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Geoff Ryman
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The Child Garden: A Low Comedy Kindle Edition

by Geoff Ryman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
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Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards.

"An exuberant celebration of excess set in a resource-poor but defiantly energetic twenty-first century."—The New York Times

"A richly absorbing tale—with a marvelous premise expertly carried out."—Kirkus Reviews

"Excellent. . . . Dark and witty and full of love, closely observed, and sprinkled with astonishing ideas. Science fiction of a very high order."—Greg Bear

"One of the most imaginative accounts of futuristic bioengineering since Greg Bear's Blood Music."—Locus

In a future London, humans photosynthesize, organics have replaced electronics, viruses educate people, and very few live past forty. But Milena is resistant to the viruses. She's alone until she meets Rolfa, a huge, hirsute Genetically Engineered Polar Woman, and Milena realizes she might, just might, be able to find a place for herself after all.

Geoff Ryman is the author of the novels The King's Last Song, Air (a Clarke and Tiptree Award winner), and The Unconquered Country (a World Fantasy Award winner), and the collection Paradise Tales. Canadian by birth, he has lived in Cambodia and Brazil and now teaches creative writing at the University of Manchester in England.

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  1. Print length
    404 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Small Beer Press
  5. Publication date
    June 28, 2011
  6. File size
    1308 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ryman's ( The Unconquered Country ) novel belongs to that class of SF stories in which the liberties with science go too far and destroy our suspension of disbelief, but whose rich symbolism and brightly drawn characters keep us nonetheless involved and rewarded. In a world where knowledge is transmitted by viral infection, Milena is immune and thus forced to learn from books. Because the viruses always teach the same facts the same way, the government covertly uses Milena to infuse the system with originality and creativity. Her magnum opus is a kilometers-high holographic projection of a choral rendition of Dante's Divine Comedy , visible from almost all of Earth. In the process she encounters: genetically enhanced human polar bears, living orbiting satellites, infections that cause their victims to share thoughts and movements en masse, angels created by the government and her own early childhood memories. Like her, the people who enter, change and sometimes leave her stage are game and affecting. This book won Bantam's 1989 Arthur C. Clark Award for best SF novel.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In a future that has cured cancer, tamed virus(es), and inadvertently halved hu man life expectancy, a young woman struggles to produce a new form of art as a testimonial to a lost lover, heedless of the shock waves resulting from her endeavor. Ryman ( The Unconquered Country) ex amines the consequences of biogenetics gone awry in a heady novel bursting with speculation. For most sf collections.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00540Y9ZS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Small Beer Press; Reprint edition (June 28, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 28, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1308 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 62 ratings

About the author

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Geoff Ryman

Geoff Ryman

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Geoff Ryman is a Canadian living in the United Kingdom. His first book based on events in Cambodia was published in 1985, the award-winning The Unconquered Country. The King's Last Song was inspired by a visit to an Australian archaeological dig at Angkor Wat in 2000. He has been a regular visitor since, teaching writing workshops in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap twice, and publishing three further novellas set in Cambodia. In Britain he produced documentaries for Resonance FM, London, on Cambodian Arts. He has published nine other books and won fourteen awards. He teaches creative writing at the University of Manchester.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
62 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Paul J. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Dystopia
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2003
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I'm writing this review in response to people who seem to feel Ryman's world of the future is a dystopia. I feel the point of the book is that you're left unsure in this regard. We're told the story from the point of view of an outsider to the system certainly everyone in the system is very nice to her. They are always willing to help even if it sometimes means bending their own laws (Hiding Rolfa) or going far out of their way to do so (as with the previous case or helping Milena in her career). Even the main body of gov't is not a hinderance, but as benevolent as the individuals despite Mileana's mistrust. And it's not as though the people who have gone through the reading are stepford wives either. They are still unique individuals as we see through the affair between Berowne and the Princess. People are just nicer and know more (if not necessarily more intelligent). I do not believe Ryman meant this book to be anti-genetic engineering so much as just showing us how it can change and letting us make up our own minds. As for me I don't see any harm in the possiblity of our world turning into that of this book as it is definately going change in some way. Certainly we are different from the societies before us, so as change must I see no harm in this coming. It's just different not bad.
On the other hand, I would never want to be read myself. I am a very happy well adjusted homosexual and that is something I advocate doesn't need to be fixed. Of course, perhaps I make to much out of orientation, certainly in heaven people won't have any sexual desire at all. And perhaps this means it is something I should not be so worried about giving up on earth despite the knowledge that I won't miss it once I've left it either with death or with being read. I mention this quandary because this and indeed all of Ryman's books (I've actually only read this Was and Lust, but I'm assuming) give rise to constant reveries on my staunchest beliefs. It is for this reason I always think of them as, if not specifically Christian, religious books. Very few authors have the ability to keep me tossing and turning all night from considering what they've written. I think that perhaps C.S. Lewis is the only other. I can't reccomend Ryman well enough and believe those who haven't read him are missing out on something extraordinary.
5 people found this helpful
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Owen Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Almost holds together
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014
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The Child Garden, written in the midst of the initial AIDS onslaught, a book that has as its subtext the then-emerging field of viral genomics... which the author wrestles onto its shoulder with some weird linguistic jiu-jitsu for a two-point takedown, is not to be missed! Ryman's sense of pacing, at least in the book's first section, is brilliant. Unfortunately the work begins to falter afterwards; it's as if his fireworks go dark, and we are left with dry shavings where once magnesium burned so bright. The development falls apart, and the logical expression of consequences becomes boring, and if never particularly formulaic (Ryman is too clever by half), somewhat confusing.

Lots of fun ideas, too many not explored fully, some followed by the author to an end that baffles the reader (what happened, for example, to the Snide? Why is it important that Milena be Czech? And more that I won't bore you with). Lastly, the conclusion seems completely uncalled for by the book's opening chapters - I sensed that Ryman was writing in a hurry, that his pace of creation outsped his need to review. Why as much as four stars? Because although I was not satisfied with the work as a whole, much of the writing, as writing, was truly excellent.

The current edition is not helped by lazy proofreading: incomprehensible that any typos should exist. Did Ryman read the proofs? One would hope not! Nor would I advise reading Wendy Pearson's introduction - not at least until you have finished the book. Who cares what she thinks? Form your own conclusions before reading hers. After all, the book's an entertainment, and, regardless Pearson, not necessarily a commentary on the world of then, nor is it going to be particularly helpful for you to think it such.
4 people found this helpful
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B. Hightower
5.0 out of 5 stars I have read this so many times
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2016
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I love this book and read it almost every year. The story is imaginative and paints a vivid picture of the life of what life could be like for modified humans.
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madelynsprite
5.0 out of 5 stars Geoff Ryman is a Genius
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2015
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Geoff Ryman is a genius! I have loved this book for years, and i cannot believe it was written so long ago.
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Deborah Hyde-Sato
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2015
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Good, but a little too abstract. Worth reading though.
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Jiya W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015
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it's exactly I'm looking for!

Thank you very much!
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RICHARD D. WILLIAMS
4.0 out of 5 stars Wow a book with a Lesbian character you could love.
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2002
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Very convoluted like the virus infected brains of the people of earth in this book. Almost a utopian, communist maifesto. I like it but am afraid I will have to read it again. He writes moving, interesting and unique descriptions of a world that has grown young and aimless; with everyone trying to recapture their youth and the dire consequences of manipulating our DNA. I wonder how he feels about GE food? Very thought provoking. Highly recommended.
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Matt B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2013
Not sure why this book is only averaging 3 stars right now, so I thought I'd give my input. This book is part of the SciFi Masterworks series for good reason. I loved this book. I think you will too. Powerful ending. The characters themselves changed so much as a result of their experiences and it was all told so well. First class characterizations, interesting futuristic world, and some brilliant concepts put forth rarely in such a convincing manner. Buy it and enjoy!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. D. Le Dosquet-Bergquist
4.0 out of 5 stars This one will stay in your head for a while!
Reviewed in Australia on December 29, 2021
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I very much enjoyed this book, and have been thinking about it a lot since finishing. Four stars cos it did get a bit trippy and weird at the end, and I found myself skipping pages.
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Asvajit
5.0 out of 5 stars A grim prognostication with a glimmer of hope
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 2009
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This was my first Geoff Ryman read, and a wholly fascinating one. Ryman takes us into a future of ecological and psychological disaster, in which the one redeemimg feature is the power of love. The book could be seen as a grim warning for humanity if it does not now take steps to avoid further pollution of the planet, and fails to understand the power of the mind for good and for evil and to educate its children to develop their minds accordingly. Worth every penny and every minute expended.
3 people found this helpful
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David Badke
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonder-full
Reviewed in Canada on December 13, 2016
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This is a story full of wonders, beautifully told. A very strange future for humanity is made real, in its suffering and eventual glory. Marvelous characters and a satisfying ending make this a book that will stay with you for a long time.

What lost this book its otherwise deserved fifth star is the utterly horrible proofreading. There are errors on almost every page, many of which make meaning uncertain, disrupting the flow of the story. Such sloppy, careless work is unacceptable. If the book was worth publishing (it was) then it was worth spending the little extra time to get it right.
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Mr. Roy Tomkinson
4.0 out of 5 stars Chid Garden
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2010
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This is a strange story with lots of very original themes, not always an easy read as it incorporates many time shifts. The end of the book is odd, it is a very personal thing to decide if it works. Worth reading as it is certainly different.
3 people found this helpful
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Oldrocker72
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant dystopian love story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2014
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3rd time that I have read this book. Vivid characters and a fantastic storyline. A very rewarding read from beginning to end.
One person found this helpful
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