Awesome, epic, and best fantasy of the year for me; even better on the first reread when one doesn't rush to see what happens. A great ending that defAwesome, epic, and best fantasy of the year for me; even better on the first reread when one doesn't rush to see what happens. A great ending that definitely makes me want book 2 asap!
A somewhat similar Earth (around 1878) though with some obvious similarities/differences - eg Christianity is now a Trinity (Three Gods religion, while the Tsarist Empire is still the Orthodox one), there is a Spanish/Italian analogue multinational state and similarly for Judaism and Islam who appear under different names etc (and some subtle ones as in this universe there is no African slave trade hence no Civil War in the USA analogue, New Anglia, but instead a similarly timeline/duration war between it and the French state - La Frentia - who now have extensive possessions on the Southern border of New Anglia etc) with some history thrown in as one of the main characters is a collateral line descendant of the winner of the final and decisive battle against the famous La Frentian Emperor some 3-4 generations ago, another important character is a former La Frentian Legion major, while on the New Anglian side, the main two characters are the son and daughter respectively of the two major shareholders in the TransContinental railway...
Expeditions to the desert and its holy cities (though now it is bordering the Gressian/Tarist Empire so it is in the equivalent of Central Asia) where prophecies are due, an evil Grand Vizier tries to prevent them and a princess has to accept that she is such indeed and grow to lead her people, desert tribes united under the banner of the Prophet and waiting for a saviour from the West and one from the East to overthrow the usurping line of the Sultans and much, much more.
Just awesome from the beginning prologue set some 69 years late to its continuation at the end revealing the identities of the characters in it - not that after a while it is not more or less obvious who they are anyway - and the "we read tomorrow more of the story" with which the novel ends
One of the best fantasies of recent years as it strikes the right notes in pretty much everything, from the universe to characters, to storyline, to action and to presentation, so while the novel is fairly long (8-900 pages) it is still un-puttable down at any moment and one must turn the pages to see what happens next.
From the wild coast of the Pacific (equivalent) to the glittering balls of the New Anglian Capital on the East Coast (more an NYC equivalent than a Washington of course), from the Anglian Cambridge equivalent to its capital and Parliament, all the way to the fabled cities of the Sand Sea and the forbidden Hasht desert, a memorable read and highly, highly recommended!
Merged review:
Awesome, epic, and best fantasy of the year for me; even better on the first reread when one doesn't rush to see what happens. A great ending that definitely makes me want book 2 asap!
A somewhat similar Earth (around 1878) though with some obvious similarities/differences - eg Christianity is now a Trinity (Three Gods religion, while the Tsarist Empire is still the Orthodox one), there is a Spanish/Italian analogue multinational state and similarly for Judaism and Islam who appear under different names etc (and some subtle ones as in this universe there is no African slave trade hence no Civil War in the USA analogue, New Anglia, but instead a similarly timeline/duration war between it and the French state - La Frentia - who now have extensive possessions on the Southern border of New Anglia etc) with some history thrown in as one of the main characters is a collateral line descendant of the winner of the final and decisive battle against the famous La Frentian Emperor some 3-4 generations ago, another important character is a former La Frentian Legion major, while on the New Anglian side, the main two characters are the son and daughter respectively of the two major shareholders in the TransContinental railway...
Expeditions to the desert and its holy cities (though now it is bordering the Gressian/Tarist Empire so it is in the equivalent of Central Asia) where prophecies are due, an evil Grand Vizier tries to prevent them and a princess has to accept that she is such indeed and grow to lead her people, desert tribes united under the banner of the Prophet and waiting for a saviour from the West and one from the East to overthrow the usurping line of the Sultans and much, much more.
Just awesome from the beginning prologue set some 69 years late to its continuation at the end revealing the identities of the characters in it - not that after a while it is not more or less obvious who they are anyway - and the "we read tomorrow more of the story" with which the novel ends
One of the best fantasies of recent years as it strikes the right notes in pretty much everything, from the universe to characters, to storyline, to action and to presentation, so while the novel is fairly long (8-900 pages) it is still un-puttable down at any moment and one must turn the pages to see what happens next.
From the wild coast of the Pacific (equivalent) to the glittering balls of the New Anglian Capital on the East Coast (more an NYC equivalent than a Washington of course), from the Anglian Cambridge equivalent to its capital and Parliament, all the way to the fabled cities of the Sand Sea and the forbidden Hasht desert, a memorable read and highly, highly recommended!...more
Decent but too much "more of the same" sequel to Conviction which was fresh and new.Decent but too much "more of the same" sequel to Conviction which was fresh and new....more
On the campy side and with shaky history, but energetic and lots of fun, so when I got seriously into it, I couldn't really put it down until the end.On the campy side and with shaky history, but energetic and lots of fun, so when I got seriously into it, I couldn't really put it down until the end.
The major issue I had at the end was the lack of balance between the first part which takes most of the book and the last quite short part which happens a few years later and which felt rushed and incomplete.
Hopefully, the promised sequel will rectify that as I quite enjoyed the novel overall, though with a better narrative balance, it would have been superb....more
This is an extraordinary novel - somehow I missed it in 2020 as I am a big fan of the author in his sff incarnation as JC Grimwood while The Last banqThis is an extraordinary novel - somehow I missed it in 2020 as I am a big fan of the author in his sff incarnation as JC Grimwood while The Last banquet, his first historical fiction novel was very good too - got it the moment I found about it sort of by chance and couldn;t put it down once I started it.
It has everything - romance, war, travel, powerful characters and a great ending.
Seemed interesting but soon it became another novel glorifying the brutality of the roman legions against the "uncultured, cruel" barbarians who reallSeemed interesting but soon it became another novel glorifying the brutality of the roman legions against the "uncultured, cruel" barbarians who really deserved it. The novel has energy and moves fast, but it could be a novelization of a role playing game where the hero kills countless faceless baddies, rather than historical fiction as it really has little to do with history...more
Presented from multiple viewpoints, the story of roughly the first 3 years after Alexander's death, dominated by the regent Perdiccas who had AlexandePresented from multiple viewpoints, the story of roughly the first 3 years after Alexander's death, dominated by the regent Perdiccas who had Alexander's ring but not his full endorsement and who doesn't have the best political mind either, though his martial abilities are unquestioned. Excellent stuff, gripping and fascinating...more
Found this one by chance but really liked the first few pages so got it and read it fairly fast. The novel is based on the story of Pelagius, the firsFound this one by chance but really liked the first few pages so got it and read it fairly fast. The novel is based on the story of Pelagius, the first Christian king of Spain after the Arab conquest and whose resistance in the north started the Reconquista that would take almost 800 years to wrestle back what was lost in a few years by a disunited and treacherous nobility, all of this being commemorated on his tomb and in various near contemporary chronicles. A very good story that moves along with lots of energy and the only complaint is that the book seemed too short for the many events crammed into it. ...more
Quite interesting but scattered and would have been much better with a tight edit; having Coco Chanel's life in general and her Riviera period (1930'sQuite interesting but scattered and would have been much better with a tight edit; having Coco Chanel's life in general and her Riviera period (1930's and early 1940's) as a skeleton, the book is actually about Riviera as a home to celebrities (aristocrats, writers, artists etc) and their lives and affairs in the 1930's and early 1940's. Lots of tidbits about lots of famous people and lots of cool anecdotes and interesting personality sketches and fragments and of course extending beyond Riviera to follow various people in various settings, but the scattered nature of the book makes it more like a collection of magazine articles than a non-fiction book with a theme....more
Another top-notch entry into the series with action following closely after Frontiers of the Imperium; now Emperor and recognized as such by the compuAnother top-notch entry into the series with action following closely after Frontiers of the Imperium; now Emperor and recognized as such by the computers that govern some of the Imperiums' infrastructure and by his close followers on Hermes and its companion ships, Daniel has many problems, including lack of money, being far from the action and having to deal with a far-flung conspiracy which is speared by the new protectors and their chosen, but has deep roots in the imperium and its adjacent races too; however, he also gets some unexpected advantages when a major conspirator rethinks his involvement and decides that allying himself with Daniel may be his best bet and since Daniel is an accomplished poker player, his casinos may offer the Emperor the best chance at temporary funding as after all the arrogant enhanced nobility that wants to go back to their ancient prerogatives cannot resist trying to humiliate the down on his luck Emperor at the poker table, the Chosen are in their own sort of dissaray as their unexpected hit on the Imperium didn't fully succeed and now have to contend with the multiple factions involved that want their payoffs, the imperial fleet is still more powerful than anything out there so if somehow Daniel can reach it the odds change, while various people start realizing that while the Central Imperium had many problems and flaws, the alternatives would be far worse, so they are ready to offer allegiance to Daniel if he can keep staying alive and ahead of his many enemies...
And so it goes with the balance of forces slowly getting restored, though of course, it is still a long way to victory
New and old friends, new and old enemies, battles, fights, treachery, heroism, and overall a page-turner that one cannot put down until another good tbc stopping point
A mostly hard-sf mixture of adventure and mystery set on a patrol spaceship that receives a rescue signal from a freighter transporting goods from EarA mostly hard-sf mixture of adventure and mystery set on a patrol spaceship that receives a rescue signal from a freighter transporting goods from Earth to the solar system colonies; while quite interesting and promising more in the next installments, the novel has one main issue that keeps it from being as good as the storyline/universe/characters would allow, namely the pov rotation lacks balance and on occasion even continuity, leading to narrative momentum loss; this is especially noticeable in the first part where the Captain (with a fascinating backstory of a girl born without legs and finding her vocation in space and zero g) dominates the narrative, which if continued would have been fine (though of course the novel would have had to go somewhat differently), but then a few of her crew get more and more pov time so to speak and while by the end a good balance is achieved, the road there is rough and kept me a few times across the several months or so since I got a copy, from continuing with the novel despite its other qualities.
When I finally passed the slow and confusing part, the pages really turned by themselves and the last half or so it's been a one-sitting read
Overall quite good and definitely worth persevering through the slower and more confusing part from about a third to a half of the book...more
Good ending to the trilogy, but less focused and compelling than the first two; part of it is that the material about Antonius later life is so biasedGood ending to the trilogy, but less focused and compelling than the first two; part of it is that the material about Antonius later life is so biased against him since he lost
Merged review:
Less focused than the first two books, though still a good novel
Merged review:
Good ending to the trilogy, but less focused and compelling than the first two; part of it is that the material about Antonius later life is so biased against him since he lost...more
Fairly good and kept my interest until the end, but the main characters (and their friends, families etc) are a bit too one dimensional and the narratFairly good and kept my interest until the end, but the main characters (and their friends, families etc) are a bit too one dimensional and the narrative feels on occasion to try and make the "two tribes" point rather than develop naturally; the future narration is interesting in its own way but the main part and focus of the novel is the Brexit part...more
Loved this one too -second in the Dacia trilogy after Decebal Triumphant - the review there applies to this one too:
writing closer to a history manualLoved this one too -second in the Dacia trilogy after Decebal Triumphant - the review there applies to this one too:
writing closer to a history manual than to a literary novel in many ways and the description of the battles somewhat vague, but the novel has that "energy" that is hard to define and makes one turn pages, while not being able to put it down until finished - which however polished prose may fail to do it so often - while remaining eager to read more.
Of course, what attracted me was the subject and I found the depictions of Dacia under Decebal very flattering - maybe a bit too good to be true but so what.
Loved this one - writing closer to a history manual than to a literary novel in many ways and the description of the battles somewhat vague, but the nLoved this one - writing closer to a history manual than to a literary novel in many ways and the description of the battles somewhat vague, but the novel has that "energy" that is hard to define and makes one turn pages, while not being able to put it down until finished - which however polished prose may fail to do it so often - while remaining eager to read more.
Of course, what attracted me was the subject and I found the depictions of Dacia under Decebal very flattering - maybe a bit too good to be true but so what.
A big bonus was the Dacian naming which sounded very appropriate with traditional names
Fairly dark and more historical fiction than romance, the book set in alt-hist England occupied by the French in 1817, features a few memorable characFairly dark and more historical fiction than romance, the book set in alt-hist England occupied by the French in 1817, features a few memorable characters - the title characters:
Hester, daughter of a famed captain in the British navy, a former black slave in America who escaped to Britain and rose through the ranks, having an important role at Trafalgar for which the French never forgave him, while marrying a daughter of the highest aristocracy - collateral lineage, relatively poor and dying in childbirth, but still - ensured that most of the English aristocracy never forgave him either, so he raised Hester in happy isolation on a Cornish island he had his estate until the French came crashing in, killing him and taking Hester for a prize, with the French soldiers carrying her to the mainland arguing between taking her to be publicly executed for her killing French soldiers when they invaded her home, or selling her discreetly and pocketing the money...
Crow - current local count and former protegee of Hester's father, who later became the intelligence officer for Wellington who failed to inform him in time of the allies betrayal that led to Napoleon winning at Waterloo, so Crow is now navigating a tight line between the French occupation and the English resistance, not to speak of his liaison with his "stepmother" Louisa- the relatively young wife of his deceased father and his flirtation with Josephine, the former French empress now sent to London by Napoleon to smooth relations with the English aristocracy
Then we have the 14-year-old, Kitto, Crow's brother who wants to atone for what he sees as his family sins and participate in the resistance, Cailtin, the widowed housekeeper of Hester's household, now used by the French as a prison for Wellington, Mr Arkwright, the seemingly loyal batman of Crow with dark secrets of his own and many others.
The novel is hard to put down and has a lot of energy, though it is not light reading by any means. Definitely recommended for quite a different take on the usual Regency romance subgenre...more
After the un-puttable down Destroyer, this was an immediate must and it was a bit of a letdown; middle book syndrome and somewhat forced action, thougAfter the un-puttable down Destroyer, this was an immediate must and it was a bit of a letdown; middle book syndrome and somewhat forced action, though I still turned the pages to see what happens next; will give a little time until book 3 as I want to see where the series go, but maybe the depth for reading back to back three books in it is not quite there...more
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