- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz (20 July 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 185798465X
- ISBN-13: 978-1857984651
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,404,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
In a sequel to A Million Open Doors, John Barnes writes another novel in the universe of the Thousand Cultures. Humanity dwells in colonies (some natural and some artificial) spread over hundreds of planets that lost touch with each other for more than a thousand years. Due to the invention of the springer, an instantaneous teleportation device, the worlds are communicating again. But after centuries of isolation, reunification results in intense cultural and economic stress.
Giraut and Margaret, characters from the earlier book, are now a husband and wife diplomatic team for the Council of Humanity. They also do clandestine work for the Office of Special Projects, an undercover organisation that deals with serious problems that result when local governments prove intractable. Their next assignment: promote peace and co-operation on Briand, a hellish planet whose physical hostility is matched only by the hatred its two cultures show to each other.
Tamil Mandalam was founded by classical Tamils, and Kintulum was founded by classical Mayans. Tamils believe themselves to be perfect and believe that once the springer does open Briand to humanity, they will show the rest of the universe how to live. The Mayans, when they communicate at all, apparently feel the same way. The magnificence of each culture's accomplishments in art and literature is overshadowed by citizens' bigotry.
A difficult assignment indeed; as if high gravity, high temperatures and ethnic attacks weren't enough, Giraut and Margaret's mission grows even more troublesome because of their marital problems, Margaret's depression and the bureaucratic thick-headedness of Briand's Ambassador. --Bonnie Bouman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"A masterful job."--"Publishers Weekly"
"First-rate!"--"Library Journal"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"First-rate!"--"Library Journal"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I encourage those a little disappointed in contrasting this book with the first instalment 'A Million Open Doors' to consider the words of the author himself, who I quote from a dedication inside one of many books I have been most lucky to have personalised by the man himself. The quote refers to a trilogy, but is no less poignant here:
'Truly it has been said that life is like the second book in a trilogy, beginning with an excitement that may prove spurious, flowing through many things whose purpose lies before or will come after, and ending at the nearest thing to long enough - yet so much better than not having one!'
'Truly it has been said that life is like the second book in a trilogy, beginning with an excitement that may prove spurious, flowing through many things whose purpose lies before or will come after, and ending at the nearest thing to long enough - yet so much better than not having one!'
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you haven't read 'A Million Open Doors', stop now. Go read that, and find out about the Thousand Cultures of humanity and the attempts to reunify them now that the 'springer', the hoary old sci-fi gimmick of instantaneous transport, has put them back in touch.
OK, so now to EMOG. The main characters of AMOD, Giraut and Margaret, are sent to the bum-hole of the universe, an isolated world with little habitable land and two mutually antagonistic cultures, one Tamil and one Mayan. The progress of their diplomatic mission is set against their attempts to save their marriage and the results, while not remotely unexpected, leave you with a sense of sadness and horror.
A beautifully painted book, with wonderful descriptions of the clashing cultures and a supporting cast that are more believable that the protagonists. It made me feel as if I was in high-tech version of 15th century Asian or American cities: definitely worth a read.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The ideas in this book are interesting: a huge interstellar culture discovers instantanous transportation and so must attempt to pacify the agressive elements on far flung posts of the former expansion.
However, this book suffers from mediocraty. The story is a little depressing and dark, without being briliantly so as in Consider Plebias (Ian Banks). The charicters are not particularly strongly developed and are a little one dimensional. The book ends rather abruptly, like the author reached the word limit and had to round up.
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