Chasing the Dragon – Justina Robson
Hachette Livre Gollancz, 2010
400 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 978-057-508562-6

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

This is the fourth instalment in Justina Robson’s Quantum Gravity series. I enjoyed the first two, but missed #3, Going Under. When reading Chasing the Dragon, I noticed quite a few story arcs and characters that would be confusing to the new entrant to the series or if you missed one or more of the novels. If you enjoy a mix of SF and fantasy, cyberpunk mixed with magic and dragons, you’ll enjoy reading the whole series.

At the beginning of the series, Special Agent Lila Blac was rebuilt by the Government after she almost died. Then her cyborg self was remade after entering the Faery realm, giving her much greater control over her body. Now she is a hybrid of woman and machine, able to use the AI system installed by the government but also able to shut it off and work autonomously from her former employers.

In Chasing the Dragon, Lila needs to find Teazle, her demon husband who has been framed for murder and who disappeared in interesting circumstances. She is also determined to rescue Zal, another lover who died, but isn’t quite past saving.  To thicken the plot further. dragons, who haven’t been seen in millennia seem to be rousing, causing magical drama in the four worlds.

As with the rest of the series, one of the main ideas in the story is how Lila grapples with her own humanity. As she physically moves away from being what most would call “human”, she finds her own weaknesses and true humanity. This is set against a background of friendship and also intolerance between the demon, faery, elvish and human races.

We follow Lila for most of the story, but occasionally there is a chapter told from Zal or Malachi’s perspective. This helps to give more of a sense of suspense as we hope Lila’s story converges with them.

This series is a feast for the mind, following intricate plot twists and turns as the characters face forces beyond their understanding, while on a rollercoaster of sex, violence and rock’n'roll.