- Paperback: 992 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (11 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575072873
- ISBN-13: 978-0575072879
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 620,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The distant world of Orthe is littered with spectacular remnants of the Golden Empire, an ancient and technologically advanced civilisation extinct for two thousand years. Now their Orthean descendants have turned away from the technology which nearly destroyed them, and from their ancestors, the Golden Witchbreed. Then Earth envoy Lynne de Lisle Christie arrives and, all too quickly, finds herself the victim of intrigue and conspiracy, embroiled in a conflict that threatens to explode into war - and which puts her own life in deadly peril . . .
About the Author
SALES POINTS The classic fantasy duology from the author of the bestselling ASH 'A spectacular and wonderfully evocative novel . . . she is a writer who knows politics and human nature' Julian May 'A rare narrative talent' C.J. Cherryh 'So gloriously alien. Wow!' Anne McCaffrey
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First Sentence
A ramshackle collection of white plastic and steel buildings stood at the edge of the concrete landing strip. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
A ramshackle collection of white plastic and steel buildings stood at the edge of the concrete landing strip. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darkly beautiful,
This review is from: Orthe: Chronicles of Carrick V (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
In this earlier work from Mary Gentle, she has brought a world on the edge of disaster to life and death with the brilliant mix of human-scale interaction with deeply realised aliens, problems domestic and global, hard sci fi that creeps up on you unawares, and that slice of humour and tinge of romance that makes her work special. I won't give away the punchline, but anyone worried about the world today should read this book. I can only marvel that Mary was worried twenty years ago.
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost Very Good,
By
This review is from: Orthe: Chronicles of Carrick V (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
I found this book reminded me of one of my favourite SF writers, Ursula LeGuin (comparisons are supposed to be odious, though this was meant as a compliment). Although I wasn't at any point tempted to give it up, I did find it overlong & wished at times that some pruning had taken place as this was a reissue. I think Mary G just uses too many words at times which slows things down & also the plot might have profitably had a few less twists & turns without losing anything essential.
I've already read MG's "Grunts" & liked it less. I can't award this book 3.5 stars, so I'll be generous & give it 4 but won't be returning to this author in the foreseeable future.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read!,
By C. Weaver - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Orthe: Chronicles of Carrick V (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
Have always wanted both the novels by Mary Gentle about Orthe in one place. Both books are great but I tend to like the first one best. Sort of a romantic. What can I say.....
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An unexpected ending...Chronicles of Orthe,
By KRBConsulting "karibunch com" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Orthe: Chronicles of Carrick V (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
I read the first book, THE GOLDEN WITCHBREED of this series (?- is it a series if only 2 books?) many many many years ago. I loved it. The Witchbreed, the Ortheans, the British Envoy Christie who wasn't always heroic, but nonetheless a hero...the marsupial fenborn, the descriptions of the Orthean World and the introduction of a sex-neutral pronoun were all part of a wonderful sci-fi book that captured my heart. I always wondered why no followup.
Recently, I found out there was a followup, or concluding novel, but it had only been published in England/Europe. In the Chronicles of Carrick V (which contains BOTH novels, GOLDEN WITCHBREED and ANCIENT LIGHT), Mary Gentle again demonstrates a carrying ability throughout a story that takes place over months of spaceship, water ship, pack animal and foot travel on a post-industrial/post-technological world. The new characters and the old combine to make the intrigue of Orthe come alive all over again. And right up until the last chapter or two, I am into it. But then it was if she had a conclusion, but lacked a true ability to express it. Our hero from before, Prior-Envoy/now-Company Rep Christie seems very tired all the time for a 36 yr old woman and truly does show her unhappiness with her dual roles as a commercial company adviser on whether to exploit this world for resources, when her true nature is against it. ***SPOILER***I am still not sure if the old leviathan in this story, the old Golden Witchbreed technological weapons actually destroy the planet or not. There are scenes of dream-memories at the end that are fascinating but make the ending unclear. Later I read that others were also dissatisfied with this ending. The last chapter has another Envoy coming to Orthe and getting lost to himself in the inner city of Kasabaarde, a place of no expectations, and just staying on there, avoiding his duties. But there is no clue when this took place - after the climax of the book when it looked as if they would fail in holding back the planetary weapon of mass destruction or after. And that is worthy of an Orthean intrigue game of ochmir, but confusing for the book reader. I suppose that like Ortheans, a hard conclusion isn't necessary in their story. Ortheans themselves are very contradictory in their natures as well. I wish Mary Gentle could revisit this and maybe conclude it for us humans who need hard and fast conclusions...It really is a unique world and is peopled with awesome characters, sexy, fearless, traitorous and heroic, but the completion is yet to be had. |
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