- Find all the latest books, toys, games and DVDs from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in our Harry Potter store.
Deathscent
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Product details
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In Deathscent: Intrigues of the Reflected Realm Robin Jarvis has created an endearing and yet dark tale which encompasses historical adventure, fantastical visitors from other worlds and political intrigue. "Englandia" is the familiar Renaissance England of history and literature yet also full of unfamiliar practices and characters--Elizabeth has been on the throne for 178 years, but is still at war with Catholic Spain; one's class within society is still determined by one's noble status and favour with the queen (and indicated by how frilly one's ruff is or how flamboyant one's doublet and hose), but that archaic society exists in 93 beatified floating isles, which were "raised" many years before; and the only living animals which exist are humans. This last conceit is brilliantly elaborated upon to great comic and sentimental effect--the mechanical animals which exist instead (and whose "proudflesh" is eaten after being harvested and flavoured with essence of beef, venison, pork or lamb) become characters in their own right. Suet, the mechanical piglet who is blessed with being given one of the most sophisticated cordials or humours to make him work, is a devoted pet that any reader would like to adopt for themselves.
Adam o' the Cogs is the young apprentice who is adored by Suet the piglet, and it is partly through his eyes that we follow the story. His life in a literal backwater in Suffolk working as a repairer of these mechanical animals is disturbed greatly when Brindle, a visitor from another world, comes crashing down to their floating isle in his alien vehicle. By focusing also on Brindle's experience of this strange world Jarvis very successfully explains the alien and the familiar to the 21st-century reader. Jarvis's ear for authentic 16th-century language, and his insistence on retaining Renaissance authenticity despite the fantastical setting and conceits, ensures that the genuine excitement of Elizabethan politics is conveyed to the reader as clearly as the mundane of everyday life.
In Deathscent, Jarvis packs in many events within a short time span, though never letting the pace of the story detract from the detailed description and character development. The ending is hinted at in the last third of the book, and the quick-witted who follow Adam and his thoughts carefully will not be too surprised at the outcome. However, the nature of that outcome cannot be truly anticipated, and it fits satisfyingly into the twisting and turning plot that has been so lovingly created. --Olivia Dickinson
Review
Deathscent
This is an inventive and original novel. On every level – language, character and plot – the reader is provided with a sustained recreation of a mysterious and intriguing world.
School Librarian
About The Raven’s Knot: This book is mind-blowing, shocking and pretty darn good! Firstly I would just like to say that I love Robin Jarvis anyway, he is great… it was full of suspense and surprises. Jarvo rocks, may he write books for ever!
Reader from Chester, Amazon.co.uk
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At first i was slightly sceptical about reading this book, but when i'd got past the first three chapters i was hooked and couldn't put it down! I thaught the chareacters were believable and you could relate to them and because the stranger, Brindle arrives suddenly into an unknown world he has to have things explained to him, also helping us, the readers to understand what is going on by learning with him, which is a nice effect.
I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and a tiny bit off horror.
I hope Robin Jarvis writes the next one soon.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well, it wasn't until I read some of these reviews that I realised that perhaps this was aimed at young people. If so, I'm surprised, because it was certainly pretty sophisticated in places, although unfortunately rather obvious in others - see below. However, I thought the early parts of this book were absolutely wonderful. Not just the marvellous inventiveness of the core construct - an entire 'uplifted' Elizabethan world with its ichor-fuelled mechanical creatures, and sky galleons (well, not terribly original, the sky galleons, but you can't have everything) - but in particular, the wonderfully evocative way in which the author has captured and conveyed the parochial and insular little world of a Tudor estate (quite literally now reduced to a whole series of claustrophobic little worlds), each with all its own characters - where middle class gentry get drawn into the great affairs of court, and where life is on one hand pleasant and bucolic in the pastoral countryside of an England in miniature, and on the other hand cheap and sordid once helpless pawns become enmeshed in the politics of state. To be honest, given the author's obvious and superb grasp of the period detail, and flair for conveying the feel of the nitty gritty of this Elizabethan world, I would almost have preferred this to have been a straight historical novel. As it is, what seems to start out as an intriguing, beguiling and wonderfully inventive alternative history, transplanted to a different universe, regrettably ends up in pretty familiar territory with the advent of the Iribian Alien, complete with his uncontrollable bloodlust (see Alien) and very PC self awareness of the cross he has to bear (see Mr Spock), most of which amounts to a far from new proposition. I really felt that the subplot of the alien interloper (which manages to supplant what seemed to start out as the main plot), with its entirely predictable ending, was both uneccesary and disappointing, and kind of spoiled for me, what would otherwise have been a wonderful work of imagination and escapism. One can only imagine the fantastic things that Robin Jarvis could bring to pass in this wonderful new world he has created, and I look forward to reading a sequel, or preferably several - but please - no more aliens getting-off-on-point-of-death. Stick to the intrigues of the uplifted Elizabethans and their mechanical companions - that's perfectly compelling on its own.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At 23, I am a HUGE fan of Robin Jarvis - I first got hooked on him whilst at school and still eagerly await any of his new releases now. Deathscent is another winner and I can't wait for the follow-up.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
what?
Well, I persevered through this book and made it to the end, and then I wondered: why?
I waited and waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Read more
I waited and waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Larewen Evenstar
Deathscent.
I have only recently discoverd the Robin Jarvis books at the age of 31, but have really enjoyed the ones I've read. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2003 by Mrs. K. J. Griffiths
Deathscent
This book is a great novel. The thrill of Brindel's madness is almost within you as you read the last few chapters. Read more
Published on 30 July 2002 by A Specialist
Rich storytelling
I read almost all the time, and most books are okay, a few are terrible, but some stand out as being brilliant. For me, Deathscent was one of the latter. Read more
Published on 4 April 2002
A Wonderfully Chilling Image Making Bl***y Effort, Robin
Having read through the FarawayTree books on to Brian Jaques and his deeper than ever pies to the Deptford Mice stories my young lads were not ready for this "gothic"... Read more
Published on 3 April 2002 by awdl22787@blueyonder.co.uk
Fantastic!
I have loved Robin Jarvis for many years now. This book is no worse than any of his other wonderful novels. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2002
Purity and Absolution
I will never look at (or smell) a rose in the same way I have previously. This book is more glorious and radiant than Glorianna, Queen Elizabeth herself with so much heart and... Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2002 by KL Peebles
Extremely interesting , hard to grasp at first.
Before you read the book you need to understand that the genre of the book is fantasy, so you don't get confused ,like me,in thinking the book is set in one country. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2001
Deathscent
After reading 'Thorn Ogres of Hagwood.' I was eager to read the next book, and so I was disappointed to find Robin Jarvis starting another new trilogy instead of immediatly writing... Read more
Published on 16 July 2001 by Laura T
this book kicks ass!!!
if u like robin jarvis buy this book if u like fantasy buy this book hell,if u like to read buy this kickass book its one of the best iv ever read. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
