- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; paperback / softback edition (17 April 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575073861
- ISBN-13: 978-0575073869
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,894,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
INTERVIEWS MATRIX (the BSFA magazine) will be running an interview on publication. Interviews are presently running on THE ALIEN ON LINE. An interview appeared with the review in DREAMWATCH. REVIEWS 'This is the first book I've read this year that I can unequivocally recommend to everyone.'VECTOR 'A likable and intelligent novel.'SFREVU.COM 'James Lovegrove has created a seamless blend of social commentary, classic British Quest and near future dystopia that is second to none.'ENIGMA 'Untied Kingdon is a superior and superlative piece of fantasy literature, and will hopefully be followed by many many more from Lovegrove.'DREAMWATCH ' [a] science fiction tour de force'SUNDAY MERCURY THE GUARDIAN will be reviewing Untied Kingdom this weekend. EVENTS James took part in a SF panel at Waterstones Deansgate on 9th April. Another one is due t
Product Description
After a series of disasterous political decisions the United Kingdom has finally fallen foul of the International Coummunity. Ostracized and bombed at random, the country has fallen apart. With the infrastructure in ruins tiny communities struggle on, relying on ancient traditions and myth for their structure and identity. In the village of Downbourne, the mayor has styled himself the Green Man. But even he is powerless to stop a raid on the village by a London based gang who kidnap a number of the village's women. One of them is the schoolmaster's wife. Their marriage was an arid disaster, but the schoolmaster feels bound to do the right thing and sets off on a journey through an England at once terrifying and magical to get her back. But does this particular damsel even want to be rescued?
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First Sentence
'Sir? Mr Morris?' Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yes, 5 out of 5 (there is no 6),
This review is from: Untied Kingdom (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
Do we really need to know what The Unlucky Gamble was? The unlikely nature of the nation's state probably made it impossible to frame a series of events that could have led there. But a premise is just that, a premise.Alright, yes, it did irk me. Every time the UG was mentioned I wanted to know what had happened. When I closed the back cover, though, I didn't feel disappointed. I felt furious. Furious at Fen, incandescent at Moira (I seethe even now, hands trembling over the keyboard) and furious myself for expecting Hollywood. These were not merely believable characters. These were people. These were people that, after 200,000 words or so I wanted to meet, to hug, to shake, to deck. There is a wonderful sense of Englishness in there, as well. Something we've lost under decades of shell suits, GTIs, Spice Girls and Oasis, fatuous "cool Britannia" glitter. Something that perhaps we can rediscover even in the competing glare of politico-patriotism and it's vicious, twisted little sibling, nationalism. If you are English, married and liberal, you will find United Kingdom a deeply moving read. Fen is my Candide.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good idea,
By
This review is from: Untied Kingdom. (Paperback)
I'll start by saying I did enjoy the book. Up to a point. However I don't think it was as good as some here have said. For me it was too much a series of set piece action sequences linked together slightly clumsily. The author did a reasonable job of setting scenes and giving the reader an insight into the mess the country had got to and then ruined this with big clunky show piece events which then took over.However if you enjoyed this I'd recommend Last Light and After Light by Alex Scarrow, which although still not perfect deal with a similar subject albeit in a less ambiguous way.
4.0 out of 5 stars
the nature of power,
By Jess "jezebella" (london) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Untied Kingdom (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
After an 'Unlucky Gamble' which we never fully understand, The UK governement is in exile somewhere in the Carribean while the International community (USA?) are set on random bombings and the odd leaflet drop on to British soil. There is no more infrastructure, there is no electricity, no pumped water, no luxury goods, no television and yet in a little corner of south England, a village tries to stoicly carry on.
This is story of what happens after saftey disappears, when a nation state colapses, how our decisons and roles change and how nature and human nature battle it out. The story is full of great characters, myths and power struggles. It's slightly oddly written in places and you feel it could have done with a final edit, but it does make you think and in a funny way- the rough edges make it all more apt in this dystopia.
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