Yet another mighty impressive Science Fictional debut from a new British writer with a background in fine arts, which shows clearly in the dazzling descriptions and landscapes he evokes throughout. Beginning in Prague in 1319, with a mysterious mage controlling the lives of the royal family and intent on getting his hands on the heir to the throne and moving quickly to a sumptuous alien war, where a fortress gets overcome by abominable creatures in search of a terrible object or secret, this is space opera with a widescreen and Technicolor background buzzing with energy and a gallery of sharply-etched characters that will get under your skin as their trials and tribulations unfold. Inventive, surprising, with branches racing into areas the reader never quite expects, and the first in what could prove a major series. Watch this (Amaranthine) space! ~ Maxim Jakubowski
| Primary Genre | Science Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
An extraordinarily inventive and hugely original SF novel that charts a compelling vision of a future and spins an hypnotic narrative around it. A novel that could command the same amount of attention and furore that met the publication of The Quantum Thief. The richness and originality of its vision combined with its playful take on hard science make this a novel with real commercial potential that will be talked about for years and should launch a major career in SF. In the far future man has spread out into the galaxy. And diversified. Some have evolved physically into strange new forms, some have become immortal. Some hark back to the old ways. We have built a glorious new future. One that stretches from the sleepy Old World, to new terraformed planets and Dyson spheres built around artificial suns. For as long as we can remember (and some have lived 12,000 years) we have delighted in a rich new existence. Yes there have been wars but we are content in our splendour. Art is revered, life is easy, death forgotten for many. But now there are rumours of a bid to oust the Emperor and a worrying story that our history is not as we remember it - not only man left Earth...
The Promise of the Child features in the following genres: Science Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
The Promise of the Child is available in Paperback
The Promise of the Child was written by Tom Toner and published by Gollancz an imprint of Orion Publishing Co
The Promise of the Child has 553 pages
£13.49
