Chasing the Phoenix

(Paperback)

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Description

Surplus came down out of the north dressed in a Mongolian shaman's robes covered with multicoloured ribbons and hammered copper disks. He was leading a yak adorned with red tassels and tiny silver bells. The yak carried a bundle swaddled in cloth and carefully tied up with ropes. In the bundle was the corpse of his friend Aubrey Darger. In the distant future, Surplus descends from the mountains into China, seeking the Infallible Physician for a cure. The old high-tech world has long since collapsed, and the artificial intelligences that ran it are outlawed and destroyed. Or so it seems. Darger and Surplus, a human and a genetically engineered, intelligent, anthropomorphic dog, are a pair of con men who travel to what was once China, where they pretend to be Immortals. They convince the ambitious, mysterious, and conquest-driven Hidden Emperor to once again reunite China under one ruler - with their aid, of course - and find his elusive Phoenix Bride. Against all odds, and much to their puzzled surprise, the scheme begins to succeed.

Reviews

"Veteran fantasy readers will recognize Swanwick's duo as descendants of, and a tribute to, Fritz Leiber's beloved old sword and sorcery stories of an equally larcenous duo named Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, but Swanwick's snappy dialogue and satirical barbs are entirely his own." --Chicago Tribune

"The intellectual puzzles keep interest right to the end." --Publishers Weekly

"I am so hopeful that we have not seen the last of Surplus and Darger." --The Nameless Zine

"Swanwick seems to delight in pinning his heroes into exquisite conundrums that they, in turn, deeply appreciate having to find their ways out of." --Locus

"It's entirely possible that SF needs more rapscallions (they're a bit more baroque and sophisticated than mere rascals), and fortunately Michael Swanwick has taken up the challenge. With only a handful of stories, his raffish duo of Darger and Surplus have become perhaps the most infamous con men in the field since their spiritual ancestors, Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser." --Locus

"Swanwick deftly weaves myth and historical fact together to create an intriguing dystopic mystery whose resolution will elude readers until its final pages." --Shelf Awareness

"This book is like a breath of fresh air, witty and imaginative and just plain goofy fun." --Booklist

"Michael Swanwick, multiple Hugo and Nebula Award winner, is a masterful guide to the bizarre and hilarious adventures of Darger and Surplus. He keeps all the elements moving, suspending disbelief like a talented juggler. Not simply funny, this book sparkles with genuine wit. SF has seen many con artists; Darger and Surplus are a supreme example. Here's to more adventures for the pair." --Analog Science Fiction and Fact

"A grand, high-flying style no working sci-fi author captures better than Swanwick." --Open Letters Monthly

"Darger and Surplus, stars of Dancing with Bears and a handful of short stories, are sure to appeal to fans of classic Fritz Leiber and movies such as The Man Who Would Be King. The exotic locale adds interest, and readers will laugh as they watch the protagonists dig themselves into and out of endless sticky situations." --Library Journal

"Witty, supple, artfully humorous, and vastly engaging." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Author Bio

Michael Swanwick is the winner of five Hugo Awards for his short fiction. His several novels include the Nebula-winning Stations of the Tide, the time-travel novel Bones of the Earth, and the "industrial fantasy" novels The Iron Dragon's Daughter and The Dragons of Babel. He lives in Philadelphia.