- Paperback: 9999 pages
- Publisher: Tor; New edition edition (10 Oct 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 033034269X
- ISBN-13: 978-0330342698
- Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 10.6 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 604,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
The fifth novel in the Majipoor Cycle
Book Description
The aged Pontifex Prankipin is near death and the Coronal Lord Confalume will now succeed as Pontifex. It is no secret that the next Coronal should be Prince Prestimion of Muldemar. But Korsibar has a new quarry - the Starburst Crown.
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First Sentence
THERE HAD BEEN OMENS all year, a rain of blood over Nimoya and sleek hailstones shaped like tears falling on three of the cities of Castle Mount and then a true nightmare vision, a giant four-legged black beast with fiery ruby eyes and a single spiraling horn in its forehead, swimming through the air above the port city of Alaisor at twilight. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THERE HAD BEEN OMENS all year, a rain of blood over Nimoya and sleek hailstones shaped like tears falling on three of the cities of Castle Mount and then a true nightmare vision, a giant four-legged black beast with fiery ruby eyes and a single spiraling horn in its forehead, swimming through the air above the port city of Alaisor at twilight. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
... I quite enjoyed it.
The original three Majipoor histories of Valentine's day, contained fascinating, yet unfulfilled, references to Prestimion, Confalume and many other characters. It was fascinating to read about them in this 'prequel'. Despite my enjoyment, I suspect that Silverberg could have done better, hence the three stars - I would, for example, readily give five stars to Lord Valentine's Castle and Valentine Pontifex. I would not however, take the cynical view of the previous reviewer.
So Silverberg has borrowed heavily from history in his account of the final battle. There are few authors who would not borrow from reality in order to pad out fantasy. Ben Bova clearly has done so, as has Asimov. Indeed, where would R F Delderfield have been had he not borrowed from both history and real life.
All in all, this is not such a bad book. It gives the reader more knowledge of Majipoor, fleshes out Majipoori history and provides a decent read.
I liked it and enjoyed it, though it lacked some of the power of the earlier Majipoor books.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having enjoyed the first three Majipoor books I was delighted to find this book as I had not read anywhere that Silverberg was writing sequals (I didn't know that this book is actually the fifth Majipoor title-the fourth is called The Mountains of Majipoor). The book is set thousands of years before the events of Lord Valentines Castle and, briefly, tells the story of how the son of the Coronal, who can't inherit the throne as a matter of custom, manages to usurp it at the death of the old Pontifex (and the simultaneous elevation of the old Coranal to be the new Pontifex) and the struggle of the "rightful" successor to regain it.
Delight, however, soon turned to disappointment and ultimately anger at being duped into buying such a poor novel.
The characters are one dimensional, the narrative hackneyed and the plot tedious in the extreme. The story meanders for chapter after chapter with not a single high point. In fact it is quite remarkable that Silverberg has managed to write a novel which is so consistently humdrum.
He even manages, in the final "climactic" battle, to "borrow" heavily from the historical accounts of the Battle of Hastings with the attacking army charging up hill into a seemingly solid shield wall only to have a stroke of luck in the defending troops loosing discipline to chase retreating attackers back down the hill and thus breaking their defensive line. He also adds in, for good measure, the "Norman" tactic of firing their arrows high into the air to come down on top of the defenders and thereby avoiding their shields!
To cap it all off, he then has to explain how this enormous war, which has resulted in the death of thousands, has somehow been forgotten by the time of Lord Valentine. The solution? Easy, get his sorcerers to cast a really powerfull spell to make everyone forget! Gosh, wish I'd thought of that.
Overall, this book reeks of a cynical attempt to make a bit more money from a successful idea with minimal effort. Don't buy it unless you are a real fan, can't do without more Majipoor stories and don't mind having your intelligence insulted.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
You've read it before...
5 Sep 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
An oddly uninspired rehashing of every throne usurping novel you've ever read. Silverberg even manages to plagerize himself, reusing the premise behind "Lord Valentines Castle", but without the interesting parts.
In one of the most puzzling coups in the history of monarchial fiction, the books villian steals the throne from it's rightful ruler, by simply picking up the crown and placing it on his own head. Majipoor has always had a fascinating juxtaposition of high-tech and feudalism, but common sense never seemed to be a rare comodity before.
The book then becomes a listless repetition of: raise and army, fight and win, fight and lose, raise a new army, fight and win. The book culminates in one of the most anticlimatic methods possible, a character who has barely put in an appearance kills the villain and the fight is over. Except for the one token good guy who has to die to toss some credibility into the mix.
Had this been a first time authors submission, no way would it have ever seen paper.
In one of the most puzzling coups in the history of monarchial fiction, the books villian steals the throne from it's rightful ruler, by simply picking up the crown and placing it on his own head. Majipoor has always had a fascinating juxtaposition of high-tech and feudalism, but common sense never seemed to be a rare comodity before.
The book then becomes a listless repetition of: raise and army, fight and win, fight and lose, raise a new army, fight and win. The book culminates in one of the most anticlimatic methods possible, a character who has barely put in an appearance kills the villain and the fight is over. Except for the one token good guy who has to die to toss some credibility into the mix.
Had this been a first time authors submission, no way would it have ever seen paper.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
majipoor--silverberg's terrarium
25 Aug 2005
Format:Mass Market Paperback
beware--one of the richest worlds in scifi is really only the hobby terrarium of an old pro--its all about the scenery, the sex, and the thokka (liquor-filled berries).
its a great venue for short pieces (majipoor chronicles) but the novels are shameless blather--
the old "fantasy-series-retirement-plan", i suspect.
read jack vance's dying earth books instead.
its a great venue for short pieces (majipoor chronicles) but the novels are shameless blather--
the old "fantasy-series-retirement-plan", i suspect.
read jack vance's dying earth books instead.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
The Author lost the plot.
30 Aug 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Silverberg is one of my favourite authors and I've read all the Majipoor novels.
Generally I don't think the Majipoor novels are his best work and I get the impression that he churns out another Majipoor novel when he runs out of ideas for new work.
But the Socerers of Majipoor is I'm afraid the worst of the series. After an interesting start the novel seems to have gotten out of the authors control and just goes on and on and on and on..... Eventually it becomes a glorified soap opera, but I won't spoil the end for those he want to read it.
All I can say, he has done better Majipoor novels and a hell of a lot better other work.
Generally I don't think the Majipoor novels are his best work and I get the impression that he churns out another Majipoor novel when he runs out of ideas for new work.
But the Socerers of Majipoor is I'm afraid the worst of the series. After an interesting start the novel seems to have gotten out of the authors control and just goes on and on and on and on..... Eventually it becomes a glorified soap opera, but I won't spoil the end for those he want to read it.
All I can say, he has done better Majipoor novels and a hell of a lot better other work.
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