Help me find the name of this book
November 25, 2011 10:57 PM Subscribe
What is the name of book where there's a floating city and an orb which allows detectives to travel to other time/city/dimension, but now there's a problem and they're stuck or maybe travel is blocked.
I've been trying to remember/find this again for almost a year now. I think I saw it recommended here a while back.
I think its premise was that there's this floating city which is really two cities (not Mieville's City and the City), one superimposed atop the other. And there's this orb (or something) that allows some policing agency to travel between them. I think there's also some kind of aliens, or other beings involved?
Anyone have any ideas?
I've been trying to remember/find this again for almost a year now. I think I saw it recommended here a while back.
I think its premise was that there's this floating city which is really two cities (not Mieville's City and the City), one superimposed atop the other. And there's this orb (or something) that allows some policing agency to travel between them. I think there's also some kind of aliens, or other beings involved?
Anyone have any ideas?
Mmm, it's not an exact fit but reminds me of The Manuel of Detection.
posted by grapesaresour at 11:53 PM on November 25, 2011
posted by grapesaresour at 11:53 PM on November 25, 2011
Sounds a llittle like Alastair Reynold's Century Rain. It's got detectives in an alternate Paris, with an alien artifact that allows for transit between that world and a future Earth. But, it's not quite a perfect match.
posted by eotvos at 2:01 AM on November 26, 2011
posted by eotvos at 2:01 AM on November 26, 2011
Another inexact fit: my guess is A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 2:04 AM on November 26, 2011
posted by Monsieur Caution at 2:04 AM on November 26, 2011
Sounds a little bit like the His Dark Materials trilogy, but there's no orb. Hmm.
posted by duvatney at 11:28 AM on November 26, 2011
posted by duvatney at 11:28 AM on November 26, 2011
Another inexact guess: Palimpsest by Catherine Valente?
posted by smoke at 1:12 PM on November 26, 2011
posted by smoke at 1:12 PM on November 26, 2011
Possibly another Diana Wynne Jones: A Sudden Wild Magic. Been a long time since I read it though, not sure if there's any orb.
posted by mumblingmynah at 3:46 PM on November 26, 2011
posted by mumblingmynah at 3:46 PM on November 26, 2011
Could also be Deep Secret by Wynne Jones. Heh, this is a pretty common theme to her work!
posted by smoke at 4:33 PM on November 26, 2011
posted by smoke at 4:33 PM on November 26, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions. I checked them all out, and while some are close, I don't think any are it. Definitely not His Dark Materials, that's my favorite series of novels.
Here are some more details I think I remember.
There are two detectives/police/etc., a man and woman (I think). There is some alien race or human overseers the monitor use of this device that allows transport between the two realms. Now there is some problem, either access to the device (which I think is floating or on a spaceship?) is blocked, or something similar.
I believe I saw it recommended here about 1-2 years ago in one of the "Recommend Me Something Like Book X" threads.
I think this book was released sometime recently (>2002 or so), but I could be wrong.
posted by .shaun at 7:38 PM on November 26, 2011
Here are some more details I think I remember.
There are two detectives/police/etc., a man and woman (I think). There is some alien race or human overseers the monitor use of this device that allows transport between the two realms. Now there is some problem, either access to the device (which I think is floating or on a spaceship?) is blocked, or something similar.
I believe I saw it recommended here about 1-2 years ago in one of the "Recommend Me Something Like Book X" threads.
I think this book was released sometime recently (>2002 or so), but I could be wrong.
posted by .shaun at 7:38 PM on November 26, 2011
This sounds vaaaguely similar to Wicked City by Hideyuki Kikuchi, which has a male human detective and a female demon detective trying to prevent sabotage of the signing of a peace treaty between the demon and human dimensions. If this is a book you've read, it cannot be Wicked City, because you would remember the man-eating demon vaginas.
Another improbable possibility is the Detective Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams: it stars another demon/human cop pair and has frequent travel between mortal and metaphysical planes that can be blocked by a magical artifact or supernatural being. Both deuteragonists are male, though both work separately on occasion with women (and there is no flesh-eating genitalia).
posted by nicebookrack at 10:50 AM on November 27, 2011
Another improbable possibility is the Detective Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams: it stars another demon/human cop pair and has frequent travel between mortal and metaphysical planes that can be blocked by a magical artifact or supernatural being. Both deuteragonists are male, though both work separately on occasion with women (and there is no flesh-eating genitalia).
posted by nicebookrack at 10:50 AM on November 27, 2011
Sounds a little like the Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle
posted by rmless at 7:10 AM on November 28, 2011
posted by rmless at 7:10 AM on November 28, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by hattifattener at 11:30 PM on November 25, 2011