Gazelle Book Services Limited.
White Cross Mills, Hightown, LANCASTER LA1 4XS, United Kingdom.
Telephone: +44(0)1524 68765
Fax: +44(0)1524 63232
Email: sales@gazellebooks.co.uk
Web: www.gazellebooks.co.uk
| Title: | Martian General's Daughter
|
| Author: | Theodore Judson |
| ISBN: | 1591026431 : 9781591026433 |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Size: | 155x230mm |
| Pages: | 252 |
| Weight: | .521 Kg. |
| Published: | Prometheus Books (Pyr) - April 2008 |
| List Price: | 10.99 Pounds Sterling |
| Availability: | In Print |
| Subjects: | Science fiction |
Welcome to the End of Empire. Set over two hundred years from now, in a world very much like Imperial Rome, this is the story of General Peter Black, the last decent man, as told through the eyes of his devoted (and illegitimate) daughter, Justa. Raised on battlefields, more comfortable in the company of hard men of war than with women or other children, Justa must keep the truth of her birth hidden. Her father regards her as an embarrassment, a reminder of his one and only indiscretion. Yet she is a remarkable woman-one whose keen mind wins her an education at the feet of Emperor Mathias the Glistening himself. All his life, General Black served the noble emperor, and, out of loyalty to the father, continues to serve his son after Mathias's death, even as the son's reign degenerates into an insane tyranny worthy of Nero or Caligula. As the rule of the empire passes from father to son with disastrous results, a strange metal plague begins slowly destroying the empire's technology, plunging the realm into chaos and the world into war. Amid the destruction and upheaval, General Black must decide whether to turn his back on the men and institutions who never loved him nearly as much as he did them, or whether to save his most trusted ally and adviser, his best friend and only real family. "The Martian General's Daughter" is a gripping tale of a world at war; of cunning strategies and vile politics; of bravery, foolishness, and excess. It is at once a stirring military adventure, a cautionary tale of repeating history, a cutting satire, and a heartbreaking examination of the joys and pain inherent in the love between a father and child. Judson's previous novel was selected in multiple best-of-the-year lists. With "The Martian General's Daughter", he offers another must-read epic destined to take its place in the canon of science fiction, and sure to appeal to readers of everything from Orson Scott Card to Walter M Miller, Jr.
"Judson expertly weaves a story that is mimicry of the fall of the Roman Empire. What Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire takes volumes to describe, Judson compacts into 252 pages...I can now read the histories of Rome and other empires with a better understanding of what they are all about...While telling the story of the demise of an empire, Judson still manages to evoke feelings of hope and pride, integrate detail and spin a complex web of politics and intrigue...This novel is now proudly displayed on my shelf, and I plan to one day hand to my child and use it to teach them about how empires fall. This fictionalized account is able to succinctly encapsulate the events and feeling of that kind of time, and while it can never replace a learning of history, it is certainly a starting point for discussions on politics, religion, and culture. I am certain that The Martian General's Daughter is sure to become part of the canon of science fiction reading, if not a work read alongside George Orwell's 1984 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. This is a novel that should not be missed. I read it in its entirety in one sitting, as I just could not put it down." -- Grasping for the Wind, June 10, 2008. "...reminiscent of some of the Analog or Amazing novellas of SF’s Golden Age." -- Sacramento Book Review, September 2008. "After reading endless positive things about Pyr’s books, I acquired six of their titles. With statements like 'Pyr only publishes Gems' and 'Pyr can do no wrong!' I wanted to see it for myself. I read through their list of available books, looked for a few themes that fit my tastes (and a few that didn’t) and when the pile arrived I randomly picked one. Assuming they only publish awesome stuff, it should be a good book right? It was. I loved The Martian General’s Daughter by Theodore Judson... [It] isn’t quite a must-read, but it is excellent on many levels. The characters are awesome, the story is as compelling as it is bloody and the history-is-repeating theme all make for a memorable read...There isn’t much more I can say about this book other than it’s an great choice for anyone who likes alternative history, historical fiction and military conquest. Pick up a copy and see for yourself. I’m very much looking forward to my other 5 books from Pyr now. I can’t wait." -- We Read Science Fiction blog, September 25, 2008.
