Celestial Matters
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Hardcover
I cannot believe I never wrote a review of this. Well, better late than never. A friend suggested this to me, and it wasn't bad. Not great, but still good. He suggested it to me because we're involved in a PBEM of Nine Worlds.
OK, what's it about?
Its an alternate world where Ptolomaic theories of the world are correct. Alexander conquered out to India and a province of China. Now, China and the Delian League are in a nearly millenium long world. The book is an account by Aias, scientific commander of the Sun Thief expedition of the events before that expedition and what happened. Along the way, there is intrigue, assassination attempts, love, philosophy and some novel world building.
The characters are Aias, Yellow Hare (an Atlantean (read Native American) Spartan officer, Aeson (Aias friend and Spartan commander of the Sun Thief expedition), Ramonojon (Dynamicist - some sort of engineer/trimsman for the ship) and some others, but if I say too much I'll give away a large part of the book.
Anyway, I liked it. Mainly for the world building and playing with the ideas hidden inside that. Its a unique alternate world - alternate science by the summary. I'd suggest it to others.
Likes: Neat world building - the author doesn't get too clever and thinks things out; Decent characters - stiff but not too stiff; A hopeful ending.
Dislikes: The ending seemed to ignore human nature a bit too much; I also don't think Alexander's empire would have survived his death in this timeline either.
OK, what's it about?
Its an alternate world where Ptolomaic theories of the world are correct. Alexander conquered out to India and a province of China. Now, China and the Delian League are in a nearly millenium long world. The book is an account by Aias, scientific commander of the Sun Thief expedition of the events before that expedition and what happened. Along the way, there is intrigue, assassination attempts, love, philosophy and some novel world building.
The characters are Aias, Yellow Hare (an Atlantean (read Native American) Spartan officer, Aeson (Aias friend and Spartan commander of the Sun Thief expedition), Ramonojon (Dynamicist - some sort of engineer/trimsman for the ship) and some others, but if I say too much I'll give away a large part of the book.
Anyway, I liked it. Mainly for the world building and playing with the ideas hidden inside that. Its a unique alternate world - alternate science by the summary. I'd suggest it to others.
Likes: Neat world building - the author doesn't get too clever and thinks things out; Decent characters - stiff but not too stiff; A hopeful ending.
Dislikes: The ending seemed to ignore human nature a bit too much; I also don't think Alexander's empire would have survived his death in this timeline either.
