more When I read the blurb for this book I couldn't decide if it was a futuristic, an urban fantasy, a Sci-Fi, or just a straight out fantasy. I just knew that I wanted to read it. After I started it, I found out that it's pretty much a mix of all of the above. Just like Lila is a mesh between human and machine.

After the Quantum Bomb, the world changed forever. Even the name changed, Earth is now known as Otopia. But more importantly, the fabric between the dimensions was torn, opening up the way to five other realities. Humans can live alongside creatures from other realms. Demons, elves, elementals, and all types of faery live amongst us in a world now deep in magic and technology.

Lila Black is a woman, but she's also a machine with an AI. After a mission that almost killed her a few years back, her body was fused with carbon and metal alloy to become an efficient machine with enough weapons to have something handy for any situation.

When she takes the job of guarding an elf who happens to be the lead singer of a very popular band, the story seems very grounded in a recognisable world. But when someone attempts to kill and in fact take Zal from this realm and into Alfheim, she has no choice but to put her trust in the elf responsible for her 'upgraded' physical condition. The one who almost destroyed her.

Wrapped in a futuristic package is a fantastical tale with places and concepts that will stretch the boundaries of your imagination. I enjoyed the seemingly simplicity of Lila, and how the further you get into the story, the more complicated and real she becomes. Things are certainly not what they seem with any of the elves she is forced to depend on, or work with along the way to saving Zal.

Keeping It Real is an action-packed book that'll keep you guessing at every turn. Just when you're sure you understand the elves and their peculiar ways, something else is thrown into the mix to totally confuse you. Double-crossing, possession, lust, and the very interesting concept of Games, are just a few things to expect in this fascinating new world/s. (less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justina Robson. So far there are four books in the series with a 5th being planned for future release. I wasn't able to find the number of books actually contracted for this series. Anyway, I really liked it. It is a great first book in the series and I want to learn a lot more about both the world and the characters.

A quantum bomb exploded in 2015 ripping a hole in reality and revealing five other realities; an elven realm, an elemental re...more This is the first book in the Quantum Gravity series by Justina Robson. So far there are four books in the series with a 5th being planned for future release. I wasn't able to find the number of books actually contracted for this series. Anyway, I really liked it. It is a great first book in the series and I want to learn a lot more about both the world and the characters.

A quantum bomb exploded in 2015 ripping a hole in reality and revealing five other realities; an elven realm, an elemental realm, a demon realm, the realm of death, and Otopia (Used to be known as Earth). Zal is an elf that has abandoned his homeland and become half demon; he then entered Otopia and started performing as a rock star. The elven community wants him dead and Lila Black is the one assigned to guard him. Lila is not quite human. She got into a horrible accident and the only way to save her life was for her to agree to be part of an experiment. Now she is part AI, part cyborg, and part human. Initially she thinks that she is guarding a rock star...then she finds the plot goes much deeper and wonders how deep into Elven territory it will take her.

This was a very creative book. I loved the five realms (with a possible sixth somewhere) they were awesome. We really only get to visit Otopia and the Elven realm, Alfheim, in a lot of depth and I am eager to visit the other realms. The characters are very engaging. All of them have their heroic points and their flaws. Lila and Zal both struggle with being different in a world where things are more bizarre than ever before. The dialogue was witty and funny most of the time; Lila in general is a kick butt character always ready with a quick jibe and tease.

The plot is complex and densely packed. There is a ton of action and Robson does a very good job writing the action scenes. Robson's writing style is pretty straight-forward, there is not a lot of flowery language here or over-description, the writing style fits the story well so it all works out.

There were some small problems with the book. The whole world (actually five worlds) are a lot to throw at a reader all at once; it can get a little bit confusing. I thought this was handled okay. Also most of the book is written from Lila's viewpoint, then suddenly in the second half some chapters are from Zal's point of view. This was a bit odd; although it worked okay, it took me a few moments to figure out what was going on. The last problem was that a lot hinges on The Game that Lila and Zan are bound up in. I never really understood what a Game was or how it got initiated; I understand it happens through Wild Magic but I though that aspect of the plot could have been clarified better.

Other than the above, I thought the complicated world and plot was handled pretty well. The characterization, world-building, and action scenes were fantastic. I am really, really looking forward to reading more books in this series. I stumbled upon this series in a special display at a bookstore and I am wondering why this series isn't getting better coverage. It is a good series. People who have described it as Dragonlance meets Star Trek are right on. I can't wait to see what the next book holds.(less)

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Nov 29, 2010 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was the first book I bought after my lovely significant other urged me to try out the Kindle app for iPad. I checked which of the books on my Amazon wishlist were available as a digital download, and decided that this would be a perfect specimen for the experiment. A sci-fi/fantasy hybrid with rock'n'roll elves and cybernetic super spies, by an author I've never heard off, recommended to me by someone but I can't remember who. It was about eight bucks and presented a low risk should I end u...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Silver Thistle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

A bit of fantasy, a bit of sci-fi, a bit of mystery and a bit of romance. It's got it all.

It's maybe got a bit too much going on though, if I'm honest. I did really like it, but sometimes it felt like it wasn't sure what it wanted to be. It's got science and tech stuff which is good for the sci fi fan but is a minus for me because in truth I can do without knowing the 'why's' and 'how's'. Then it's got the fantasy stuff which I'm more comfortable with (elves, demons, fae...otherworldly types), b...more

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Jul 03, 2009 Becka Sutton rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: grammar error tolerant science fantasy fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. "Keeping It Real" by Justina Robson is a fun read. It's one of those Science Fantasy novels that blurs the distinction between Science Fiction and Fantasy even more than it already is. That the female main character is a cyborg and the male main character is an elf kind of sums that up.

Premise - in 2015 a Supercollidor in Texas explodes and rips a hole between dimensions. Six years later humanity is having to deal with magic, elves, demons, faeries and elementals. And Special Agent Lila Black, a...more

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Jan 03, 2009 Coffcat rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Wen Spencer, Eve Kenin, Linnea Sinclair, Tinker, Driven, Games of Command

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was a little skeptical at first because I thought the title was kind of stupid. (I'm still not really certain what the title has to do with the story, eh well) But I was intrigued by the book cover and the plot that included both fantasy and sci-fi. Being a huge fan of authors Wen Spencer, Eve Kenin and Linnea Sinclair, so this seemed like a perfect book for me. And it was! I admired the author's ability to create a such a well rounded central character-bein...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Chrissy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

It's always hard reviewing a book from an unfamiliar genre, mostly because I have nothing to use as my point of reference when assessing how much I enjoyed the book with respect to others that are similar in style and content. When I found KEEPING IT REAL on my library shelves, I can't deny that I was reaching vastly beyond my realm of comfort -- on purpose, actually -- but I really wasn't thrilled with the results and I'm even more tempted than before to stick to those little niches that work f...more It's always hard reviewing a book from an unfamiliar genre, mostly because I have nothing to use as my point of reference when assessing how much I enjoyed the book with respect to others that are similar in style and content. When I found KEEPING IT REAL on my library shelves, I can't deny that I was reaching vastly beyond my realm of comfort -- on purpose, actually -- but I really wasn't thrilled with the results and I'm even more tempted than before to stick to those little niches that work for me.

Basically, this is the story of a robo-chick (half human and half machine) who poses as a bodyguard for an elf rockstar named Zal, who has recently been receiving what appear to be poetic death threats in an magical language. Apparently, in this futuristic world, everything has been shaken by a major quantum bomb, which pretty much opened up all these crazy realms where elves, demons, and faeries had previously been able to hide away from the human eye.

The novel spends a pretty significant bit of time in the beginning delving into these odd dimensions, complete with their strange semi unpronouceable names, and I must admit -- things got confusing. But beyond that, this story just didn't capture my interest at all. If I wasn't currently on a kick where I insist on finishing any book once I've reached the halfway point, I honestly probably would have given up and returned this one right back to the library.

I don't know if I'm just not a fan of this weird mixture of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance -- or if this just wasn't *that* great of a story. I felt no investment in the lives of the characters and I really didn't care what happened to any of them. It appears that this is first in a series, and I'm definitely not planning on spending my time on any future novels in this set. There are too many books that I'm dying to read and just not enough time to spend it in genres that don't keep my interest.

However, it seems that this novel did get fairly favorable reviews from other readers, so maybe it's just not *my thing*. Your results may vary.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Michael Mcclelland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Full of big and intriguing, somewhat only half-realised, ideas, the book is predominately a sketch of the worlds and dimensions that will host subsequent books in the series, and fly-by action sequences. No great deal of time is spent on what could have been the fascinating (rather than interesting) characters; they purely serve the story and, as such, are hard to care for or learn from. Lastly, the pacing of the novel can be quite uneven; some important action zips by so dizzyingly fast amidst...more

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Feb 19, 2010 Fiendishly Bookish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fiandfantasy, favorites, faery, dystopian

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.

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 so...more 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.

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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Feb 01, 2013 Moira rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

V dnešní době je strašně moc nových knih, přímo se na nás valí. A ty starší se opomínají, co se dá dělat, přežijí jen nejlepší. Lila Black však je dobrý příběh, trochu neohrabaný, přesto výborný a plný fantazie, trestuhodně neznámý. Myslím, že je to jen proto, že Lila předběhla svou dobu. Kdyby kniha vyšla v posledních letech, nepochybuju, že by se stala trhákem. Vážně.

V roce 2015 na naší zemi vybuchla Kvantová bomba a změnila vše. Způsobila propojení Otopie (naší Země) s dalšími světy, se světe...more V dnešní době je strašně moc nových knih, přímo se na nás valí. A ty starší se opomínají, co se dá dělat, přežijí jen nejlepší. Lila Black však je dobrý příběh, trochu neohrabaný, přesto výborný a plný fantazie, trestuhodně neznámý. Myslím, že je to jen proto, že Lila předběhla svou dobu. Kdyby kniha vyšla v posledních letech, nepochybuju, že by se stala trhákem. Vážně.

V roce 2015 na naší zemi vybuchla Kvantová bomba a změnila vše. Způsobila propojení Otopie (naší Země) s dalšími světy, se světem elfů, démonů, elementálů…
Naše hlavní hrdinka, Lila Black, se do toho všeho zapletla docela "nevinně". Byla průzkumnicí a vyslankyní lidí v Alfheimu, zemi elfů. A málem při výkonu úkolu zemřela. Vláda ji však zachránila a části těla, které už nešly uzdravit, nahradila kovovými součástkami. Udělali z ní kyborga, který sám vydá za malou armádu. Na oplátku po Lile vláda chce jen, aby byla jejich pokusným králíčkem a brala úkoly, které po ní chtějí. A Lila nevidí důvod, proč by to dělat neměla.

Když se Lila podívala na Zala, nevěřila vlastním očím, co to provádí.
Myslela si, že nemůže umět zpívat, ale totálně se pletla.
Očekávala, že s ní bude jednat povýšeně, ale i když se k ní choval všelijak, povýšenost v tom nebyla.
A teď seděla naproti elfovi s typickými ušlechtilými rysy, který by klidně mohl být Nejvyšším ofrňákem Bratrstva nedozírné nadřazenosti, příslušníka zcela vegetariánského druh, a sledovala, jak se láduje syrovým stejkem.
Luk vedle ní chrochtl a s ústy plnými hranolků zahuhlal: „Divný, co? Jako když Karkulka žere vlka.“ (str. 30-31)

V tomto případě ji nasadili jako stín na jistou elfskou rockovou hvězdu. Nesnesitelně arogantní, úspěšnou a jako každý elf, nádhernou. A naprosto neelfskou. Tímto chci představit svého miláčka Zala.
Zal je složitý charakter, někdy se vám zdá, že se chová jako dítě a někdy jedná neskutečně dospěle. Je náladový, výbušný, a tak strašně moc k sežrání. A naivní. Ale to uvidíte sami.
Sama Lila je přesně ten typ hlavní postavy, který mi sedne. Autorka z ní nedělá vola, alespoň ne úplně a často, a je dostatečně reálná. Až na ten drobný kyborg-problém, samozřejmě.
Co se týče ostatních postav, pár jich propracovanějších je, přesto mi tam něco málo chybělo. Není to však ani v samotných postavách jako spíše ve stylu psaní autorky, který mi až tak nesedl. Přesto jsou postavy jedna z lepších stránek knihy.

Kniha se mi z nějakého zvláštního důvodu četla dost těžce, četla jsem ji tři dny, i když jsem si jistá, že poprvé jsem ji měla přečtenou za jeden večer. Styl psaní je neohrabaný, čte se to zvláštně a občas něco zarazí. Myslím, že v tom bude hrát hlavní roli překlad.

…až donedávna připadali Lile všichni elfové stejní, hlavně kvůli uším (špičaté, dlouhé), vlasům (husté, dlouhé) a výrazu (povznesený, upjatý, nafoukaný). Také s tím souvisel způsob zdobení, chování, oblékání, který vypadal skoro k nerozeznání od lidské gay kultury, i když ne tak zženštile... (str. 127)

Líbí se mi nápad, s kterým autorka Lilu stvořila, líbí se mi svět i jeho historie, i když v tomto bodě to být mnohem lépe propracovanější. I ty postavy jsem si zamilovala a zamyšleně sledovala jejich možná troch kostrbatý vývoj. Miláček Zal, svérázná a trochu zahořklá Lila a dokonce i ten Dar, který jako temný stín visel nad Lilou od její operace a proměnu v kyborga. Je to taková netradiční kniha, ráda jsem se k ní zase vrátila, i když jsem na ni málem zapomněla. Bohužel v češtině nevyšly další díly, ale tentokrát se s angličtinou poperu i ráda. :)(less)

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Pim Jé... no to teda nevim. :/ :)
Ona je vlastně půjčila omylem, dala na ně rezervaci a ony se v tý knihovně objevily nějak děsně brzo... teď už mam doma j...more
Feb 19, 2013 01:42pm

Simcsa Nuž veď.. kto hovorí, že ja čas mám? :P To som si len nahnala taký náskok, keď som mala voľno, tento týždeň mi akurát začal semester, a to pekne zostr...more
Feb 20, 2013 07:53am

Nov 23, 2009 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalyptic, fantasy, fantasy-urban, romance, schizotech, science-fiction

I'd like to review this in the style of an internet meme:

At first I was like :D
But then I was like D:
And then I was like :-\
And finally I was like :-|

The very premise of the book—a sci-fi magitech near future with a cyborg bodyguard for a rock star elf—is relevant to my interests and I wish to subscribe to the newsletter. Too bad that it rapidly devolved into some kind of schlocky romance with the awesomesauce cyborg chick wangsting over her existance and mooning over her charge. There's only so...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Nicolas rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, cyberpunk, combat, espionnage, rock-n-roll, broc

Disons-le tout de suite pour citer une phrase désormais célèbre : "les frites, j'aime bien, le nutella, j'aime bien. Mais les frites au nutella ... j'aime moins", trop de trop tue le trop.
Et là, des trucs en trop, il y en a à la pelle. Rien que notre héroîne, Lila Black, qui se trimballe un Tokamak dans le ventre et une IA au fond du crâne (ainsi que quelques dizaines de kilos d'armes à feu dans des parties du corps difficilement descriptibles) est en soi boursouflée, à la fois par son physique...more Disons-le tout de suite pour citer une phrase désormais célèbre : "les frites, j'aime bien, le nutella, j'aime bien. Mais les frites au nutella ... j'aime moins", trop de trop tue le trop.
Et là, des trucs en trop, il y en a à la pelle. Rien que notre héroîne, Lila Black, qui se trimballe un Tokamak dans le ventre et une IA au fond du crâne (ainsi que quelques dizaines de kilos d'armes à feu dans des parties du corps difficilement descriptibles) est en soi boursouflée, à la fois par son physique (manifestement inspiré par Maxine Manchester aka Ladytron - un personnage des WILDCats), et par son mental, vaste champ de ruine lié à sa transformation un chouïa traumatisante en arme vivante.
Et ce n'est évidement rien face à l'autre personnage fondateur de ce récit : Zal, l'elfe rock star (tout à fait, oui, et si avec ça je ne tombe pas dans une comparaison bâclée avec un scénario de jeu de rôles pour Shadowrun, je serai vraiment balaize). Heureusement, contrairement à Lila Black, je vais vous éviter toutes les boursouflures qui en font un personnage aux limites de ce que ma suspension of disbelief peut supporter.
Donc, ce roman raconte une partie de leur histoire commune.
Comme l'auteur est un bon faiseur de livres, les pages se tournent vite, malgré un récit que j'ai trouvé assez facilement parsemé des poncifs du genre : les elfes immortels (ou du moins vivant très vieux) complotent dans le complot dans le complot, sous des trésors de politesse et de bonne éducation, la proximité de ces elfes rend Lila Black manifestement border-line (avec parfois des comportements complètement aberrants). J'en passe (et clairement des meilleures).
Le meilleur restant bien sûr le fait que ce roman est manifestement décidé à un public féminin. Pourquoi ? Parce que cette Lila Black est une vivante métaphore de la puberté, ou du moins de ce que je peux en imaginer chez les femmes (ce qui, je 'ladmets, se résume à assez peu). Imaginez, Lila Black était initiallement heureuse avec ses parents, son frère et son chien. Un beau jour, elle devient indépendante. Et, à l suite d'aventures peu recommandables, elle se retrouve aux commandes d'un corps qu'elle ne comprend qu'à moitié, qui la fait souffrir d'une manière difficilement imaginable, et qui fait que ses parents ne la reconnaîtraient pas. bien sûr, je schématise un peu, cependant, le fond de l'histoire est à mon avis là : montrer comment une enfant naïve devient une femme capable de parler en égale aux hommes autour d'elles et, malgré son évidente différence, capable de les séduire (tout en représentant, pour les plus tordus d'entre eux - Yann, je pense très fort à toi - un fantasme vivant). A ce titre, le final du roman, et son inévitable scène olé olé, est particulièrement explicite, à la fois quand aux objectifs du roman, et quant au côté frites au nutella.
Avant de conclure cette critique, un dernier point. Quand je lis ce genre de chose, je regrette parfois qu'il ne soit pas interdit aux auteurs autres que Peter F Hamilton de mettre en scène des batailles avec armures de combat et magie de bataille. Parce que si il y a bien quelque chose que lui sait faire et pas l'auteur de ce roman, c'est bien les scènes d'action, qui sont ici traitées avec une espèce de côté ... chamalow ... particulièrement minable à mon sens.
Alors évidement, je ne vais pas vous recommander cette lecture.(less)

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Sep 23, 2009 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

In all honesty it was the back of August’s Chasing the Dragon that helped form my decision to read Keeping It Real. I remember when the series first hit and thinking that it sounded cool but I somehow managed to never pick it up. Set in a world where a “Quantum Bomb” has opened up the gateways between the dimensions that are home to humans, elves, demons, faeries, and elementals Agent Lila Black is almost more machine then human. Her body rebuilt after a botched diplomatic mission Lila first ass...more

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May 14, 2011 Lexi Ander rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, own-2br, fantasy

Cyborg bodyguard for an Elven Rock N Rock star. How could I resist?

This was a dark, sometimes fun and interesting urban fantasy about Lila Black in a post-apocalyptic world where the fabric between dimensions it torn allowing travel between them. More robot than human in body, Lila knows exactly how dangerous those other dimensions are. After nearly dying and being changed into this being that has no real place in any of the worlds, Lila goes on her first assignment to protect that which she is...more

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Aug 15, 2010 Dorri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-fantasy, urban-fantasy

In the begining the year is 2021 and the history of the world as we knew it is no longer true. Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015, overlapping worlds have intersected Earth as we knew it and changed history to include things such as elves, magick, demons, ghost (not the cute kind of our world, but the soul killers of the space between thw worlds).

It is in the alternate future world that we meet Special Agent Lila Black. She once was fully human but is currently less than half human. Her other...more In the begining the year is 2021 and the history of the world as we knew it is no longer true. Ever since the Quantum Bomb of 2015, overlapping worlds have intersected Earth as we knew it and changed history to include things such as elves, magick, demons, ghost (not the cute kind of our world, but the soul killers of the space between thw worlds).

It is in the alternate future world that we meet Special Agent Lila Black. She once was fully human but is currently less than half human. Her other half is state of the art tech, pure mechanical engineering. When she looks in the mirror she can see she is no longer what she once was, with her face rebuild and the high tech weaponry hidding within her metal legs and arms, the line between machine and woman blur beneath synthetic skin and hard wired lines within her body. Lila isn't quite sure how to exist when she can't even look at her rebuild body without a certain level of disgust. Even feeling disjointed and unhappy, she is sent out on a job to protect the lead singer of the immensely popular rock band the No Shows, Zal. No one in authority is quite sure what to make of Zal, as he seems to be a high ranking elf and yet has shunned the elven ways to live in the world of the humans.

Lila, as it turns out, does not entirely trust elves, Zal in particular for her odd and immediate attraction to him. The problems between them start mainly from Lila being barely comfortable in her own skin and finding out in the process of saving Zal from himself that even though she feels in control of her body and machine, she isn't. There are glitches.

This is the start of a delighfully at times jarring, haunting, daunting, brilliant book. Mechanical bits, imperfect cyborg machinery, inept fake assasination attempts, and a heroine who is more broken inside than she appears from the outside, an elf who is more than what he seems, a killer who doesn't want to kill and many other tidbits of delight. This is a book that must be read to be understood. No one paraphrasing it could give you enough information to make it make sense. I know I'm looking forward to reading the next book!(less)

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Mar 07, 2010 Raj rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I decided to get this after seeing Ms Robson at EasterCon in Glasgow a couple of years ago and deciding that she sounded cool. It's 2021, 6 years after an accident in a particle accelerator broke down walls between dimensions (the "quantum bomb"), letting elves, demons and magic into our world. Our heroine, Lila Black, is a young special agent who was almost killed on a diplomatic mission to the Elf lands and has been rebuilt better, stronger, faster than before. She now works for the National S...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Robson's Keeping It Real is a well-written, fast-paced page-turner, and very good for entertainment purposes though it comes up just a hair short from the larger picture

The characters are unique and interesting, with a hint of backstories that lend them the depth needed for one to believe the character is real and worth considering. The problem is that while we know the characters are flawed, we don't get much into the meat of who they are and how they came to be in this first novel, and these p...more Robson's Keeping It Real is a well-written, fast-paced page-turner, and very good for entertainment purposes though it comes up just a hair short from the larger picture

The characters are unique and interesting, with a hint of backstories that lend them the depth needed for one to believe the character is real and worth considering. The problem is that while we know the characters are flawed, we don't get much into the meat of who they are and how they came to be in this first novel, and these potentially rich peices of information are primarily glossed over as the narrative moves quickly to becoming a sexy action flick.

Plot-wise, Keeping It Real does just fine as an action story, with enough potential conflict inherent in the setting to promise more interesting mayhem as the series progresses, but again the author seems to gloss over points which could be vastly more serious and interesting, in the interest of pushing forward the action sequences. What could be an interspatial political firestorm having far-ranging implications is treated as nothing more than a brief day-in-the-life of this unique special agent and her charge, and short-changes both the character and the story.

Thematically, the author makes some interesting points about our world in comparing normal human experience against the speculative world of Alfheim, and could possibly do some real justice to the psychology of an accidental warrior class trapped into a game they don't understand and have limited control over. The theme of this first novel, however, seems to be pretty blasé - insularity for the greater good, at any cost, is a flawed plan for survival in the face of change.

Overall I enjoyed the book a great deal, but was just a little disappointed with how it skated over quite a few things to pursue an almost purely action story - and was also a little let down with the "James Bond" ending. For as complex as the two main characters appear to be, the ending seemed a bit trite and not as powerful as it could have been.(less)

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Apr 30, 2011 Lightreads rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, science-fiction

The one where Lila the cyborg spy with emotional issues is assigned to protect an elf rock star in post quantum-bomb multi-dimensional reality.

This is a spaghetti book. As in “throw the spaghetti at the wall an see how much of it sticks.” Except when Robson threw an elf conflict, a rock star, spy agendas, soul bonds, demons, and quantum physics, somehow it all stuck. It’s not that Robson doesn’t have cool ideas – she does. The setup alone with five alternate earth dimensions split off from one q...more

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