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Darger and Surplus #2
Chasing the Phoenix
A science fiction masterpiece from a five-time Hugo Award winner!
In the distant future, Surplus arrives in China dressed as a Mongolian shaman, leading a yak which carries the corpse of his friend, Darger. The old high-tech world has long since collapsed, and the artificial intelligences that ran it are outlawed and destroyed. Or so it seems.
Darger and Surplus, a human and a genetically engineered dog with human intelligence who walks upright, are a pair of con men and the heroes of a series of prior Swanwick stories. They travel to what was was once China and invent a scam to become rich and powerful. Pretending to have limited super-powers, they aid an ambitious local warlord who dreams of conquest and once again reuniting China under one ruler. And, against all odds, it begins to work, but it seems as if there are other forces at work behind the scenes. This is a sharp, slick, witty science fiction adventure that is hugely entertaining from one of the best SF writers alive.
In the distant future, Surplus arrives in China dressed as a Mongolian shaman, leading a yak which carries the corpse of his friend, Darger. The old high-tech world has long since collapsed, and the artificial intelligences that ran it are outlawed and destroyed. Or so it seems.
Darger and Surplus, a human and a genetically engineered dog with human intelligence who walks upright, are a pair of con men and the heroes of a series of prior Swanwick stories. They travel to what was was once China and invent a scam to become rich and powerful. Pretending to have limited super-powers, they aid an ambitious local warlord who dreams of conquest and once again reuniting China under one ruler. And, against all odds, it begins to work, but it seems as if there are other forces at work behind the scenes. This is a sharp, slick, witty science fiction adventure that is hugely entertaining from one of the best SF writers alive.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2015
61 people are currently reading
1175 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
October 18, 2015
I don't know how this got in my queue. I don't know how it showed up on my library list. All I know is that one day, it showed up at the library with my name on it so I brought it home.
It then sat in a pile of library books. It sat. And sat. And about three weeks later, I was still trying to figure out WHY I got this book out of the library. Well, yesterday morning, I decided to start reading it.
About two chapters in, I was curious. Three chapter in, I was hooked. I looked up the book on goodreads. What? Number TWO in the series? How have I started a series on book TWO?
More importantly, should I stop reading now to avoid spoiling book one?
I decided to live dangerously and finish the book without waiting for the library gods to send me book one. Last night I finished it. It may have only been about 400 pages, but I read the entire thing in one day.
So - what did I think of this book about an anthropomorphic dog and his friend (introduced to us as a corpse)? I gave it a fairly rare five star rating. I read the whole book in one day. What do you think I think of it?
It is a fun, fun book. The writing style reminds me strongly of the Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan, but with even more levity and humor.
The main characters are fun and well developed. The side characters are fun and well developed. The plot is fun and well developed.
The series begins in a post-apocalyptic society with a genetically engineered dog and his friend (first showing up in The Dog Said Bow-Wow). They are clever, good hearted con artists with a conscience just trying to make their way through life while enriching themselves along the way.
Don't read this book if you take life too seriously. I'd rate the book PG-13 for some mild sexual situations and cartoonish violence.
It then sat in a pile of library books. It sat. And sat. And about three weeks later, I was still trying to figure out WHY I got this book out of the library. Well, yesterday morning, I decided to start reading it.
About two chapters in, I was curious. Three chapter in, I was hooked. I looked up the book on goodreads. What? Number TWO in the series? How have I started a series on book TWO?
More importantly, should I stop reading now to avoid spoiling book one?
I decided to live dangerously and finish the book without waiting for the library gods to send me book one. Last night I finished it. It may have only been about 400 pages, but I read the entire thing in one day.
So - what did I think of this book about an anthropomorphic dog and his friend (introduced to us as a corpse)? I gave it a fairly rare five star rating. I read the whole book in one day. What do you think I think of it?
It is a fun, fun book. The writing style reminds me strongly of the Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan, but with even more levity and humor.
The main characters are fun and well developed. The side characters are fun and well developed. The plot is fun and well developed.
The series begins in a post-apocalyptic society with a genetically engineered dog and his friend (first showing up in The Dog Said Bow-Wow). They are clever, good hearted con artists with a conscience just trying to make their way through life while enriching themselves along the way.
Don't read this book if you take life too seriously. I'd rate the book PG-13 for some mild sexual situations and cartoonish violence.
October 27, 2015
China will never be the same now that Darger and Surplus have campaigned across it.
This is the sf equivalent of one of Harry Flashman's bawdy reminiscences, and just as much fun.
Highly recommended to the mad, bad and dangerous to know.
This is the sf equivalent of one of Harry Flashman's bawdy reminiscences, and just as much fun.
Highly recommended to the mad, bad and dangerous to know.
April 27, 2022
More fun than I can tell. Comparable with Sir Terry Pratchett's "Interesting Times". Highly recommended. I can hardly wait for the sequel.
October 4, 2015
What a strange book.
There's a lot that's unconventional about Chasing the Phoenix and when the novelty works, it works well. This is a story about two con men Darger and Surplus, (rather 1 con man and 1 anthropomorphic con dog) who find themselves in China, pretending to be immortals to gain the trust of a power-hungry King and so attach themselves to his campaign to conquer all of China. To everyone's surprise, including their own, their plans actually work but things rapidly become more and more convoluted as they wind up getting mixed up in the personal affairs of several of the army's high ranking-officials and the King's obsession with the enigmatic Phoenix Bride.
One of the strongest aspects of Chasing the Phoenix was its setting: the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of China, only in this book, the apocalypse is a thing of the far distant past and the world has already mostly healed. Ancient war machines and genetic engineers fit right in alongside swords, chimerical horses, and resurrected Pliestocene ground sloths in a mish-mash of time and culture that's refreshingly original. It's just a shame that the actual story didn't really do much with such a crazy setting.
Chasing the Phoenix had the potential to have a killer plot line. Buried in the text and only mentioned here and there is the idea that ancient humanity-hating AIs (who are written in such a kickass way when they do show up) are still around and are still fixated on ending humankind. Their involvement with the Phoenix Bride and their relationship with some of the main characters is by far the single most compelling narrative thread in the entire novel and I was instantly hooked whenever we returned to it. But instead of centering the story around this idea, Swanwick chooses to fill a large majority of the novel's middle section with this weird love-triange (quadrangle?) that Darger and Surplus have to solve between several of the army's officers. In all honesty, I can't tell if this was meant to be humorous or not but the repetitive courtship advice, the endless meetings to discuss love affairs, and the bland personality of the officers themselves made the last 2/3rds of this book just drag for me. Isn't this a story about conquering China? I thought to myself. Isn't there this cool idea about the ghosts of the apocalypse still hanging around, tainting human minds? Isn't there an insane, corrupt, paranoid King our heroes have to carefully con while pretending to serve? Nah, that would be too interesting. Let's stick to reading about how our main characters advise people on how to read love poems to each other and how to inspire jealousy in their partners. That makes for a far better tale.
Apologies if this comes off as ranty but it was oddly frustrating seeing such an interesting story go so completely off the tracks. There's no doubt that Swanwick can write and write well, with this adorable mix of innocent humor and tongue-in-cheek comedy but why it had to be wasted on such an ultimately trivial plot is just confusing. Darger and Surplus are a charming duo that work extremely well together but they don't exactly play for high stakes in this one. What could have been a high-intensity ride gets bogged down in dumb side plots which our heroes spend all their time solving, never finding themselves facing anything more dangerous than a night of too little sleep. Forget 'Chasing the Phoenix' this one should've been labelled 'Chasing Relationships.'
There's a lot that's unconventional about Chasing the Phoenix and when the novelty works, it works well. This is a story about two con men Darger and Surplus, (rather 1 con man and 1 anthropomorphic con dog) who find themselves in China, pretending to be immortals to gain the trust of a power-hungry King and so attach themselves to his campaign to conquer all of China. To everyone's surprise, including their own, their plans actually work but things rapidly become more and more convoluted as they wind up getting mixed up in the personal affairs of several of the army's high ranking-officials and the King's obsession with the enigmatic Phoenix Bride.
One of the strongest aspects of Chasing the Phoenix was its setting: the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of China, only in this book, the apocalypse is a thing of the far distant past and the world has already mostly healed. Ancient war machines and genetic engineers fit right in alongside swords, chimerical horses, and resurrected Pliestocene ground sloths in a mish-mash of time and culture that's refreshingly original. It's just a shame that the actual story didn't really do much with such a crazy setting.
Chasing the Phoenix had the potential to have a killer plot line. Buried in the text and only mentioned here and there is the idea that ancient humanity-hating AIs (who are written in such a kickass way when they do show up) are still around and are still fixated on ending humankind. Their involvement with the Phoenix Bride and their relationship with some of the main characters is by far the single most compelling narrative thread in the entire novel and I was instantly hooked whenever we returned to it. But instead of centering the story around this idea, Swanwick chooses to fill a large majority of the novel's middle section with this weird love-triange (quadrangle?) that Darger and Surplus have to solve between several of the army's officers. In all honesty, I can't tell if this was meant to be humorous or not but the repetitive courtship advice, the endless meetings to discuss love affairs, and the bland personality of the officers themselves made the last 2/3rds of this book just drag for me. Isn't this a story about conquering China? I thought to myself. Isn't there this cool idea about the ghosts of the apocalypse still hanging around, tainting human minds? Isn't there an insane, corrupt, paranoid King our heroes have to carefully con while pretending to serve? Nah, that would be too interesting. Let's stick to reading about how our main characters advise people on how to read love poems to each other and how to inspire jealousy in their partners. That makes for a far better tale.
Apologies if this comes off as ranty but it was oddly frustrating seeing such an interesting story go so completely off the tracks. There's no doubt that Swanwick can write and write well, with this adorable mix of innocent humor and tongue-in-cheek comedy but why it had to be wasted on such an ultimately trivial plot is just confusing. Darger and Surplus are a charming duo that work extremely well together but they don't exactly play for high stakes in this one. What could have been a high-intensity ride gets bogged down in dumb side plots which our heroes spend all their time solving, never finding themselves facing anything more dangerous than a night of too little sleep. Forget 'Chasing the Phoenix' this one should've been labelled 'Chasing Relationships.'
October 29, 2015
Reading this sedate, leisurely and very conversational book reminded me how far Hollywood’s short attention span, combined with its gee-whizz mentality, has infiltrated the SF genre.
It takes a thoroughly writerly book such as this to remind one of the unique pleasure that can be derived from consummate writing: writing that pays as much attention to character as it does to pace and setting.
Clearly Swanwick is equally enamoured with both Aubrey Darger (baseline human) and Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux, or just plain Surplus (a genetically engineered ‘smart’ dog).
Who can blame him, though, as they are such thoroughly entertaining characters. The reader quickly follows suit as well, falling equally and as madly in love with their exploits.
Yes, the plot is rather reminiscent of Dancing with Bears, with Russia replaced by China. The world-building is still as quixotic and untempered by reality as before. But, oh boy, the writing! Swanwick is a veritable wordsmith of wonder, and this is sheer delight from beginning to end.
Just as Shakespeare’s comedies are often frowned upon for being inferior (probably because many are so bawdy), so might some readers regard Chasing the Phoenix as Swanwick ‘lite’, and not in the same league as ‘serious’ SF novels like Stations of the Tide.
Humbug, I say. Swanwick is on top form here. His untrammelled belief in his world and his characters makes for a truly memorable reading experience.
It takes a thoroughly writerly book such as this to remind one of the unique pleasure that can be derived from consummate writing: writing that pays as much attention to character as it does to pace and setting.
Clearly Swanwick is equally enamoured with both Aubrey Darger (baseline human) and Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux, or just plain Surplus (a genetically engineered ‘smart’ dog).
Who can blame him, though, as they are such thoroughly entertaining characters. The reader quickly follows suit as well, falling equally and as madly in love with their exploits.
Yes, the plot is rather reminiscent of Dancing with Bears, with Russia replaced by China. The world-building is still as quixotic and untempered by reality as before. But, oh boy, the writing! Swanwick is a veritable wordsmith of wonder, and this is sheer delight from beginning to end.
Just as Shakespeare’s comedies are often frowned upon for being inferior (probably because many are so bawdy), so might some readers regard Chasing the Phoenix as Swanwick ‘lite’, and not in the same league as ‘serious’ SF novels like Stations of the Tide.
Humbug, I say. Swanwick is on top form here. His untrammelled belief in his world and his characters makes for a truly memorable reading experience.
June 25, 2015
Chasing The Phoenix by Michael Swanwick- This book follows the further adventures of Darger and Surplus, who first appeared in the Hugo winning short story "The Dog Said Bow-Wow"(2001), a pair of con artists loose on an unsuspecting altered world that at first looks like Earth but is really quite different. Darger is a human while Surplus is a genetically altered form with a dog's head on a human body. In the opening sequence, Surplus has just entered a village in China, seeking aide for his dead colleague, Darger. He looks for a miracle magician who can bring Darger back to life. Of course, the con is on, and after some sharp twists and turns, you will see why this series has become so popular today. Swanwick's heady prose and clever wit make for a story much more than your average fantasy.
August 29, 2015
A Delightful Darger and Surplus Romp Through a Post-Utopian China
Demonstrating once more why he is one of the premier literary stylists and storytellers in Anglo-American speculative fiction, Michael Swanwick's "Chasing the Phoenix" is yet another madcap romp through the post-Utopian future of Aubrey Darger and Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux - better known as Surplus; a compelling sequel to his earlier "Dancing with Bears" and the all too brief, quite hilarious, short fiction he's written about these two extraordinary con men (or rather, genetically modified dog, Surplus) who may be among the most compelling fictional creations in contemporary American literature, not just speculative fiction. Those unfamiliar with Swanwick's earlier novel, or his other Darger and Surplus tales, will find "Chasing the Phoenix" a most delightful read, not least because Swanwick's exceptional literary talents have raised what should be an ordinary example of pulp speculative fiction to high literary art. What more can you ask of a novel that has bioengineered extinct creatures, hordes of invading armies, and a long-lost nuclear warhead? In "Chasing the Phoenix", Darger and Surplus find themselves the unexpected architects of a successful effort to reunite China under the rule of a single emperor, merging a motley collection of warring states into a revived Chinese Empire. Without question, Michael Swanwick has written yet another notable addition to his splendid oeuvre of novels and stories, and one that may be remembered as among the finest new novels of speculative fiction published this year.
Demonstrating once more why he is one of the premier literary stylists and storytellers in Anglo-American speculative fiction, Michael Swanwick's "Chasing the Phoenix" is yet another madcap romp through the post-Utopian future of Aubrey Darger and Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux - better known as Surplus; a compelling sequel to his earlier "Dancing with Bears" and the all too brief, quite hilarious, short fiction he's written about these two extraordinary con men (or rather, genetically modified dog, Surplus) who may be among the most compelling fictional creations in contemporary American literature, not just speculative fiction. Those unfamiliar with Swanwick's earlier novel, or his other Darger and Surplus tales, will find "Chasing the Phoenix" a most delightful read, not least because Swanwick's exceptional literary talents have raised what should be an ordinary example of pulp speculative fiction to high literary art. What more can you ask of a novel that has bioengineered extinct creatures, hordes of invading armies, and a long-lost nuclear warhead? In "Chasing the Phoenix", Darger and Surplus find themselves the unexpected architects of a successful effort to reunite China under the rule of a single emperor, merging a motley collection of warring states into a revived Chinese Empire. Without question, Michael Swanwick has written yet another notable addition to his splendid oeuvre of novels and stories, and one that may be remembered as among the finest new novels of speculative fiction published this year.
October 27, 2015
I just ran across this book on the shelf, read the synopsis and took a chance. I didn't know it was part of a series until I looked it up here. What a fun execution. I don't have a lot to say except that it surprised me and charmed me. I'm a fan of Michael Swanwick now and I'm sure forever.
August 17, 2017
I feel kinda conflicted about this book. I liked the world-building a lot. It's an interesting world, on a conceptual level.
A few things took points away, for me. 1) It deals with sex and sexuality in a really weird, jarring way that I found off-putting. It feels like a lot of the sex scenes seem to happen for no plot reason that really makes sense. It never really goes into explicit detail in the sex scenes, but it definitely never fails to mention each additional time during a session of sex that the characters begin banging again (I think it's never less than twice, and in a couple of scenes it's like five times in a row with literally nothing mentioned in between). Like, he can't just mention that the characters had a night of sex with each other; for some reason, it has to be like "They had sex so hard that they broke the thing they were having sex on. And then they had sex again. And again. And an additional time." But one of the supporting characters is the only person who ever seems to be particularly interested in sex at any time other than when random sex scenes are actually occurring.
2) One of the characters is, apparenly, a genetically-engineered upright-walking dog-man. You would imagine some sort of Anubis-like man-body-with-dog-head... but if you look on the cover, the illustration is of JUST A RELATIVELY NORMAL-SIZED/PROPORTIONED DOG STANDING ON HIS HIND LEGS AND WEARING CLOTHES. He is the only dog-man that exists in the book's canon, yet NONE OF THE CHARACTERS EVER FIND THIS WORTHY OF REMARK, AND IT AFFECTS THE PLOT IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER. I think one of the other characters mentions -- once -- that the dog-man has a better sense of hearing or smell than a normal human, but that's, like, it. He walks and talks. He never gets fleas or licks himself or does any dog-like things. He is seduced by a human woman early on who then claims him as her husband, and they continue banging like rabbits throughout the whole book, and nobody seems to think this is in any way weird or unusual. I realize this is some sort of posthistorical, postcyberpunk world, but still. He is the only talking, upright-walking dog-man that exists in the world, and everyone is basically like, "Meh".
3) This is a big one. The physical trade paperback version of this book does something I hate: Absolutely NO WHERE on the cover or inside the book (that I've been able to find?), INCLUDING the list of other books by the author, does it mention that this is not the first book. There is, in fact, a book with the same two main characters that comes before this one. Yet this is one of those books that seems to go out of its way to hide that fact. I picked it up and had read a third of it before I remembered to add it to my Goodreads shelf, and -- surprise! -- it's book #2. I was just thinking that it was making lots of references to specific events in its own backstory, but there was an actual entire book before this one. I guess it's good that it stands alone as its own relatively-self-contained story pretty well. But does anybody know why publishers do that? Because this has happened to me numerous times, and it annoys the living piss out of me every time.
A few things took points away, for me. 1) It deals with sex and sexuality in a really weird, jarring way that I found off-putting. It feels like a lot of the sex scenes seem to happen for no plot reason that really makes sense. It never really goes into explicit detail in the sex scenes, but it definitely never fails to mention each additional time during a session of sex that the characters begin banging again (I think it's never less than twice, and in a couple of scenes it's like five times in a row with literally nothing mentioned in between). Like, he can't just mention that the characters had a night of sex with each other; for some reason, it has to be like "They had sex so hard that they broke the thing they were having sex on. And then they had sex again. And again. And an additional time." But one of the supporting characters is the only person who ever seems to be particularly interested in sex at any time other than when random sex scenes are actually occurring.
2) One of the characters is, apparenly, a genetically-engineered upright-walking dog-man. You would imagine some sort of Anubis-like man-body-with-dog-head... but if you look on the cover, the illustration is of JUST A RELATIVELY NORMAL-SIZED/PROPORTIONED DOG STANDING ON HIS HIND LEGS AND WEARING CLOTHES. He is the only dog-man that exists in the book's canon, yet NONE OF THE CHARACTERS EVER FIND THIS WORTHY OF REMARK, AND IT AFFECTS THE PLOT IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER. I think one of the other characters mentions -- once -- that the dog-man has a better sense of hearing or smell than a normal human, but that's, like, it. He walks and talks. He never gets fleas or licks himself or does any dog-like things. He is seduced by a human woman early on who then claims him as her husband, and they continue banging like rabbits throughout the whole book, and nobody seems to think this is in any way weird or unusual. I realize this is some sort of posthistorical, postcyberpunk world, but still. He is the only talking, upright-walking dog-man that exists in the world, and everyone is basically like, "Meh".
3) This is a big one. The physical trade paperback version of this book does something I hate: Absolutely NO WHERE on the cover or inside the book (that I've been able to find?), INCLUDING the list of other books by the author, does it mention that this is not the first book. There is, in fact, a book with the same two main characters that comes before this one. Yet this is one of those books that seems to go out of its way to hide that fact. I picked it up and had read a third of it before I remembered to add it to my Goodreads shelf, and -- surprise! -- it's book #2. I was just thinking that it was making lots of references to specific events in its own backstory, but there was an actual entire book before this one. I guess it's good that it stands alone as its own relatively-self-contained story pretty well. But does anybody know why publishers do that? Because this has happened to me numerous times, and it annoys the living piss out of me every time.
February 14, 2016
In a distant future the world has passed through a utopian period and settled back into a more mundane existence. China is reduced to several warring provinces. Into the Abundant Kingdom comes two con men--Aubrey Darger (self-named "the Perfect Strategist" who is good at coming up with schemes) and Surplus (a genetically-engineered dog-man who is good at wooing women and fighting without killing). Darger is dead but that is a small problem since Surplus is certain he will find a cure at the home of the Infallible Physician. To bad the Physician is a dottering old man who refuses to teach his only child (a daughter) the tricks of the trade. Surplus and the daughter are both wily enough to get what they want out of the exchange.
Word of their exploits with the Infallible Physician gets out and many people are willing to employ the Aubrey and Surplus for the right price. Being con men, the duo finagle the lowest "right price" with most everyone. Their adventures bring them to the attention of a ruler called the Hidden King. The Hidden King wants to reunite China, through bloody war if necessary. With an advisor such as the Perfect Strategist, the king's fortunes may be less bloody and more fortunate than he could ever imagine. The king has a military advisor, Powerful Locomotive (that's just his name, he isn't a Transformer or cyborg), who conducts battles, and an archeological advisor, White Squall, who finds ancient military technology to give them big advantages in battle. The king's greatest ambition is to find the Phoenix Bride, a thermonuclear device, which he will use to become emperor of all China. Aubrey and Surplus have a lot of people to con and an end result they'd rather not be around for.
The plot unravels as a delightful series of audacious and humorous cons put on by Aubrey and Surplus. As they are swept up in the war to reunite China, they are able to pass themselves off as noble warriors without ever killing anyone or coming up with great military strategies on their own. The situations are not entirely plausible but that's fine since they are entirely delightful. I laughed out loud many times reading this book and heartily recommend it as a comedic sci-fi yarn.
Word of their exploits with the Infallible Physician gets out and many people are willing to employ the Aubrey and Surplus for the right price. Being con men, the duo finagle the lowest "right price" with most everyone. Their adventures bring them to the attention of a ruler called the Hidden King. The Hidden King wants to reunite China, through bloody war if necessary. With an advisor such as the Perfect Strategist, the king's fortunes may be less bloody and more fortunate than he could ever imagine. The king has a military advisor, Powerful Locomotive (that's just his name, he isn't a Transformer or cyborg), who conducts battles, and an archeological advisor, White Squall, who finds ancient military technology to give them big advantages in battle. The king's greatest ambition is to find the Phoenix Bride, a thermonuclear device, which he will use to become emperor of all China. Aubrey and Surplus have a lot of people to con and an end result they'd rather not be around for.
The plot unravels as a delightful series of audacious and humorous cons put on by Aubrey and Surplus. As they are swept up in the war to reunite China, they are able to pass themselves off as noble warriors without ever killing anyone or coming up with great military strategies on their own. The situations are not entirely plausible but that's fine since they are entirely delightful. I laughed out loud many times reading this book and heartily recommend it as a comedic sci-fi yarn.
May 31, 2016
[Really more like 3.5 stars]
"Chasing the Phoenix" starts out as a book about two post-Utopian con-men, Darger (an Englishman) and Surplus (an intelligent talking dog from the Demesne of Western Vermont), who accidentally end up uniting China while in search of a big score. But about a third of the way in, it turns itself into a Wodehouse-esque romantic comedy of tangled hearts, in which Darger plays the role of, say, Uncle Fred (Wodehouse fans will recall that Uncle Fred himself had aspirations of being a con man at one point). (Surplus takes a less prominent role here, due to his being claimed as a husband by the head of a clan of petty criminals.) Admittedly the consequences for Darger if things don’t work out are rather more fatal than Uncle Fred generally had to worry about, but the parallels are so obvious that it’s hard to believe that it’s unintentional on Swanwick’s part. (He wouldn’t be the first fantasy author to move in this direction either, as Connie Willis and Neil Gaiman have both written books with strong Wodehouse influences.) If the result is not as funny as Wodehouse (even, to be honest, second-tier Wodehouse), it’s still quite amusing, and it undoubtedly has far more biotechnological monsters than Wodehouse generally has to offer. Plus, Swanwick allows himself to branch out a bit: Utopia, as readers of previous Darger and Surplus stories will recall, fell due to a war between humans and AI’s, hence machines are strongly discouraged, but “Chasing the Phoenix” shows them perhaps starting to reappear (admittedly, mainly in the form of resurrected Utopian war machines, but once a taboo is broken . . . .) Additionally, we learn some more about the nature of those AI’s via some legitimately creepy encounters. The China in the story is best thought of as something like Barry Hughart’s “ancient China that never was”, a homage rather than an attempt to depict something real. If Swanwick doesn’t quite achieve the level of “Bridge of Birds”, it’s still an entertaining read, and I look forward to Darger and Surplus’s next adventure.
"Chasing the Phoenix" starts out as a book about two post-Utopian con-men, Darger (an Englishman) and Surplus (an intelligent talking dog from the Demesne of Western Vermont), who accidentally end up uniting China while in search of a big score. But about a third of the way in, it turns itself into a Wodehouse-esque romantic comedy of tangled hearts, in which Darger plays the role of, say, Uncle Fred (Wodehouse fans will recall that Uncle Fred himself had aspirations of being a con man at one point). (Surplus takes a less prominent role here, due to his being claimed as a husband by the head of a clan of petty criminals.) Admittedly the consequences for Darger if things don’t work out are rather more fatal than Uncle Fred generally had to worry about, but the parallels are so obvious that it’s hard to believe that it’s unintentional on Swanwick’s part. (He wouldn’t be the first fantasy author to move in this direction either, as Connie Willis and Neil Gaiman have both written books with strong Wodehouse influences.) If the result is not as funny as Wodehouse (even, to be honest, second-tier Wodehouse), it’s still quite amusing, and it undoubtedly has far more biotechnological monsters than Wodehouse generally has to offer. Plus, Swanwick allows himself to branch out a bit: Utopia, as readers of previous Darger and Surplus stories will recall, fell due to a war between humans and AI’s, hence machines are strongly discouraged, but “Chasing the Phoenix” shows them perhaps starting to reappear (admittedly, mainly in the form of resurrected Utopian war machines, but once a taboo is broken . . . .) Additionally, we learn some more about the nature of those AI’s via some legitimately creepy encounters. The China in the story is best thought of as something like Barry Hughart’s “ancient China that never was”, a homage rather than an attempt to depict something real. If Swanwick doesn’t quite achieve the level of “Bridge of Birds”, it’s still an entertaining read, and I look forward to Darger and Surplus’s next adventure.
October 8, 2015
Michael Swanwick latest tale of two con people Chasing the Phoenix (hard from Tor) will probably end up being nominated for an award, because the author is frequently nominated and the short tale that began the series “The Dog Said Bow-Wow,” already won the Hugo. Surplus is a genetically modified dog who walks erect and speaks perfectly. His partner, Aubrey Darger was killed in the previous book and needs revival by the Perfect Physician in China. After the revival the pair come to the Hidden King who has dreams of reuniting China, still in pieces after the fall of the utopian civilization. With the help of war machines dug up by the archeologist, White Squall, and the head of the hidden king’s armies Powerful Locomotive, Darger and Surplus soon find themselves far more successful as they con kings into joining them or standing by while the Hidden Emperor’s troops conquer other kingdoms. Dealing with the love interests of the inner circle of advisors is a little harder. The major problem is that the Hidden Emperor has dreams of being blown up by the nuke that White Squall found, convinced it will turn them all to gods. The tale is appropriately silly and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press
November 27, 2015
The latest story of Darger and Surplus finds the two rogues in China, nominally trying to help the Hidden Emperor unite China, really trying to execute a scam to make the rich. Darger presents himself as the Perfect Strategist, Surplus as the Dog Warrior. They need to deal with a high ranking official that is unearthing forgotten weapons for the war -- including the thermonuclear device the mad emperor wants to use -- various officials who involve them in subplots involving matchmaking, and a family of thieves.
It's all very entertaining, and the two heroes feel like they could have walked out of a Jack Vance novel.
It's all very entertaining, and the two heroes feel like they could have walked out of a Jack Vance novel.
October 2, 2015
CHASING THE PHOENIX reminds me of some of my favorite works of L. Sprague DeCamp. The plot bounds from one extraordinary scene to the next. The characters are portrayed in bold strokes that would be over the top if not for Swanwick's skill as a writer. The book is very tightly plotted. Much that seems inexplicable is explained at the end. The ending is foreshadowed from the first page. It is a good read, worth savouring every page. I was sorry to come to the end of it.
September 11, 2015
The style reminds me of Mark Twain.
I laughed a lot.
Very funny and chock full of pithy, ironic, humorous, satiric wisdom, and intricately plotted strategy.
A dystopian future with two unlikely but lovable anti-heroes, and their growing band of misfits.
I laughed a lot.
Very funny and chock full of pithy, ironic, humorous, satiric wisdom, and intricately plotted strategy.
A dystopian future with two unlikely but lovable anti-heroes, and their growing band of misfits.
January 31, 2021
Unimpressed when I read it. The review here that's nearest to what I recall of the book is by Chernz, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
So I'll refer you to that one. Frustrating book! 2.5 stars, rounded down for the missed opportunities.
So I'll refer you to that one. Frustrating book! 2.5 stars, rounded down for the missed opportunities.
June 30, 2015
A good read until the abrupt ending. Previews suck.
November 7, 2015
2.5 stars at best
After reading the previous book and seeing it potential, I had high hopes for this one; however, the tale turns out to be rather dull.
After reading the previous book and seeing it potential, I had high hopes for this one; however, the tale turns out to be rather dull.
Read
February 4, 20163 stars from Bill: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
October 20, 2016
Set in A far future China after the fall of our modern civilization, two trickster figures and their adventures. Clever and entertaining
September 14, 2017
Totally, absolutely, madly... I loved it.
October 13, 2020
Мое знакомство с Суэнвиком было прекрасным. Это был шикарный сборник рассказов от Азбуки. Именно его мне советовали купить, если я сомневаюсь, брать ли мне знаменитых "Железных драконов". Рассказы мне вызвали у меня кучу восторга, поэтому большая их часть получила от меня оценки 8 и выше.
Далее были совершенно непонятные мне "Железные драконы". Я не проникся духом технофэнтези, хотя и отвращения два романа тоже не вызвали. Была надежда на цикл о Даргере и Довеске. Это истории о двух плутах-авантюристов, которые путешествуют по миру после апокалипсиса (тут он называется Утопией) и пытаются найти способ разбогатеть. При этом Даргер - это вполне себе человек, а Даргер - это помесь собаки с человеком.
В романе "Танцы с медведями" двух друзей закинуло в Московию, щедро усыпанной клюквой (той самой с медведями с балалайкой наперевес). Наркочай из самовара, демонический Распутин и огромный шагающий роботоЛенин - вот такое сумасшествие творится на улицах Московии по мнению Суэнвика. Сюр ради сюра. В итоге читать вроде как можно, но если пропустишь, то ничего не потеряешь.
Примерно с такими же мыслями я садился за "Полетом феникса", действие в котором происходит в раздробленном Китае. После Утопии Китай разделился на множество мелких государств, воюющих между собой. Даргер и Довесок прибывают в Китай из Монголии, после чего знакомятся с Тайным Императором - некто Мистер X, в чьи планы входит завоевание всего Мира.
Всю книгу наши герои будут завоевывать то одну, то другую территорию, но естественно не силой, а хитростью, т.к. враг всегда будет иметь численное преимущество и хитрого и коварного главкома. Периодически, когда завоевания начнут надоедать, Даргера и Довеска постоянно будут просить помочь в любовных делах. Главком любит старшую помощницу, старшая помощница безума от царевича, царевич ищет женщину голубых кровей, а Тайный Император вообще горит страстью к ядерной боеголовке (да, у Суэнвика это в порядке вещей).
К сожалению, в книге не чувствуется духа Китая, кроме разве что периодически всплывающих призраков коммунизма и единогласия (таки страна раздроблена же). Если бы вместо Хитрой Лисы, Мощного Локомотива и Умелого Слуги были Джон Смит, Кейт Фокс и Роберт Трэйн - ничего не изменилось. Но да, условно это Китай...
Признаюсь честно, читать было скучно. Анализируя отзывы других, я понял, что "Полет феникса" лучше всего зайдет тем, кто получил удовольствие от "танцев с медведями". И если в Танцах еще была довольно веселая клюква, то в Полете ее совсем не было. Отсюда и оценка в 6/10. На этом я, пожалуй, с Суэнвиком завяжу (только если не доберусь до еще одного сборника рассказов).
Далее были совершенно непонятные мне "Железные драконы". Я не проникся духом технофэнтези, хотя и отвращения два романа тоже не вызвали. Была надежда на цикл о Даргере и Довеске. Это истории о двух плутах-авантюристов, которые путешествуют по миру после апокалипсиса (тут он называется Утопией) и пытаются найти способ разбогатеть. При этом Даргер - это вполне себе человек, а Даргер - это помесь собаки с человеком.
В романе "Танцы с медведями" двух друзей закинуло в Московию, щедро усыпанной клюквой (той самой с медведями с балалайкой наперевес). Наркочай из самовара, демонический Распутин и огромный шагающий роботоЛенин - вот такое сумасшествие творится на улицах Московии по мнению Суэнвика. Сюр ради сюра. В итоге читать вроде как можно, но если пропустишь, то ничего не потеряешь.
Примерно с такими же мыслями я садился за "Полетом феникса", действие в котором происходит в раздробленном Китае. После Утопии Китай разделился на множество мелких государств, воюющих между собой. Даргер и Довесок прибывают в Китай из Монголии, после чего знакомятся с Тайным Императором - некто Мистер X, в чьи планы входит завоевание всего Мира.
Всю книгу наши герои будут завоевывать то одну, то другую территорию, но естественно не силой, а хитростью, т.к. враг всегда будет иметь численное преимущество и хитрого и коварного главкома. Периодически, когда завоевания начнут надоедать, Даргера и Довеска постоянно будут просить помочь в любовных делах. Главком любит старшую помощницу, старшая помощница безума от царевича, царевич ищет женщину голубых кровей, а Тайный Император вообще горит страстью к ядерной боеголовке (да, у Суэнвика это в порядке вещей).
К сожалению, в книге не чувствуется духа Китая, кроме разве что периодически всплывающих призраков коммунизма и единогласия (таки страна раздроблена же). Если бы вместо Хитрой Лисы, Мощного Локомотива и Умелого Слуги были Джон Смит, Кейт Фокс и Роберт Трэйн - ничего не изменилось. Но да, условно это Китай...
Признаюсь честно, читать было скучно. Анализируя отзывы других, я понял, что "Полет феникса" лучше всего зайдет тем, кто получил удовольствие от "танцев с медведями". И если в Танцах еще была довольно веселая клюква, то в Полете ее совсем не было. Отсюда и оценка в 6/10. На этом я, пожалуй, с Суэнвиком завяжу (только если не доберусь до еще одного сборника рассказов).
August 1, 2020
So light of touch it was easy to read, but somehow I wanted him to go deeper and give more flavour of the cons and the central figures who conjured them. Slightly maddening.
August 21, 2019
Great story, likable caracters, funny from time to time and a crazy welfleshed out cast.
January 15, 2018
An entertaining read that felt in large part more like fantasy than science fiction. Here's a case where I'd really prefer a 10 point scale so I could give it a 7.
June 6, 2017
I stepped late into an existing series with this one. It was fun and funny, a lighthearted romp with occasional flashes of insight. The characters are the strength of it, centering on a pair of likeable rogues. One is human and one is, well, he’s supposed to be a genetically modified dog, but he couldn’t really be very dog-like since he manages to talk and to hold a cane with his “paw”. There isn’t a lot of physical description, which is probably just as well since it would only interfere with the story. The setting is nominally a post-apocalyptic future, but this feels really like just an excuse. It allows Swanwick to throw around occasional contemporary references and also drag out half-forgotten “technologies” that might as well be magic. (I would barely call it science fiction, though technically it is.) There is world-building here that has plenty of breadth, but somehow not a lot of depth.
I’m not generally a fan of stories about con artists. I don’t really like conflict that is largely based on the protagonist’s risk of having his deceitfulness revealed – not when the motivation for the deceit is the character’s own greed. Swanwick’s characters, Darger and Surplus, are definitely in it for the money, but they are otherwise nicer than they would need to be. They prefer to capture cities by bloodless deceptions than by bloody sieges, etc. And of course they also help prevent a nuclear holocaust. So they are, as I said, likeable rogues. All the same, I probably won’t read any more of the series because of the con artist angle. Anyone who isn’t bothered by that, and who enjoys humorous roguery, would probably enjoy the book quite a lot. I give it four stars for being well-written and entertaining, and for generally doing a good job of being what it intends to be.
I’m not generally a fan of stories about con artists. I don’t really like conflict that is largely based on the protagonist’s risk of having his deceitfulness revealed – not when the motivation for the deceit is the character’s own greed. Swanwick’s characters, Darger and Surplus, are definitely in it for the money, but they are otherwise nicer than they would need to be. They prefer to capture cities by bloodless deceptions than by bloody sieges, etc. And of course they also help prevent a nuclear holocaust. So they are, as I said, likeable rogues. All the same, I probably won’t read any more of the series because of the con artist angle. Anyone who isn’t bothered by that, and who enjoys humorous roguery, would probably enjoy the book quite a lot. I give it four stars for being well-written and entertaining, and for generally doing a good job of being what it intends to be.
October 4, 2015
The first thing I do when visit my local library is browse the new arrivals section in the hope of discovering a new author I’d never before heard of. I’ve found quite a few of my favorites this way, and I think I just hit the jackpot again with Michael Swanwick. Having never heard of him—a common thing considering the zillions of authors and books currently being published—I decided to give CHASING THE PHOENIX a read because it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world (or perhaps it qualifies more as a dystopian future), a sci fi subgenre I can’t resist.
Within these pages inhabits a world in which electronics are taboo, genetics and medical science are more advanced than Star Trek, and intelligent life is not limited to humans. The story’s two protagonists, Surplus and Darger, are not warriors or survivors, but rather professional confidence men (or rather confidence dog-man and human). They are trying to make a living in a fractured China in which they get involved with a war meant to reunify the country, an effort they might not see the end of if a mad king and political rivals manage to kill them first. My one and only complaint: I saw “twist” at the end coming a mile away, but you can’t have everything.
Within these pages inhabits a world in which electronics are taboo, genetics and medical science are more advanced than Star Trek, and intelligent life is not limited to humans. The story’s two protagonists, Surplus and Darger, are not warriors or survivors, but rather professional confidence men (or rather confidence dog-man and human). They are trying to make a living in a fractured China in which they get involved with a war meant to reunify the country, an effort they might not see the end of if a mad king and political rivals manage to kill them first. My one and only complaint: I saw “twist” at the end coming a mile away, but you can’t have everything.
June 9, 2023
Journeying ever eastward in search of the fabled big score, Darger and Surplus, consummate con-men of the post-utopian world, arrive in China, and it isn't long before China goes to war as the Hidden Emperor sets out on a glorious project of reunification, with Darger and Surplus as his untrustworthy advisors. Battles and schemes and tricks and stratagems follow as our heroes endeavour to achieve the greatest con of all time and conquer a nation with a minimum of bloodshed and as little danger to themselves as possible. For once, however, they have to contend with operators who may be every bit as shrewd and cunning as themselves, if not more so.
Smart, funny, sharp as a tack and almost giddy with the aplomb of its epic scale, this is a piece of grand sci fi entertainment. Swanwick is an essential writer, a master of form and craft and Darger and Surplus are his most endearing creations.
Smart, funny, sharp as a tack and almost giddy with the aplomb of its epic scale, this is a piece of grand sci fi entertainment. Swanwick is an essential writer, a master of form and craft and Darger and Surplus are his most endearing creations.
April 3, 2017
This feels a bit different for a Darger and Surplus book. More focused, more succesful, even if they were conned as we expected at the end. The shades of Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe are strong in this, as in the previous ones, but there is something approaching respect to Chinese storytelling traditions.
A very enjoyable read, very self-contained, and in my opinion with more food for thought, wrapped in a light fluffy cover.
It reminded me a bit of one of my favorites, Bridge of Birds, but that is more out of Fantastic China and Chinese storytelling traditions than probably a deliberate action on Mr. Swanwick.
All in all, a satisfactory, surprisingly deep read (that can be skimmed too) that I feel probably should close the series, as the characters cannot go forward in the same way.
A very enjoyable read, very self-contained, and in my opinion with more food for thought, wrapped in a light fluffy cover.
It reminded me a bit of one of my favorites, Bridge of Birds, but that is more out of Fantastic China and Chinese storytelling traditions than probably a deliberate action on Mr. Swanwick.
All in all, a satisfactory, surprisingly deep read (that can be skimmed too) that I feel probably should close the series, as the characters cannot go forward in the same way.
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