Bone Dance

In a post-apocalyptic metropolis, a mechanical virtuoso is pursued by hoodoo priestesses, mind-hopping Special Forces, and higher powers. Bone Dance is tart and dense: its opening portrait of the protagonist's urban fantasia is thick with fabulous details. The plot builds and builds and then goes through a series of abortive climaxes, which parallels other books by the author that I've read (War for the Oaks and Falcon), but as in those other books, the weird structure diminishes in comparison with the characters. The book's strength is not in their development, but in their relationships: Bull's novels always present a perfect, static snapshot of a social network (a band in War for the Oaks; a family in Falcon; friends in Bone Dance) show more and all the fumbling affection, implicit hostility, and imperfect communication inherent in any group of people. show less

Bone Dance is a strange but enjoyable mixture of the post-apocalyptic with the supernatural. Sparrow is a trader of old videos and discs from before the nuclear missiles were set off by a group of psychics known as the Horsemen. But Sparrow’s been blacking out and losing memories. What’s going on?

Sparrow is an agender protagonist who’s never given pronouns. Sparrow’s only comment on the matter is this:

“You wouldn’t have so much trouble,” I muttered, straightening up carefully, “if you didn’t talk about me in the third person.”

While this is fitting with Sparrow’s somewhat prickly personality, it’s not helpful for writing this review. Therefore for the remainder of the review I will be referring to Sparrow with the show more singular “they/them” pronouns. Sparrow’s physical sex or gender is not discussed until about a hundred pages in, about where a number of different pieces of the book start coming together. There’s not a lot about this element I can say without running into spoilers (although I think there is a key point worth noting), but this article on Sparrow’s gender is worth reading if you’re willing to brave the spoilers.

“We’re all born nameless, aren’t we? And the name we end up with has only peripherally to do with our family tree.”

Sparrow was easily my favorite part about Bone Dance. When you first meet Sparrow, they are keeping themself permanently isolated and aloof from others. A large part of Bone Dance is diving into Sparrow’s concept of themself, as they learn to accept who they are and to open up to other people and form connections. Sparrow’s confident and snarky, but also in over their head with the current situation. They go through some real difficulties, and I was feeling for them the entire time.

The post-apocalyptic world of Bone Dance isn’t the lawless mad lands you tend to see in fiction. Sparrow lives in a city (clues point towards it being Minneapolis) that still has electricity, even if it’s controlled by the one man who rules the city government. There’s markets and nightclubs and people running theaters of salvaged televisions. In short, there’s some form of civilization, even though it’s only been fifty years since the nuclear missiles went off.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, Bone Dance is a mixture of science fiction and fantasy. The fantasy mainly comes in through the use of the psychics, tarot, and what the book calls hoodoo (I’ve got no idea if this is the same thing as voodoo, but it seems similar). These supernatural elements all play a large role in the plot. At times this can result in a mystical element that accounts for a large part of why I found the book strange.

I liked the prose of Bone Dance. Emma Bull really has a way with words, and I probably should have been marking pages for quotes as I read. Unfortunately, the pacing of Bone Dance is all over the place. The beginning is slow. Then there’s bits of action interspersed with large periods of reflection. While I think the reflection periods were important for Sparrow’s character growth, it did a number on the pacing.

I would recommend Bone Dance, though I’d want to note the poor pacing and strangeness of the plot. Still, I really love the lead character and there’s some interesting thematic material going on. I in no way regret reading it.

Originally posted at The Illustrated Page. show less

Macabre. Since Bull was mentioned by deLint, I wasn’t expecting a tale so dark. Tho truthfully, it is only the first half (or 2/3s?) that is setting the stage of things gone awry after The Button was pushed. [Since the Cold War died down, I didn’t think anyone worried about The Button anymore, but Bull has found a novel approach to the responsible party’s identity.] No faery appearances, but hoodoo plays a major role in this changed world. Sparrow, the main character, gets a crash course in hoodoo and also learns about the value of friendship. I like Sparrow, who has some good values, like being honest, despite the background and I can empathize with the desire to be anonymous, unnoticed. I also like authors who give me something show more to think about for my own life, and Bull has done that with her explanation of how greed blocks energy flow, and how doing what we love, with our whole attention, creates energy. Sparrow starts with a rigid concept of the Deal, where every favor given creates a debt which must be paid. Sher teaches that “as long as you keep the energy, all kinds of energy, moving through the system, everything is free. But as soon as you block some of it off, take it out of circulation—wham. The payback is enormous.” And this could be called a tale of payback and setting free.. show less

"A post-apocalyptic techno-fantasy following Sparrow, a gender-neutral trader in a decaying Minneapolis who deals in pre-nuclear war media. Sparrow is drawn into a mystery involving "Horsemen"—telepathic, body-swapping super-soldiers responsible for the war—while uncovering their own manipulated identity and hidden history." Setting was great and very rich - with e.g. VHS tapes being variable. I remember the protagonist's voice being very unique as well.

Bone Dance is an emotional rollercoaster through a dystopian future that explores society and gender and vulnerability in fascinating form.

What appears on first glance to be a mundane science-fiction exposition on the horrific capability of mankind to destroy instead reveals itself to be a novel embracing self-acceptance, self-love, and the necessity of change.

Those seeking genre tech obsession may find it an uncomfortable read focusing too heavily on psycoanalysis and emotions; those expecting page-tearing action will be thrilled and then left unfulfilled; and those hoping for a mystery may not find the impeccable pacing of a tightly-tuned thriller. But the reader who welcomes this book with an open mind and an open heart will discover show more perfection in imperfection, and a human touch to a cold genre, a masterpiece of all and of none. show less

I know there are many many people out there that loved this book. I was not one of them. I tried, but I found it hard to get into, the characters not likeable or unlikeable. The story was interesting, but it felt very much a book written in 1991. There is a very unsettling vibe to this book. This book felt like it was in between an age of science fiction - not quite cyber-punk- but not quite the modern science fiction of today. The writing was solid, but simple.

One thing I did like was the setting of the book. The first half, it felt that the author was deliberately making the city as generic as possible. But, by the second half, Minneapolis landmarks and references were mentioned often. I liked that the Apple Valley Zoo was turned show more into a farm-coop. show less

"Bone Dance" is a really great thought provoking book. It's set in a near future post-apocalyptic Minneapolis, and for quite a while it's unclear if the narrator of the book, Sparrow, is hiding something about a mysterious past, or if memories of the past have been obliterated through nefarious means. It's hard to describe, but an amazing read even for those who aren't a fan of sci-fi or futuristic books.