One of the most anticipated science fiction novels of next year, Mappalujo by Jeff Noon & Steve Beard. Jeff is, of course, well known for his groundbreaking novel Vurt published in 1993, (which was followed by a sequel, Pollen, in 1995 and a prequel, Nymphomation, in 1997) and this is surely going to be counted amongst his best works to date. Prepare to enter the world of Lujo, a city caught somewhere between reality and a dimension which may/may not be real... "Mappalujo is a shared dream set in the twilight realm of Lujo, a city dominated by the surreal cartoons and artificially bred toy creatures of the Zeno Entertainment Company. Since the company’s founder died in mysterious circumstances, Zeno's visions have become darker and even more sinister. An identity-altering drug is leaking onto the streets. For a few brilliant, flickering moments users are transformed into famous or infamous celebrities, only to find that the other side of fame lies in the gutter, or in death. The novel follows a lowly salesman, an information gatherer, a private detective and a teenage psychic. Four stories, four people – each of them connected to the bizarre fate of Zeno, its bitter heir, and a hostile faery spirit named Mama Lujo. Here is one city’s epic tale told in seventy-five chapters, each influenced by a different iconic figure. From Lewis Carroll to Patti Smith, from Sigmund Freud to Raymond Chandler and Sophie Calle – the ghosts haunting the streets of Lujo are all conjured from the collective unconscious of the modern media age. Mappalujo is baroque science fiction, tumbling with ideas and images, exuberant to the extreme. It documents a world only a few metres and a few minutes away from our own – yet stranger by far."
Author
Jeff Noon is a novelist, short story writer and playwright whose works make extensive use of wordplay and fantasy.He studied fine art and drama at Manchester University and was subsequently appointed writer in residence at the city's Royal Exchange theatre. But Noon did not stay too long in the theatrical world, possibly because the realism associated with the theatre was not conducive to the fantastical worlds he was itching to invent. While working behind the counter at the local Waterstone's bookshop, a colleague suggested he write a novel. The result of that suggestion, Vurt, was the hippest sci-fi novel to be published in Britain since the days of Michael Moorcock in the late sixties. Like Moorcock, Noon is not preoccupied with technology per se, but incorporates technological developments into a world of magic and fantasy. As a teenager, Noon was addicted to American comic heroes, and still turns to them for inspiration. He has said that music is more of an influence on his writing than novelists: he 'usually writes to music', and his record collection ranges from classical to drum'n'bass.
