Midnight Robber [Paperback]

There is so much here that is impressive. Ms. Hopkinson's skill with world building is a treat. So much of the standard fantasy and SF scenarios and metaphors are cleared from the field, and a wealth of mythology, story telling and culture from the African and Caribbean worlds are set in place. The result is a departure from what this genre usually has to offer, a deft weaving of myth and technology a grittier and oft-times harsher world-view. The narrator's poetic voice and author's skilled use of language serve to cement the landscape and confirm that the reader has departed from the tried and true paths, into the wilds of another culture, another realm, where anything might happen. The Caribbean flavor of the language is spicy and powerful-strong and primal. These are storyteller words, delicious to read aloud and savor. And Ms. Hopkinson is able to paint her story with this language without making the read ponderous or awkward. Ms. Hopkinson provides a much needed voice in the realm of women's and multicultural fiction. There is not enough representation of African or Caribbean voices or main characters in today's SF and Fantasy, and this author's efforts are helping to help fill the gap. She's a strong writer, with a lot of potential and a hungry audience waiting for her to fulfill that potential.

Beyond the praise, however, I didn't feel that MIDNIGHT ROBBER was quite the story it could have been, despite all that is wonderful about it. Ms. Hopkinson sets up readers for an exotic and flavorful feast-but does not pace the meal well. The story seems to be forever waiting to start. So much goes on, and there are magical breaks of story telling from the narrator, but these stories and the life of Tan-Tan don't really meet up until the last bit of the book. The narrator refers to telling an anansi story, but I felt the spider's web somehow got disconnected-and didn't quite make the tapestry they were aiming for.

At the opening of this tale, Ms. Hopkinson introduces Tan-Tan's father, Antonio as a complex and interesting character involved in political intrigues and a troubling love life. Yet, these first scenes and actions seemed to have relatively little to do with the story that develops. Antonio fails to remain interesting, instead becoming a vehicle by which Tan-Tan is swept into the world of New Half Way Tree. The world of Toussaint, as compared to New Half Way Tree, where two thirds of the book takes place, was actually the more vivid and fascinating world. New Half Way tree seemed simplistic by comparison. Simplistic and brutal. Characters tended to be less developed than their environment. Ms. Hopkinson's debut novel, BROWN GIRL IN THE RING was more complete in regard to story and pacing. The villains were obvious, the goals were comprehensible and the outcome satisfying. In MIDNIGHT ROBBER these lines are not as clearly drawn-and didn't allow for a comfortable conclusion. The story begs for a sequel, for the rest of Tan-Tan's magical and legendary heritage to be revealed.

Similar to her debut novel, Ms. Hopkinson has created a story is strongly feminist in tone. It's refreshing to see strong women characters that face the world on their own terms and it's beneficial for young readers to have another type of heroine to identify with. However, I must contend that Ms. Hopkinson's male characters in this story are almost entirely vilified and/or emasculated. There is no male protagonist in this book that commands respect or admiration. Nearly all the men are full of villainy and corrupt thoughts and motives. I think it a disservice to Tan-Tan's character that there is not any male characters that come close to being a match for her-either as allies or adversaries. It would allow for a more powerful story. A word of warning to readers, this is not a light or sweet book. It deals with dark and violent imagery and actions. Rape, murder and treachery are all part and parcel of this story. It is not a "fairy tale" in the way so many readers are exposed to them today, but it has a lot in common with the older, darker fairy tales that are their origins. At its heart it is a story of survival and overcoming obstacles; it is a story about human perseverance and the power that resides in one's self.

Personally, I think it would be worthwhile to see a story set solely in the world of Toussaint-there are so many elements of the lifestyle and technology that exists that Ms. Hopkinson only touches on in passing, and I would enjoy seeing them explored further. I can only hope Ms. Hopkinson's writing will improve and that she will continue writing, I feel she has a lot to offer her readers and look forward to her future endeavors.

Happy Reading! -shanshad ^_^

Hopkinson story telling had developed beautifully. Her strength and talent as a writer shine in Midnight Robber. As in Brown Girl, Hopkinson writes once again in a Patois peppered Caribbean dialect that reads effortlessly and sounds like music if you try to read it aloud. The characters she creates are thick and full-blooded. Tan-Tan is a shero in she own right and the planet, people and creatures of Toussaint and New Half-Way Tree will keep your fingers turning page after page after page.

As a kid, I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy: Madeleine L`Engle`s, C.S. Lewis, Ursula K. Leguin, Ray Bradbury, Piers Anthony, Issac Asimov and Choose Your Own Adventure novels. However, up until a few years ago, I did not know of any people of color writing science fiction. But my list has grown. There is of course Octavia E. Butler. Other sci-fi writers include Jewel Gomez, Samuel Delaney, Tananarive Due, Phyllis Alesia Perry and Steven Barnes. Too, the recent anthology, Dark Matter edited by Sheree Thomas offers a wide array of Black speculative fiction writers whose work spans decades. So if you thought Star Trek`s Luitenent Uhuru and Mr. Sulu were about it as far as colored folks in space and beyond, rest assured you`re dead wrong.