- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Corgi (23 April 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0552138487
- ISBN-13: 978-0552138482
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.4 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 526,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
This ninth book of a fantasy series is also a complete story in itself. Asodo Hatch and Lupur Lon Oliver compete for the position of instructor at Combat College, which produces Startroopers for the Stormforce of the Nexus. One has to defeat the other in combat within the illusion tanks.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book differs from the others in the series in a number of ways. Firstly, it is a tightly-packed tale of the events taking place in a few frentic days in one city ('Dalar Ken Halvar'), rather than an epic tale spread over months/years and many different lands. Secondly, because of the presence in the city of an advanced sentient computer dedicated to training 'Stormtroopers' for the 'Nexus' despite the fact that the Chasm Gates have been closed for millenia, the technology level varies between the standard medieval/fantasy tech prevailing elsewhere in the world, and the super-advanced ultra high tech of the Nexus. Thirdly, the style and tone of this book are much more philosophical/reflective than any of the others although it does have its share of violence and mayhem. Overall, this book is an excellent read, combining intelligent philosophical/ethical/religous questions with page-turning action and believable characters. The dominant themes are father/son relationships and influences, and the clash of races and cultures. There are literally scores of excellent qoutes in the book including; 'Every religous organization is also and necessarily a political organization. Consequently the hierarchy of any established religion tends to be dominated by individuals whose key skills are political.', '"Well the hell with it," said Hatch. "It's a killing, not a sacrifice."', and my personal favourite: 'A thing said is a thing said wherever it is said. Written by handscript or written in water, that which is said cannot be unsaid.' It is stand-alone enough for anyone to read, but Hugh Cook fans will find some fascinating information on the Nexus and the history of the planet in this book. In short, if you can find this book (which might be difficult), read it now! Only book ten is better.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Another solid novel by the highly talented Hugh Cook
13 April 2011
Format:Paperback
The Worshippers and the Way is the 9th book in Hugh Cook's Chronicles of an Age of Darkness series, a series of 10 novels which was originally planned to be 40.
To give a review of the The Worshippers and the Way it helps to put it in perspective to the rest of the series. Books 1 through 5 were set on the continent of Argan and can be considered strongly connected to each other. Books 6 and 7 are set on the Island of Untunchilamon and are a closely related pair but only vaguely connected to the rest of the series. It's during books 6 and 7 that you get the feeling Cook, after completing the Argan epic, doesn't really know where he's going and he begins getting a bit experimental, involving more science fiction elements and also seeming to play around with his readers by using extremely, ridiculously long names for all places and people. Books 8 and 9 drop the practice of using long names, thankfully, but remain experimental in that firstly, they each stand pretty much on their own (although they do contain vague references and connections to the other books) and secondly, that each one he does something different. Book 9 is a science fiction, not a fantasy novel, and its protagonist, Asodo Hatch, is the most mature protagonist of the series. Unlike Chegory Guy, Sean Sarazin, Drake Douay, or Togura Poulaan, Asodo Hatch is not a young, reckless adventurer. Instead, he's in his thirties, has a wife and daughters, feels a great responsibility to his community, and he has many serious problems which give a somewhat sober tone to the entire book.
The Worshipers and the Way suffers from the same flaw of books 6 and 7, that is instead of focusing firstly on telling a story Cook gets too preoccupied with describing the world he's built; the geography, the different races and cultures and how they interact, the history of various things and places, etc. Make no mistake that Hugh Cook is an excellent writer, and just his world building alone is entertaining reading, but what made books 1 through 5 so great is that in addition to this they also told a well-planned and riveting story. The actual story in Worshippers and the Way is mediocre, and all Hugh Cook's trademark twists and turns, while they do add suspense, here also contribute to the impression that Cook only has a very general plan and is mostly deciding what happens as he goes along. The ending is a bit unbelievable and things work out too conveniently.
That being said Hugh Cook was a highly talented and sadly overlooked storyteller. Even though it's not the best thing he ever wrote, The Worshippers and the Way towers above most other books in the science-fiction/fantasy genre and is well-worth tracking down and reading. Five out of five stars.
To give a review of the The Worshippers and the Way it helps to put it in perspective to the rest of the series. Books 1 through 5 were set on the continent of Argan and can be considered strongly connected to each other. Books 6 and 7 are set on the Island of Untunchilamon and are a closely related pair but only vaguely connected to the rest of the series. It's during books 6 and 7 that you get the feeling Cook, after completing the Argan epic, doesn't really know where he's going and he begins getting a bit experimental, involving more science fiction elements and also seeming to play around with his readers by using extremely, ridiculously long names for all places and people. Books 8 and 9 drop the practice of using long names, thankfully, but remain experimental in that firstly, they each stand pretty much on their own (although they do contain vague references and connections to the other books) and secondly, that each one he does something different. Book 9 is a science fiction, not a fantasy novel, and its protagonist, Asodo Hatch, is the most mature protagonist of the series. Unlike Chegory Guy, Sean Sarazin, Drake Douay, or Togura Poulaan, Asodo Hatch is not a young, reckless adventurer. Instead, he's in his thirties, has a wife and daughters, feels a great responsibility to his community, and he has many serious problems which give a somewhat sober tone to the entire book.
The Worshipers and the Way suffers from the same flaw of books 6 and 7, that is instead of focusing firstly on telling a story Cook gets too preoccupied with describing the world he's built; the geography, the different races and cultures and how they interact, the history of various things and places, etc. Make no mistake that Hugh Cook is an excellent writer, and just his world building alone is entertaining reading, but what made books 1 through 5 so great is that in addition to this they also told a well-planned and riveting story. The actual story in Worshippers and the Way is mediocre, and all Hugh Cook's trademark twists and turns, while they do add suspense, here also contribute to the impression that Cook only has a very general plan and is mostly deciding what happens as he goes along. The ending is a bit unbelievable and things work out too conveniently.
That being said Hugh Cook was a highly talented and sadly overlooked storyteller. Even though it's not the best thing he ever wrote, The Worshippers and the Way towers above most other books in the science-fiction/fantasy genre and is well-worth tracking down and reading. Five out of five stars.
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
