The Broken God [Mass Market Paperback]

David Zindell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1993

Genetically altered, like others of his tribe, to lead a primitive existence in Icefall, Danlo is forced to give up his simple life and journey to the fabled city of Neverness when his tribe is ravaged by a plague.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zindell's ( Neverness ) tale is a futuristic epic, but readers will recognize in it the archetypal myth of the hero. Young Danlo must leave the land of his birth when his tribe, the Alaloi, is wiped out by disease. Braving arctic cold and near-starvation, Danlo journeys to Neverness, the "City of Light," to fulfill his dream of piloting starships. He is sponsored for an interstellar academy by Old Father, a gentle alien tutor who has educated the teenager in the ways of the city. At the college Danlo meets Hanuman li Tosh, whom he views as a soul brother despite Hanu's dark side--later Hanu will murder a pimply-faced, mean-spirited upperclassman named Pedar. Danlo eventually confronts his destiny when he learns he is the offspring of incest between Mallory Ringess--a dead and renowned interstellar pilot--and his sister. This is no surprise, however, as references to mysteries surrounding his birth (such as his lack of resemblance to other members of the Alaloi) are dropped early on. Though the narrative is gorily replete with burst pustules and jets of vomit, Zindell's world is lively and credible. A final confrontation between Danlo and Hanu delivers a surprise ending.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Neverness (1988), Zindell returns to the planet Icefall in a captivating and complex saga that showcases a breathtaking gift for conceiving entire cultures and their native philosophies. Zindell follows the growth and adventures of Danlo, a Caucasian teenager living among an isolated, Eskimo-like tribe until a fatal epidemic leaves only Danlo alive to seek a new home. After a death-defying journey across the ice, Danlo arrives in the city of Neverness, where he is taken under the charitable wing of Old Father, a wizened, alien philosopher-guru, and discovers an ambition to pilot starships. With Old Father's help and instruction, Danlo explores the ways and beliefs of Neverness' many immigrant cultures, trains for an elite order of pilots, and learns the fate of his true father, Mallory Ringess, a missing pilot of legendary renown. Zindell draws on sources as diverse as Eastern mysticism, Eskimo culture, and linguistics for a novel of unusual depth and scope. An impressive achievement. Carl Hays

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Spectra (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553564501
• ISBN-13: 978-0553564501
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Masterpiece, January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Broken God (Mass Market Paperback)

David Zindel's The Broken God is a novel light years ahead of it's time. I read this novel first over a few wonderful weeks two or so years ago. Since then I have read the prequel 'Neverness' and the following two books in the trilogy 'The Wild' and 'War in Heaven' While all four are excellent novels, 'The Broken God' stands above. The city of Neverness holds a special place in Science Fiction writing. It is one of the most beautiful, well realised cities ever imagined. Zindel's philosophical insight, broad reaching imagination, and poetic prose combine for a fantastic reading experience. It is a novel that you will always want nearby for a quick visit to Neverness. I am reading it now for the fourth time, and it is the only book that I have read multiple times in the past five years.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chalk Zindell up to the top rank, July 11, 2007

By 

Ritesh Laud (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Broken God (Paperback)

The six original Dune novels and Asimov's Robot, Empire, and Foundation series generally constitute the finest space science fiction I've read. Simmons' first two Hyperion novels make it up there as well. The Broken God easily ranks with these greats.

I'll echo other reviewers: Zindell's prose reminds me of Herbert's Dune. Almost eerily imaginative and convincing. He crafts a world, a universe actually, and makes it believable. No need to summarize the setting and plot here, the Amazon blurb covers it pretty well. What can I say, it's a very well-crafted, well-written science fiction novel. Vastly underrated. I believe it's out of print now due to lack of sales, but you can get it second-hand though unfortunately you might have to pay an arm and a leg even for the paperback. If you're a sci-fi buff, it will almost certainly give you many hours of enjoyment.

The only nit I have to pick is that Danlo is not a fantastic rendering for a protagonist. He's too upstanding and purely good. I feel that had Zindell added a couple minor flaws to his character the novel would have turned out even better. At this point I've read the sequel The Wild and I can say that though I enjoyed it greatly, Danlo behaves even more perfect and inhuman and I think this detracted from the novel. Who knows, perhaps the final novel War in Heaven will reveal a flaw in his character. I'm hoping....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and prophetic, August 21, 2006

By 

Ventura Angelo (Brescia, Lombardia Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Broken God (Paperback)

Warning: this book is not for the all-action-no thinking-sci-fi readers. You find here beautiful word construction, great characterization and splendid athmospheres. The characters of Danlo the Wild, tortured yet innocent soul, of his friend Hanuman,haunted by his own interior ghosts, of the falstaffian Bardo, will remain in your memory. Here you will find reflections on human destiny, the implications of genetic and cybernetics, reflections on humand destiny and of the universe. Echoes of Douglas Adams, Neal Stephenson, Iain Banks and Isaac Asimov reverberate through this wonderful novel.(Not to mention that the Borja School chapters have a distinct harrypotteresque feel...and Danlo finds himself with a lightning scar on his forehead(!).This novel is real food for the soul, and whilst it could have been a bit less verbose, and some reflections may verge on the obvious (religions develops in directions their founders didn't foresee ... what else is new?), this book will make you think, whilst entertaining you with a magnificent story. And some notations on human alienation and the perils of religious dogmatism are very prophetics and actual. A must read!