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Empire State
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Empire State
Unavailable
Empire State
Ebook469 pages6 hours

Empire State

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this ebook

It was the last great science hero fight, but the energy blast ripped a hole in reality, and birthed the Empire State - a young, twisted parallel prohibition-era New York. When the rift starts to close, both worlds are threatened, and both must fight for the right to exist.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 27, 2011
ISBN9780857661944
Unavailable
Empire State
Author

Adam Christopher

Adam Christopher was born in Auckland, New Zealand. In 2006, he moved to the sunny North West of England, where he lives in domestic bliss with wife and cat in a house next to a canal. Adam's short fiction has appeared in Pantechnicon, Hub, and Dark Fiction Magazine. When not writing Adam can be found drinking tea and obsessing over Dark Shadows, DC Comics, and 1960s Doctor Who. Adam is also very bad at épée but knows that Thibault cancels out Capa Ferro, unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa. Which he has.

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Reviews for Empire State

Rating: 3.2962962962962963 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

81 ratings23 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Empire State is an alternate reality to what we know as 1930s New York City. Under oppressive rule, the inhabitants of the city are forced to ration all commodities to fund the war effort against an unknown force simply identified as “The Enemy”. When detective Rad Bradley is hired to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, he encounters visitors from New York. As Rad’s investigation continues, the truth behind the existence of The Empire State begins to unravel causing the detective to question everything he’s ever known.

    I had a hard time writing that introduction. The truth is, a lot happens in this book and the less you know, the better. It should be noted that writing a book is most likely not an easy feat. When you’re writing a book that features time travel, multiple versions of any one character and more twists and turns than a race track in Mario Kart, it has to be that much more difficult.

    Adam Christopher takes up the daunting task of presenting us with a Sci-Fi novel constructed with the pillars of many different influences. You have his love of superheroes with the appearance of original characters The Skyguard and his partner turned rival, The Science Pirate. You have his love of pulp-era detective novels with private dick, Rad Bradley as well his appreciation for weird alternate dimension travel through Doctor Who. You would imagine that approaching a novel incorporating all of these elements would create a bit of a jumbled, unfocused mess but Christopher manages to take those ingredients and create a pretty decent meal out of it.

    Despite the fact that I’ve been known to have a hard time in the past keeping track of who’s playing for what side when several back-stabbings and twists occur, Christopher never left me feeling lost. Given the nature of a lot of these selfish characters, it’s only natural that each would align with the side that gave them the biggest advantage; even if at times only temporarily.

    On a side note, I should mention that Angry Robot included a great interview after the novel’s conclusion that is definitely worth a read. Adam also included what he felt was a soundtrack to the novel itself featuring songs and artists that he listened to while working on the book as well as ones that influenced the story on a whole. There are links on Adam’s website to the iTunes as well as Spotify playlists if you wish to download them.

    When I finished the book, I was glad to know that a sequel is being written (and even happier knowing that I already have an advanced reader copy ready to go). I’d give it a good hearty recommendation.

    Cross-posted @ Every Read Thing

    Check out my interview with Adam.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good book with great writing. The mystery unfolds until the final pages. A thrill ride
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    More noir than science fiction, but that is what you might expect when a Prohibition-era mirror-image of New York is connected to a Roaring New York by a fissure. Great story and lots of twists in the plot.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this book. Superheroes, noir, mystery, robots, blimps, the kitchen sink. One of my favorite books of the yer.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While I have to give the author credit for "high concept" this mash-up of noir and superhero tropes I felt was only interesting, not really gripping, in that the none of the characters captured my imagination and the world building seemed too shallow; it would probably make a neat graphic novel though!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a refreshing and fun read. Thirties detective, superheroes, men in gas masks, dirigibles, robots, wartime, oppressive police and government presence. Found the book because I subscribe to several feeds about science and scifi books. I am glad I read it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    While a little uneven at the start, the last 25% of the book is a long rolling climax that's very satisfying. If you're a pulps fan, you'll enjoy this book on many levels.

    Alas, having read this on my Kindle, I found it too easy to put down and forget to pick up again (which is why it took me more than a year from purchase to completion). Still, Adam Christopher's next novels are all downloaded and waiting for me to try them before purchasing (and that's the best compliment I can pay most writers--wanting to read more of their work right away).

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    More noir than science fiction, but that is what you might expect when a Prohibition-era mirror-image of New York is connected to a Roaring New York by a fissure. Great story and lots of twists in the plot.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting world and characters. I felt the story dragged on a little bit.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An interesting idea, an alternate universe New York with feuding superheroes. Then I got really confused and the book became very disjointed as I tried to work out who was who, where they were and how these seemingly disparate stories were linked. It did all come together in the end. I like the idea, but I'm not sure how I feel about the book, its not badly written, but I can't work out if its a great book or not.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Start with New York City in the Prohibition era. Add in robots, airships, two armor-clad superheroes, strange science, and a mystery at the heart of the Empire State.On top of that, private detective Rad Bradley has to find the missing Sam Saturn. Oh, and prevent the end of the world. No pressure.Empire State is a mighty fun read, with twist after twist that will keep you on your toes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An interesting though sometimes confusing story of parallel universes. It could have lost about 100 pages and a couple of double-crosses for better pacing. Some amateurish writing (shifting POV, too much "telling") but overall a decent first novel if you like sci-fi and noir fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm rounding up: rating is more like 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the idea and the plot, but the execution was a little bumpy. THings were very confusing, and I get that they were supposed to be, but...there were several times that I almost put it down. The writing was as little uneven, too, but this was the first book, and I'm willing to give the second one a try.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Started off quite well - noirish with a bit of steampunk and superheroes - but eventaully seemed to drag. Too many characters, too many bits of plot that didn't make sense. I gave up around the 300 page mark - just couldn't be bothered to finish it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really wasn't sure for a long time, but I think I loved this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book has an interesting premise. But, it was way to lengthy and I got a bit bored with it half way through. With a bit more editing and some clarification of certain scenes, this would have been an amazing book. But, as it stands, it is only a good book.I liked the main character, Rad. It starts simply enough - a detective story in an alternate New York City. But, there is something very very wrong with this city and it has something to do with The Science Pirate and the Sky Guard. Poor Rad. He gets beat up, shoved through a portal, beat up again, and finally shot (Luckily, not fatally). Where the book fails is that I kept getting the secondary characters confused with each other. The motives of all the characters also seem to trip over each other, with no clear motivation for any of them.The end of the book could be expanded upon - It was too short, to neat, and too many places mentioned!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it. Can't wait until he writes another book. I do have a weakness for the anti-hero.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    had expected more of this book. the overall setting really appeals to me but i never quite got into the rythem of the book. tool me ages to finish, wich is rather worrisome if you consider that this is supposed to be a detective novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is an interesting book that ultimately didn't work for me. There is potential for a good book here, but this one gets bogged down in a hodgepodge of styles and ideas.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Rex, a small-time prohibition-era bootlegger involved in a running shootout with other gangsters, finds himself transported to Empire State, a Kafkaesque parallel universe with no past that combines elements of steampunk, Orwell's "1984", Fringe, The Rocketeer, and the Maltese Falcon. Once there, he learns that in order to return home he has to find and kill himself, or at least his doppelganger.My favorite part of the book is found not in the text but in the "About the Author" section at the end in which he says "Adam is also very bad at èpèe but knows that Thibault cancels out Capa Ferro, unless the enemy has studied his Agrippa. Which he has." Maybe he should try his hand at humor.FYI: Christopher is planning a follow-up novel called "Worldbuilder"*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review copy of this book was obtained from the publisher via the Amazon Vine Program.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program to review. The second book in this series will be titled The Age Atomic and is scheduled for a March 2013 release. This sounded like an awesome premise for a story and I was excited to read this book. I started this book two or three times and just couldn't get into it. I finally was determined to read it over Christmas break. I again had a lot of trouble getting through the first 30 pages or so, but the story improved a bit after that. The story follows Rex and Rad. Rad is a PI who ends up investigating the disappearance of a young woman in the Empire State. Rex is a mobster who ends up in the Empire State (originally from New York city) and is disoriented and confused by his presence there.The style is kind of a blend of crime, urban fantasy, and steampunk. The story is incredibly original; involving parallel worlds, super heroes, steam driven power, and rifts in time. It kind of reminds of a Doctor Who episode, the movie Dark City also comes to mind.Rex is a mobster type character that is very unlikable and very hard to relate to. I had a lot of trouble reading through the parts where he featured. Rad was a much more interesting character that was easier to engage with. The portions where he features in the story were a lot more interesting. Despite the fact that he is a heavy drinker and always on the edge of self-destruction, Rad is determined to do his job and solve the mystery set in front of him. I admired his determination.There are a variety of other characters, all of them fairly forgettable since they are in and out of the story quite rapidly.As the story continues and things get more and more complex (with double of the same characters but from different parallel areas) things got very ambiguous and hard to follow. The story became a burden to read and I had a lot of trouble picturing the story and characters. I struggled through it and I understood what was going on, but I really didn’t enjoy it.This book is not an easy or pleasant read. The characters are hard to relate to. The story is especially fractured towards the second half of the book as it rapidly switches between a number of different POVs. It becomes hard to follow and boring. The ending felt rushed and forced.Overall not a great read. I really really wanted to like this book. The premise is pretty neat and you have super heroes, steampunk, and investigative elements...all things I enjoy. Unfortunately, the characters were hard to relate to or engage with. Also as you approach the end of the story it becomes very fractured switching rapidly between numerous points of view, all in all it makes for a difficult and unpleasant read. By the end of this book I was just happy to be finished with it. I won’t be reading any more books in this series which is a pity because it sounds so cool.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this first novel by Adam Christopher - but it had come highly recommended by a number of my writer friends, so I figured it was worth a look.Centered around a world with two New Yorks, one shrouded in fog and forever battling an unseen Enemy with the austerity of ‘Wartime’ and another set in our world in 1950, with all the light, noise and people that inhabited the city in that time.The Empire State, with its heart in one of the many correlations between the two, the Empire State Building, has retained the prohibition of alcohol and is only nineteen years old. Which is weird, because the people in it remember lives and events that predate those nineteen years.Without giving too much away, the activities of two superheroes or supervillans (depending on who you talk to), known as the Skyguard and the Science Pirate, have had an impact in both versions of the Big Apple. Rad Bradley, private detective and frequenter of his local speakeasy, is caught up in various schemes and machinations and quickly finds himself out of his depth.For a first novel, this has a polished feel and tells a great story. The interactions between the characters as well as the two New Yorks has been crafted with great care and it shows. In terms of storytelling, this is some of the best I’ve read for a long time and it’s got a great deal to recommend it. There’s the PI in the style of Sam Spade, superheroes, bootleggers, battle robots, airships and strange thugs in gas masks, set against the backdrop of the bleak Empire State and the vibrant New York of our world.I enjoyed Christopher’s tale immensely and am looking forward to his next effort. You won’t be wasting your money by buying this one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love the new flood of genre mash-ups and this is a gem. It opens with a bang too as a gripping car chase rival gangsters is overtaken by a literally explosive fight between two superheroes. For this is prohibition era New York and things are about to get worse (and weird) for PI Rad Bradley, who is about to make a discovery that’s going to change everybody’s lives forever.Sublimely meshing noir tropes with superhero conventions and twisting your typical mystery plot into a mind bending tale of parallel universes, odd cults, robots, airships, doomsday devices and really hard alcohol. It's a fun, fast paced, mind bending mystery. It has a fantastic sense of place with its rain slicked streets, eerily empty warships, gargantuan mansions and seedy speakeasies and they are all populated with some great characters, luckily my favourite being PY Bradley who really shines here. It’s real easy to slip into this world and bring it alive, Christopher manages to walk a tightrope of tricky character reasoning and motivation with a such a fluid setting.I guess being a 1st novel there are some cracks, some of those great characters get lost and some just don't seem to fit. I felt the plot could have done with being a wee tighter or rather pruned/focused as there any dead wood in the thick plot. Personal taste also dictated a desire for a less snake like plot, which gave a me a headache but now I am just nitpicking. I meant it has a robot butler what more do you want?All in all recommend to lovers of a rollicking story with a mind bending plot, sci-fi fans and lovers of noir. Christopher is an author to watch.