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Midnight Robber

by Nalo Hopkinson

3.90 · rating details · 300 ratings · 41 reviews

It's Carnival time, and the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint is celebrating with music, dance and pageantry. Masked "Midnight Robbers" waylay revelers with brandished weapons and spellbinding words. But to young Tan-Tan, the Robber Queen is simply a favourite costume to wear at the festival--until her power-corrupted father commits an unforgivable crime. ...more

Paperback, 336 pages

Published March 1st 2000 by Aspect

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Community Reviews

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Aug 03, 2011

Matthew rated it

This review contains spoilers. =)

The only good thing about this book is the fact that I never knew what was coming next. (With one exception ... I definitely saw Antonio's rape of Tan-Tan and his subsequent death. But that was about the only thing foreshadowed in the entire book.) This made the book unpredictable, which isn't something that a lot of stories are nowadays.

But that unpredictability is also one of its major flaws. This book wasn't a shocker; it was random as hell. We go from a ...more

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Feb 20, 2011

Lis Carey rated it

Shelves: f-sf, lit-fic

Tan-Tan is a young girl living on the plan et Toussaint, where her father, Antonio, is the mayor of their town. Tan-Tan likes to play at being a figure from Toussaint's folklore, the Robber Queen, one of a host of figures known as Midnight Robbers. When Antonio kills his wife's latest lover, he takes Tan-Tan with him through a dimensional shift, into exile on the sister planet New Half-Way Tree, which serves as a prison planet for all the criminals that Toussaint finds too difficult or awkward t...more

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Jul 02, 2010

Ariana Deralte rated it

Shelves: action-adventure, dystopia, mythology-folklore, scifi

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

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Mar 06, 2010

Liz rated it

Shelves: 50books_poc

Read for 50books_poc, checked out from school library.

Pros: I adored Tan-Tan. The worldbuildling was fantastic. The entire book was written in Caribbean dialect, and it worked incredibly well. I loved just about everything about the future-space-Caribbean. Overall, it was a joy to read. I can't recommend it enough.

Cons: I loved this book. It'd be 5/5, but I absolutely hate stories about child abuse and incest in which the abusee gets pregnant and, at the end, has a miracu...more

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Mar 05, 2011

Kate rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, feminist, world-literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Story of Tan-Tan, a girl from the terraformed world of Toussaint, whose father carries her into transdimensional exile with him after he commits a crime. Written in a mix of English and Anglopatwa, with a thematically-related "'Nansi story" at the beginning of each section.

Pro: Really well-written, overall. The patwa made it hard for me to read, of course, but I enjoyed it once I got used to it. Everything was really well described, and I loved the 'Nansi stories. I also thou...more

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Jan 19, 2010

Zach rated it

Shelves: feminism-gender, science-fiction

A deeply flawed but still enjoyable example of science fiction not centered on (or featuring any examples of) a Europe-descended culture, but rather on a planet colonized by people of the Caribbean. The whole thing is written in patwah, too, which does a great job of immersing the reader in Hopkinson's world.

Planets plural, rather, because the central conceit of this novel is some sort of mumbo-jumbo about criminals from the technologically advanced world of Toussaint being banished ...moreA deeply flawed but still enjoyable example of science fiction not centered on (or featuring any examples of) a Europe-descended culture, but rather on a planet colonized by people of the Caribbean. The whole thing is written in patwah, too, which does a great job of immersing the reader in Hopkinson's world.

Planets plural, rather, because the central conceit of this novel is some sort of mumbo-jumbo about criminals from the technologically advanced world of Toussaint being banished to its alternate dimension analogue New Half-Way Tree, which is populated by creatures out of Caribbean myth. Our heroine, Tan-Tan, is used to a life of luxury on the former, but then is kidnapped to the latter by her convict father, where, after a lifetime of abuse (her survival mechanisms here are one of the novel's best parts), she takes on aspects of the legendary Robber Queen, cohabitating with the creatures of folklore and creating a myth of her own that spreads throughout her new home planet.

Folklore and storytelling lie at the heart of this novel. The above narrative is interspersed with scenes of someone relating some of Tan-Tan's exploits in an exaggerated and mythical form, Tan-Tan's survival is predicated on her adopting aspects of this folk hero, and the climactic show-down (such as it is) basically boils down to her persuading a crowd (and the antagonist) to listen to her story. This part felt totally flat and unconvincing to me, as did the following revelation of the identity of the storyteller of the Tan-Tan myths (which struck me as not only nonsensical but kind of damaging to the entire message of the book).

As a matter of fact, that's kind of how this entire novel was: a series of great setups lacking much meaningful resolution.

Stories, after all, require a great deal of time to turn into myths, and when we eventually learn that Tan-Tan's heroic exploits have all taken place in about 7 months, the whole thing starts to feel rather contrived (much like the idea that on this primitive, desolate planet, a pair of blacksmiths could go from scrapping together a model t-esque powered wagon to producing an armored tank in 3 months).

I really loved the first 3/4s or so, so even though it really failed to deliver on that promise, I'm giving it 4 stars anyway.(less)

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Jul 15, 2011

Luna Raven rated it

Just re-read this and am once again moved by Hopkinson as a writer. Young Tan-Tan is the beloved only child of Antonio and Ione, a couple who both love and cheat with equal passion. The afternoon that Antonio catches Ione in a compromising position begins the tale that will lead Tan-Tan down the proverbial rabbit hole.

If ever there was an Alice in Wonderland in space this is most certainly it. Tan-Tan begins the story as a young child and we see her age as she adapts not only to a whol...more

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Jan 06, 2012

E rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, books-i-own, science-fiction, female-author

A really different sci-fi book accomplishing all the things a sci-fi book should. It made me think about the future and gave me a strong protagonist whose point of view was interesting and relatable.

I especially loved the idea of a future filled with people who aren't Caucasian males. The treatment of colour was well-done in this book, and in a genre where clumsy race analogues are generally accomplished through Pocahontas narratives with blue cat-people. The world Hopkinson creates is...more

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Mar 13, 2011

Editor B rated it

Shelves: octavia-sf

I like science fiction. I like Caribbean cultures. But I've never looked for the intersection of the two. Actually, now I think about it, I have encountered lots of science fictional themes in reggae lyrics. But certainly I never thought to look for a science fiction novel written from a Caribbean perspective.

So that was the first thing I liked about Midnight Robber. It begins on the Caribbean-colonized planet of Toussaint during Carnival. We read this for my book club here in New Or...moreI like science fiction. I like Caribbean cultures. But I've never looked for the intersection of the two. Actually, now I think about it, I have encountered lots of science fictional themes in reggae lyrics. But certainly I never thought to look for a science fiction novel written from a Caribbean perspective.

So that was the first thing I liked about Midnight Robber. It begins on the Caribbean-colonized planet of Toussaint during Carnival. We read this for my book club here in New Orleans just as our own Carnival season was coming to a climax — so I was immediately hooked by the setting and the voice.

The entire novel is written in what I guess might be described as creolized English. It was certainly easy for me to understand once I got the hang of it, so I'm guessing it's a blend of English and perhaps several true creole languages. (As an aside, I love it when two books I'm reading at the same time illuminate each another in unexpected ways, and that happened here when I got to Jared Diamond's section on pidgins and creoles in The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution & Future of the Human Animal.) In any event, the "patwa" definitely gave the book a unique flavor that I enjoyed hugely. In my mind I kept hearing the voice of my favorite Dominican poet, Billy Jno Hope.

But as I read on I discovered a lot more than that initial hook to keep me interested and involved. The father-daughter relationship which is a key element of this story resonated with me, but I did not anticipate the direction it would ultimately take. To say more would be to risk spoiling, so I'll shut up. The daughter emerges as the protagonist in the story. It's a coming-of-age tale. I've read plenty of those from the male perspective, so it's refreshing to get one from the female side.

Indeed, the perspective of this book is profoundly and vitally female. I would not hesitate to call it feminist, except that label might scare away people who have certain preconceived notions about the f-word. Forget all that. This is first and foremost a book about being human. But it's hard to imagine it being written by anyone other than a woman of color. I suppose comparisons to Octavia Butler are inevitable, not just because of the identity of the author but also because of the themes addressed. I was also reminded of Marge Piercy's far more strident Woman on the Edge of Time.

I found the whole story deeply involving and stimulating to my imagination. Did I fail to mention this is unapologetic science fiction as well? In addition high technology we also have alien creatures. Blending these elements with Afro-Caribbean folklore is a powerful combination that really worked for me.

I'd knock off half a star for the ending which felt a trifle rushed and a little too "easy" for me. But endings are hard and I can't begrudge the last few pages when the rest of the book is so accomplished.(less)

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May 26, 2009

Yvonne rated it

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

Is it sci-fi? is it fantasy? The future crafted by the author is a mix of nanotechnology, haitian/creole/carribean/new orleans magic and culture, hero mythology, biomimicry, and liberation stories. Maybe I can give it a new genre name: post-apocalypso? The worlds that Hopkinson creates are wonderfully imaginative and it was really awesome to read a sci fi story that was inspired by the history and culture of a colonized people. The history of black people in the west clearly inspired the mytholo...more

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Jan 12, 2008

John rated it

Shelves: sf-fantasy

After the first few pages I got past the fact that this novel is written entirely in Creole-flavored English, and after a few more pages I bought into the world of Toussant that Hopkins very skillfully creates (although, I’ve gotta say, I am getting tired of sci-fi authors using “nano” as a prefix to a certain technology in order to lend the powers of that technology scientific credibility – it doesn’t work, at least for me (however, I think it is used here less for that than for the word play o...more

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Feb 22, 2008

Christy rated it

Shelves: african-american-lit-and-history, readinglist1, science-fiction-and-fantasy

Nalo Hopkinson's Midnight Robber is science fiction that doesn't feel like science fiction. It is steeped in science fiction traditions, as the narrative takes place in a future where humans live on and have colonized a different planet (Toussaint), rely heavily on nanotechnology, and have the use of transdimensional and space travel technologies; even when the highly technologized world of Toussaint is abandoned for New Half Way Tree, a more primitive and less technologically advanced version ...moreNalo Hopkinson's Midnight Robber is science fiction that doesn't feel like science fiction. It is steeped in science fiction traditions, as the narrative takes place in a future where humans live on and have colonized a different planet (Toussaint), rely heavily on nanotechnology, and have the use of transdimensional and space travel technologies; even when the highly technologized world of Toussaint is abandoned for New Half Way Tree, a more primitive and less technologically advanced version of Toussaint, the narrative still places us clearly within the realm of science fiction, as this world places Tan-Tan, our protagonist, on an alien planet with alien creatures and an alien society to contend with. And all of this is fascinating, made even more fascinating by Hopkinson's combination of science fiction elements with Caribbean storytelling and mythmaking traditions, which makes the novel seem to reach simultaneously forward into the future and backward into a storied past. But even in the midst of advanced technology, foreign cultures, aliens, new worlds, mythological beings, and fantastic events, it is Tan-Tan's very human story of family strife, abuse, and exile that takes center stage.

This was the final novel on my African American reading list, and it is particularly appropriate that this should be so. Hopkinson was born in Jamaica and grew up in Guyana, Trinidad, and Canada, a truly international writer born into a postcolonial world. This illustrates the growing range of interests of African American and American literatures (acknowledging the distinction between U.S. and American literatures) and the growing importance of postcolonial literature and theory in literary studies in general. The fact that she writes science fiction is also appropriate. Even after Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler, and Colson Whitehead (all featured earlier on my list), black writers are only a very small percentage of science fiction writers, black women writers being an even smaller percentage. But their numbers are growing and they are being more and more widely recognized. Science fiction's borders are shifting; African American literature's borders are shifting as well. The two fields become more comfortable with each other. In some ways, then, Hopkinson represents the growth and expansion of the field of African American literature as unified movements become less likely and less necessary (thanks to the Civil Rights movement for the political change that made this possible and thanks to postmodernism for the philosophical/cultural change that made this unavoidable).

But her work still fits nicely within patterns and traditions of African American literature of the late twentieth century. As in the work of many other black women writers, abuse figures prominently in Hopkinson's novel. Tan-Tan is sexually abused by her father and spends the last half of the book developing a coping mechanism for this abuse. As is common in such traumatic situations, Tan-Tan suffers a sort of split. As a result of this, she begins to act out the persona of the Robber Queen as a way of paying penance for her bad behavior in fighting back and killing her father. Exiled from her community, she lives with aliens (until exiled from their community as well) and then goes from village to village, living on the outskirts, only entering as the Robber Queen, when she calls out those who are doing wrong to others and humiliates and punishes them, or when she finds those who need her help and provides them with that which they need. Her actions quickly turn Tan-Tan the Robber Queen into a legend among the villages. But she must eventually face the people she left behind after her father's death (her stepmother, her best friend and boyfriend) and in doing so must face her own actions and the abuse and trauma that led to her actions. This trajectory is unique in its use of Caribbean mythology and even in the way it provides power to Tan-Tan through her chosen coping mechanism of the Robber Queen rather than leaving her powerless, waiting on others to find her and heal her, but it also revisits common ground for black women writers and thus Hopkinson's book finds a place in that tradition of literature of abuse and trauma.

Another tradition of late-twentieth century African American literature that Hopkinson contributes to is that of speculative fiction. Science fiction specifically (particularly harder science fiction) is not common among black writers, but speculative fiction more broadly has become so. Octavia Butler, Ishmael Reed, Samuel Delany, Toni Morrison, Phyllis Alesia Perry, and Colson Whitehead--approximately half of the final part of my reading list has consisted of African American speculative fiction. Clearly, there is an affinity between the freedoms that speculative fiction affords and the themes that African American writers find themselves drawn to. Many of these writers deal explicitly with slavery or abuse and those that do use the speculative elements of their work not to distance readers from that violence by making it less realistic but to broaden the impact of the violence by including more aspects of reality. Hopkinson, I would say, does the same. In her book, there are no ghosts, there is no reincarnation, and there are only passing comments about African slavery; but there is abuse. And that abuse, in Midnight Robber is the most real part of the book. At that point there is no nanotechnology to rely on, no alien civilization to contend with. It is just a girl and her father. And a knife. A human story with familiar technologies. In this particular instance, the alien world and future setting illustrate how widespread and common the issue of violence is.

But the alien setting is not just backdrop for this story, for, beyond this, Hopkinson is able to make a statement about the human tendency toward violence, toward seeing those who are different as less-than-human. The douen, a weird bird-lizard-bat kind of creature that is native to New Half-Way Tree, lives side by side with the human exiles (all humans there have been exiled from Toussaint for one crime or another) but is seen by the humans as childlike, primitive, less-than, Other. And so the humans have little trouble with attacking the douen, killing them, taking advantage of them. But Hopkinson gives us an insight into their culture when Tan-Tan is exiled from her human community and shows just how advanced their culture is. In this dynamic, Hopkinson uses the alien culture to represent very familiar differences within human groups and, by placing the reader's sympathies with the douen, makes a strong anti-racist argument without having to re-tread the same ground that African American writers have been thoroughly covering for decades. Because these issues have been covered so thoroughly, Hopkinson has the freedom to gesture toward such things and have the audience make up the difference.

Midnight Robber concludes with a revelation (which I will not share here) that gives everything that has preceded it a new significance. It makes the story larger than Tan-Tan, larger than the tensions with the douen, and points toward a new and very interesting future for the worlds of New Half-Way Tree and Toussaint. Midnight Robber also points toward a very interesting future for science fiction and for African American and Caribbean literature. (less)

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Dec 30, 2007

Mikhaela rated it

Shelves: speculative-fiction

My copy of this book split in half the fourth or fifth time I read it. Our hero is a young girl named Tan-Tan who lives on the Caribbean-colonized planet of Toussaint and plays at being the Robber Queen in the annual carnival. When her corrupt politician father murders her mother's lover, little Tan-Tan is accidentally sent into exile with him on the dangerous prison planet of New Half-Way Tree. I won't give away what happens next, but a series of horrible events leads a teenage Tan-Tan to run a...more

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May 04, 2009

Anne Gray rated it

Shelves: sciencefiction

A hard SF revelation set in a Caribbean diaspora - nanotech AI has always assisted and tutored a young girl until her father's crime takes them both off-planet to a radically different frontier existence where the living is hard and birdlike aliens will become her new allies. A stirring and provocative poetic tale of a young woman's fighting her way to free adulthood and out of shadows of her father's wrongness.

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Oct 03, 2010

Lisa Grabenstetter rated it

Nalo Hopkinson is a champion world builder. The cultures, the native flora and fauna, the implied evolutionary paths... Everything is lush, and detailed, and believable. My main complaint with this novel is that it isn't 200 pages longer. The epic breadth of the plot, Tan-Tan's growth into her role as Robber Queen and legend, happens far too quickly and without the organic flow that characterizes the rest of the narrative. I would definitely have stuck around for further tales of her daring expl...more

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Jun 07, 2010

Mike Ehlers rated it

Shelves: hugo-nebula-campbell

I read this book when it was nominated for a Hugo. I wanted to see what kind of books lost to a Harry Potter book. It was my first intro to Hopkinson.

I wanted to like this book better than I did. I was excited about finding a new author that had to bring a new perspective to the genre. It was a new perspective, but one I couldn't appreciate in this novel. I don't know if the abuse of the character Tan-Tan put me off, but at times I had trouble following the narrative.

...more

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Oct 27, 2008

Joolie rated it

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi

This is the first Hopkinson book i've read other than a short story and i was extremely excited and had great expectations. For me, the beginning half of the book was way to long and the world of Toussaint didn't intrigue me any where as much as New Half-Way Tree. It is written mostly in English Patois with the nararrator flowing in an out of the language in what it felt like dependence upon how engaged the nararrator was with the story. there were interesting themes and perspectives on race,...more

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Jan 08, 2008

Megan rated it

Shelves: science-fiction

The dialect in this was surprisingly not super annoying. The world was amazing, but not thoroughly explored in favor of telling a more common story within the world, and building the main character Tan-Tan. I didn't particularly like either Tan-Tan or the main storyline, however. The most interesting things in this book are the world Hopkinson builds, with it's mix of cultures and rituals, and her use of mythology to create layers of meaning in the story. Hopkinson lightly touches on different k...more

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Jan 15, 2012

shati rated it

Not entirely sure how I feel about this book. There were things I liked a lot about it -- the worlds, the voices, the, uh, I was going to try to write this without spoilers so I'll just move on. There were some aspects of the plot that are not up my alley, though, and the ending (and even the build up of the title?) did feel rushed to me. Or at least incomplete.

It did keep me sufficiently entertained that I didn't start gnawing on the person next to me on a 4.5 plane ride without any...more

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Jun 19, 2011

Emily rated it

Shelves: bookclub, 2011

PHENOMENAL. BOOK CLUB, I CANNOT WAIT TIL WE DISCUSS IT! The way the book is so steeped in so many old stories so as to tell a new one - I just can't even. LOVED IT.

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Apr 19, 2008

Cait rated it

Shelves: novel, currently-to-shelve, all-of-my-reviewed-books

I really ought to read this book again, but I have a very strong memory of flipping back through it after finishing the first time trying to figure out what the heck had just been going on. This book seemed to have several different stories in it, each following on from the previous one without resolving anything whatsoever from it, which just, I have to say, drove me nuts. They were all good and interesting stories, too, and I'd really like to know how they end! Maybe there's resolution in t...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Jeanique rated it

Amazing mixture of Caribbean folklores and dialects! It's the best thing I've read from her and I'm looking forward to more!

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Jan 22, 2011

Honeycarmel rated it

I couldn't follow the flow of the dialect.. I couldn't understand what was going on.... It was probably good though...
:-/

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Mar 23, 2010

Melissa rated it

Shelves: fantasy

This book was great on so many levels and is my favorite by her so far. It's dark, violent and a bit wondrous.

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Jan 31, 2011

Belle rated it

A dystopian science fiction novel taking place on a Caribbean-colonized island. Rich in Caribbean dialect and African mythology.

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Jun 12, 2011

Troy Wiggins rated it

Read Review Here:

http://afrofantasy.wordpress.com/2011/06...

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Sep 16, 2010

Vivienne rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, poc-reading-challebge

A rich story set in a world that felt truly alien once the human colony was left behind. The novel is written almost entirely in what the characters term 'Anglopatwa' - a Caribbean Creole dialect.

It took a while to get used to the rhythms of the language but once I did I was totally caught up in its poetry. I felt transported into this rich society both on the Caribbean-colonized planet of Toussaint and its interdimensional twin, the prison planet of New HalfWay Tree.

My ...more

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Jul 23, 2010

Jenn Jett-elton rated it

Beautiful. Hard, but fierce. Totally amazing story-weaving!

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Dec 18, 2010

Cloud Jumpa added it

I LOVED this book. Such a unique read! I would say if you're into sci-fi, definately check it out - it's unlike any other kind of sci-fi you've ever read, I'm sure. :)

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Mar 30, 2008

Foxthyme rated it

Shelves: literary-fic-poetry, sf-f-spec-h, tales

I loved a lot about this book, especially the rhythm of the language and the mythological characters. It's an awesome read.

What I didn't like, the superspeed evolution of rough, blacksmith-made jalopy to high-tech military tank...within a month or two. I don't buy it. So that puts a warp in the credibility of the whole book for me. I'll buy everything, so long as you don't start yanking my leg.

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About Nalo Hopkinson

Nalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican-born writer and editor who lives in Canada. Her science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling.

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