Nine Layers of Sky
Liz Williams
PanMacmillan
Paperback, R79
Reviewed by Gail Jamieson, 31 May 2005
Elena Irinova was one a Soviet rocket scientist but times have changed and
she, her mother and sister now eke out a living by cleaning office buildings
and going over the border to buy cheap clothing to resell at a profit. That is
until she picks up a strange artifact from a man who has frozen to death
in a car in the queue at the border post.
Ilya Muromyets wants the artifact to get money in order to buy heroin to
help him to achieve what he cannot have - death. He is an 800 year old Soviet
hero who is unable to die.
Elena and Ilya are brought together by the artifact, which allows them a
glimpse into another dimension. It is a gate between worlds.
They embark upon a journey of discovery, and along the way they uncover
many things, about themselves, about each other and about the worlds connected
by the artifact. They have to make some very difficult choices as the novel
progresses.
This novel is seamless combination of hard SF, myth and fantasy. It is also
an unsentimental love story and a strong point in its favour is that it is a
complete story in a single volume. I didn't have to wait until the next couple
of volumes to see what happens.
The fact that it is well written is an extra bonus.
Recommended.
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