Tag Archives: Alternate history

Odalisque: The Baroque Cycle #3, Neal Stephenson (HarperTorch, 2004 {Brilliance Audio, Narrators: Simon Prebble, Katherine Kellgren, Kevin Pariseau, with forward by Neal Stephenson})

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Thomas Evans

Odalisque is a solid, enjoyable addition to Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle, but as third in the series, requires the reader to already be invested in the tale. Additionally, while I liked it in some senses, the tale is getting a bit long in the tooth by this stage. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate History, Anthology/Collection, audio book, Chronicle, Conspiracy Novel, Cycle, Identity, Political Drama, Saga, Serial, Series, Strong Characters, Thoughtful, Unique or Imaginative World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fatherland, Robert Harris (Arrow Books, 1992)

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Thomas Evans

Fatherland by Robert Harris is a conspiracy thriller set in an alternative history Germany of 1964 where the NAZI’s won the war. It has a great premise but holds an obvious mystery and flawed characters at it head. A must read for anyone who likes Alternative histories, but unlikely to appeal to others. Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate History, Authors, Conspiracy, Conspiracy Novel, Crime Thriller, Fatherland, Identity, Mystery, Political Drama, Post Modern, Robert Harris, Stand Alone Novel, Thriller, Title, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quicksilver: Baroque Cycle Book 1, Neal Stephenson (HarpurCollins Publisher 2003: {Brilliance Audio, 2010; Narrator: Simon Prebble}

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Thomas Evans

What do you get when you combine Oliver Cromwell, Blackbeard the Pirate and Sir Isaac Newton? A very good novel by Neal Stephenson. Quicksilver is the first of a trilogy that is highly enjoyable, though like other of Stephenson’s works, it does sometimes read like an enormous info-dump. I can’t say this book is for everyone, but for that growing number of speculative fiction fans who want to think deeply about their reading, I highly recommend this book.
Continue reading →

Posted in Alternate History, Political Drama, Post Modern, Series, Strong Characters, Thoughtful, Unique or Imaginative World | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Terminal World, Alistair Reynolds (ACE Books {US}/Gollance{UK};2010)

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Thomas Evans

Terminal World is an enjoyable action novel that combines elements of Science Fiction with Steampunk to come up with an interesting new world. It takes place in a world dominated by “zones” that physically limit the degree of technology that works in the region. Central to these zones is the city of Spearpoint, a spire rising from a flat plain to heights beyond the atmosphere. At the base of this pinnacle only preindustrial technology works, but as one ascends so does the level of technology until one at last reaches the ultratech level of the post-human Angels. When a pathologist named Quillion receives a message from an angel dying of zone sickness, it forces the doctor to leave the city and enter the wild lands of mixed tech zones beyond. Continue reading →

Posted in Cyberpunk, Post Modern, Ripping Yarn, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Ultratech, Unique or Imaginative World | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment