Redrobe

Have you ever read an SF novel that includes such elements as a talking gun, a Mexican cardinal and a silver monkey, mostly set in an orbiting analogue of Tibet that is the dumping ground for UN refugees? Grimwood's bizarre narrative also features a burnt out child-star/hitman/hamburger flipper who takes one last job to save his life and ends up tracking down the soul of dead Pope Joan for the Cardinal. Axl, Grimwood's nervous protagonist, is the perfect conduit for the reader feeling threatened by the helter-skelter narrative, and his quest assumes all manner of unwonted directions: from the pursuit of violent death to nothing less than a pursuit of beatific goodness - but readers wary of the religious dimension here should have no fear; Grimwood is too clear-eyed to peddle the kind of mysticism that disfigured Philip K Dick's last few books.Many are the eccentrically inventive writers in the genre today, but few match the novels of Jon Courtenay Grimwood for splenetic, compulsive intelligence and fecundity of imagination. This is his most accomplished outing yet, a bizarre future history crammed with imaginative touches. Of course, Grimwood's cocktail of twisted psychology, pragmatic religion and extreme violence will not be to everyone's taste - but that's precisely its appeal. He has never made the kind of concessions that would ensure him (or his readers) an easier ride, and those ambitious enough to tackle the highly individual universe in these pages may find themselves addicted. And if you're thinking that this is William Gibson territory, don't be deceived. Grimwood is very much his own man - and this is as good as any place in his highly individual oeuvre to act as an entry point. Hearts on Ice (Kirkus UK)