I realised about quarter of the way through that this novel was basically an extended love letter to the Strugastky's Roadside Picnic. So I read it as such. It's also crossed with Chandler esque noir vibes that work much of the time but fail occasionally. Harrison's prose is as stylised and pleasing as in Light. ( )

Not as good as the [b:first installment|17735|Light (Empty Space Trilogy #1)|M. John Harrison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389700041s/17735.jpg|295250] in the series, nor was the narration as good as Julian Elfer's wonderful performance of Light. ( )

This is set in the same universe as Light, a space opera that was really not my cup of tea. Nova Swing is not space opera though, but noir mixed with No Exit. The anomalous physics of the Kefahuchi Tract have touched ground, leading to a strange dreamlike area where those who enter rarely return and those that do bring back objects that can have deadly effects. For this reason, it's a crime to enter or to be a tour guide (aka travel agent) like Vic Serotonin. The book starts when a dame walks into a bar. Then it kind of sits there for most of the novel. Like an existentialist play, various characters talk without communicating, and not much happens until the required big shootout at the end. That's the part lost me. Vic Serotonin is the center of everything but he's a cipher who does almost nothing. The writing is full of wonderfully descriptive passages but it's all dream logic, sex without feeling, and constant gloom. The book ends with an extended denouement that is oddly peaceful and sweet.

M John Harrison is too good a writer to not recommend, but I wish I liked what he wrote better. ( )

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/half-life-shelley-jackson-end-of-the-world-blues...

I found Nova Swing unmemorable and uninteresting. A lot of people rave about Harrison’s work, but I find him pretty unreadable. ( )

Not nearly as interesting or exciting as I had hoped. None of the dialogue made any sense to me. I was hoping to learn more about the "event site" but didn't. The ending seemed totally useless. Surprised I stuck with it. ( )