Artemis
Written on Oct 19, 2016
The best way to describe this book is Antarctic android noir. And if that doesn't immediately grip you, I don't know what will!
A fan of Clarke's The Assassin's Curse series, I was excited to step into the adult science-fiction/fantasy realm with her. Our Lady of the Ice tells the story of an alternate 20th century Antarctic colony built around nuclear power plants for the Argentine mainland. A domed city, abandoned amusement park, and the struggle for independence and equality make for an interesting plot.
The story focuses on Eliana, a PI who wishes to leave Hope City for the mainland, her boyfriend Diego, a gangster, leader of the androids, a former pleasure bot named Sofia, and a cyborg noblewoman Marianella. The secondary characters of gangster boss Cabrera, Sofia's right hand android Luciano and independence leader (whose name I completely forget, a month after reading this book! yikes!)
The characters are wonderfully vibrant, from Eliana's difficulty in resolving to stay or leave Hope City, Diego's love for Eliana and his father-figure Cabrera, Marianella's involvement in independence and acceptance in both worlds, and Sofia's struggle to overcome her programming. Every character is torn by their duality to both worlds and it plays out well - although a bit slow.
The place is slow and focuses more on the development and struggle of its characters rather than a fast paced action plot. The ending feels a bit incomplete, and maybe I was expecting more than I got, but I definitely walked away feeling like there could be a sequel.