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The Kingdom Beyond the Waves
 
 

The Kingdom Beyond the Waves [Kindle Edition]

Stephen Hunt
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Print List Price: £7.99
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Product Description

Review

Praise for The Court of the Air:

‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels’ Lisa Tuttle, The Times

‘The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London … the depth and complexity of Hunt’s vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages’ Guardian

‘Wonderfully assured … Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension’ Time Out

‘Studded with invention’ Independent

‘Rich and colourful … keeps you engrossed … a confident, audacious novel’ SFX

‘Like a magpie, Stephen Hunt has plucked colourful events from history and politics and used them for inspiration … Hunts tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing a vivid, often gruesome imagination … ‘The Court of the Air’ brims with originality and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets up’ Starburst

‘The best book of 2007 … Think Joan Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of Susanna Clarke … hugely enjoyable’ Historical Novels Review

Review

Praise for The Court of the Air:

‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels’ Lisa Tuttle, The Times

‘The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London … the depth and complexity of Hunt’s vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages’ Guardian

‘Wonderfully assured … Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension’ Time Out

‘Studded with invention’ Independent

‘Rich and colourful … keeps you engrossed … a confident, audacious novel’ SFX

‘Like a magpie, Stephen Hunt has plucked colourful events from history and politics and used them for inspiration … Hunts tells his full-blooded tale with lip-smacking relish, revealing a vivid, often gruesome imagination … ‘The Court of the Air’ brims with originality and, from the first, its chase-filled plot never lets up’ Starburst

‘The best book of 2007 … Think Joan Aiken for grown-ups, with echoes of Susanna Clarke … hugely enjoyable’ Historical Novels Review


Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 701 KB
  • Print Length: 564 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0765360233
  • Publisher: Harper Voyager (4 Sep 2008)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002RI916C
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #156,416 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully different! 19 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
Hunt's first book 'Court of the Air' seem to fall into that 'love it or loath it' category, and so had very mixed reviews on here. I presume people contemplating this book have already read COTA and enjoyed it.

If so you are unlikely to be disappointed with 'kingdom beyond the waves'. It offers the same breathtaking mix of wonder and nightmare and holds up a fair ground mirror to our own world and history reflecting back a place that is both alien, weird and yet strangely familiar.

Hunt does non stop action as well as anyone, it's breathless stuff but beautifully told, going up and down the action gears so smoothly you hardly notice you have crept to the edge of your seat.

The story largely drops the heroes Molly and Oliver from COTA and gives centre stage to Amelia Harsh and Commodore Black who both featured, but to a much lesser degree last time. It also introduces us to 'Furnace Breath Nick' and his able side kick Septimoth a couple of brilliant anti-heroes. They are all swept along in a story of lost civilizations, giant airships, Amazonian warrior women, rogue robots and so much more!

Then the book gives us a giant 'James Bond' climax. Time running out to save the world, heroes battling their arch enemies amid a larger battle and an arch villian seemingly unable to say 'kill them' instead opting for 'take them away'. Very 007 but with that distinctive Jackalian twist.

I love these books though appreciate they are not to everyones taste. This offering is not as grim and black as COTA, and perhaps does not manage the same ongoing level of tension, but on a big plus side now being familiar with Hunt's world I was able to race into the story full tilt without having to stumble through the first 200 pages wondering what an earth was going on.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A rattling good adventure story 21 Jun 2008
By D. Harris TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
This is a sequel to Hunt's "The Court of the Air", taking place a few months after the earlier story ends and involving some of the same characters. It stands alone, but if you haven't read "Court" I would do so first (for a start, it is an excellent read).

Both books focus on the kingdom of Jackals, a state that bears some similarity to late 18th/ early 19th century Britain, guarded by a trusty fleet of airships from the fiendish plots of neighbouring revolutionary Quatreshift. Jackals sees itself as the beacon of liberty, but that is relative: for example, the titular King has his arms removed so that he can't lift his hands against the people.

"Court of the Air" featured an invasion of Jackals by Quatreshift, foiled by agents of the Court itself (which literally watches over Jackals) assisted by a race of steam powered robots, the oddly sympathetic steammen. Much of the action of "Kingdom", in contrast, takes place outside Jackals, on an expedition (by submarine!) to seek the ruins of a lost, peaceful civilization which it is hoped can elevate the state of the world. This trip upriver into the deep jungle has overtones of "Heart of Darkness" combined with a dollop of "The Lost World" as our heroes (and heroines) battle with a sentient vegetable empire, steammen turned savage and giant lizards. The tension increases throughout. There is a saboteur on the boat - but who is it, and what do they want?

In the second part we learn more about the true motives for the trip, and in a conclusion worthy of a James Bond film, the survival of the human race is at stake.

The world of Jackals (perhaps Earth, far in the future?) is well realised. It contains many echoes of our own (apart from the Jackals/ Quatreshift relationship) and it's fun spotting the references, but Jackals also has its own deep weirdness and twisted logic.

This is a real page turner, and I recommend it strongly.

Clearly there's scope here for many more stories (please Mr Hunt!)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Dubious Fan 25 Dec 2010
By Kitty
Format:Hardcover
I did not entirely enjoy his first novel, however I found myself strongly wanting to read his second. I was rewarded with a fantasic tale of archaeology akin to Mr Jones and his adventures with extra excitement added. This book was fantastic, I found myself highly addicted, and entirely unable to ignore the plight of any of the characters in this book. If you have not been 100% convinced by Stephen Hunt in the past I encourage you to persevere... this book has been well worth it.. I have high expectations for his third book, I belive he gets better as he progresses through the series
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars So much better than court of the air!!
What a great book. Having read 'Court of the Air (COTA)' (the first 'Jackals') book I was dubious about trying the next one - COTA has (for me) too many killed off characters and... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Em
5.0 out of 5 stars Wells impressed
I'm a huge fan of Stephen Hunt.For me they hark back to good old fashioned sci fi in the mould of H.G.Wells and Jules Verne who's books I adore. Read more
Published on 14 Aug 2010 by S. Corbett
5.0 out of 5 stars The Kingdom beyond the Waves
Once again an excellent book from the author Stephen Hunt. The story moved quickly and the characters were well formed. Looking forward to his next book.
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by Mr. Andrew J. Mclellan
4.0 out of 5 stars Like No Other Book
I enjoyed this book thoroughly and if you are a bit of a steampunk fan then this would probably apeal to you as well. Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by M. G. Chisholm
3.0 out of 5 stars Erm... this is a tough one to rate
On the plus side the book is filled with great story-line ideas, fabulous sci-fi/fantasy-tech and has an immensely vivid background history that makes you want to know more about... Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2009 by Flemming Nielsen
5.0 out of 5 stars rise of the iron moon
I have never felt the need to spread news of new authors beyond friends and family. I recommended Pratchett, James Lee Burke, Robert Crais, all great, great authors to family and... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2009 by E. W. Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Inventive with a cleverly dark edge
This is an amazing novel from Stephen Hunt, mixing the two key elements of a good read with flawless skill... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2008 by Angela
5.0 out of 5 stars The Usual Hunt Brilliance
I received the Kingdom Beyond the Waves last week and I pretty much read it in a single weekend - parts of the novel are incredibly exciting, other bits are poignant and bitingly... Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2008 by J. Brooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Utopia comes at a cost (excellent)
There is always the danger when reading a new writer's second novel that it won't meet the first work's standards. Read more
Published on 20 Oct 2008 by A. Ferguson
1.0 out of 5 stars Amazed
I cannot believe that the write up I read for this book is about the same book I have just failed to finish. I have been a fan of SF for over 45 years and enjoy variety... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2008 by William Griffiths
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