British Summertime (Gollancz Sf S.) [Hardcover]

Paul Cornell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gollancz Sf S. | Publication Date: June 20, 2002

Alison can read anything: body language, the shape of a city, the odds on a footballer scoring a goal. She hates it, because what she's reading now is the End of the World. Wing Commander Leyton is a pilot from the future, thrown back in time from an interstellar war to the City of Bath in the early years of the 21st Century. Douglas is a vicious killer, a master of disguise, who's been operating on his own brain to try and make himself into the perfect postmodern citizen. Frederick Cleves is the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, the master of British espionage. Jocelyn is Leyton's navigator. She's a head without a body. The paths of these five map out a quest for Alison's best friend, stolen by the Golden Men, who some call Angels. This quest takes in the search for a chip shop, the score from CABARET and the composition of the Book of Revelation. It reaches back to the New Testament, and forward to the end of time: an end which Alison and her friends will have to make terrible sacrifices to prevent.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Cornell is the author of six Doctor Who novels, several children's books and six non-fiction TV tie-in books. He has written extensively for television, including CORONATION STREET, CHILDREN'S WARD and SPRINGHILL, and has just been commissioned for an original series for Channel Four.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (June 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575073691
• ISBN-13: 978-0575073692
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,499,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Favorite, February 5, 2007

By 

ADB "Student/Artist" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Summertime (Gollancz Sf S.) (Paperback)

I came across this book by chance at a used bookstore. I read the description on the back--time travel, angels, religion...it seemed interesting, if a bit scattered. I paid maybe $4 for it, and had it for a year before I actually read it.

Once I got past the first few chapters, I was hooked--this book is complicated, and fast-paced. The characters are strong but the story is stronger. I am a fan of modern fantasy and sci-fi that doesn't resemble star trek. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. If you like his imagination and complex storylines, like American Gods or Anansi Boys, you will be blown away by this book. It is even more imaginative, even more complex.

This isn't a light read, it takes some getting used to in the beginning, but it all comes together later on. Lots of powerful images, and a touching/tragic love story woven into it as well. I would recommend this to anyone who likes an expansive, surprising story. It does not dissapoint.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Summertime, July 22, 2007

By 

Lou Anders - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Summertime (Paperback)

Paul Cornell wrote the single best episode of Doctor Who in the entire decades-long history of the program with the two-part episode "Human Nature / the Family of Blood." He's also one of the best of the writers to emerge from the Virgin Books line of Doctor Who novels, and is proving to be an accomplished comic book writer with his recent work for Marvel. British Summertime is one of his two "mainstream" science fiction novels, and it's an absolutely brilliant work. I'm glad to see it making it's US debut now and I hope that US readers are about to discover what a fantastic writer Paul is.

4.0 out of 5 stars Probably the Only Pro-Communist AND Pro-Christian Book I've Read, July 26, 2010

By 

Robert MacGrogan (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: British Summertime (Paperback)

Don't let the goofy cover and useless title fool you. British Summertime is a gripping yarn and with excellent prose, detailed characterization, and a highly imaginative time travel story. There are so many threads that by the time you reach the three-quarters point that you might think Cornell couldn't possibly tie them all together, but he does for a mostly satisfying conclusion.

It is sort of odd though, to read a book that is so avowedly and unapologetically pro-Communist. I suppose there have been enough ultra libertarian SF books by now that it's about time someone went the opposite way. The way he ties Communism to the story of Jesus is a nice touch--Jesus being, after all, probably the prototypical small-c communist. It's a startling and original premise, though some readers might find it off-putting.

Without giving anything away, the conclusion to British Summertime could have been better. There is a bit of hand waving to cover up various time paradoxes and certain challenges that seem like they would be very difficult to overcome end up being almost comically easy. But these flaws detract only very slightly from what it otherwise a fine SF novel worthy of more attention.