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Synopsis: “The Quantum Bomb of 2015 changed everything. The fabric that kept the universe’s different dimensions apart was torn and now, six years later, the people of earth exist in uneasy company with inhabitants of, among others, the elven, elemental, and demonic realms. Magic is real and can be even more dangerous than technology. Elves are exotic, erotic, dangerous and really bored with the constant Lord of the Rings references. Elementals are a law unto themselves, and demons are best left well to themselves. Special agent Lila Black used to be pretty, but now she’s not so sure. Her body is now more than half restless carbon and metal alloy machinery – a machine she’s barely in control of. It goes into combat mode, enough weapons for a small army springing from within itself, at the merest provocation. As for her heart … well ever since being drawn into a Game by the elven rock star she’s been assigned to protect, she’s not even sure she can trust that anymore either.”–BOOK JACKET.

This series, which starts off in the year 2021, is a bit of a hybrid between science fiction and urban fantasy/paranormal fiction. It has more relationship stuff than is typical for sci fi, but much less than a paranormal romance story. So if you’re a die-hard fan of either genre, you might be disappointed.

In the first book, Keeping It Real, our heroine Lila Black was saved from death by the earth’s (called Otopia here) government, which invested a half a billion dollars in her high-tech cyborg body. Still trying to adjust to her new body and the trauma of her assault while on a mission in Aelfheim (the elf world), not to mention the loss of her family who were told she was killed on the mission, she is assigned to protect rock-star elf Zal.  Zal is an anomaly, since everyone knows that “elves don’t rock.” But this one does, and he thinks he doesn’t need protection from the death treats that he’s been getting.

Earth as we know it is different. Magic is known to exist and creatures from the other dimensions – fairies, ghosts, demons, etc. – interact with humans in varying degrees with varying results. The worlds are well-defined and make me wish I could visit them! The Elf world is Aelfheim, rich with magic in its non-tech, garden-like existence. Earth/Otopia is in a young alliance with Aelfheim, but both sides are still feeling their way. Demonia is a color-saturated beautiful world where the demons, also magic-users, live. Faery, land of the fairies, has welcomed tourists from early on.  Zoomenon is the world of the elementals, and not much is known about it. Thanopia is the land of the dead, and no one who goes there ever comes back.

The other books in the series thus far are Selling Out, Going Under, and Chasing the Dragon. By the end of the first book, Lila and Zal are lovers. Things start to look as though they’re not what they appear to be, and the tension increases. What are the various governments hiding? Who are the good guys? Author Justina Robson builds a fascinating mystery around skilful and detailed world-building.  Her writing focuses on some fairly broad themes that she’s covered in her previous publications:  the whole idea of identity,  loyalty, revenge, and love.

These books aren’t puff pieces, as Robson’s sci fi orientation makes them a bit more complicated reading than you’d find in for example a romance novel. Ideas are expressed a bit more subtly. I’ve seen reviews that complain about the sex in the stories, but in my opinion I think these were sci fi fans who don’t “do relationships.” I found that the relationships and sex scenes were underplayed relative to world- and plot-development, but there’s still quite a bit of sizzle between the characters. Just don’t expect any throbbing, dripping body parts.

Once I clicked onto the way Robson writes, I was totally buried in the worlds and the stories. I love Lila Black, a woman who’s whole life has been upended through no fault of her own and who is trying to carve out a place for herself in the new reality. It’s not always easy going, as she’s a damaged soul who doesn’t have a lot of experience in doing what’s she’s been assigned to do. She’s always trusted those in authority, but she’s beginning to see that she doesn’t have the whole story and in fact is probably being manipulated and lied to to serve some mysterious end. Zal is sexy and conflicted, as he too starts to think that everything he thinks he knows may not be true. The journey to the truth is fascinating, violent, and treacherous, and I’m totally hooked on this series!

I would have preferred to have had more detail on the hows and whys of Zal and Lila’s relationship. It’s handled a bit abruptly, and it just sort of appears. Still a great read though, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!