Zoo City in Around the World

Feb 06, 2012 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff-audio, location-south-africa, post-apocalypse-and-dystopia, read2012, audiobook, sci-fi-fantasy, around-the-world

In my review of Lauren Beukes's earlier book, Moxyland, I pointed out that so much is going on that even the characters don't know where they are. In Zoo City, I feel like Beukes has gone a little too far in the opposite direction - the setting is interesting (a simultaneous alternate South Africa where perps get 'animalled' and end up with special skills) but the plot is weak (something about a pop star and a hidden wife, but then it doesn't seem very important).

I'm not sure I think she has as ...more

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Apr 08, 2011 toria (vikz writes) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: unmissable-reads, science-fiction, weird-fiction, sci-fi, fantasy

Why did I read this book

I have wanted to read this book for some time. However, The hype that surrounded it made me hesitate. But, It's constant appearance on award lists encouraged me to finally dig it off the to be read shelves and read it.

enjoyability 1 star
I was pleasantly surprised. For once, the book lived up to the hype. It was an interesting, disturbing and emotive read.

Accessibility 1 star

This is a relatively new book and therefore it's available in most formats. The E book (Kind ...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Rusalka rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: original-52-books-around-the-world, mystery, fantasy, own, urban-fantasy, around-the-world, africa, ylto-alphabet, arthur-c-clarke-award

I came back to J-berg. I had to, after the A State of Symmetry disaster. I was trying to work out what other book I could read for South Africa and this one fell on my lap. I am so glad it did.

This is like an alternate modern day book. It's set now, everything is similar and familiar. Well, that is, besides the familiars. We would call them familiars but in Africa they are termed mashavi. These are animals that appear one day to certain people, and attach themselves to them. To their "soul" if y I came back to J-berg. I had to, after the A State of Symmetry disaster. I was trying to work out what other book I could read for South Africa and this one fell on my lap. I am so glad it did.

This is like an alternate modern day book. It's set now, everything is similar and familiar. Well, that is, besides the familiars. We would call them familiars but in Africa they are termed mashavi. These are animals that appear one day to certain people, and attach themselves to them. To their "soul" if you like. What kind of animal? Whatever you get stuck with. Zinzi has Sloth. And now they are inseparable.

Who does this happen to? It seems that anyone who does something particularly horrible becomes a mashavi. I am not sure exactly who bad it has to be, the sliding scale is not quite talked about, but you have to have done something pretty bad. All people who are animaled are therefore considered as criminals, and are shunned by society. A lot of them live in an area together, a slum really, called Zoo City. As that is the un-pc name for them. Zoos.

Along with the animal, comes... well... for a lack of a better term, a magic power, or ability. Zinzi and Sloth can find lost things. She looks at people and can see the things they have lost and can follow the trails and find them. Pretty useful. And she in her Former Life used to be a journo. Pretty good combo. Pity everyone looks at you like you're a criminal all the time. But she advertises her services as a finder of lost things, and as people want certain things found, she makes a bit of money.

It is through this she is hired by the top music guy in South Africa to find one of his "next big things" who has run off before her album launch. This throws Zinzi into a whole new world of interesting. Throw in her contract to run email scams - you know the "I'm an African princess dying of cancer and have $20 million dollars and can only give it to you as you are a trustworthy person and I have no one else, but first I need your $2 million so I can escape my terrible oppressive country and die in freedom." emails - to a gang, and the book gets interesting.

That was a long intro... What I loved about this book wasn't the main story line. The music industry thing. I loved the end of it, but not the story. I LOVED the whole animaled lore. It was brilliant. And the aside chapters that are written (turns out by some of the author's friends) in different mediums to explain whats going on. The world is amazing.

Again the sense of place is great. You could really get in to where Zinzi was and what she was doing. I will throw in, as I am on holidays, I could spend hours reading in a comfy chair with a chicken, unlike the few minutes stolen here and there in my real life. But I still found it so easy to get swept along in the place and the story. I need to check out more of her writing.

In a country that has had a problem with an "us" and "them" in the past it was interesting looking at this idea again but from an non-racial premise. I think it was pretty spot on, we all default to shun the unfamiliar and the different. We shouldn't and that's what should make us different from animals, but we're a bit crap at it. It also was a really interesting idea to look at the problem of refugees from all of Africa's wars and conflicts, and how that makes normal people forced into horrible situations scarred, not just on their person and psyche, but can leave an another "scar" (animal) but it may not be their fault... It's interesting...

I say read it. We lose a star as I was getting a little bored halfway through. I couldn't see where it was heading. If this is you too, stick with it, it's only 350pp! It's really different and I can't wait to read more of her work.

For more reviews visit http://rusalkii.blogspot.com.au/ ...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Tanya rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-etc, around-the-world-2012

RTW: South Africa Urban fantasy / mystery in a broken, dark, seedy Johannesburg.

I really enjoyed this book, it is not often that you find an author who can bring a new and unique voice to a familiar concept. Animal familiars are a staple of spectulative fiction, but this author makes them feel fresh. Zinzi has been 'animalled' with a sloth. In this world, those who commit serious crime have an animal appear, and they must remain physically close to it or experience severe pain. The death of an ...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Gaijinmama marked it as to-read

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Sep 19, 2011 Angela marked it as to-read

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Feb 16, 2012 Kimberly marked it as to-read

Shelves: south-africa, must-read-asap-ll

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Jun 27, 2012 Krista the Krazy Kataloguer marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: own-ebook, to-read-goodreads-authors, to-read-sci-fic-fantasy

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Aug 26, 2012 Kati Stevens marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Oct 18, 2012 Shannon rated it liked it

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Nov 26, 2022 Diane rated it liked it

Shelves: 21st-century, mystery, sci-fi, dystopia, speculative-fiction, africa, noir, urban-fantasy, south-african, 2022-reads

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Jul 06, 2013 Rachel marked it as to-read

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Aug 16, 2013 sash. marked it as to-read

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Oct 11, 2013 Christine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books, science-fiction, i-like-the-cover, urban-fantasy, crime, dystopia-post-apocalyptic, africa, color-white, color-black, authors-a-to-d

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