Dark Pilgrim Rising [Paperback]

R. Peter Ubtrent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2006

7,680 years ago, humanity was imprisoned for over 2,500 years by the shape-shifting Dwad-Mehstiv. The Noble Houses arose out of the ashes of the Wars of Conquest, The Church of the Blessed Prophets arose out of the Wars of Religious Independence from the Drek, and the Imperium arose to bind the Houses and The Church. When the Emperor of the Imperium is assassinated, chaos descends on the human community and The Church of the Blessed Prophets begins the brutal road back to its former commanding position while an enemy long forgotten over the eons returns to exact revenge. This is the world into which Ailanthus and Tethys find themselves, imprisoned in one of the most fearsome penal colonies in the Imperium. With the chance to finally escape at hand, the two men and their friends begin to understand that their roles are far larger than they ever thought possible.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This is the second book published by R. Peter Ubtrent, after the successful and highly acclaimed Eternity's Handmaiden, and is the first in a series of six books following these main characters.

About the Author

R. Peter Ubtrent was born in New York but raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has a BS in Astrophysics and a Master's in Military History. He is currently working on his PhD. The next Dark Pilgrim book is due out in 2007.

Product Details

• Paperback: 593 pages
• Publisher: PublishAmerica (March 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413787002
• ISBN-13: 978-1413787009
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,050,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A universe within a book, January 26, 2012

By 

S. J. Dagg (France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Pilgrim Rising (Paperback)

"Dark Pilgrim Rising" by Ralph Buttner (R Peter Ubtrent) is a whole universe within a book. It is the first in the 'Dark Pilgrim' series, so there is of necessity a lot of scene-setting since this promises to be an epic science-fiction series. It is a complex rather than complicated novel with many subplots and layers, and calls for concentration. It is a story of survival. Ailanthus and Tethys, human friends currently on a savage penal colony, are bent on surviving in a place where few last more than five years. The Imperium, the presiding body, is also trying to survive, now that its Emperor has been assassinated. It faces uprisings from the Church of the Blessed Prophets and also from the Noble Houses, which had all previously been powerful rulers. To complicate matters further, an ancient enemy returns to the fray.

Any book that opens with the sentence `The existence of earth is a myth' is one that needs reading! It quickly becomes engrossing. This is a dystopian novel of corruption, brutality and despair, but ultimately of hope. The cast of alien species, including the Dwad-Mehstiv, Kroor, Druzni, Drek and H'chalks, is an intricately created and plausible one. Through their unique eyes we are given a satirical view of the human race with its faults and foolishness. But good qualities shine at times in Ailanthus and his fellow convicts. Occasionally the characters' names are a little confusing in that there are many similar ones. There are also sadly more typos than you'd hope to see but this book is nonetheless an impressive achievement and one that is rewarding and fascinating to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sci-fi read, June 4, 2006

By 

Nathan Alexander (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Pilgrim Rising (Paperback)

Ubtrent has written another well crafted and readable sci-fi adventure that keep me up all night so that I could finish. Set in the a future far different than we would ever expect, Dark Pilgrim Rising is a fast paced, multiple sub-plot adventure that carries the reader to worlds excellently described, to believable aliens, and to characters that jump out of the pages at you with their realism. I can hardly wait for the next book of the series. This will prove to be a classic!