Dust
6 journalers for this copy...
I found this last month, on the for-sale shelves at one of the County Library branches, and read it right after the Holidays (so much for reading "old" books first) I LOVED it! This was my first by (Elizabeth) Bear, and I already found "Chill" (which follows "Dust"), but it seems that 2 years worth of rings are arriving at once. So I have to move them on before I can move on with this series.....but it's hard~~
It is complicated, and took me awhile to get straight before it really took off for me~~but when it did~Wow!
Here's what Publishers Weekly says about Dust:
Bear proves there's still juice in one of science fiction's oldest tropes, the stranded generation ship, in this complex coming-of-age tale. Rien, a handmaid in a feudal society, must care for the prisoner Ser Perceval—a mutilated enemy who Rien discovers is her half-sister by an absent scion of the ruling family. Their quest for a safer home tangles with their society's own quest for safety, as the descendents of an artificial intelligence and the genetically engineered crew battle for control to save the ship from an impending supernova. Standard plot devices litter the familiar landscape: tarot, pseudo-angels, named swords with powers, and politics as a family quarrel. But Campbell Award–winning author Bear uses them beautifully to turn up the pressure on her characters, who r respond by making hard choices. And—as she did in Carnival and Hammered—Bear breaks sexual taboos matter-of-factly: love in varied forms drives the characters without offering easy redemption.(Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
And here's the Booklist review for Dust:
(STARRED REVIEW:) Bear, Elizabeth (Author), Jan 2008. 384 p. Bantam/Spectra,
. Bear takes on the well-worn sf device of the generation ship and, seasoning with Roger Zelazny-esque family politics and Mervyn Peake-ish behind-the-scenes intrigue, concocts a delicious blend of science so advanced it’s like magic and people, the ship’s royalty, who are somehow altered by the nanotech colonies that make them Exalt but remain neurotic and struggling like ordinary humans. The ship hasn’t moved in centuries, and Engine and Rule (parts of the ship) are nearly at war. Desperately trying avert war, Rien helps Sir Perceval escape Rule and dangerously trek to Engine, near-constantly watched by Jacob Dust, the Angel of Memory, while the other angels and devils make alliances in the continuing battle for survival. As the smaller angels are devoured, battle to control the hulk of the ship Jacob’s Ladder nears an end. Bear’s approach to the story results in exactly the kind of brilliantly detailed, tightly plotted, roller-coaster book she has led her readers to expect, replete with a fantastic cast of characters. When Bear revamps the genre’s standard furniture, the results are extraordinary. (Regina Schroeder)
It is complicated, and took me awhile to get straight before it really took off for me~~but when it did~Wow!
Here's what Publishers Weekly says about Dust:
Bear proves there's still juice in one of science fiction's oldest tropes, the stranded generation ship, in this complex coming-of-age tale. Rien, a handmaid in a feudal society, must care for the prisoner Ser Perceval—a mutilated enemy who Rien discovers is her half-sister by an absent scion of the ruling family. Their quest for a safer home tangles with their society's own quest for safety, as the descendents of an artificial intelligence and the genetically engineered crew battle for control to save the ship from an impending supernova. Standard plot devices litter the familiar landscape: tarot, pseudo-angels, named swords with powers, and politics as a family quarrel. But Campbell Award–winning author Bear uses them beautifully to turn up the pressure on her characters, who r respond by making hard choices. And—as she did in Carnival and Hammered—Bear breaks sexual taboos matter-of-factly: love in varied forms drives the characters without offering easy redemption.(Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
And here's the Booklist review for Dust:
(STARRED REVIEW:) Bear, Elizabeth (Author), Jan 2008. 384 p. Bantam/Spectra,
. Bear takes on the well-worn sf device of the generation ship and, seasoning with Roger Zelazny-esque family politics and Mervyn Peake-ish behind-the-scenes intrigue, concocts a delicious blend of science so advanced it’s like magic and people, the ship’s royalty, who are somehow altered by the nanotech colonies that make them Exalt but remain neurotic and struggling like ordinary humans. The ship hasn’t moved in centuries, and Engine and Rule (parts of the ship) are nearly at war. Desperately trying avert war, Rien helps Sir Perceval escape Rule and dangerously trek to Engine, near-constantly watched by Jacob Dust, the Angel of Memory, while the other angels and devils make alliances in the continuing battle for survival. As the smaller angels are devoured, battle to control the hulk of the ship Jacob’s Ladder nears an end. Bear’s approach to the story results in exactly the kind of brilliantly detailed, tightly plotted, roller-coaster book she has led her readers to expect, replete with a fantastic cast of characters. When Bear revamps the genre’s standard furniture, the results are extraordinary. (Regina Schroeder)
Now travelling in the Science Fiction Bookbox!
This book came to me in Erishkigal's science fiction bookbox, and I have decided today to take it for reading. Thanks!
This book has a classic science fiction setting - a generation ship with an internal society significantly evolved from its origins, and lost to its original purpose. Yet that internal society involves humans evolved into angels, using swords with names, and god-like artificial intelligences, that are more typical of fantasy. This genre-blending is a difficult combination, but it was well done, and I enjoyed Bear's creativity and world building.
On the other hand, the narrative is of beings bound very little by literal reality, but only by their own wills. In that regard, I was not impressed with the plot. It seemed more like the kind of squabbling, alliances, and conflicts I observed in a family of seven cousins I have - than concept-oriented.
I'm glad to have read this, but I probably won't be looking for a sequel. It does work as a stand-alone read.
On the other hand, the narrative is of beings bound very little by literal reality, but only by their own wills. In that regard, I was not impressed with the plot. It seemed more like the kind of squabbling, alliances, and conflicts I observed in a family of seven cousins I have - than concept-oriented.
I'm glad to have read this, but I probably won't be looking for a sequel. It does work as a stand-alone read.
Today, I have decided to release the book back into Erishkigal's science fiction bookbox for some next reader.
Took this from the SF book box. I loved _Hammered_ - this one looks very good also.
Just when we thought the "failed generation ship" trope was mined out, Elizabeth
Bear gives us a new spin. Erishkigal, thanks for including this in the box. I had
read Hammered a couple of years ago and just bought Scardown and Worldwired,
but they were lingering on the shelf - after I finished Dust I picked up Scardown
and am in the middle of that. Dust builds on some of the ideas in the earlier
trilogy but has more "sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic"
that gives it a flavor of Zelazny's Amber. My favorite character may be the
basilisk Gavin. "What were you in the before? 'Laser-cutting torch,' Gavin replied."
I'm definitely looking forward to Chill and Grail.
Bear gives us a new spin. Erishkigal, thanks for including this in the box. I had
read Hammered a couple of years ago and just bought Scardown and Worldwired,
but they were lingering on the shelf - after I finished Dust I picked up Scardown
and am in the middle of that. Dust builds on some of the ideas in the earlier
trilogy but has more "sufficiently advanced technology indistinguishable from magic"
that gives it a flavor of Zelazny's Amber. My favorite character may be the
basilisk Gavin. "What were you in the before? 'Laser-cutting torch,' Gavin replied."
I'm definitely looking forward to Chill and Grail.
DrSlump enjoyed this so much I decided to catch it from him. It takes a LONG time for books to work their way through my TBR queue, but eventually you will all see my journal entry.
This really impressed me. I give Bear high marks for an original approach, very good writing, and surprising but logical plot twists. What I liked the best was her incredibly vivid descriptions, for instance Rien eating the fruit in the garden, and her father's home - THAT convinced me so thoroughly that she was in a hunting lodge in a wintry forest, I wondered for a moment how she'd get back to the ship.
DrSlump & I also really liked the cover artwork, by Paul Youll. Doesn't It reminded you of the work of H R Giger?
We do have the next two books in the trilogy, 'Chill' and 'Grail' so if any future readers want to finish the series, send one of us a PM and we'll work out a way to connect.
DrSlump & I also really liked the cover artwork, by Paul Youll. Doesn't It reminded you of the work of H R Giger?
We do have the next two books in the trilogy, 'Chill' and 'Grail' so if any future readers want to finish the series, send one of us a PM and we'll work out a way to connect.
Journal Entry 10 by JudySlump612 at Gingko Coffee Shop - Snelling And Minnehaha in Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Sunday, October 16, 2011
Released 12 yrs ago (10/16/2011 UTC) at Gingko Coffee Shop - Snelling And Minnehaha in Saint Paul, Minnesota USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
On OBCZ shelves
Looks good. Picked this up at the local OBCZ.
If Arthur C. Clarke merged with Vonda McIntire you might get this book. The resolution of the stranded generational ship was neat, but a little hurried. The plotting was a little too Machiavellian for me, but it works. I was glad to have read this, but left shaking my head at some of the forced conclusions in the last 10 pages of the book. I hope the next reader enjoys the book.
If Arthur C. Clarke merged with Vonda McIntire you might get this book. The resolution of the stranded generational ship was neat, but a little hurried. The plotting was a little too Machiavellian for me, but it works. I was glad to have read this, but left shaking my head at some of the forced conclusions in the last 10 pages of the book. I hope the next reader enjoys the book.
Sending off to adrienne10 as a RABCK for her wishlist. Enjoy the read!
Welcome to Bookcrossing, where Books roam freely! I hope you enjoy the book, and leave a journal entry so I can see where the book ended up. You can remain anonymous if you'd like, or join and follow the book's travels throughout the world! If you join, please mention me, quietorchid, or any other journaller as the referring member. The site is free, secure, and non-spamming. Take a look around, and then go read!
P.S. If the book is too good to read and release, that's okay, you can keep it, just let me know that it's found a good home!
#10 D for December release.
Welcome to Bookcrossing, where Books roam freely! I hope you enjoy the book, and leave a journal entry so I can see where the book ended up. You can remain anonymous if you'd like, or join and follow the book's travels throughout the world! If you join, please mention me, quietorchid, or any other journaller as the referring member. The site is free, secure, and non-spamming. Take a look around, and then go read!
P.S. If the book is too good to read and release, that's okay, you can keep it, just let me know that it's found a good home!
#10 D for December release.
Received in the mail. Thanks so much for this RABCK! I will get it read and passed along to another bookcrosser.
