Half Life (Jackson novel)
2006 novel by Shelley Jackson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Half Life is the 2006 debut novel of American writer and artist Shelley Jackson. The novel presupposes an alternate history in which the atomic bomb resulted in a genetic preponderance of conjoined twins, who eventually become a minority subculture.
First edition cover | |
| Author | Shelley Jackson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jacket design by Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel, alternate history |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | July 25, 2006 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 440 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-088235-8 (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 63165002 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3560.A2448 H35 2006 |
Overview
The book tells the story of a disenchanted conjoined twin named Nora Olney who plots to have her twin murdered.
Reception
Half Life received mixed-to-positive reviews; Newsweek called it "brilliant and funny,"[1] and The New York Times, while praising Jackson's ambition as "truly glorious," added that "All this razzle-dazzle, all the allusions, [and] the narrative loop-de-loops [get] a bit busy."[2] It won the 2006 James Tiptree, Jr. Award for science fiction and fantasy.
