Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
74 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Polystom (Gollancz S.F.)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Polystom (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

by Adam Roberts (Author) "Polystom climbed into his biplane one morning, having made up his mind to fly to the moon ..." (more)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 21? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
43 new from £0.01 30 used from £0.01 1 collectible from £2.50
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (First Edition) £17.99 £15.29 27 used & new from £0.01
Paperback 25 used & new from £0.01

Frequently Bought Together

Polystom (Gollancz S.F.) + On (Gollancz S.F.) + Stone (Sf Masterworks)
Price For All Three: £18.47

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

On (Gollancz S.F.)

On (Gollancz S.F.)

by Adam Roberts
3.0 out of 5 stars (17)  £5.49
Land Of The Headless (Gollancz S.F.)

Land Of The Headless (Gollancz S.F.)

by Adam Roberts
4.3 out of 5 stars (6)  £7.69
Stone (Sf Masterworks)

Stone (Sf Masterworks)

by Adam Roberts
4.4 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.99
Gradisil (Gollancz S.F.)

Gradisil (Gollancz S.F.)

by Adam Roberts
2.1 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.99
Salt (Gollancz S.F.)

Salt (Gollancz S.F.)

by Adam Roberts
3.8 out of 5 stars (29) 
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (8 Jul 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575075414
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575075412
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 528,238 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #31 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > A > Adams, Robert

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description
Adam Roberts' fourth novel is his most ambitious yet. In a feat of extraordinary world building he creates a universe where a breathable atmosphere extends out between the planets, where aristocrats cruise interstellar space in biplanes and skywhals make mysterious distant orbits. Then, with bravura plotting, he undermines our own notions of reality and leaves the reader unsure which universe to believe in. Gaining a reputation as one of the UK's leading SF stylists and masters of the high-concept, Roberts, shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award with his debut novel SALT, confirms his extraordinary potential with POLYSTOM.

About the Author
Adam Roberts is Reader in English at London University. His first novel, Salt, was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He has also published a number of academic works on both 19th century poetry and SF.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Polystom climbed into his biplane one morning, having made up his mind to fly to the moon. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars V.well written. Interesting concept, weak story realisation, 3 Nov 2003
This review is from: Polystom (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
I chose this largely based on the book cover notes with a mind that it may be along the lines of Moorcocks Dancers at the End of Time. Though no relevance to that, Polystom sketches an engaging world , HG Wells/Victorians in Space, however does not follow through with plot execution or characters you really invest in whilst reading the book. On reflection its culmination veers towards a cyberpunk concept of alternate realities; interesting though not defining.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice concepts - failing implementation., 12 Jul 2004
By S. Holm (Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Polystom (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
I have previously read three other (stand alone) novels by Adam Roberts, namely Stone, Salt and On. Well...Polystom makes 4 and I will not be buying a 5th.

I find myself buying his books because the ideas and concepts of this author are brilliant - especially when presented in condensed 'synopsis' form on the Amazon website.

The problem is - I have yet to witness a successful implementation of Adam Roberts' brilliant ideas. Maybe he would benefit from teaming up with a co-writer who could take the stories a step further and actually make me care about events and characters along the way.

I'll rate this one at 3 stars - solely for for the interesting concept.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly annoying, 9 May 2008
This book is annoying. Few of the characters are in any way sympathetic. The story meanders.

And then it all suddenly makes sense and becomes somehow worthwhile. Incidentally, I'm not sure that this book has anything to with alternate realities (see other reviews) at all. In fact, I'll go further and say that it definitely doesn't have anything at all to do with alternate realities - and the fact that the other reviewers missed this may have something to do with their low scores.

More of a clinical exploration than a breathless dash through otherwise typical space opera territory, a book that demands a little patience as it sacrifices pretty much everything in favour of its high-concept core. But I like high concept.

Finally, one of the things that makes high-concept 'high' is the general irreality of it all. Clearly, there won't be any alternate reality that we can experience. But what happens in this book WILL happen, in some way shape or form. Therefore: read and be intrigued.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An average tale of alternative realities
A well written and reasonably enjoyable novel with an imaginative, if slightly derivative, dual reality ending. Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2006 by Feldyguy

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

More From Adam Roberts

The History of...

The History of Science Fiction

'This impressive tome is ambitious in its scope, tracing SF's origins... Read more
£15.19

 

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

›Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates