- Hardcover: 425 pages
- Publisher: Prometheus Books (14 May 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1591026423
- ISBN-13: 978-1591026426
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,172,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
A finalist for the 2009 Endeavour Award, to be presented in November in Portland Oregon! The Endeavour Award, which represents a collaboration between writers and fans of SF and Fantasy to encourage the growth of literature in the field and recognize works of excellence, is accompanied by a $1,000 grant. "...[a novel] in which Kenyon's imagination is matched by her storytelling, where the excitement and tension of not knowing if Titus will succeed in saving The Rose or when the double cross will happen. Kenyon expands our knowledge of the world(s) and tells a fairly fast paced story at the same time. She uses old and new characters in different ways, and rewards those readers who took the time to get this far. A World Too Near is well worth the time." -- Adventures in Reading, May 17, 2008. "...is equally appealing to science fiction and fantasy fans...Complex characters with shifting, sometimes twisted, motivations and loyalties combined with a tightly paced plot full of political intrigue and tense action make for a much stronger second outing in the Rose and the Entire. The conclusion...leaves you hungry for the next volume. A definite 'A' title." -- King of the Nerds, March 28, 2008. "...reminiscent of a good C.J. Cherryh novel, where every conversation is fraught with potential misunderstandings and real, dangerous consequences for anyone who makes a mistake as to the meaning of another character's statements...The Entire and The Rose is an on-going work, one that has already taken us to one of the most imaginative creations in recent science fiction history. A World Too Near immerses us in that creation, and pulls us even deeper in to the story of a man who wishes nothing more than to be re-united with his family. That combination of story and setting makes for a novel that races from one peril to the next, and leaves the reader eagerly waiting for the next installment in the series." -- SF Site, May 2008. "...one of the few series where the second book is better than the first...What really makes this book superior is the moral dilemma...Although the books are clearly science fiction, they will appeal to those who enjoy fantasy as well since much of the plot involves traveling through the wonders of this alternate universe. Even though the series is only halfway through, it is clear that if Kenyon can maintain this level of quality throughout the whole thing, this will be one of the important series of the 2000s, and help put Pyr (are they still considered a small press?) on the map." -- SFRevu, July 2008.
Product Description
In "Bright of the Sky", Kay Kenyon introduced a milieu unique in science fiction and fantasy: The Entire, a five-armed radial universe that exists in a dimension without stars and planets and is parallel to our own universe. Stretched over The Entire is a lid of plasma, called the bright, which ebbs and flows, bringing day and twilight. Under the vast canopy of the bright live many galactic species, copied from our own universe. Former star pilot Titus Quinn loves The Entire, but now he must risk annihilating it by destroying the fortress of Ahnenhoon. To sustain a faltering Entire, Ahnenhoon's great engine will soon reach through the brane separating the universes and consume our own universe in a concentrated ball of fire. Quinn sets off on a journey across The Entire armed with the nan, a small ankle bracelet containing nanoscale military technology that can reduce Ahnenhoon and its deadly engine to chaos. He must pursue his mission even though his wife is held prisoner in Ahnenhoon and his own daughter has sent the assassin MoTi to hunt him down. As he traverses the galactic distances of The Entire, he learns more of the secrets of its geography, its fragile storm walls, its eons-long history, and the factions that contend for dominance. One of these factions is led by his daughter, who though young and a slave, has at her command a transforming and revolutionary power. As Quinn wrestles with looming disaster and approaches the fabled concentric rings of Ahnenhoon's defences, he learns that in the Entire, nothing is what it appears. Its denizens are all harbouring secrets, and the greatest of these is the nature of the Entire itself.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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19 reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
What SciFi is meant to be!!!
7 Mar 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author has spun a web that will ensnare any true fan of SciFi. I anxiously await future books. To me, a SciFi fan of over 50 years, (starting with Tom Swift as a child), stories and authors of this complexity and skill occur rarely. I feel Kay Kenyon's writing to be as wonderous as my first introductions to Herbert, Tolkien, Asimov, Card, Simmons, OK stop me here, before I appear to overstate my admiration for this Author's gift!
Other reviewers have discussed the storyline, I will not repeat their efforts, but I will give it my highest recommendation.
As one who feels time grow dear, the time I've spent sharing, through this story, the vision and creativity of Ms. Kenyon, has been time well spent! Thank you, Kay.
Other reviewers have discussed the storyline, I will not repeat their efforts, but I will give it my highest recommendation.
As one who feels time grow dear, the time I've spent sharing, through this story, the vision and creativity of Ms. Kenyon, has been time well spent! Thank you, Kay.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Terrific Sequel to "Bright of the Sky"
4 Jun 2008
Format:Hardcover
This second book in Kay Kenyon's science fiction series "The Entire and the Rose" follows the efforts of Titus Quinn, a former pilot, to save the Earth and ultimately bridge the gulf between our world and the Entire, a strange universe bordering ours. The Entire is ruled by the Tarig, tall insectoid authoritarians, but many other alien species live there, too, and the secondary characters in this novel are among its strongest features. My favorites are Riod, a creature "ridden" by Quinn's daugher Sydney, and Mo Ti, a former warrior whose powers are now in Sydney's service, whether she agrees with him or not.
Sydney, the ambitious estranged daughter, remains a central character and one of my favorites; her choices resonate through the book. Her mother, Johanna, her mother, is a particularly touching figure, heroic in her loneliness and conflicted cares.
As others have said, Kenyon's powerful worldbuilding elevate the series; particularly noteworthy is the River Nigh, a means of traveling transcendant distances, but only at the cost of its navigators' sanity. The River has mythical aspects and is beautifully described. The Inyx, to which Riod belongs, are a herd species that shares consciousness, but often in science fiction. such group species are described in insect terms or are largely abstract. The Inyx contain clear individuals and are tied to the animal world, an unusual approach that's very successful.
The plot revolves around whether Quinn should use the nan he brought back to the Entire in order to destroy it and counter the Tarig plan to use Earth as fuel. Underlying the action are concerns about loyalty and the knowledge that drives it; problems of information abound, and true to a story about a multi-braned universe, there are many "sides" to the plot equation. Looking forward to Book Three of this complex and satisfying series.
Sydney, the ambitious estranged daughter, remains a central character and one of my favorites; her choices resonate through the book. Her mother, Johanna, her mother, is a particularly touching figure, heroic in her loneliness and conflicted cares.
As others have said, Kenyon's powerful worldbuilding elevate the series; particularly noteworthy is the River Nigh, a means of traveling transcendant distances, but only at the cost of its navigators' sanity. The River has mythical aspects and is beautifully described. The Inyx, to which Riod belongs, are a herd species that shares consciousness, but often in science fiction. such group species are described in insect terms or are largely abstract. The Inyx contain clear individuals and are tied to the animal world, an unusual approach that's very successful.
The plot revolves around whether Quinn should use the nan he brought back to the Entire in order to destroy it and counter the Tarig plan to use Earth as fuel. Underlying the action are concerns about loyalty and the knowledge that drives it; problems of information abound, and true to a story about a multi-braned universe, there are many "sides" to the plot equation. Looking forward to Book Three of this complex and satisfying series.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Better than Bright of the Sky
23 Mar 2008
Format:Hardcover
I wasn't completely convinced by the first book in this series (The Bright of the Sky), but this one bowled me over with its intricate plotting, fast pace and suspense. The two books are much stronger when set in the Entire universe than on earth, and except for brief sections, that is where this one takes place. Kenyon rolls out images and ideas one after another, oddly and fascinatingly distorted images of earth. She is also stronger when writing women than men, and aliens than humans. Titus Quinn is the protagonist of only one of several overlapping story lines in this book, and it is better for it. There are two more books projected in this series, but this one has a nice finish so that one can wait with equanimity for book three.
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