Conference noted::sf

1221.0. "China Mountain Zhang, McHugh" by TLE::JBISHOP () Fri Apr 15 1994 14:59

    	_China_Mountain_Zhang_
    
    	by Maureen F. McHugh (Tor paperback, 1992)
    
    This is a near-future story set in a world in which 
    China dominates the world and has the latest high
    technology, and the US is under a communist government,
    recovering from its own version of China's recent
    "Great Leap Forward".  But the future history is not
    the focus of the book--it isn't until literally the
    last few pages of the book that the history behind the
    communist revolution in the US is mentioned, for example.
    
    Zhang is a half-Hispanic half-Chinese New Yorker from
    whose vantage point we see this world.  We also get
    bits of other peoples' stories (e.g. on Mars), even
    where the stories are essentially disconnected.
    
    I like this a lot--it held my interest, it seemed
    realistic (given the admittedly unusual premise), the
    characters involved me.  It was good enough that
    I looked forward to reading it--by contrast I still
    haven't managed to make myself finish an "Honor Harrington"
    book I got.  If _Zhang_ is weak, it's in not having a
    "point".
    
    I'm giving it an A, and will look for the author's
    next work.
    			-John Bishop