Will the a scientist that seems to use magic be able to avert the destruction of a distant world where the ocean tide's are a threat to the very existence of the planet? Or is something more sinister at work? A bit of a conglomeration of science fiction/fantasy/mystery that delivers on all accounts and justifies its prize-winning status.

I had to DNF this book. I was unsure on what was going on. The synopsis seemed interesting, but the first bit of the book didn’t seem to line up? I also am confused as to if this is a new book installment or one that has just been reprinted, but story was paced strangely and couldn’t get into it. The overall book seemed like it had potential but just isn’t my taste of books. Was quite strange in a “Psalm for the Wild Built” or “Spear Cuts Through Water” sort of way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book so deeply and thoroughly, I found myself dragging it out so that it couldn't end. The writing was so clean and clear, despite all the surreal events that occur, I could picture everything, and everything felt fresh and interesting. I can't believe it isn't contemporary; it certainly felt more so than a lot of recently published books I've read in this genre. I was entertained by every plot pivot, enthralled by every new setting - it's just excellent fantastical science fiction, one of my favourite books of this year, I think I can say that for certain already.

This book is wild. We have robot suitcases, witches, robots who attend meetings for you, and a planet being overtaken by the sea.

Speaking of the ocean, this book is deep. It’s one of those novels with a minimal plot that’s more about concept than story. The main story follows “the bureaucrat,'' given no other name, trying to track down a ‘wizard’ named Gregorian who has stolen technology. To do so, he travels around and gets into all sorts of strange situations, including some new sex techniques and interactions with very entertaining side characters.

My favourite character was, of course, the robot briefcase. As they say, humans will pack-bond with anything, and that suitcase was so incredibly adorable. There is a final scene with it that was just so cute.

The bureaucrat was a likeable character as well, as he's kind of a dork who is just plodding along, doing his job, and, you know, having sex with witches.

Speaking of the witch, had this book been from the 1970s or so, I would have lauded the female characters, but for the 90s I’d say they are simply pretty good, despite an episode of what appears to be fridging (par for the course for the late 80s/early 90s). In fact, I very much liked Undine, the witch, a lot.

The descriptions in the novel are top-notch. The writing style falls to the literary, in that there are moments where you almost had to decipher what was being described, but others that were very easy to picture. There are some lovely passages and turns of phrase.

The plot itself, as I said, is quite minimal, but the end result is satisfactory. Unlike some meandering books where you wonder what’s the point, the weird journey in this feels “worth it” in the end, as there are themes and undercurrents (water joke) that run throughout the tributaries (another water joke) of this novel, but in ways that are subtle. There are so many mysteries within mysteries in this novel that you sometimes wonder whether Gregorian is even a real dude (he is).

Overall, I very very much enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.

On Miranda, the Jubilee Tides are incoming, which will drown most of the planet under its Ocean. But before that happens, a bureaucrat needs to hunt down a man who may be a magician and who may have stolen proscribed technology. With its rerelease of Swanwick's 1991 book, Tor Books invites readers into a galaxy of changing worlds, magic, technology, and seduction. Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A while back I first read City of Bones by Martha Wells, a fantasy book from the '90s, now rereleased. As someone who adores Fantasy and Sci-Fi, and especially as someone who tells themselves that they know quite a bit about the genres, I was amazed at the new worlds and inventiveness that had already been brought to this genre and, which still felt incredibly fresh and new. In the case of Stations of the Tide it was especially the freedom of the narrative, of the way in which Swanwick takes the reader by the hand and simply drags them through his world, which amazed me. Swanwick never overexplains, and for some readers he might not give enough information, but I enjoyed the confidence he placed in me by assuming I would follow. Also, Swanwick seems to be the kind of author who knows when to tell you something, so if he doesn't want you to know something, you won't know it. Not because he is tricking you or trying to trip you up, but because he wants to take you on a particular journey with moments and milestones he has planned for you. It is incredibly rewarding to follow Swanwick on this journey as you explore the marshes of Miranda, discover new technology, and experience the thunder of the Jubilee Tides.

The bureaucrat, never known by any name, arrives on Miranda, hoping to settle this issue with stolen technology ASAP so he can get out before the Jubilee Tides come in and cover the planet under the Ocean for the coming century. But the bureaucrat isn't entirely prepared for what he is about to face. Miranda is rife with beliefs, superstitions, traditions, and secrets, none of which he is clued in on. Supported by his trusty suitcase, which can create the things he needs for him, and an on-planet partner, Chu, the bureaucrat begins tracing the footsteps of Gregorian. Gregorian promises eternal life and transformation to his followers, but whether he is really a magician or just a conman is unclear. So begins the bureaucrat's race against time, but it is really the reader who is in for the wildest journey. If you pare it all the way down, Stations of the Tide is a mystery story in space. The bureaucrat has a mission, finding Gregorian, and everything he does is technically in the service of that. And yet, it is also a story which engages with questions about control, power, who gets access to what, love, nature, and more. Like the bureaucrat, we sometimes lose sight of the mission, but Swanwick will confidently guide you back to the main trail, when necessary. I will say that because of this you are not necessarily invested in any of the characters themselves. The bureaucrat purposefully doesn't have a name, I think, as we never really know him enough. As the reader you'll be fascinated by him, you'll be intrigued, but you're not empathizing, per se. Similarly, the characters around him are all so intriging and so individual, and yet almost function like masks or figures which appear and then disappear almost like in a dream.

As I said above, I really enjoyed Michael Swanwick's writing. His descriptions of Miranda are brilliant, at once giving you a clear picture and yet also transmitting a certain kind of ambience. What got me most, however, was the way he seamlessly switches between describing flora and fauna, the grounded reality of the lives lived on Miranda, to the high-abstract technology and concept of the non-planetary lives. The bureaucrat can visit oracles, for example, or can seemingly project his consciousness into agents or surrogates elsewhere, and he has a suitcase that seems intelligent. Swanwick fills his story world with all kinds of fascinating details which give the world a lot of depth. There is a game of "Suicide", for example, which is never fully explained and which still manages to tell you a lot about the characters. As the reader, you're entering this story world unprepared and once the novel ends, you'll have learned a lot, without necessarily understanding everything, or anything. This might not work for all, but it is a thrilling experience. It is also worth mentioning that Stations of the Tide is rather explicit when it comes to sex and sexuality, which never bothered me but may surprise some readers.

Stations of the Tide is a thrilling Science Fiction novel which feels like a free fall, but is incredibly well-structured. Swanwick will have you following him down each and every path he chooses, taking in the sights and being astounded.

Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick is a delightful read for those who love enigmatic novels, enriched by combining several philosophies and strands of thought. It confuses, scares, and unhinges its reader in a marvellous manner. The novel explores the standard themes common to good sci-fi, like the invasion of technology, the identity of AI constructs, and the concept of thought and freedom in a dystopian world. But along with them, it also touches upon other philosophical and mystical thoughts that normally occupy literary fiction books.

An unnamed bureaucrat is tasked with locating a renegade scientist on Miranda, a world approaching catastrophic change. This change will be the anticipated flooding of the continents, an eventuality foreseen with plans to evacuate the populace. Due to prior issues in the society, Miranda's technology has been repressed, limiting the capabilities of residents. Will the bureaucrat be able to find the scientist before it is to late? Will he be the same person he was at the start of the journey?

The bureaucrat traces the scientist's past in the hopes of finding him in the present, with the help of a suitcase capable of producing items on request and Security Agent Chu. Technology has advanced to the point of seeming to be highly magically and it is popular for people to pilot surrogates to explore or interact with others. Travel is possible by airships, but also more familiar methods to transport such as trucks. Tattoos are made with bio-luminescent ink, bodies can supposedly be adapted to aquatic life as is rumored for those seeking to remain on the planet. Drugs can produce states of psychedelic experience. And a species of people called Haunts that may be extinct, hiding at the edges of society or never existed.

From the beginning the bureaucrat is an outsider, out of their depth and tricked by a false Chu, but dogged in their pursuit of the scientist. The bureaucrat is highly capable within his own organization, the Puzzle Palace, where he has navigates the bureaucratic channels to secure his rank and place, sometimes piloting multiple surrogates. But when all might not be as it seems, what good is training and your own perspective and experience?

Stations of the Tide is a a surreal head trip, almost a retelling of Heart of Darkness.

I definitely had mixed emotions about this book. I really liked the premise, with an unnamed “bureaucrat” traveling to a soon-to-be-flooded planet to track down an alleged technology thief who claims to have magical abilities. It feels very surreal for a sci-fi book, and the bizarre and beautiful setting was by far my favorite aspect of the book. There is also some great social commentary and allegory about technology and who gets to control it.

I know the book won all sorts of awards, but I don’t know that it aged well. I didn’t like how he portrayed most of the female characters, and there are some words/sentiments that wouldn’t be tolerated in a book published more recently.

Sometimes it feels like the author is long-winded in areas that didn’t need as much detail, while expecting the reader to pick up some of the more important details through context alone. This leads to the book feeling disjointed in places, with uneven pacing. That, mixed with the hallucinatory feel of the middle, sometimes made want to skim through to find out how it ended.

Overall, I’m not upset to have read the book, but I don’t think this is an author I’ll be seeking out for future reading material.

Thanks so much to Tor/Forge for sending this book to me!

What do I say about this book? It is quite the story with an eclectic way of writing. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was it weird? Yes. Was there unexpected sex? Yup. I saw somewhere that someone described this book as slow paced. I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that one. With every turn of the page there was something new happening, and the length of book seemed to be just right.

What to expect? A world of magic and technology mixed together. Old meets new. A MC on a journey to find someone, but nothing is black and white. Met with deception, magic, and politics along the way. A solid 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.