Nekropolis

Introduction

I've written my share of reviews but have never been blurbed. I guess I don't write blurb-worthy copy. There's a certain skill involved, a certain way with words; how else could someone come up with "A fast-paced phantasmagoric trip through the universe of the mind"? I admit it; I'm not up to that.

But let me blurb McHugh for you anyway:

     I have met the future of intelligent science fiction and it is Maureen McHugh. Catchy enough? Pretentious enough? It's not even original (though that never matters with blurbs). But the thing of it is, it's true. Maureen McHugh is the sort of writer you turn to when your stomach begins to churn at the thought of picking up the fourth volume of a series of infinite length, whose originality leached away at some point in the first volume. McHugh's books are the books you pick up when you've been to a bookstore and seen nothing but no-name writers scribbling away in the "universes" of past-their-prime authors with nothing left to sell but their name.

You see, she's just not -afraid-. A more cautious skiffy writer would come up with a new Big Dumb Object, write an interesting action novel based around it, then milk that BDO for all it was worth in a torrent of follow-ups. This isn't McHugh's territory. She's into building things, but they ain't ringworlds: they're societies. Check out China Mountain Zhang. There you discover governmental structures, social structures, informal conventions, a complicated set of hierarchical and nonhierarchical human interactions, and plenty of chrome to boot. What makes this different, though, is that this is -background-. It's not the point of the novel, it sets up the point. Despite all these juicy details, the people that McHugh creates are even more developed and more interesting than the society. And these people grow, change (and don't change), accommodate each other and Deal With Life. In skiffyland, this is venturing beyond the edges of the galaxy. What made McHugh this willing to venture where others fear to tread? Perhaps it's because she lived in China; more likely, it is because she lives in Cleveland. That will make anyone brave.

Sure, she's got her own particular interests: first world/third world interaction, the relationship between individuals and societal norms, clashes of culture. Her careful and varied explorations of these issues add a flavor to her fiction, both short and long, that distinguishes it from other "serious writers," who may produce complicated but bland prose. Maureen is excited about her worlds, we can feel it, and she turns out to be a darn clever tour guide in displaying them to us, showing us the dirty corners as well as the gleaming highlights, but always saving some details for later or merely alluding to treasures yet unseen.

This is a tour you've got to sign up for. But you don't need to bring your camera, because you ain't never gonna forget it.