Tsunamiby L. Timmel Duchamp
Tsunami, the gripping third volume of the five-novel Marq'ssan Cycle, opens in early 2086, immediately after the signing of the Madrid Accords at the conclusion of the Global War. Many countries, including the US, have been devastated by war, and some of them turn to the Free Zones and the Marq'ssan for assistance in rebuilding their infrastructure. In the US, the Executive, which has turned its attention to reconsolidating its power, meets with growing resistance to executive rule; and in the Pacific Northwest Free Zone, the Co-op faces an internal crisis when ugly, long-buried secrets are dragged into the light of day. Meanwhile, the lives of three very different women—executive Elizabeth Weatherall, anarchist Martha Greenglass, and human rights lawyer Celia Espin—become entangled as each strives to bring about the change she so passionately desires. Praise for Tsunami
"The third volume of the Marq'ssan cycle, Tsunami, confirms what the
second volume, Renegade, made clear: the narrative drive and sheer
invention of the work is more than up to the size, scope, and ambition of
this extraordinary project. What a grand job! What a great read! It's been
a long time since I've read science fiction with such a dramatic grip on
the political complexities of our slow progress toward the better world we
all wish for."
Reviews
"[T]hose with a serious interest in dystopias and particularly the feminist
version thereof should find L. Timmel Duchamp's Marq'ssan Cycle a rewarding
experience."
"Duchamp's powerful use of language and her gift for creating unforgettable
and complex characters make this novel a dark and suspenseful read... The
author's sense of irony and her unflinching understanding of human nature
add much-needed wryness (and an occasional flash of romance) to the
mix."
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"Duchamp's work challenges its audience with a perhaps uncomfortably
on-target vision of our extrapolated social, political, and economic
structures as well as with a decidedly leftist, feminist message. It is
definitely a work heavy on the "cognitive pleasures" that Robert Scvholes
identified as proper to good sf. But, for those willing to accept its
challenges, the narrative experience of the Marq'ssan Cycle, now totaling
some 1500 pages with the appearance of its third volume, Tsunami,
fulfills our need for both cognition and for sublimation as well...
"The old US government is attempting to reassert its authority, but
discovering that not everyone is welcoming them with open arms. This
lengthy, thoughtful, and intelligent novel examines the social, political,
and personal consequences, seen chiefly through the eyes of three women
—a lawyer, a businesswoman, and a political activist—all of whose
ambitions become intertwined. The series is an ambitious project that is
probably just a shade too intellectual for the mainstream commercial SF
market, but which should appeal to readers who like something a little more
thoughtful than the latest military SF or post-apocalyptic dystopia."
ISBN: 978-1-933500-09-6 (13 digit)
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