By: Elizabeth Bear Publisher: Spectra Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Spectra Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 368 Publication Date: December 26, 2007 Release Date: December 26, 2007
Product Description: On a broken ship orbiting a doomed sun, dwellers have grown complacent with their aging metal world. But when a serving girl frees a captive noblewoman, the old order is about to change....
Ariane, Princess of the House of Rule, was known to be fiercely cold-blooded. But severing an angel’s wings on the battlefield—even after she had surrendered—proved her completely without honor. Captive, the angel Perceval waits for Ariane not only to finish her off—but to devour her very memories and mind. Surely her gruesome death will cause war between the houses—exactly as Ariane desires. But Ariane’s plan may yet be opposed, for Perceval at once recognizes the young servant charged with her care.
Rien is the lost child: her sister. Soon they will escape, hoping to stop the impending war and save both their houses. But it is a perilous journey through the crumbling hulk of a dying ship, and they do not pass unnoticed. Because at the hub of their turning world waits Jacob Dust, all that remains of God, following the vapor wisp of the angel. And he knows they will meet very soon.
Detailed sf/f without going overboard. Elizabeth Bear is a fantastic writer. She knows how to begin a story. I was hooked from page one.
The most rewarding part of this book is Bear's talent for providing detail to surroundings without swamping the narrative. Characters move from scene to scene, and Bear lets the reader know what they need to, only when they need to.
The world-building is intricate and beautiful - easy to imagine.
The climax could have been more hands-on, however. Bear flooded the world with gods that finish the end up pretty fast, without letting the main character do much.
Overall, this will keep you reading, and stimulate your imagination. A good choice.
Could not get past 100 pages. I love Generational starship stories and that is the reason I bought this one. But I could not get past the first 100 pages and put it down. The characters were one dimensional, I could not get into caring about what happened to them. The story line seemed to drag on and the authors description of their enviorment was lacking. It may get better later in the book but I will never know, just not what I was expecting.
original and captivating This book was a great escape. I loved the world she created and can't wait for the next book. I read tons of sci-fi/fantasy and always love an idea that hasn't been done to death.
Mythic Science Fiction--Fantastic Tech "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," according to Arthur C. Clarke, and there is plenty of both, technology and magic in DUST.
The plot is fantastical, with roots in medieval romance. Two great houses, that of Rule and that of Engine, are heading for war. Sir Perceval of Engine is taken prisoner by Princess Ariane of Rule, who shows no honor nor mercy by severing Perceval's wings and holding her in chains. Rien is a Mean, serving at the tables of the Exalted. Her duties include bringing food to the prisoner, who reveals a secret about Rien's own origins. Soon Rien is moved to help Perceval escape--to save Perceval's life and to prevent a war that could result in mass destruction.
The setting is tech: a generation ship that has had a catastrophic breakdown so that much was lost. And now, the binary stars it circles are threatening to go nova at any moment.
The AIs have split in order to survive and attempt to preserve and repair themselves and now rule like gods and demons battling for their own power and fiefdoms. Specialized nanotech enables the Exalt to better withstand space and repair themselves. Basic tools have evolved into semi-autonomous creatures.
The large and bizarre Exalt family of Conn, with sibling intriguing against, murdering, allying with, warring with and breeding with sibling, and children eating the memory of parents is vaguely reminiscent of the dysfunctional family in Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber (which also has names drawn from legends and medieval romances). The characterization could possibly be a little more evolved, but this is less a character-driven tale than something more like hard SF twisted almost seamlessly into traditional fantasy tropes. Fortunately there is more here than just a clever concept and the adventures and characters and world are fascinating and involving.
This book could be read as a stand-alone, but the plot is not completely tied up and there is a sequel planned.
Magic Dust! I really enjoyed this book. Elizabeth Bear is just getting better and better. Carnival was good, but this has moments of magic.
There were some sophisticated concepts here which I just loved and the computers/angels/demons was well thought out. The entire world and it's medieval theme and forced genetic mutation/evolution was just clever and interesting. You may like the world more than specfic characters, though the heroine was pretty interesting.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next one coming out and will continue to keep my eye out for Elizabeth Bear who is a fine find indeed. Keeper
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