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ELEKTROGRAD: RUSTED BLOOD
by
ELEKTROGRAD is the city of the future. Since the early 20th Century, it has been used as a testbed for futuristic modes of living. Each of its seven districts is an experimental site for new forms of architecture.
It is now the early 21st Century. Elektrograd is showing its age.
Mekanoplatz is the northernmost district of Elektrograd. And, on the district border, within site ...more
It is now the early 21st Century. Elektrograd is showing its age.
Mekanoplatz is the northernmost district of Elektrograd. And, on the district border, within site ...more
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ebook, 35 pages
Published
August 16th 2015
by SUMMON Books
(first published August 1st 2015)
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Start your review of ELEKTROGRAD: RUSTED BLOOD
How are we supposed to live in the future when the future just abandons us to the night?
– Alia Noton in Elektrograd: Rusted Blood
The future is coming, and we’re going to win.
– Warren Ellis, Orbital Operations
Morning comes and the building blocks rise up on their groaning, rusted mechanical legs. Shaking the snow off its shoulder, the city walks off into a brand new day.
Towering green flailing devices, intended to quite literally fling crafts into orbital space shoot out of the ground like
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A swing and a miss by Ellis on this one, I felt. Too much of the imagery was all surface and no substance, trying a bit too hard to come off as cool. Much was left too-unexplored (e.g. flingers? Why even put these in the story? Nothing was added by their inclusion in the manner presented.) I know Ellis can write this kind of stuff well, whether in comic or prose format, and stuff like Gun Machine is the proof, but this just didn't do it for me.
That said, I definitely like this developing trend o ...more
That said, I definitely like this developing trend o ...more
I'm not sure how I really felt about this as a detective story - it's one of the ones that gives you a chance to figure it out before the charcters, which I've always enjoyed (something the hard-boiled ones like Gun Machine can't really give you), but it all kind of just comes and goes.
The real triumph here is The City we're presented with, Elektrograd. It's supposed to be the city of the future, at least it was when it was built. Now time has passed it by and parts of it are rotted and rusting ...more
The real triumph here is The City we're presented with, Elektrograd. It's supposed to be the city of the future, at least it was when it was built. Now time has passed it by and parts of it are rotted and rusting ...more
Short fiction from Warren Ellis set in the imaginary city of Elektrograd, whose seven districts experiment in new forms of futuristic architecture. That’s the backdrop for a murder mystery in the decaying district of Mekanoplatz, where buildings can walk around and homeless people live in abandoned construction robot shells. Like the best of Ellis’ work, there’s a good balance here between futuristic ideas, storyline and vivid characters you get to know mainly through dialogue – although arguabl
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this is the first in a proposed cycle of stories of the fictional town of elektrograd. ellis merges all his interests here, architecture, science fiction, and crime and makes a sort of columbo-ish story about big walking robotic city blocks, a 1930s german expressionism style robot madman and a murder. it's quick and fun and perfectly fine at three stars.
More interesting ideas from Warren Ellis
I've really enjoyed most of Warren's work, and when he announced this short for sale on his weekly newsletter I snapped it up. It's a great start to what may be an interesting exploration into yet another world that might have been.
I've really enjoyed most of Warren's work, and when he announced this short for sale on his weekly newsletter I snapped it up. It's a great start to what may be an interesting exploration into yet another world that might have been.
This goes beyond a hard-boiled detective story and some way into the province of a pressure-cooked one, albeit cliché and unremarkable. The setting is compelling, though, and lamentable is the fact that it is only available as a short story adapted from a graphic novel script.
This was a pretty great Kindle Single short story, though a bit overwritten in some places. We get it; you have a large vocabulary. Still, an interesting sci-fi crime story in a setting I hope Warren Ellis revisits.
Ellis says he likes writing mysteries. It shows. This isn't one of the really weird ones and could have been done as an episode of the Outer Limits.
Good not great
Love the idea for the city. Hate the plot. Mystery crimes are not my cup of tea. The sci fi angle is very cool, though.
Love the idea for the city. Hate the plot. Mystery crimes are not my cup of tea. The sci fi angle is very cool, though.
Really digging the concept of a short story anthology focusing on different districts of an experimental city.
The vibe was more important then the plot, but the investigation was cool enough.
I’ve been thinking recently of light writing and a short story adapted from a comic book script gave me some interesting food for thought.
I enjoyed spending an hour in the retro-futurist world of the story.
Wish there was more. For now Rusted Blood, like Elektrograd itself, seems a testament to a future that ...more
The vibe was more important then the plot, but the investigation was cool enough.
I’ve been thinking recently of light writing and a short story adapted from a comic book script gave me some interesting food for thought.
I enjoyed spending an hour in the retro-futurist world of the story.
Wish there was more. For now Rusted Blood, like Elektrograd itself, seems a testament to a future that ...more
Aug 20, 2015
Fil Garrison
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Warren Ellis Fans, Mystery Science Fiction Fans
How are we supposed to live in the future when the future just abandons us to the night?
The newest non-comics work I've read from my favorite author Warren Ellis. As always, his tales seem tailor-made to cater to my exact loves. This one revolves around architecture and crime fiction, with a great noir core in a broken down rusty city of the future.
Like all of Ellis' works, this is something of a pastiche of all of his interests, architecture, retro-futurism, crime, possible futures, and the bi ...more
The newest non-comics work I've read from my favorite author Warren Ellis. As always, his tales seem tailor-made to cater to my exact loves. This one revolves around architecture and crime fiction, with a great noir core in a broken down rusty city of the future.
Like all of Ellis' works, this is something of a pastiche of all of his interests, architecture, retro-futurism, crime, possible futures, and the bi ...more
Elektrograd: Rusted Blood is a dystopian near-future steampunk detective story with a team of investigators looking into the untimely passing of a customer, police slang for corpse, in an abandoned industrial area. The rusting district of Mekanoplatz exists in a future that has little use for man. This part of an experimental city has walking tenement buildings, hidden labs and enhanced ammunition.
The Eastern-Europe-in-Decline environmental material is entertaining stuff, however the plot is by ...more
The Eastern-Europe-in-Decline environmental material is entertaining stuff, however the plot is by ...more
First book of its genre I've read - a novella, naturally. Kept going at a fast clip. Some neat dialogue, but was mostly kept entertained by the descriptions of the dystopic universe in which it was set. Especially the architecture/cityscapes. Really liked the attention to detail too (mobils and telefons, etc). Will seek out more from Warren Ellis based on this. It's also whet my appetite for more dystopic fiction...
Really more of a novella, or even a longish short story, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Ellis has started a high concept project set in a fictional future-ish city where each neighborhood is a completely different idea for a short story. In this case, a kind of detective noir set in a neighborhood abandoned by most humans, but still populated by robots. Not sure if he ever came back to the idea.
A lovely, gritty, architectural robopunk noir set in a district of a city where buildings get up and walk to new locations, where nameless workers scurry hither and yon, and where a trio of police officers attempt to solve both a murder and a historical robotic mystery.
Ellis has said that the district Elektrograd is one of seven in the city, and that he had thought to do a story for each in a collected book. I certainly hope he does.
Ellis has said that the district Elektrograd is one of seven in the city, and that he had thought to do a story for each in a collected book. I certainly hope he does.
Just a slice
Sometimes a draft is all it takes. Part short story, part ruminations on a large canvas, Elektrograd is the second monthly short from Ellis. It brings to mind viriconum , whilst still being fully Ellis.
It might be interesting to read a full tale of Elektrograd at some point, but just letting the ideas simmer after a quick read works well. So have some cake.
Sometimes a draft is all it takes. Part short story, part ruminations on a large canvas, Elektrograd is the second monthly short from Ellis. It brings to mind viriconum , whilst still being fully Ellis.
It might be interesting to read a full tale of Elektrograd at some point, but just letting the ideas simmer after a quick read works well. So have some cake.
Good short story with a vaguely-soviet retro-future feel. Closer to a police procedural than mystery, but a bit thin for either. I'd have liked to see it developed a bit more, but still, enjoyed it enough I'd like to see more of the setting and characters and will definitely check out any future Elektrograd stories if Ellis does write more.
I really liked this novella. But then I am biased. I like all Warren Ellis products. I am a devoted fan as you well know Mom and as do all readers of my blog since I mention him, Ellis, all the time.
For more, read: http://sensedoubt.blogspot.com/2016/0...
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For more, read: http://sensedoubt.blogspot.com/2016/0...
...more
Great little story
Ellis has really gotten scarily good at taking a few of his speculative concepts and smashing them into a conventional narrative so you can cruise right on in before you even realize you've made a left turn into the very bad consequences of progress. This story features an architectural concept known as the Walking City.
Ellis has really gotten scarily good at taking a few of his speculative concepts and smashing them into a conventional narrative so you can cruise right on in before you even realize you've made a left turn into the very bad consequences of progress. This story features an architectural concept known as the Walking City.
I loved this. It's more a long short story than anything else, but the world that Ellis builds is fantastic - a run-down post-Soviet dieselpunk noir with strong nods to Archigram's Walking City.
I hope he returns here in the future.
I hope he returns here in the future.
A quick little noir story, with an interesting setting and characters that feel surprisingly alive for how little time we get to spend with them. I certainly hope Ellis gets a chance to write the six other parts to the cycle. A slightly different feel than his comics work.
A nice bite-sized bit of pulp detective fiction with a heavy dose of 60s style sci-fi. Ellis' prose is as muscular and engaging as always. I'm definitely onboard for any more stories from the Elektrograd universe that he wants to give us.
wow, short, beautifully written, powerful
I was looking for a short read to while away a commute and have discovered a new writer! great ideas, pacing, characters, and story. I highly recommend taking an evening and reading this book.
I was looking for a short read to while away a commute and have discovered a new writer! great ideas, pacing, characters, and story. I highly recommend taking an evening and reading this book.
A nice little short story... Parts of it read more like a draft or rumminations, but it all fit nicely. A nice little dark and gritty mystery - Definitely worth the short amount of time it took to read.
Recently bought and read this. A tight, decaying future police proceedural. If you've read Ellis' work in the past, it's a mix of Ignition City and the Frank Ironwine issue of the Apparat singles. I liked it.
A nice little pearl. Reminds me of China Mieville's "Two cities" in the faux-Communist Bloc worldbuilding. WOuld enjoy immensely reading the whole seven-part series, which might end up as a XXI-century, architecture-inspired godchild of Calvino's Invisible Cities.
A cool, little novella that leaves me wishing he'd write more stories about the other districts in Elektrograd. The plot itself seems a bit run of the mill, but it exciting nonetheless and the setting is king.
Walking building, Soviet experimental cities, robots, murder, burned out detectives. What's not to like!
I like Warren Ellis and the ways he weaponizes words to hurt his characters. He's mean in a good way, or good in a mean way. Not sure which.
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Warren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
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“How are we supposed to live in the future when the future just abandons us to the night?”
—
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“Benighted infants,” Strauss laughed, gesturing at Goldmark to get the coffees. “I’d be amazed if anything in here grew on or near an animal. It’s all that printed meat, diddled with by needles.”
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