Scan barcode
zlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I owe this strong novel a longer review, and hope to post one later. For now I will say this: fascinating world-building and inclusion of believable cultural and environmental elements. Likeable, imperfect, intelligent heroine. The complexity, humor, and pacing of this novel take it far beyond typical dystopian themes.
This is no simple dystopia: in this world artists earn money by capturing and altering reality for those able to purchase escapism, and the simple beauty of birdsong has become an unsettling rarity. Fear of disease and of other people restrict daily life. Creativity and magic become even more powerful when blended with technology in Johnson's vividly rendered, well paced, and compelling story.
This is no simple dystopia: in this world artists earn money by capturing and altering reality for those able to purchase escapism, and the simple beauty of birdsong has become an unsettling rarity. Fear of disease and of other people restrict daily life. Creativity and magic become even more powerful when blended with technology in Johnson's vividly rendered, well paced, and compelling story.
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
Writing really kept reader at a distance. Anna is 30. Not sure about teen appeal. Felt more dystopian than post-apocalyptic which I think of as having more immediacy to it.
silodear's review against another edition
This book was not for me. The ideas were interesting but I had trouble getting into the writing.
pnw_michelle's review against another edition
4.0
I was captivated by the simultaneous bleakness and beauty of this story, and by the ending that gave some resolution but also possibility for a world continuing to change. The magical elements of the story were woven in so deftly I had to stop a few times and say "Whoa, that just happened!".
I did struggle to follow the story line a little bit, there were several point of view shifts, but it wasn't badly done, just required me to focus. Overall quite gorgeous.
I did struggle to follow the story line a little bit, there were several point of view shifts, but it wasn't badly done, just required me to focus. Overall quite gorgeous.
kieranlit's review against another edition
2.0
Too much jumping around--nonlinear narrative itself is fine, but you gotta mark when you're changing time periods if you want me to follow the plot.
linds4y's review against another edition
4.0
Could have used with more explanation on her ability. Besides that, awesome!
lmshearer's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is an interesting concept for a novel, but poorly executed. The multiple POV introduced many characters but left them all underdeveloped. Had this book been longer, it would have been a DNF. One star for brevity, one star for character diversity.
the_lyon_reads_tonight's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was an interesting little novella. The world building had solid legs, there were some truly unique aspects. However, there were just some things that were left unexplained that made it more difficult to be totally immersed. I think this suffered from too many good ideas, imperfect execution. The characters were strong but the reader didn’t get to spend enough time getting to know them. It’s rare that I say a book should have been longer but I think this story deserved some extra space. Will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.
bina's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Smoketown is a novel that’s hard to categorize. It’s got elements of the post-apocalyptic, dystopian, and urban fantasy. And the writing is simply lovely! So lyrical and beautiful. There’s a reason I’ve compared this one to the books of Charles de Lint. Really, it’s a huge shame that more people haven’t heard of Smoketown.
Twenty years ago the city of Leiodare, a futuristic city-state located in the former state of Kentucky, was struck by a plague. Birds were perceived to be the cause, and so birds were banned from Leiodare. Now Anna Armour, an artist and factory worker, is waiting in Leiodare in hopes of finding the woman she loved who left her. Anna also has a strange gift – she can use her art to bring her creations to life. Also in Leiodare is Eugenio, a medical anthropologist investigating the cause of the original plague, and Rory, the last member of the city’s most privileged family, who spends his remaining days watching the world go by from the windows of his apartment.
Smoketown is not plot focused. While there was a plot behind the origins of the plague and the history of the city, I found it weakly contrasted and not very compelling. The plot actually ended up feeling extraneous to the characters and atmosphere.
The focus of Smoketown is clearly on the world building. The city of Leiodare leaps off the page incredibly vividly. It was a beautiful piece of world building. I feel like it went very well with some of the themes of the book – change and creation mostly. There’s a sense of artistry to the entire novel.
If you’re looking for an exquisitely dreamy piece of genre blurring science fiction and fantasy, Smoketown is just the book for you. I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in queer black science fiction.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Twenty years ago the city of Leiodare, a futuristic city-state located in the former state of Kentucky, was struck by a plague. Birds were perceived to be the cause, and so birds were banned from Leiodare. Now Anna Armour, an artist and factory worker, is waiting in Leiodare in hopes of finding the woman she loved who left her. Anna also has a strange gift – she can use her art to bring her creations to life. Also in Leiodare is Eugenio, a medical anthropologist investigating the cause of the original plague, and Rory, the last member of the city’s most privileged family, who spends his remaining days watching the world go by from the windows of his apartment.
Smoketown is not plot focused. While there was a plot behind the origins of the plague and the history of the city, I found it weakly contrasted and not very compelling. The plot actually ended up feeling extraneous to the characters and atmosphere.
The focus of Smoketown is clearly on the world building. The city of Leiodare leaps off the page incredibly vividly. It was a beautiful piece of world building. I feel like it went very well with some of the themes of the book – change and creation mostly. There’s a sense of artistry to the entire novel.
If you’re looking for an exquisitely dreamy piece of genre blurring science fiction and fantasy, Smoketown is just the book for you. I would also recommend it to anyone with an interest in queer black science fiction.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.