Dust [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Bear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2007

On a broken ship orbiting a doomed sun, dwellers have grown complacent with their aging metal world. But when a serving girl frees a captive noblewoman, the old order is about to change....

Ariane, Princess of the House of Rule, was known to be fiercely cold-blooded. But severing an angel’s wings on the battlefield—even after she had surrendered—proved her completely without honor. Captive, the angel Perceval waits for Ariane not only to finish her off—but to devour her very memories and mind. Surely her gruesome death will cause war between the houses—exactly as Ariane desires. But Ariane’s plan may yet be opposed, for Perceval at once recognizes the young servant charged with her care.

Rien is the lost child: her sister. Soon they will escape, hoping to stop the impending war and save both their houses. But it is a perilous journey through the crumbling hulk of a dying ship, and they do not pass unnoticed. Because at the hub of their turning world waits Jacob Dust, all that remains of God, following the vapor wisp of the angel. And he knows they will meet very soon.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bear proves there's still juice in one of science fiction's oldest tropes, the stranded generation ship, in this complex coming-of-age tale. Rien, a handmaid in a feudal society, must care for the prisoner Ser Perceval—a mutilated enemy who Rien discovers is her half-sister by an absent scion of the ruling family. Their quest for a safer home tangles with their society's own quest for safety, as the descendents of an artificial intelligence and the genetically engineered crew battle for control to save the ship from an impending supernova. Standard plot devices litter the familiar landscape: tarot, pseudo-angels, named swords with powers, and politics as a family quarrel. But Campbell Award–winning author Bear uses them beautifully to turn up the pressure on her characters, who r respond by making hard choices. And—as she did in Carnival and Hammered—Bear breaks sexual taboos matter-of-factly: love in varied forms drives the characters without offering easy redemption. (Jan.)
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Review

“Bear proves herself to be one of the most talented writers currently working in the field.” —Romantic Times

“Extraordinary ... exactly the kind of brilliantly detailed, tightly plotted, roller-coaster book she has led her readers to expect, replete with a fantastic cast of characters.”—Booklist, starred review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055359107X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553591071
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #682,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I tell stories. I prefer the mountains to the desert, and rain to sun. My eyes are blue. I like flying on airplanes, but they keep making the seats smaller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting and original, January 24, 2008

By 

Brenopa "bsmith376" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dust (Mass Market Paperback)

Elizabeth Bear has created a new spin on the multi-generational, planet-sized spaceship saga. Without spoiling the delicate suspense, the ship is crippled, in orbit around an unstable star system. The warring factions, who represent the officers vs engineering--must unite to save this world. The ship's Artificial Intelligences have splintered into competitive entities. The genetically altered inhabitants fight viciously over symbiont colonies of nanotech--and power tools have gained the ability speak and think for themselves. This disjointed elements must come together to ensure their survival.

Sounds like the coldest of high-tech science fiction, right? Well, it is, but Ms. Bear has managed to include angels, mythology, chivalry, knights, religion and imaginary creatures such as basilisks in a completely plausable way. She has combined a faux-medieval fantasy with hard science fiction--brilliantly.

Intricate, imaginative use of nanotechnology, wonderful "world-building"--I could smell and hear the sounds of the crippled ship, her descriptions were so vivid. Excitement, drama and emotional depth aplenty! I fell in love with the ship, and its inhabitants.

I cannot wait for the sequel.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fabulously Creative Setting with Bland Characters, March 10, 2008

By 

Margaret P. "mhp2027" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dust (Mass Market Paperback)

"Dust" is a futuristic sci-fi set in a dying space ship, whose inhabitants have forgotten all but their current setting. The main characters are a fragment of a computer AI, a winged lady (upper class) with fantastic nano-tech, and a young woman (servant). The young woman rescues the winged lady and they escape together, hoping to avert war.

"Dust" presents a fascinating universe. The setting is very creative, with an innovative new idea every few pages. Unfortunately, the characters aren't very likeable and don't seem to have much personality. For example, the young woman discovers that she was abandoned by her father, and doesn't seem to care. I just didn't connect to them, emotionally. About half way through the book, I set it down and didn't feel any urge to find out how it ended.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Science Fiction, January 16, 2008

By 

E. Schulz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dust (Mass Market Paperback)

Elizabeth Bear, in "Dust," has taken the ubiquitous 'Disabled Generation Ship' in an entirely new direction.
The first installment of the Jacob's Ladder sequence reads like a mixture of fantasy, religion, and classical science fiction. The Jacob's Ladder is a disabled generation ship parked in orbit around two unstable stars. However, Jacob's Ladder isn't just a ship, its a laboratory and the whole of the world to the inhabitants. A program was initiated to force evolution of human beings, individuals who then took control of their respective sections of the world-- the bridge and engineering-- and fought.
Main characters Rien and Perceval originally intend to stop a war started by Ariane Conn. However, deeper, more subtle plots come to light when Rien and Perceval realize they are being manipulated. Not only that, the stars are going supernova and in order to save the world, they may have to abandon their original quest.
In this excellent offering, Bear creates angels who lie in wait to devour their brothers, strong women, a bluring between the lines of human and god raising fundamental questions such as what exactly it means to be human. The characters are fully fleshed and relatable, the story and conclusion engrossing and interesting. The writing is occasionally a little muddy, but you are not overloaded by the technicalities of Bear's world, rather, they're introduced slowly.
An excellent and enjoyable read.