[.ca] Glimmering (ISBN 0061008052)

From Amazon.com:
In 1999 the world has gone to hell: global warming, AIDS, urban decay, environmental disasters, and, above it all, the Glimmering. The Glimmering is an accident of modern society, a phenomenon that is destroying the ozone layer and killing the earth. In these last days, Jack Finnegan, suffering from AIDS, has come home to his family's decaying Manhattan mansion to die. He will meet Trip Marlowe, a rock star hooked on the hallucinogenic IZE, and unknowingly play out a bizarre drama scripted by his former lover, the "sociocultural pathologist" Leonard Thrope. You won't be able to put down this engrossing tale.

What in the H-E-Double Hockeystix Was THAT?:
I have long been a die hard fan of intense science fiction. The one star I'll give Hand for this book is for her excellent use of deep imagery in the work to invoke almost physical responses from the reader. However, the rest of what makes a story into a novel is missing. The characters are lackluster (at best), having no real passion or direction, and gaining none as the story progresses. For a while I was truly enthralled by the read, one page pulling me into the next until I had burned through the first three hundred pages in as many minutes. And then it died...not in a blast, or a convoluted plot twist, or even in any way that could be defined as heroic, romantic, philosophical, or otherwise. It faded as if it had never been. The story just seems to stop (like a car stalling silently on a fast highway) the story coasts in neutral for about 150 pages, flares like the engine sputtering to life for a heartbeat, (but not really) and then sliding onto the shoulder, making you wonder why you got in the car at all! Even if you like the occasional anticlimactic plot twist, this takes the concept a step further, where the only characters who receive any sort of finality die in ignoble, boring ways. I am also a male reader, but unlike one of my fellow reviewers, I don't need a huge hollywood style ending. I would, however, like an ACTUAL ending.

Hey, let's try to appeal to the mainstream...:
OK... I understand that pop culture is what sells these days, but I don't think that you should push it to the extreme. Elizabeth Hand has tried to turn the next millenium into a Generation X sex fest. I am having a hard time finishing this book, due to the fact that I want to gag each time I read about Leonard Thorpe and all of Jack Finnegan's past homosexual activities and Trip Marlowe's narcissistic sexcapades. Who ever made the comment that this book is like Stephen King rewriting TS Elliot must not have read either of these authors. Elizabeth Hand should take time off from trying to write novels, and either write _Star Trek_ episodes or write for FOX's _Dark Angel_.

Glimmering:
With the discovery of Brite as a replacement for fluorocarbons, rejoicing scientists believe that they have saved the ozone layer. However, the expert scientists were quickly proven wrong when a mining expedition off the Antarctic coast released an enormous amount of methane gas coupled with Brite into the atmosphere. A solar flare charged the compound producing a surging electrical current that altered the magnetic field and shredded large chunks of the ozone layer. Thus the atmospheric glimmering began. Electricity failed; communication became erratic; transportation was almost non-existent; manufacturing almost came to a complete halt. The atmosphere had become a constant array of florescent glowing colors bathing the planet in 24 hour light while virtually hiding the stars and the moon from view. Climates and ecosystems change for the worst as droughts, floods, famine, and plague become an everyday occurrence. The world is divided as to how to deal with the man-made catastrophe. Some people believe that the apocalypse is now. They use drugs and other stimulation to revel in the final days of doom as they feast on the death throes of a dying civilization. While others like John struggle to keep the decaying world out of his enclave. This is the world entering what appears to be the final millennium. This apocalyptic fiction is for hard-core fans of "end of the world" science fiction. Though well written and exciting, Elizabeth Hand paints a depressing picture of a future destroyed by scientific haughtiness. This novel is not for everyone, but those who enjoy reading about the planet Earth imploding need to peruse this tale of dread. The novel has a haunting quality that makes it near impossible to forget and a lyrical writing (in spite of its gloomy topic) that seems almost poetic in nature.

Extremely disappointing:
I read this book around 2 years ago - having been a fan of previous books. What an extreme disappointment! No plot - no resolution and a feeling when I was finished of I'd like to return this book because it wasn't worth the money I'd spent.

A let down even if you haven't read her other books:
This book started out pretty good. It had a cool framing tale, even believable, and the characters seem to be pretty well-developed, if not very deep. But let's face it: it didn't relate to a large group of people. I'm a guy, and I relate to guy books. No, it doesn't have to be all about explosions and wars (but that helps). I just like the book to mean something to me, and I guess I don't relate to Elizabeth Hand. I don't relate to the characters, and therefore I thought this book wasn't worth my time. But maybe you'd like to pick it up and try it, I don't know. I don't recommend it. I didn't feel that sense of awe...you know, when you finish something that was really great and you have to reflect on it...that was missing. And I didn't really find it entertaining, either. I just didn't like it. But I did like the cover art (that's my weak spot), so I gave it two stars instead of one.