- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey Books (Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345440919
- ISBN-13: 978-0345440914
- Product Dimensions: 20.7 x 11.6 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,441,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Pavane (S.F. MASTERWORKS)
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Product Description
Book Description
The definitive alternate history ¿ an engrossing future that never was.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
In the year 1588, Queen Elizabeth of England was assassinated. As a result, when the Spanish Armada attacked, England went down defeated, changing the history of Europe and the New World as we know it.
Now, in the Twentieth Century, the Church of Rome reigns supreme over a world of pastoral beauty, while technology is held back to the level of the steam locomotive and the primitive radio. Yet science cannot be suppressed forever, and its advocates are becoming more daring as each year passes. A revolution is building—one that will rock the foundations of an empire. An acknowledged classic of alternate history fiction, Pavane will continue to inspire writers and readers for generations . . .
Now, in the Twentieth Century, the Church of Rome reigns supreme over a world of pastoral beauty, while technology is held back to the level of the steam locomotive and the primitive radio. Yet science cannot be suppressed forever, and its advocates are becoming more daring as each year passes. A revolution is building—one that will rock the foundations of an empire. An acknowledged classic of alternate history fiction, Pavane will continue to inspire writers and readers for generations . . .
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The late lamented novelist and illustrator Keith Roberts had several claims on the attention of posterity but none better than this book. 'Pavane' has to be one of the most painstaking and convincing alternative history stories ever written. (It also won plaudits from Brian Aldiss and was selected by Anthony Burgess as one of his '99 Novels: The Best in English Since 1939'.) The prologue to the book neatly introduces Roberts' other world, describing the bloody aftermath of Elizabeth I falling to an assassin's bullet in 1588. In the ensuing chaos, the Armada successfully invade and suppress the forces of the English Reformation. Thereafter, England remains within the Catholic fold. Most of 'Pavane' is a series of (often beautifully-written) episodes in the history of this alter-England from 1968 until sometime early in the 21st century. Roberts' chronicle deftly shows the Church hierarchy and the forces of revolt struggling through decades of uneasy truce. As the years pass, the power of the Church comes under attack and an older wisdom begins to re-assert itself. Just when you think you can see where Roberts' alternative world is going, the ending of the book throws a very different and thought-provoking slant on this subtly changed history. Rather unusually for an SF author, Keith Roberts combined a clear and unpretentious style with a firm grasp of writerly virtues like characterisation and plot, and, believe me, this unusual combination pays off. (I hate to disagree with any of the previous reviews, but anybody with an aversion to fantasy who reads this review might like to note that there aren't actually any fairies or pixies in 'Pavane' at all - without giving anything away, the 'People of the Heath' referred to near the end of the book are entirely human.) Finally, anyone who enjoys 'Pavane' might also like to look out for Roberts' other major alternative history, 'Weinachtsabend'. This short but powerfully unsettling novella appears in Roberts' collection 'The Grain Kings' and describes what replaces the celebration of Christmas in a Nazi-occupied Britain.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this book in 1972 or thereabouts and was immediately entranced by the author's beautiful style and the story which is, at once, gripping and romantic. It is a novel made up of shorter stories held together by a common thread. The technology of the stories is of course "retro" and is created for an England which has a very different history from the one we know. The Church has controlled the development of the sciences in the world of Pavane and technology has progressed at an uneven and majestic pace. But the reader can immediately relate because Roberts paints such a realistic picture of a world ensnared in time, caught in the web of the Church's authority. The characters in Pavane are exquisitely drawn and their roles played out to perfection. Their world is created so perfectly that you will immediately be caught up in it and greatly regret when you must leave it, having finished reading the book. If you have a shred of romance in your soul, you must read Pavane. Unlike most other books I have read, I have had to experience Pavane several times since 1972 and it never fails to please me, no matter how many times I read it. I am about to read it again, for the umpteenth time. Join me?
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can really only echo the sentiments of the other five-star reviews here. This is simply a beautiful work; another gem from Gollancz' Masterworks series, although one which reads more like fantasy or historical fiction than SF.
The novel is told through a series of six 'Measures', vignettes of story and mood focusing on a different character each time. While each works separately, taken together they form a tapestry linking thematic and narrative concerns - producing, ultimately, a beautifully-conceived and wonderfully effective tale of twentieth century England stifled by an all-powerful, anti-progress Catholic Church.
The alternate England is a triumph of understated, economical world-building (something that many of today's fantasy novels could learn from, perhaps). It is filled with enduring images - the Signallers' towers, the steam engines, the land held in winter's icy grasp - made all the more striking and memorable because we are shown them through the eyes of convincing and distinctive characters.
My only criticism would be of the 'Coda', which feels superfluous, and far too neat. Otherwise, this is a moving story of a transforming world, all the more effective for being incompletely explained.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pavane, a visual experience?
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. For me it is compelling and intriguing "contrafactual SF", shaping a consistent imagery in my head. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Torerson
One of the gretest books ever written
I first read this many years ago, was hugely impressed, and just started looking here for any of his books I've missed. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Martin Davies
Fundamental error
If you take this book seriously then you should be aware of its fundamental error. Without Protestantism there is no Roman Catholic Church. Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. Donnelly-Wood
Linked stories rather than a novel
I wanted to like this. It has been compared to Philip K Dick's Man in the High Castle, but really the two are poles apart. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Archy
Poorly written
The idea of an alternate, catholic world is very interesting but very poorly written.
Keith Roberts descriptive language is long-winded and bumbling to the point of being... Read more
Keith Roberts descriptive language is long-winded and bumbling to the point of being... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. Smeaton
Don't see what the fuss is about...
After reading and enjoying a wide range of books in the Masterworks series, I found this one entirely forgettable. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. S. Wilkinson
A Deeper Wisdom
Alternate history novels are sometimes regarded as a sub-genre of science fiction, but in some respects this book is the exact opposite of a work of sci-fi. Read more
Published 12 months ago by J C E Hitchcock
Beautiful
Just wanted to encourage anyone thinking of buying this book to definitely get it! I've been reading my way through the S.F. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2009 by Michael Chance
Just not compelling reading, disappointing
I was very eager to read this book after reading the blurb on the back and some reviews, I thought such a work of alternative history couldnt fail to be a satisfactory read. Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2008 by Lark
Good idea for the plot, but total lack of imagination in building a...
The general idea for the plot is interesting. But unfortunately, K. Roberts shows a total lack of imagination as to what could be done with it. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2008 by Rupf Peter
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