Review
"After a solid debut with Principles of Angels, Fenn's second offering is altogether stranger and more ambitious. A beautifully paced quest, a novel that doles out its revelations slowly yet confidently. The characters are well-drawn and believable. There's more than enough here to suggest that British SF has a major new talent in its midst." (Jonathan Wright SFX )
"...the mutually dependent relationship between Kerin and the stranger is sensitively drawn, as is the depiction of a society kept in ignorance by a religious elite." (Eric Brown THE GUARDIAN )
"it is a book that provides plenty of entertainment. The basic idea and the meshing of the genres works very well and the character development and the way that is accomplished is certainly better than in many such books. The pacing may be a little uneven, but whilst this is a minor annoyance, the aspects of the book that set it apart from many across both genres are ultimately what win out and make this a curious, but worthwhile read." (THE BOOKBAG )
"Consorts of Heaven is an enjoyable novel with a stronger central premise than its predecessor, and the pace of revelation is really well judged by Fenn. I look forward very much to journeying once again in to Jaine Fenn's universe." (BOOKGEEKS )
"...the mutually dependent relationship between Kerin and the stranger is sensitively drawn, as is the depiction of a society kept in ignorance by a religious elite." (Eric Brown THE GUARDIAN )
"it is a book that provides plenty of entertainment. The basic idea and the meshing of the genres works very well and the character development and the way that is accomplished is certainly better than in many such books. The pacing may be a little uneven, but whilst this is a minor annoyance, the aspects of the book that set it apart from many across both genres are ultimately what win out and make this a curious, but worthwhile read." (THE BOOKBAG )
"Consorts of Heaven is an enjoyable novel with a stronger central premise than its predecessor, and the pace of revelation is really well judged by Fenn. I look forward very much to journeying once again in to Jaine Fenn's universe." (BOOKGEEKS )
Product Description
The book is SF, but the first three-quarters take place in an almost fantasy setting. It is not a sequel to PRINCIPLES OF ANGELS, but it is set in the same universe and share the same villains, the Sidhe. When a naked, amnesiac stranger is found outside a remote highland village, he is taken in by Kerin, a widow whose unconventional ways are tolerated because her son Damaru is 'skytouched' - he appears simple, but he is able to affect matter. All skytouched are tested by the Beloved Daughter, the living goddess who rules the world from the City of Light. If he's found worthy, Damaru will become a Consort of the skymothers, the Gods of this world. Kerin and the stranger, nicknamed Sais, accompany Damaru to the City, in the company of a priest who's helping Sais to get back his missing past - but as Sais recovers his memory, he realises that the world does not work the way he assumed - and everyone believes - it does. Worse still, the hierarchy which has kept society stable for thousands of years is rotten to the core. Then Kerin and Sais uncover the true nature of the world, and the unimaginable fate of the Consorts - a fate Kerin will do anything to stop her son sharing.
About the Author
Jaine Fenn studied Linguistics and Astronomy at university before embarking on a career as an IT consultant. She is the author of the Hidden Empire books, the first two of which are PRINCIPLES OF ANGELS and CONSORTS OF HEAVEN; the third novel in this loosely linked series, GUARDIANS OF PARADISE, is due out in 2010. She lives with her husband in Hampshire.
