Ian McDonald (author)

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For several other people called Ian McDonald or a similar spelling, see Ian McDonald.

Ian McDonald at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow

Ian McDonald, born in 1960, is an award-winning British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies.

1 Publications
2 Awards
3 Desolation Road
4 References
5 External resources

[edit] Publications

Desolation Road (1988)
Empire Dreams (1988) (short stories)
Out on Blue Six (1989)
King of Morning, Queen of Day (1991) – see Waiting For Godot
Hearts, Hands and Voices (1992, US: The Broken Land)
Speaking in Tongues (1992) (short stories)
Kling Klang Klatch (1992) (graphic novel, illustrated by David Lyttleton)
Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone (1994)
Necroville (1994, US: Terminal Café)
Chaga (1995, US: Evolution's Shore)
Sacrifice of Fools (1996)
Kirinya (1998)
Tendeléo's Story (2000)
Ares Express (2001)
River of Gods (2004) – Hugo Award nominee, winner of the BSFA award
Brasyl (2007)

[edit] Awards

Nebula Best Novellette nominee (1989) : Unfinished Portrait of the King of Pain by Van Gogh
Arthur C. Clarke Award Best Novel nominee (1990) : Desolation Road
Philip K. Dick Award Best Collection winner (1991) : King of Morning, Queen of Day
Arthur C. Clarke Award Best Novel nominee (1993) : The Broken Land
World Fantasy Best Short story nominee (1994) : Some Strange Desire
Philip K. Dick Award Best Novel nominee (1994) : Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone
John W Campbell Memorial Award Best Novel nominee (1996) : Evolution's Shore
British Science Fiction Association Best Novel winner (2004) : River of Gods
Arthur C. Clarke Award Best Novel nominee (2005) : River of Gods
British Fantasy Society Best Novel nominee (2005) : River of Gods

[edit] Desolation Road

McDonald's first novel. It won a number of awards on first publication and is frequently compared with works of R.A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury, although these references appear to be given as a measure of quality rather than a note of similarity in style. In fact, this book is highly similar to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude in its portrayal of a remote community over time, as well as with elements of magic realism.

On a partially terraformed Mars (comfortable temperature and atmosphere, although still mostly desert) a lone scientist is hunting a mysterious being across the desert, using a device best described as an anti-gravity sailboard for transportation. While taking a rest, he neglects to secure the board thoroughly and wakes up in time to see it blown away by the wind. Stranded in the desert, he is fortunate to discover an artificial oasis (created by a long-lost terraforming AI) near a line of railway. With all the necessities of life around him, he awaits rescue or company. Eventually, he is joined by other strays and castaways, and together they found the town of Desolation Road.

The novel outlines the history of the town through the next few decades, generally focussing on one major event at a time and dealing with in-between events in quick outlines. When characters leave town to seek fortunes elsewhere, the viewpoint often follows them on their adventures, revealing McDonald's Mars as a complex and rich world. The style is witty and highly poetic, with a strong eye to character. Many of the numerous sub-stories of which the novel is constructed would have made fine short stories in their own right. Although not especially long, the book has the feel of an epic.

If the novel has a noticeable flaw, it is that it occasionally resorts to using "Gee whiz" sci-fi (as opposed to science-fiction) devices and inventions as Deus ex Machina to resolve some story arcs. This does not happen often enough to irritate the reader, but it is a feature nonetheless and continues to make its appearance in some of McDonald's later work.

Although not a steampunk novel, much of the technology featured in the book, such as locomotives (albeit Fusion) and propellor-driven aircraft, appears to harken back to Earth's near-history rather than to standard visions of the future. This gives the novel an atmosphere of anachronism and timelessness.