China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh

His first challenge comes from his Chinese boss, who wants to introduce Zhang to his unmarriageable daughter. Born in Brooklyn, he has remained a New Yorker even after his father has left for California and his mother for Pennsylvania. Zhang is of mixed race, Hispanic and Chinese, but since his parents paid for genetic engineering when he was young, he appears to be full-blood Chinese. A bit immature, he spends most of his time at work, with a friend, Peter, or at the flier races. Interestingly, in the beginning, I found the character China Mountain Zhang hard to like. One of the strengths of the book is fabulous characterization. Mars has been colonized, overcrowding is a serious issue, and like many visions of future bureaucracies, getting a job or housing is almost impossible without connections or money.

Everyone has an implanted machine interface/implant that not only provides personal information on demand but allows people to link their nervous system into computer systems. In this distant future, bio-engineering has progressed enough that people can go in for genetic re-engineering. Naturally, a change in social order accompanies the shift, and China-born Chinese are at the top, followed by the ABCs (American-Born Chinese), and then the non-Chinese. China appears to be the dominant world power after the economic collapse of America and a subsequent socialist revolution. Setting is thoughtfully built information about society is shared indirectly through character experience. Thoughtful, precise writing and Zhang’s fully developed characterization make this a stand-out read, with only overall structure and the subject of one point of view preventing me from awarding a full five stars. China Mountain Zhang is an impressive work, well deserving of its Hugo and Nebula nominations and its Tiptree and Lambda awards.

China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh