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Dust (Jacob's Ladder #1)

by Elizabeth Bear (Goodreads Author)

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 777 ratings · 135 reviews

On a broken ship orbiting a doomed sun, dwellers have grown complacent with their aging metal world. But when a serving girl frees a captive noblewoman, the old order is about to change....

Ariane, Princess of the House of Rule, was known to be fiercely cold-blooded. But severing an angel’s wings on the battlefield—even after she had surrendered—proved her completely witho...more

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Published December 26th 2007 by Spectra

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Dec 25, 2008 Shaun Duke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last year I reviewed Bear's Carnival and have had my eye on her since. She's one of those few writers who manages to write science fiction that deals with serious issues that doesn't feel so serious to me--and don't get me wrong, I like serious SF, but it's nice when you can get a story that is occupied both by future ideas and societal issues.

Dust is an unique novel--not necessarily original, but unique. Unlike Carnival, Dust seamlessly merges fantasy and science fiction, making it the kind of...more Last year I reviewed Bear's Carnival and have had my eye on her since. She's one of those few writers who manages to write science fiction that deals with serious issues that doesn't feel so serious to me--and don't get me wrong, I like serious SF, but it's nice when you can get a story that is occupied both by future ideas and societal issues.

Dust is an unique novel--not necessarily original, but unique. Unlike Carnival, Dust seamlessly merges fantasy and science fiction, making it the kind of novel that can appeal to both sides of the fence. Dust follows Sir Perceval and Rien, two of many inhabitants who have become complacent with their lives on a massive orbiting spaceship. Time there amongst the ship's internal landscapes has led them to create gods out of the ship's AIs, angels out of nanotech-augmented humans, and servants out of those born normal--the makings of a caste system. When Ariane, a princess of Rule, captures Sir Perceval, cuts off Perceval's wings, and consumes her superior--a process that isn't exactly like it sounds--she sets out to start war with the other Houses and take over the rest of the ship by consuming Jacob Dust, one of the ship's gods. When Rien saves Perceval and together they mount a daring escape through the vacuum of space to another part of the ship, she learns that not only is Ariane a danger to the ship and everyone else, but the star the ship orbits as well. The star is dying, and if unity cannot be restored throughout the ship, everyone on board will die...

Dust certainly has an epic feel, as if merging the adventurous feel of Tobias S. Buckell's high-flying Ragamuffin novels, hard science fiction a la Chris Moriarty, and traditional fantasy elements, with Karen Miller coming to mind. But, through all this, Bear's writing style remains relatively unique. This can be good at times and bad at other times. I had some problems getting into the flow of the novel, what you might call the natural rhythm of the writing itself. I can't say this was necessarily bad, though, and probably had more to do with an unfamiliarity with Bear's style--consistent readers of Bear probably won't even notice this. I enjoyed the story, but it was something that I noticed while reading. Perhaps others won't notice it. I would liken it to the experience one might have when switching genre styles, if that makes sense.

What really set this work apart from other novels in the SF/F vein is how perfectly it merges the two genres. Arthur C. Clarke's third law is that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and I think this novel is a good example of that law in action. True, Bear talks about what gives the Exalts their power, and even refers to things like AI and computers, but the people living on this ship treat this world and the strange things in it in the same way we might treat magic. Strange creatures exist in the world as remnants of dead gods and some humans have wings and advanced healing abilities. It is, in a way, a fantasy world that just happens to be on a spaceship.

One of the things I like about Elizabeth Bear's work is that she writes stories that are on the outside very much examples of good genre work, but on the inside are stories of forbidden love. Both books I have read from Bear have dealt with same-sex relationships in some capacity and Bear certainly has a handle on these themes. In Dust, Sir Perceval and Rien deal with issues of celibacy--Perceval's choice in order to avoid suitors--and difference--Perceval is an Exalt, one of the super humans and Rien is a Mean, or, to put it simply, one of the normal folks. There is a lot more to their relationship that I won't ruin here, but it adds to the tension as they get to know one another through the course of the book. My only complaint with this relationship is that it didn't feel as developed as in Carnival, though perhaps making a comparison here isn't the correct thing to do.

Additionally, folks with an extensive background in medieval literature, or even a passing fancy, may find this story rich in Biblical and medieval references--particularly references to the Garden of Eden. If you don't notice them, don't worry, because it's not necessary to enjoy the story, but it does add a little depth to the characters. The plot itself harks back to some of the medieval romances, journey and all.

Overall I liked Dust, though it wasn't perfect. The ending needed something more, although I can't imagine Bear could have written it any differently here. Perhaps there is a sequel that shows what happens next? I enjoyed the action and the world she had created, although I think more time could have been spent on the beginning to give it a firmer hold on the overall story--it felt somewhat rushed, though not badly enough to make me cringe. Fans of Bear's work will likely love this one just as much as everything else, and new readers may find this to be an interesting merging of genres with good themes and sympathetic characters--complex relationships exist here too, though, again, perhaps more time could have been spent developing such things (then again, my nitpicking, if taken to heart, might have resulted in a 600-page monster, rather than the 340-page piece that it is). Ultimately, this could very well be a good "ice breaker" novel for folks who haven't crossed over the line to dig into their sister genre--whether they be fantasy readers or science fiction readers. I think in some respects it might work better for the science fiction side, only because of the use of nanotechnology within Dust. I look forward to digging into something else by Elizabeth Bear. Considering how prolific she is, I have a huge selection to choose from, and so do you. Ha!(less)

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Nov 30, 2008 Christina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 28, 2012 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Three stars for the following:
- Completing what must have been a very challenging book to write, and
- The setting and premise (I love the lost generation ship trope)

That's where the praise ends, though.

Strike one star for overt, unnatural sexuality. I don't know why science fiction authors apparently believe they cannot produce a good story without sexual situations that reach way past even liberal modern boundaries of acceptability. Likely, it's safer to experiment in one's imagination, a pr...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not really my cuppa tea. The writing is good (Elizabeth Bear casually tosses off delicious words like "insouciant") and the worldbuilding was pretty good overall. I did find the description of the binary system tedious, especially of the white dwarf, but this may be because I was a Physics major and took a course on astronomy; it may be less tedious for those less familiar with astronomy. Overall, though, I didn't care that much for the book for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't care much for the c...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Alytha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Finished Dust by Elizabeth Bear a couple of days ago, and really liked it.

A thousand years ago, a sect left Earth in a huge generation ship called the Jacob's Ladder. After about 500 years, something catastrophic happened, disabling the ship's engines. It was parked in orbit around a binary star and patched up as well as possible, but large percentages became uninhabitable. Another 500 years later, the various members of the Conn family feud against each other in several medieval-like holdes. Th...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The concept of the stranded generational starship isn't new. It is a great platform to discuss society and the authors belief of society and how pressures of proximity allow for a condensed version of time to show how societies grow and evolve or de evolve however the case may be.

The difference in this book is in the quality of the characters and her ability to add in teh concepts of high fantasy into the setting of a technological world. She uses the tropes of magic and of "spirits" into a mod...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

(January book for "The Women of Science Fiction" 2011 reading challenge.)

The really short version of Dust is that it is a story about the people on a generation ship. Which is, of course, true. But the generation ship has been stuck in “temporary” orbit around this particular star for 500 years after an unknown disaster forced it to find somewhere it could stop for repairs. In that time, the people, and to some degree the ship, have forgotten that the ship is a ship meant to be moving to somewhe...more (January book for "The Women of Science Fiction" 2011 reading challenge.)

The really short version of Dust is that it is a story about the people on a generation ship. Which is, of course, true. But the generation ship has been stuck in “temporary” orbit around this particular star for 500 years after an unknown disaster forced it to find somewhere it could stop for repairs. In that time, the people, and to some degree the ship, have forgotten that the ship is a ship meant to be moving to somewhere else. It has instead become its own world, with its own nations, races, and religions.

And while I don’t feel like that’s really revealing too much about the book, since it’s all more or less included in the back matter, it really sort of is. Bear sets the reader down right at the beginning of a burgeoning war, with Rien, a character who has a very limited viewpoint as she has never left the domain of Rule, in which she is a servant. She is assigned to care for a recently vanquished prisoner from the realm of Engine, Perceval, who in turn has her own limited viewpoint. And then we get a vignette from the view of Dust himself, which, while seemingly omniscient, he points out himself is still limited in scope. So the reader must piece together everything, the social dynamics, the form of the “world,” what is actually going on to spur all these political machinations, along with the characters. As it turns out, this is a rather clever metaphor for the overall story itself. Read it and you’ll see.

If you’re not a person who enjoys having to struggle along with a limited view that you know is limited, though, this may not be the book for you. If you want to be taken along for a fantastically interesting ride in a sci-fi world that thinks its medieval, try it! The third book of the trilogy comes out tomorrow, so now’s a good time to pick up the series. I’m certain I’ll be reading the rest of it. (At some point. When I don’t have so many things checked out from the library.)(less)

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Feb 18, 2012 Jo (Mixed Book Bag) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Dust has been in my electronic TBR pile since I purchased my first eReader 5 years ago. I loved the premise: A broken generation ship, a star about to go nova, and two women who unite to save the day. Sounded just like something I would love to read but when I started the book I did not get past the first few pages and never picked it up again. Then several weeks ago I was looking for a new audio book and saw Dust. I will often listen to a book I would not read so I checked it out. I am glad is...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Louise rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I sped through the last quarter of this book not because I wanted to know what happened, but because the story was trash and I just wanted to get it over with. I guess it says something that I actually finished the book, but I'm not sure what.

Dust takes place on a giant multi-generation space ship that's stranded in space. In case you haven't been reading my reviews, don't ever ever go into space. Bad stuff ALWAYS happens in space. And the "bad stuff" in Dust is mostly the storytelling.

Heavy-han...more

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Jun 06, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This was the first of Bear's books I read, and she immediately earned a place among my favourite SF authors. At first it seemed the storytelling was headed in a direction that amateurish authors often take: of creating a glitzy, complicated setting by throwing jargon around. Talking about Exalts and Means and the tension between Rule and Engine, while the Enemy waits just outside the World... But this turned around quickly.

Before this style had a chance to sour my reading experience, Bear starte...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sf fans that also like fantasy

Recommended to Kerry by: Women of SF 2011 Book Club

Shelves: 2011, 9, ebooks, sf

I really enjoyed this. I was a bit nervous starting as my experience with Elizabeth Bear has previously left me feeling kind of stupid.

I read and loved Blood and Iron and Whiskey and Water, but mostly because of the beauty of the prose. I was left somewhat confused about what had actually gone on plot-wise. For that reason, while I own the other two Promethean Age books (Ink and Steel and Hell and Earth) I've never been quite brave enough to start them. I feel the same way about the Edda's Burde...more I really enjoyed this. I was a bit nervous starting as my experience with Elizabeth Bear has previously left me feeling kind of stupid.

I read and loved Blood and Iron and Whiskey and Water, but mostly because of the beauty of the prose. I was left somewhat confused about what had actually gone on plot-wise. For that reason, while I own the other two Promethean Age books (Ink and Steel and Hell and Earth) I've never been quite brave enough to start them. I feel the same way about the Edda's Burden books, but since the first is a selection for the Women of Fantasy 2011 Book Club, I guess I'll be giving it a try this year after all.

I was first intrigued by the idea of Dust ages ago, but never actually bought it and started it. So here we are, the first month of the Women of SF 2011 Book Club and Dust is the choice. And finally, I read it.

I'm so glad I did. This time, I actually got to feel kind of clever instead of stupid. As the book revealed more and the world and plot developed, I could see the way the myth and society and near-mystical concept of the world had built out its past. And it was very cleverly done. It was almost as if the book existed on two levels, with the kind of bizarre setting of the present day imposed on the fundamental SF concepts underneath. But it is that intertwining and balance that makes the book such a good read (and so fundamentally Bear from what little of her work I've read). It would have been much less of a book if it had only been the SF tale, and I don't think I would necessarily have liked it. But having that underpinning there gave me something to hold on to and to ground the book for me. With the Promethean Age books I felt like I was trying and failing to grasp air. Here, I felt like I had something solid, and strangely beautiful in my hands, twisted into strange, reality-defying shapes.

For all the the narration switched regularly between Rien and Perceval (with side steps to other characters, especially Dust), this felt like Rien's book to me. We are introduced to the Exalt and the larger world through her eyes and that too may help provide the more grounded feeling I had with this book. Then we have Perceval's point of view to balance Rien's, and yet we find that in her own way, Perceval knows little more of the world than Rien does. So both young women find they way and we, the readers, find ours with them.

The supporting characters were less well developed I felt, but while reading didn't feel that the story was lessened by that. Yet I find I'd like to know more, especially about Tristen. Looking back, I think it is a pity those other characters weren't developed better, but there are two more books for that to happen and I'm pretty sure I'll be reading them. (In fact, when I finish this I'll be off to buy myself an copy of Chill although I don't quite know when I'll have a spare moment to read it.)

Mostly, I'm left with a feeling of something wonderous and peculiar and strange, in all the best possible ways. It's a feeling I'd generally expect to find in fantasy rather than science fiction, and this is very definitely a science fiction novel, which makes me feel like I've discovered a special treat.(less)

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May 22, 2012 Eero rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, lesbian, angels

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 14, 2011 Natalie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-scifi, heavy-world-building

I got about half way through this book before I realized I actually couldn't care less about the characters. I pondered why, because I found the book interesting and it was filled with queerness, which I love in my sci-fi, and the court intrigue was convoluted, as it should be... but as our heroines found themselves in danger I had no sense of urgency. I just felt ho-hum.

So, as I finished the last bit of the book I tried to decipher why I felt like that. I finally decided that the book is not vi...more

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Jan 18, 2011 Alexandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, 2011-women-in-sf-bookclub

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
I read this book as the January book for the 2011 Women in SF Book Club, being organised by Dreams and Speculation. I'd not read any novels by Elizabeth Bear before, although I've enjoyed a number of her short stories and she's also one of the contributors to Shadow Unit, which I adore. I didn't know what to expect from this story, but it wasn't what I got.

In short: I really enjoyed it, and am totally cut that it's the first of a trilogy! (I thought I was doing so well with avoiding those.) I en...more
I read this book as the January book for the 2011 Women in SF Book Club, being organised by Dreams and Speculation. I'd not read any novels by Elizabeth Bear before, although I've enjoyed a number of her short stories and she's also one of the contributors to Shadow Unit, which I adore. I didn't know what to expect from this story, but it wasn't what I got.

In short: I really enjoyed it, and am totally cut that it's the first of a trilogy! (I thought I was doing so well with avoiding those.) I enjoyed the characters, and I thought it was a really interesting take on a not-original (which doesn't mean it's not interesting) SF trope.

At length, with spoilers:

I didn't read the blurb before reading the book. The cover gives some indication of angelic types mixed in with technology, which I thought was a fascinating idea, and then the angel comes in right at the start - sans wings. Perceval, the angel and a woman despite the name, is a really fascinating character. She's conflicted, she's loyal, she never gives up despite an enormous amount of wearing down and opposition.

There are numerous other characters, but most of them are really only bit parts with one, maaaybe two exceptions: definitely Rien, maybe Jacob Dust. It's Rien's point of view that we get most often; starting as a lowly servant, discovering that she's Perceval's half-sister and actually of some consequence, and going and having some adventures - she is, I think, more approachable as a character than Perceval, who despite having some flaws and being somewhat tormented is more symbolic, more... a talisman. Rien is earthier, more grounded, and I think more approachable. Dust, on the other hand, is not very likeable or approachable at all; he's quite a quirky take on the slightly crazed AI which I really enjoyed (I enjoyed the whole idea behind and consequences of the fractured AI, actually).

It took me a while to realise that the setting was a generation ship; right at the start I wasn't even sure it was set in space, and I was wondering whether this was going to be some planet where the people had reverted to a faux-medieval existence with just a few people still taking advantage of old tech. Which is kinda true, but everyone is aware of the fact that they live on a spaceship, even if they don't necessarily do anything directed connected with that reality at the moment. It's a really clever setting: being on such an enormous ship means there's not the claustrophobia of space travel in a tin can, and there are more options for moving around - and for having two antagonistic parties at each others' throats but far enough apart that they have to actually work at reaching other. But it also means that vacuum is a genuine threat, which is a problem you never get dirtside... and it means you have the option of moving the whole damn ship, too (hence the trilogy).

I still haven't quite figured out whether there were more Arthurian links than just Perceval's name (and she does talk about being a knight errant... oh and there's also a Tristen), and I somehow missed them. The third book is apparently going to be called Grail, so maybe there are - or maybe they will be more developed over the next two books.

Finally, let me say that I really didn't expect the conclusion, which is a pretty awesome outcome when I read a book.(less)

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Oct 22, 2011 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very interesting book about interstellar exploration by a future humanity somewhere between Kardashev Type I and Type II, with functional, intelligent nanotech, but without any supralight travel or communication.

The author does an excellent job with both the time scale involved with generation ships (and the loss of knowledge and rise of mythology that later generations would have regarding the status of the ship/world, its controlling intelligences, and old earth) and with carefully giving the...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Viridian5 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

There are a lot of very interesting and promising ideas in Dust--a colony ship in space where entropy is taking over, an artificial "world" within that ship, a society that seems part feudal but where its aristocracy are people who have colonies in their bodies that make them more than human, the battle of "angels" who are pieces of the original ship AI, the impending explosion of nearby stars that would destroy the ship--but Bear rarely capitalizes on them. There are several points where you th...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Cynthisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi_ie_space-tech, z_mmxiii

It's a peculiar talent of Elizabth Bear's to write such "classic" sci fi, yet approach it in such a non-linear, Jungian way that just as I think I'm following along fine, the tale derails itself into tendrals of half-understood action and plots. It was moderately tolerable (for an absolute linear, non-intuitive like myself) in books 1 and 3. But in book 2 the whole last couple of chapters was near incomprehensible. Realistic - in that reality does not follow clean, comprehensible lines of cause-...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, author_female, pub_post-1945, scifi, book-club_scifi, series, audio, book-club_gerard

I liked this book for the incredible descriptions of the world, which is a huge generational star ship but which the human characters experience more as a real, planetary-type place. There are rivers and caves and mountains and trees and most of the time the characters seem to live a medieval existence. But it soon becomes obvious that they also know they are on a ship traveling through space, although they are strangely uninterested in figuring out where they are, or how the ship works, or wher...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Lorena rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I tried, I really did. I've read other things by this author and loved them, and I'm not quite sure why I couldn't get into this book. Especially because I love the idea of a lost generation ship - I want to know why they're lost, how they've evolved, does anyone remember where they are going or why. And what feminist/social science reader wouldn't love a ship being saved by two slightly broken women, with political intrigue thrown in? But perhaps I just picked this book up at the wrong time, or...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Rattyfleef rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Augh! I'm glad I have book 2 to hand.

Not a chewy easy-to-love book; as with a lot of Bear's work you've got to reach in and meet the characters halfway. Fuck if I didn't love Ng and Perceval and Rien though. Wall-to-wall genderfuck, yay! Some bits of the last third didn't quite work for me, and I could have done with a little more explanation in some bits, but overall me likey. Onward to book 2, Chill!

Oh. Worth noting in that, rarely for me, there are characters wanting to hook up and I *cared*...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Hilary added it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, female-author, fiction

I wanted to like Dust.

(view spoiler)

The Conn family power dynamics were fun to read, but I really just had problems sup...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A beautifully designed world of nanotechnology, setting the story in a damaged multi-generational spaceship with a fragmented AI struggling to regain control of the ship in time to save it. I loved the imaginative environment and the first part of the book, but unfortunately both the writing and the characters fell apart a bit in the last half, and ultimately the ending felt unconvincing and unsatisfactory. It still gets big points for the detailed and creative world, but I'm disappointed becaus...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Leilani rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

The prose is sharp, clear, and elegant. I started the story not really knowing much about what was going on because the cover blurb was covered up by the library sticker, but also because the author wants it that way. Uncovering the setting is a large part of the enjoyment of this. It's a grand setting, full of adventure. The characters are sympathetic and gritty, but somehow remain at a distance, as though seen through glass. And the end didn't fully convince me. Even so, I enjoyed Dust and def...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Rachel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 24, 2013 Breedeen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, this was an enjoyable sci-fi novel. The descendants of a disabled generation ship are trapped in an orbit around a dying binary star, and time is running out. The people have evolved beyond normal human physiology but have become separated and different groups are warring against one another. and the computer system has fractured apart as well, into a variety of "angels" who control various regions of the ship.

However, the entry into the world was so immediate that it was difficult to...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

Although I read this fairly quickly and didn't give up on it, I didn't really like this book.

Don't get me wrong, the author's writing is good. And the whole idea should have meant a good book. Should have.

The main thing that I didn't like about this was the incest. Almost every relationship was incestuous, and to me that was just wrong. I couldn't get invested in any relationship because of that.

And all of the characters who did have a significant other didn't seem to hold any emotion for the...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Jamie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I was disappointed with this - I expected to like Bear's work, but I didn't even finish this book. The prose is fine, but the characters are bland and interchangeable and the world-building is frustratingly shallow. There are some nice concepts, but I felt like there wasn’t much substance to the story. I just couldn't stay engaged with it.

The plot summary sounds fascinating: the crew of a multi-generational colony ship parked for repairs after a catastrophe 500 years ago, and now their descendan...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Kate Sherrod rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not since I committed the slight error of letting the Wizard-Knight series be my first Gene Wolfe reads have I been so baffled and yet intrigued by a book as I was as I started Elizabeth Bear's Dust, the first book in her "Jacob's Ladder" series.

Superficially, the two works have a fair bit in common: mysterious, half-mythological worlds strange technology that looks like magic/magic that looks like technology, strong theological overtones*, opaque and ambivalent secondary characters, puzzling an...more Not since I committed the slight error of letting the Wizard-Knight series be my first Gene Wolfe reads have I been so baffled and yet intrigued by a book as I was as I started Elizabeth Bear's Dust, the first book in her "Jacob's Ladder" series.

Superficially, the two works have a fair bit in common: mysterious, half-mythological worlds strange technology that looks like magic/magic that looks like technology, strong theological overtones*, opaque and ambivalent secondary characters, puzzling and multilayered sub-worlds. Ultimately, though Dust is better regarded as a more accessible version of some other Gene Wolfe work, his Long Sun series, which takes place aboard a generational spaceship inside a comet, governed by "gods" that are software copies of the consciousnesses of various rulers from the homeworld's deep and almost forgotten past. But where the Whorl is one complete world through which characters can travel just like they might have on Urth, Jacob's Ladder, the dying generational ship through which our two protagonists move trying to prevent a catastrophic war, is compartmentalized to the point of atomization, with each sub-world either denying the existence of others or hostile to them. Pseudo-feudalism prevails, with the most important class distinction between those whose bodies have been altered and lives extended via colonies of nanomachinery and those who have not.

As our story starts, an "Exalt" woman (i.e. a person benefiting from nanomachines) from the "Engine" world, named Sir Perceval (don't ask), has been captured in some kind of skirmish and awaits the pleasure of the petty tyrant of another sub-world, the Rule. By a Dickensian coincidence, the Mean (no nanites) assigned to keep Perceval alive turns out to be Perceval's long-lost sister**, Rien, who brings news that the petty tyrant has designs on taking over the whole of Jacob's Ladder and ruling it the way her distant ancestor, the Captain did long ago when the ship actually moved around. Naturally this ambition is inimical not only to the ways of life of every other population on the ship, but to the ship itself, which is just barely held together through the efforts of weird and mutually hostile fragments of the machine consciousness that once ran and directed the ship on its journey of exploration and colonization before disaster struck centuries ago.

Part of the story is told from the perspective of one of these god-fragments, Jacob Dust, who watches events unfold from deep inside the substance of the ship and who is only able indirectly to influence them, through a set of nanomechanical wings he has managed to graft onto Perceval's back to replace those cut off when she was captured. His motives are unclear; his interactions with other fragments intriguing but weirdly directionless, his love for Perceval and Rien infectious. The mystery of what he/it was really up to is what really propelled me through this novel.

And I needed some propelling, because once the setting and situation became clear, so did the fact that pretty much every person or entity on board Jacob's Ladder is pretty repellent, with the possible exception of Rien and Perceval, but sometimes even they are hard to take. And not in that fun, love to hate 'em way. These beings are nasty pieces of work, and descended from even nastier pieces of work, and seem kind of naturally inclined to take decisions that are, well, repellent -- even with the excuse that the deeds they contemplate are necessary for their survival.

Dust has two sequels so far, Chill and Grail, but I don't see myself hurrying to read them anytime soon. Their blurbs indicate to me that the alienating qualities that made me sort of drag my feet in reading Dust are still very much a part of the greater narrative, and I have too many books on the infinite to-be-read pile as it is, you know?

But still -- interesting.

*Though I strongly object to the cover blurb "Can a broken angel save a fallen world?" Even combined with the pleasingly H. R. Gigeresque cover art, that's a pretty misleading bit of copy, and one that put me off the book for quite a while; this is not a religious allegory or bible story in genre fiction trappings, after all.

**Everybody who is anybody turns out to be related to everybody else in this novel. It thus teems with weird bits of dialogue like "Chief Engineer, I need to talk to your about our brother, and our daughter." Um.(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Niall519 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Second book of Elizabeth Bear's that I've read (with the first being All The Windwracked Stars), and she just keeps blowing my mind with her beautiful juxtapositions and unexpected combinations.

Dust is one of the most interesting generation-ship stories that I've read. The story is not entirely straightforward, and not explained in easy to digest info-dumps for dummies; the characters unreliable narrators; and the pace reasonably driving (although perhaps a little too condensed in the last thre...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-or-futuristic, books-i-own, e-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love that I've decided to do these book clubs this year, because I'm already reading stuff that I never would've picked up on my own otherwise. I've seen Elizabeth Bear's name floating around (I work in a book store) but I've never actually heard a lot about her or her books. Well, she was the January selection for the Women of Science Fiction book club being hosted at Dreams and Speculations. While I have some conflicting feelings regarding this book, I'd say my overall feeling towards it is,...more I love that I've decided to do these book clubs this year, because I'm already reading stuff that I never would've picked up on my own otherwise. I've seen Elizabeth Bear's name floating around (I work in a book store) but I've never actually heard a lot about her or her books. Well, she was the January selection for the Women of Science Fiction book club being hosted at Dreams and Speculations. While I have some conflicting feelings regarding this book, I'd say my overall feeling towards it is, in the end, more favorable.

I'm no writer, but I know one of the biggest and most important rules of writing is "Show, don't tell." Not being a fan of info-dumps, I agree with this rule, but Bear really takes the "showing" to an extreme. She plunks her readers right in the middle of the action and doesn't really give us a minute to get our bearings. Little to no explanation is given for anything, and I found myself floundering at the beginning of the book to get a handle on what the hell was going on (I especially had trouble with the segments involving Dust and the "angels" of the ship -- those had me completely lost at first, and even still a little bit at the end.) This progressively got better as the story moved along, thank goodness, but it was really discouraging at first. While this kind of annoyed me, I also applaud Bear for not taking the info-dumping route, and letting me learn the workings of her world slowly. It was also more rewarding when I made sense of something. Now, the reason I might've been confused with a lot of the things going on is because I am not a connoisseur of science-fiction, especially "hard" science-fiction, which is definitely present here. Veterans of the genre might not have as much trouble as I did. Despite the confusing at first, the world-building was in the end very well done. It had a neat blending of religion with science that was really cool. The second plot line of the angels competing for control of the ship was really confusing at first (more so than the main plot), but it was worth it for the neat dichotomy of science and religion.

With that being said, that was another problem I had: when I read a book, I like to see it in my head like a movie. Depending on what I'm reading, I get frustrated when I can't imagine what's going on in my head, and I end up getting kind of lost in the prose, which is when I find myself having to re-read passages. I found this happened to me a lot while reading Dust. Again, because I'm not super knowledgeable on the sci-fi genre, a lot of the techno jargon that was being thrown around liberally had me baffled, and made some scenes hard to visualize when said techno jargon was integral to the action at hand.

Bear does a lot of interesting things with gender and sexuality in this novel (which, I hear, is not uncommon in her work.) If you're really sensitive to sexual taboos (this novel deals primarily with incest), than stay away from this book. The two main characters are half-sisters who are in love with one another, but Bear uses the science fiction elements of her world to make this issue a non-issue in the frame of her story (they're not the only incestuous couple in the story.) To be honest, while the lesbian-incest-romance really threw me off at first, once I got settled and a little more comfortable in Bear's world, it became a non-issue for me as well. Bear handles it all with a deft hand, and again, I have to applaud her; the woman obviously has skill. Gender is also dealt with in an unorthodox way, also with the conventions of the science found in her world. We have a character who is genderless (though s/he is a minor one) and a hermaphrodite. Experimenting and playing with gender views is not unheard of in science fiction, but this is my first encounter with it, and it was an element to the story that I appreciated.

I'm still having trouble discerning how I felt about the characters. I didn't dislike anyone in particular, but I also didn't feel any kind of connection to anyone either. Rien and Perceval (the half-sisters) are obviously well realized (though I've read better; this is more in relation to the rest of the cast), and I also found myself really enjoying Gavin's humor, but other than that, no one else really did anything for me. They seemed like they were just there to move the plot along, and at times, the names could've been interchanged and I don't think I would've noticed the difference.

As indicated above, this is the first book in a trilogy, which has since been concluded. Do I want to read the sequels? I kind of do. Now that I have a better handle on the world Bear has created, I think I would be able to immerse myself in the next two books a lot more easily than I did with this first installment. If I were to read the sequels though, I would really like to read this title against beforehand; I think I would understand A LOT more a second time around. However, because I have so many other titles I want to read at the moment, I don't think I'll be re-reading, or reading the next books in this series any time soon, but it isn't because I don't WANT to. A big part of me does, just to catch things I definitely missed the first time around.

Final Verdict: This is definitely not a book for beginners in science-fiction, unless you're really looking for a challenge. This book was most definitely challenging for me (to the point where I actually almost gave up at the beginning, but I pushed forward because it was a book club pick) but I'm glad I read the book the whole way through, because in the end, it was really gratifying. While I think the story suffered from slightly underdeveloped characters, it definitely makes up for it in the lush world that Bear has created, even if it takes awhile to get settled in said world because of the confusing narrative. The gender and sexuality themes brought up were a breath of fresh for me. though they might bother others who really don't like that kind of thing. With all this being said, I would recommend it this title, though not without hesitation. This isn't a book for everyone, though a book I think everyone who is a fan of sci-fi should try. If you're not a fan of the genre, you have been warned. Try it out if you're looking for something a little more challenging.(less)

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About Elizabeth Bear

Elizabeth Bear was born on the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, but in a different year. This, coupled with a childhood tendency to read the dictionary for fun, led her inevitably to penury, intransigence, the mispronunciation of common English words, and the writing of speculative fiction.

She lives in Massachusetts with a Giant Ridiculous Dog. Her partner, acclaimed fantasy author Scott Lynch...more

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Books by Elizabeth Bear

All the Windwracked Stars (The Edda of Burdens, #1)

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“The kiss tasted of bitter sleep, the sourness of the wine. Something brought by each of them.” — 2 people liked it

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Dust (Jacob's Ladder #1)

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