george alex effinger

Budayeen Nights is a collection of stories all set in or derived from the setting of Effinger’s Marid Audran books which all centre around the Budayeen – the sleazy old quarter of a fictitious North African Arab city – and whilst there are a couple of excellent stories I’d suggest it is mainly...

The Exile Kiss is the third and final book in Effinger’s Marid Audran series (there is a later book of short stories – Budayeen Nights). Audran is now Friedlander Bey’s undisputed right hand man and now also married by his command. Leaving a formal dinner, both of them are kidnapped by Bey’s...

This second book in Effinger’s Marid Audran trilogy never quite achieves the same level as When Gravity Fails, its predecessor. It still has the excellent Chandleresque noir detective juxtaposed with the alternative cyberpunk North Arfrican setting and these elements are just as engaging as...

Isn’t it strange the things that can sometimes unjustifiably put one off picking up a book to read? I’ve had When Gravity Fails on my list for a long time – I love SF, I love cyberpunk and I thoroughly enjoy a good noir crime thriller – so this book is ticking all my boxes and yet I kept passing...