![]() It is a world which undergoes more than one uncomfortable transition, leaving some citizens on the sharp end of a great deal of unpleasantness as the political climate shifts leaving them high and dry. With his style of narrative and the story itself, Sterling has really managed to capture this sense of frenzy as the characters search for the truth, gathering ideas like pebbles on a beach which they pile up to fortify their political microcosm while they create their vision of a new and improved world. Governments and the aristocracy were being challenged. This was a period in history which probably saw one of the greatest shifts in people’s thinking, forcing many to move outside the type of constraints placed on individuals by the society of the previous century. ![]() This means the narrative takes on a wonderfully overblown feel and the interactions of the characters are hysterically over the top.īut there is a very unsettling undertone to this seeming pantomime. Certainly if this novel were staged, the actors would ply their craft by making bold and extravagant gestures, enunciating their words excruciatingly carefully so they could be sure the audience at the back of the theatre would hear every word. The characters are introduced in the style of a play and the whole book feels like an immense and richly dressed piece of theatre. The result is that Pirate Utopia is a rollicking, full-bodied, intelligent satire of a country that might have been a world player, had not events conspired against it in real life. This is a concept Sterling runs with, throwing in the occasional real character, as well as changing history with a few inventive strokes of the keyboard. Before long Fuime finds itself at the centre of political attention and possibly about to take its place as a powerful player on the world stage.įuime was a real country in the Balkans (now modern Rijeka) which had a brief bout as an independent Italian free state between 19 as it attempted to become a major political driving force (something Bruce Sterling documents at the back of the main story). Veterans of this world-shattering conflict begin to cross its borders seeking a new way of life. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.The tiny state of Fuime, like the rest of Europe, is still reeling from the Great War. Looking for a good book? Pirate Utopia by Bruce Sterling is a short book about some idealizing ‘pirates’ in the 1920’s who take over and develop their own country. The idea is wonderful and I liked this twist on the alternative history fiction (a genre I don’t usually care for), but this is probably my least favorite Sterling book to date. ![]() The art alone is worth checking out this book. Perhaps the best part of the book is the beautiful art by John Coulthart, who captures the Art Deco/war years style to lead off the chapters and divisions of the book. I enjoyed this and it had me doing a quick Google search of my own to learn a little more. The last third of the book (or so) is an interview with Sterling who gives a brief account of the real history of Fiume. The characters are not developed and instead we move along at pulp-pounding-pace. We get flashes of something, but no flesh. The book feels like a story and not a book, even when reading it. Howard and Howard Lovecraft and Harry Houdini. Sterling tells the story in true pulp fiction manner and brings in characters such as Robert E. They took to calling themselves ‘pirates’ and the book centers on Lorenzo Secondari, Pirate Engineer, who observes his comrades changing from warriors and rebels to politicians and business leaders trying to create that perfect country. In the 1920’s a ragtag band of free-thinking warriors took over the eleven square mile ‘Free State of Fiume’ between Italy and Yugoslavia. Novelette? Short story? In any case, this is a short work of a really … well … interesting nature. This really isn’t a novel and I’m not even sure it’s long enough to be considered a novella. I’m pretty much a sucker for anything by Bruce Sterling so I was giddy with glee to see a Bruce Sterling ARC available.
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