Below is the trailer for Android Karenina! Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Android Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters
Summary from Quirk Classics.com -
As in the original novel, our story follows two relationships: the tragic adulterous romance of Anna Karenina and Count Alexei Vronsky, and the much more hopeful marriage of Nikolai Levin and Kitty Shcherbatskaya. These four, yearning for true love, live in a steampunk-inspired 19th century of mechanical butlers, extraterrestrial-worshiping cults, and airborne debutante balls. Their passions alone would be enough to consume them—but when a secret cabal of radical scientific revolutionaries launches an attack on Russian high society’s high-tech lifestyle, our heroes must fight back with all their courage, all their gadgets, and all the power of a sleek new cyborg model like nothing the world has ever seen.
Rhia’s Review – I went into this novel with little knowledge of Tolstoy, or the original novel Anna Karenina, so I really didn’t know what to expect from its being mashed with robots. But it’s a good thing.
I really enjoyed Android Karenina, and I like how Winters was able to use the incorporation of robots to really highlight the society of the times. (Only the well-to-do are presented with their own class III companion robot.)
Without straying too far from the original storyline, Winters includes humorous robots, each with their own idiosyncrasies, despite their programming, and a much darker, conspiratorial plot, which adds some excitement to our story of Russion society. Because, let’s face it, almost all classics are better with some sort of giant monster! (Made of tentacle, rotting flesh, or metal; it doesn’t really matter!)
The Recommendation – If you’re a fan of sci-fi, humor, or steampunk-ish things, you’ll find Android Karenina worth reading! And if you’ve been keeping up with Quirk’s mash-up classics, you won’t want to miss this one!
The Contest! – Once again, the fabulous folks at Quirk are having a contest for our lovely blog readers! Just go to this link, mention RATHER BE READING, and you’ll automatically be entered to win one of 25 Quirk Prize Packs, each with a value of about $100. Each prize pack includes:
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies:Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
- How to Survive a Horror Move by Seth Graham-Smith
- Dracula’s Heir:An Interactive Mystery by Sam Stall
- Extreme Encounters by Greg Emmanuel
- How to Tell if Your Boyfriend is The Antichrist by Patricia Carlin
- An Android Karenina poster
- And more!
The Other Books – While I haven’t seen any mention of the next Quirk Classic (which is probably good, because it means they’re not going publish just any crazy mix of classic and monster – keep it fresh, guys!) I’m eagerly awaiting number 5. I, personally, am hoping from something based on Dumas soon. Anyone else?
The Vitals – Android Karenina goes on sale today in paperback for about $12.95.
The Links – Quirk Classics Official Website Android Karenina book page Enter the Contest!
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