Girl Out Of Time by John Matsui
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been a pretty big fan of Matsui for ages now, and while I have many good reasons, there is one that I always focus on most: his homages to classic SF, be it humorous, horrific, or big-concept. He knows his stuff. Indeed, his novels are like love letters. Just see the nods to such great fare as Hitchhiker's Guide and Back to the Future--but it goes much deeper than this.


This new book has that all-out comic energy, bypassing reason (at least at the beginning) for that feel, only barrel us headlong into the future, with its lies, great dystopian scope, crime and punishment, rebellion, and some hopeful glee. In other words, it brings out the great idea-guns that were the classic bread-and-butter of the old SF.

Indeed, I was reminded quite fondly of Asimov's End of Eternity by way of Hitchhikers by way of Terminator by way of Who. Idea-fiction is becoming a lost art. Maybe that's why I get so enthusiastic whenever I read things like this.

So much happens, so quickly, and the adventure is as palpable and pulpy as you please. Bravo!

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