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Elysium Jennifer Marie Brissett Books

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Elysium Jennifer Marie Brissett Books

I went into this with zero details about the plot, because I'd seen Brissett on a panel and wanted to read some of her work, and I'm so glad I did. I suspect the story almost works better if you don't know what's happening the first time reality shifts. And it shifts a LOT. It's the story of two people, manifesting in different ways in different settings, but always with some kind of love between them, and usually struggling to survive. I don't want to say much more, but this is an ambitious, interesting science fiction / post-apocalyptic novel with hella diverse and queer representation, by a woman of color, and you should totally try it out.


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Elysium Jennifer Marie Brissett Books Reviews

Rarely do I read something so compelling I feel the need to mention so on in addition to my own wee blog, but this is one of those exceptions. Other reviewers have summed up the plot nicely, so I'll just get to what makes me find this book extraordinary Brissett's work changed the meaning of post-apocalyptic literature for me. (For instance, the fact that colonialism *is* apocalypse is something that I only began to realize reading this book.)

I was stunned that Elysium is a debut novel, and fans of post-apocalyptic fiction would be missing out if they don't pick it up.
It is a fine story very well written; with nuance and depth of character. The author paints pictures with words. It's a fine read.
This book was amazing and sad. A beautiful and thought provoking read.
One of the most exhilarating reads I've come across. It's bold, imaginative, experimental, but endlessly readable. It's a constant deconstruction and construction of worlds. Our futures, our presents, our ever fracturing present.

I really love this book. I barely know what else to say about it except that you need to read it.

It's unforgettable.
This review originally appeared in Intergalactic Medicine Show, January 2015

Science fiction is rife with alternate reality stories, in which fixed characters travel to parallel worlds where events have played out differently. But what if we had a single reality instead, and it was the characters themselves who were in flux, shifting in name, appearance, gender, sexual orientation, and so on? That's the fascinating premise behind Brissett's Philip K. Dick award-nominated debut, and she unquestionably does it justice.

To avoid giving you their various names, I'm simply going to call the protagonists A and A. During the novel's first few chapters two things become clear 1) some kind of AI or computer program is responsible for the constant rewriting of events we're witnessing; 2) no matter how strange the setting, a deep connection binds A and A. The novel's jacket announces that "A computer program etched into the atmosphere has a story to tell," and as you may imagine this relates to item 1. But why is it telling its story, who is it telling it to, and how do A and A figure in it?

To find out, a little patience is required. One of Brissett's narrative strengths is the visceral immediacy of her scenes, wrought through attention to physical detail and sparse prose. The rhythms of urban life and decay are compellingly conjured. Characters -- even when we've caught on to the fact that they probably won't be around for long, at least in their current incarnations -- are absorbing. But this succession of gritty scenes, each with its tunnel vision and emphasis on existential problems, doesn't seem to be getting us nearer to an understanding of the underlying forces at work in their world.

At least, not at first. If we pay close attention we're rewarded. Details that carry from one scene to the next eventually pave the way for much larger revelations, and subsequent time jumps put all the strangeness into perspective. The last few chapters make clear exactly what is happening.

I like the novel's mosaic, hall-of-mirrors structure. The closest example I can think of is the relatively obscure Vain Art of the Fugue (1973 Fr; Eng translation 2007) by Romanian writer Dumitru Tsepeneag, who similarly keeps changing his characters and reshuffling a few basic actions into a plethora of permutations. But Elysium is not ultimately about formal experimentation; its structure serves a plot-related purpose, and the link between A and A transcends particulars, keeping us emotionally invested throughout.

Some of the novel's passages are quite striking, and it's jam-packed with ideas, some of them probably familiar to sf readers. The notion that changing the code of a computer program could rewrite reality, for example, evokes cyberpunk texts, and of course The Matrix (1999). A "dust" virus that causes characters to sprout wings leads to a scene in which they take to the skies and explore ancient, abandoned buildings, which reminded me a bit of Robert Silverberg's Nightwings (1968). And the combination of same-but-different-events, powerful behind-the-scenes forces, and urban angst, made me think of Jack Skillingstead's Life on the Preservation (2013), which was also nominated for a PKD award.

Make no mistake, though, this astutely-crafted novel is entirely Brissett's creation. Her unique voice, elegant narrative structure and pared-down prose result in something fresh and innovative. This is a post-apocalyptic love story in which neither apocalypse nor love are what you expect.
I had to read it for a Literature class in college. The begging of the book is confusing, lots of breaks and shifting between characters. It's just not my taste of novel, but the ending none the less is good. If you like aliens and war, this book may be right up your alley.
I loved this book, and I say that as someone who has shied away from dystopians in the last few years. This book is beautiful and touching and imaginative, without falling into a lot of the formulaic dystopian plotting/writing and melodrama. The author is a very talented writer who writes complex human relationships well. The scenes are well set even as they continue shifting throughout the story. I look forward to reading more from Brissett in the future.
I went into this with zero details about the plot, because I'd seen Brissett on a panel and wanted to read some of her work, and I'm so glad I did. I suspect the story almost works better if you don't know what's happening the first time reality shifts. And it shifts a LOT. It's the story of two people, manifesting in different ways in different settings, but always with some kind of love between them, and usually struggling to survive. I don't want to say much more, but this is an ambitious, interesting science fiction / post-apocalyptic novel with hella diverse and queer representation, by a woman of color, and you should totally try it out.