One of science fiction’s true innovators, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, is often neglected when it comes to timely U.S. releases of books published across the Atlantic, and the latest book to hit our shores, 9TAIL FOX, is no exception, having been originally published in October 2005. To have to wait so long is a complete and utter crime.

9TAIL FOX eschews most of the cyberpunk trappings of Grimwood’s earlier works, going for a hardcore detective noir feel with Chinese mystical underpinnings. The novel revolves around San Francisco vice cop Bobby Zha, a less-than-perfect guy who gets killed in the book’s opening. Mysterious (or possibly mystical) forces intervene, and Zha is given a chance to find out what the hell is going on – and maybe find a bit of personal redemption in the process.

The mysteries of 9TAIL FOX are intense and compelling, but even better is Zha’s personal journey. As he searches for his killer, Zha is confronted with the ugly truth about his former life, and in the process he’s given an opportunity to become a better man.

That’s not to say that it’s all hearts-and-flowers CELESTINE PROPHECY bullshit. To the contrary: Big guns, hard drugs and plenty of lovin’ get thrown in amid the character development, and the underworld of Chinatown is as seedy as everyone always wishes it would be. Throw in underground science, the siege of Stalingrad and an invisible celestial fox, and there’s literally something for everyone.

Although some of the themes evident in Grimwood’s acclaimed “Arabesk” trilogy persist, he’s taken a step forward with 9TAIL FOX, with stronger clarity of narrative accompanying the always-snappy dialogue.

Grimwood is establishing himself as a power in the genre, and hopefully the strength of this novel – and END OF THE WORLD BLUES, which won’t be released in the U.S. until September – eventually will convince someone that Grimwood’s work is worthy of simultaneous publishing à la Richard K. Morgan. Either way, 9TAIL FOX is essential reading if you want the pulse of modern science fiction, and that pulse is racing. –Ryun Patterson

Buy it at Amazon.