 First edition | |
| Author | Justina Robson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Larry Rostant |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Quantum Gravity |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
Publication date | May 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-07907-6 |
| Followed by | Selling Out |
Keeping It Real is a science fiction novel by British writer by Justina Robson, the first in the Quantum Gravity series.
Agent Lila Black is a cyborg operative for Earth Security, six years after the quantum bomb fractured reality and allowed elves, fairies, demons and other magical creatures access to the Earth. Agent Black is assigned to protect the first Elven rock star, Zal, whose decision to live amongst humans and 'go native' has been met with considerable animosity amongst his own people. Black has to protect Zal from death or capture whilst uncovering secrets that threaten the relationships between the realms.
Publishers Weekly called it "entertaining", with "deft prose". [1] GamesRadar described it as "serious fun", emphasizing its "breakneck pace, oneliners and action set-pieces", but also its "deeper themes surrounding identity, sexual politics and the clash of cultures". [2]
Infinity Plus praised its "well-written characters, witty dialogue and, in this case, tons of popcultural references", particularly commending Robson for having addressed "the sheer weight of extensive prosthetics and how it must feel when the servos quit working", but faulted the extent to which "the fast-paced narrative gets muddled by a lot of elven intrigue, which is difficult to follow and which didn't engage [the reviewer's] interest enough to really try." [3]
At Strange Horizons , Colin Harvey found it to be "the most densely plotted fantasy novel" since Roger Zelazny's The Chronicles of Amber , lauding "Robson’s efforts to give magic logical underpinnings", with Lila being a "credible and sympathetic überspy" despite having "a huge backstory for a twenty-one-year-old, perhaps too much to be entirely credible". [4]
Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics, and where quantum effects cannot be ignored, such as in the vicinity of black holes or similar compact astrophysical objects, and where the effects of gravity are strong, such as neutron stars.
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Justina Robson is a science fiction author from Leeds, England.
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Justina Ireland is an American science-fiction and fantasy author of young adult fiction and former editor-in-chief of the FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. She received the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Non-Professional Work. Her novel Dread Nation won the 2019 Locus Award, and was nominated for the Andre Norton, Bram Stoker, and Lodestar Awards.
The Blip is a major fictional event depicted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise in which half of all living things in the universe, chosen at random, were exterminated by Thanos snapping his fingers while wielding the Infinity Stones in 2018, and then restored in 2023 by Bruce Banner using Infinity Stones recovered from different time periods. "The Blip" appears to refer to the entire event, including the elimination and restoration of the victims. The Blip manifested in the form of the mass disintegration of individual beings into dust, while the reversal had the same dust reforming into the previously deceased individuals, who mostly reappeared in the same location with no direct awareness of what occurred.
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