The Grasshopper's Child by Gwyneth Jones

Bold as Love #6

by Gwyneth Jones

The Grasshopper’s Child is an old-fashioned futuristic thriller, set in the same Near Future Crisis England as the legendary Bold As Love series, about young people taking the law into their own hands, and the savagery that hides behind wealth and full of odd characters, atrocious secrets, lost illusions and true friends. And gardening tips. Gwyneth Jones has an impressive track record in award winning science fiction and fantasy, and also writes for teenagers as Ann Halam ( Siberia, Dr Franklin's Island, The Shadow On The Stairs ) “Combines the satisfying unmasking closure of a good Scooby-Doo episode, with Gwyneth Jones’ fiery rage against the Establishment and its occult workings. But be like Heidi, you will want to go back and learn your history as well as explore this gorgeous secret garden of a book.” Sophie Mayer, forbookssake

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Paperback

First published September 12, 2014

About the author

Gwyneth Jones is a writer and critic of genre fiction. She's won the Tiptree award, two World Fantasy awards, the Arthur C. Clarke award, the British Science Fiction Association short story award, the Dracula Society's Children of the Night award, the P.K.Dick award, and the SFRA Pilgrim award for lifetime achievement in sf criticism. She also writes for teenagers, usually as Ann Halam. She lives in Brighton, UK, with her husband and two cats called Ginger and Milo; curating assorted pondlife in season. She's a member of the Soil Association, the Sussex Wildlife Trust, Frack Free Sussex and the Green Party; and an Amnesty International volunteer.

Reviews

[Jeanette Greaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book arrived in the post mid morning, and I'd finished it by bedtime. Every minute away from it was a minute I wanted to be back in Heidi Ryan's difficult, terrifying world. Gwyneth Jones has given us another heroic protagonist in Heidi, but so many of the young teenage girls and boys in this book show strength and resolution in the face of the power of Empire and the equally inescapable threat of local corruption.
Set in the near future world of the Bold as Love series, 'The Grasshopper's Child' continues the story of an England managed by a foreign power, where austerity, officially sanctioned tech, and the nationalisation of the means of production are an accepted part of life for many, but where the evidence of deeply hidden crimes bubbles to the surface of life in a seemingly idyllic Sussex village.
Recommended for adults and young adults alike.

[Ry Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A welcome return to the world of Bold As Love, with a great main character. The story falls apart a little bit at the very end, but getting there was worth the trip.