Archangels of Funk
Ratings1
Average rating4
15
Ratings1
Average rating4
Run from your past. Hide from your future. Protect your present.
The Water Wars have scrambled the world. Flood refugees are on the run. Disruptors and the nostalgia militia roam the roads wreaking havoc. Invisible Darknet Lords troll the internet solidifying their power, while Cinnamon her three Circus-Bots, and two dogs, work with a community of Farmers, Motor Fairies and Wheel-Wizards to provide housing, healthcare and education for flood refugees.
Slipping into periodic despair, Cinnamon’s been hiding out. She’s ready to ditch the Next World Festival she runs―a sci-fi carnival jam featuring music, dance, masked revelers, drum circles and storytellers in a grassy amphitheatre on the farm she inherited. Her elders haunt her, insisting she do the Festival no matter what.
As she confronts threats from the Darknet Lords and the nostalgia militia, Cinnamon must determine how best to honor her elders and her history, while building a future for herself and her charges.
It’s not going to be easy.
Reviews with the most likes.
I received an AudioARC thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books. The opinions expressed are my own.
Interesting concept, but didn't work for me in audio form. The narrator was fine, but I kept losing track of which POV was speaking, what was going on. I think it would work better for me as text rather than audio and I will probably try again as some point in the future.
Audio review: What an interesting book to try to describe. I'd say this is a funky, slice-of-life-ish, hopeful cyberpunk. Hopeful because in the near future after the Water Wars, there is a community bursting with creativity, care, found family and love. In this high tech world where the resources we know now are low there are also haints and spirits and a Boneyard Barron from another universe. The “plot” takes place over a few days when our MCs are trying to prepare for the annual Next World Festival. There are also threats to the community that emerge and drive the book forward.
Overall I was really transported to this community and came to deeply care for it. I was entranced by the writing, especially the dialogue, which often made me feel like I was part of a poetry slam or spoken word performance (possibly especially amplified by January Lavoy's narration). In some ways Festival is where I was disappointed, because it all felt a bit anti-climactic and was hoping for more on-page pizzazz and magic from the celebration and performances, which were overshadowed by the character goings-on and threats. It's not a book one gobbles down, but it's like slowly drinking tea or coffee and being gratified by every sip. I fell in love with Cinnamon, Zaneesha, Spook and Bruja (the latter two are canine friends).
Obviously I'd recommend this for folks who like cyberpunk or post-apocalyptic with high-tech, especially if you don't want just doom and gloom, but I'd also rec this for the theater kids, artists, poets, funk fans, music fans, or anyone looking for those types of stories that are doing something different and/or influenced by US Southern and African-American culture. I wouldn't rec this for people who NEED an obvious plot arc or action. I'm rooting for this book to find its audience and curious to see if it ends up on any award nomination lists.
