What he doesnt do is integrate his cast well into the plot. In river of gods, however, ian mcdonald found a place for a little bit of everything in the caldron of indias future. Its 2047, and the centennial of indias nationhood approaches. It requires more effort from the reader than most novels but is well worth the investment. Buy a cheap copy of river of gods book by ian mcdonald. River of gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and culturesone and a half billion people, twelve semiindependent nations, nine million gods. There are a few, small instances of meta in river of gods, ian mcdonalds nearfuture novel set in india, 2047. Ian mcdonalds river of gods has already won the bsfa 2005 best novel award, now it finally comes to us shores in beautifully designed package from pyr, featuring a cover by stephan martiniere. Taking place in india of 2047, it follows a diverse cast of characters around a splintered nation. Ian mcdonalds bollypunk river of gods has a us edition.
The author of many previous novels, including the groundbreaking chaga books set in africa, ian mcdonald has long been at the cutting edge of sf. The dervish house is the third of mcdonalds loose city series. Apr 06, 2006 published by pyr march 2006 isbn 1591024366 600 pages. Already nominated for a hugo award, mcdonald uses his latest work to. A full two years after its original publication in the uk and subsequent hugo and arthur c.
Ten very different people are doing ten very different things. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The river of gods is the ganga, flowing down from the himalayas through the north indian plain to the bay of bengal. River of gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and cultures one and a half billion people, twelve semiindependent nations, nine pdf million gods. Amid the turmoil and vigor of a nation teeming with people and clogged with information, the lives of nine individuals, including a policeman, a journalist, a scientist, a politician, and a standup comic, intersect in an unanticipated union with the fate of their.
Ian mcdonald was born in 1960 in manchester, england, to an irish mother and a scottish father. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on nonwestern societies. It depicts a futuristic india in 2047, a century after its independence from britain, characterized both by ancient traditions and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligences, robots and nanotechnology. August 15, 2047happy birthday, india ian mcdonald, author. Something it could believe it had not made up itself. After the success of his africanbased chaga stories chaga, 1996, and kirinya, 1998, plus the novelette tendeleos story, 2002, ian mcdonald switches continents for his latest work, river of gods, which is set in an india one hundred years on from its independence from british rule. This is an sf novel that blew apart the narrow anglo and uscentric concerns of the genre and ushered in a new global consciousness for the genre. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Nominated for the 2005 hugo award for best novel losing to susanna clarkes jonathan strange and mr norrell, river of gods is an ambitious look at 2047 india by ian mcdonald. Soon they will be swept together and the result of this unlikely union may just decide the fate of the nation, and. He has won the locus award, the british science fiction association award, and the john w. Through this cast, mcdonald shows a variety of classes and concerns and does a good job at painting the depth of his world. This in itself would be enough to fill up a novel, but in british author ian mcdonalds river of gods, this is just something that happens in the background, because there are far bigger things taking place in this world, and there are more important stories to be told than just inconvenient truths.
River of gods king county library system overdrive. River of gods book by ian mcdonald thriftbooks river of gods is an epic science fiction novel, as sprawling, vibrant and colourful as the subcontinent it describes. For several other people called ian mcdonald or a similar spelling, see ian mcdonald ian mcdonald born 1960 is a british science fiction novelist, living in belfast. The book features 9 different pov characters, who are presented one by one in a chapter each. River of gods by ian mcdonald sf gateway your portal to. The previous books looked at india river of gods and. From what ive read online about those earlier titles, his newest follows a similar approach. I read brasyl a while ago and now that i have finished river of gods i think it is safe to say that mcdonald is very much underappreciated as a writer.
Oct 04, 2010 river of gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and culturesone and a half billion people, twelve semiindependent nations, nine million gods. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Clarke awards, british writer ian mcdonalds ambitious, sprawling novel of 2047 india demands a certain patience from the reader but rewards that patience with a feast for the imagination. He moved with his family to northern ireland in 1965. But ian mcdonald reminds us to not forget about india. Ian mcdonald is the author of many awardwinning and criticallyacclaimed science fiction novels, including brasyl, river of gods, cyberabad days, the dervish house, and the groundbreaking chaga series. Apr 28, 2016 there are a few, small instances of meta in river of gods, ian mcdonalds nearfuture novel set in india, 2047. Its brilliant, and it urges me to read mcdonalds other books river of gods, the derwish house, brasyl. River of gods india 2047 1 ian mcdonald river of gods india 2047 the time is 2047 40 years from the books writing in 2007, and the setting is varanasi, an ancient and holy city on the ganges in northcentral india the intertwining voices of eleven main. We deliver the joy of reading in 100% recycled packaging with free standard shipping on u.
New moon is the first book by ian mcdonald ive read. Planesrunner by ian mcdonald nook book ebook barnes. Ian mcdonalds incredible, hugonominated bollypunk novel, river of gods, has been published in the us by pyr books. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading river of gods india 2047 book 1. Aug 30, 2011 river of gods covers the events of august 15th, 2047 the day when these factors and others come together and everything explodes.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. This is a novel that blew apart the narrow anglo and uscentric concerns of the genre, and ushered in a new global consciousness for science fiction as a whole. River of gods by ian mcdonald nook book ebook barnes. Ian mcdonald has written the great indian novel of the new millennium, in which a war is fought, a love betrayed, a message from a different world decoded, as the great river ganges flows on. River of gods abebooks abebooks shop for books, art. Amid the turmoil and vigor of a nation teeming with people and clogged with information, the lives of nine individuals, including a. River of gods by ian mcdonald overdrive rakuten overdrive. As mother india approaches her centenary, nine people are going abou.
River of gods is an epic sf novel as sprawling, vibrant and colourful as the subcontinent it describes. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. River of gods is an epic science fiction novel, as sprawling, vibrant and colourful as the subcontinent it describes. As india approaches its 100th birthday, it has balkanized into a number of semi independent nations. Not only did one not have to deal with a foreign alphabet but the story was better from a science fiction point of view. The author of many previous novels, including the groundbreaking chaga books set in africa, ian mcdonald has long been at. River of gods covers the events of august 15th, 2047 the day when these factors and others come together and everything explodes. It depicts a futuristic india in 2047, a century after its independence from britain. This is a sprawling epic set in the not too far off future of india. River of gods was published in 2004, and has a more actionmovie feel than mcdonalds most recent novel, the dervish house. Clarke award nominations, ian mcdonalds river of gods is finally in print in the u. Just and by just, i mean, still getting over the travel angst, which, since it involved ryanair, and a 2. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The novel won the british science fiction award in 2004 and was nominated for a hugo.
Ian mcdonald has written the great indian novel of the new millennium, in which a war is fought, a love betrayed, a message from a different world decoded, as the great river ganges. His first novel, desolation road, was published in 1988. Technology runs high here, higher than in some parts of the world. As with the previous two books i have read, river of gods deeply impressed me. On top of that, none of the characters are compelling, the plot is slowmoving and largely predictable, and mcdonalds prose is workable but uninspiring. River of gods is a 2004 science fiction novel by british writer ian mcdonald. River of gods by ian mcdonald sf gateway your portal. One of those makes clear mcdonald ultimately writes about our reality, and not about made up stuff. Ian mcdonald its 2047, and the centennial of indias nationhood approaches. But then comes the resolution, and its a bit of a damp squib. Ian mcdonald has written the great indian novel of the new millennium, in which a war is fought, a love betrayed, a message from a different world decoded, as the great river. Jun 07, 2004 river of gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and the publisher says. My other reservation is that macdonalds prose is often rather too florid.
A journey into indias future ian mcdonalds faithful readership will be well rewarded with the publication of his new novel, river of gods, which represents imaginative, extrapolative science fiction at its best. River of gods by ian mcdonald is a scifi book that was one of those books that got all sorts of praise when it came out. River of gods ian mcdonald 2004 weighing a pig doesnt. Common cyberpunk and science fiction cliches have been augmented with cliches about india, but i found no memorable, novel, or substantial ideas in river of gods. River of gods won the bsfa award in 2005, brasyl won in it in 2007 and the dervish house in 2010.
Ian neil mcdonald was born in 1960 in manchester, england, to an irish mother and a scottish father. River of gods india 2047, book 1 by ian mcdonald book cover, description, publication history. As mother india approaches her centenary, nine people are going about their businessa gangster, a cop, his wife, a politician, a standup comic, a set designer, a journalist, a scientist, and a dropout. Buy river of gods by mcdonald, ian from amazons fiction books store. Mcdonald s novel style consists of numerous characters and their tales. Ian mcdonald is a new author for me and my picking up the tome which is river of gods was a daunting endeavor. From gangsters to government advisors, from superstitious streetboys to scientists to computergenerated soap stars, river of gods shows a civilization in flux a river of gods.
River of gods by mcdonald, ian and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. As mother india approaches her centenary, nine people are going about their businessa. River of gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and cultures one and a half billion people, twelve semiindependent nations, nine million gods. Dec 16, 2016 this in itself would be enough to fill up a novel, but in british author ian mcdonalds river of gods, this is just something that happens in the background, because there are far bigger things taking place in this world, and there are more important stories to be told than just inconvenient truths. I never blog, unless its to contradict myself, or i have something of interest to report.
River of gods india 2047, book 1 by ian mcdonald fantastic fiction. It teases the reader with the promise of a typically big sf story, and in the early stages of the book it appears it might deliver. River of gods india 2047 book 1 kindle edition by mcdonald, ian. Aug 29, 2009 i read brasyl a while ago and now that i have finished river of gods i think it is safe to say that mcdonald is very much underappreciated as a writer. Books by ian mc donald authors like ian mc donald what. I read the dervish house and river of gods sequentially and can emphatically state that the latter is a far superior work. As mother india approaches her centenary, nine people are going about their business a gangster, a cop, his wife, a politician, a standup comic, a set designer, a journalist, a scientist, and a dropout. He now lives in belfast and works in tv production. Ian mcdonald books list of books by author ian mcdonald. Jul 09, 2009 buy river of gods by mcdonald, ian from amazons fiction books store. The river of gods is the ganga, flowing down from the himalayas through. The time is august, 2047 indias hundredth birthday.
It is an india quite different from now, but recognisable. Mcdonalds novel style consists of numerous characters and their tales. One of my only criticisms of the book is that its not quite clear just exactly where much of the. Jan 24, 2007 ian mcdonalds incredible, hugonominated bollypunk novel, river of gods, has been published in the us by pyr books. River of gods ian mcdonald 2004 weighing a pig doesn. A journey into indias future ian mcdonald s faithful readership will be well rewarded with the publication of his new novel, river of gods, which represents imaginative, extrapolative science fiction at its best. Mcdonald throws wide the scope of characters in this one, which allows the reader to really see how far ranging the story is that he wants to tell. River of gods teems with the life of a country choked with peoples and the publisher says. Dont you hate choosing a new book, voluminous to say the least, and end up hating the authors writing style in a matter of pages. This is a novel that blew apart the narrow anglo and uscentric concerns of the genre, and ushered in a. Dick award, the bsfa award five times, locus award, a hugo award, and the theodore sturgeon memorial award. Id like to be notified of new arrivals in the following categories.