Emperors of the Twilight (Moreau, Bk. 2) [Paperback]

S. Andrew Swann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1994

With assassins about to torch an entire skyscraper in order to take out a special operative, Evi Isham, a bioengineered creature, is assigned to stop them, all the while running from an enemy who has marked her for death. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: DAW (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886775892
• ISBN-13: 978-0886775896
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story will grab you, March 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Emperors of the Twilight (Moreau, Bk. 2) (Paperback)

Didn't know that this was a sequel until about halfway through with it. Didn't matter, great reading. The protagonist, a female Frank (Frankenstein) government agent in a future filled with genetically altered beings, gets caught up in a web of intrigue leading to an unexpected conclusion involving covert alien subversion and government involvement/cover-up. The Franks aren't supposed to exist any longer, making the agents job even more difficult. The other types of characters are a genetically souped-up mish-mash of humans and animals, bred for a past war and now the new second class citizens. Human-like dogs, lions, bears, rabbits, rats and others await in this tense story that keeps you guessing who is pulling the strings until you come face to face with a truly disgusting alien presence. And when you find out that the agent has to face a rogue Frank near the end, you can't wait for the inevitable showdown. Properly paced, with enough future high tech to keep just about every fan reading hungrily till the end. After reading this one I immediately went out and bought every book by this author that I could track down. Not a single one has dissappointed me. The future theme that Swann envisions in his novels (everything he has written so far is set in this future) is gritty, bleak, paranoid and thoroughly enjoyable. If you liked Forests of the Night you will love this one. Buy this book and have a great time

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A dissapointing entry for the Moreau books, June 18, 2001

By 

J. C. Foster (Overland Park, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Emperors of the Twilight (Moreau, Bk. 2) (Paperback)

After reading all of the Moreau novels by Swann, there's one thing I've learned - The guy can't end a damn book. Instead the story just gets lopped off and everyone is left hanging. Forests of the Night worked out fine, and to a lesser extent so did the third book, Specters of the Dawn. But there always seems to be several loose ends hanging in the breeze at the end, and nowhere is it as bad as with this one. The ending is left open so wide that the events of the book are nearly rendered useless. There are HUGE issues brought up that are never resolved.

That's not to say this book was that bad. Something that Swann does really well is creating tension and putting together spectacular action sequences, and Emperors has plenty of action. Nearly the first forty pages is one long, extended chase/shootout.

The only problem with all this is that I never really felt compelled to care about Evi's character. For some reason I just didn't really like her. She could have lived or died at the end at it wouldn't have mattered to me. And the whole lesbian love story thing felt tacked on, as if hoping to recreate the chemestry of the first book.

Like all of Swann's books, the plot is twisted and complicated. I'm not really sure if I fully understood what went on by the end. But where the book really comes alive is when Nohar, the hero from the first book, makes an all too brief cameo. His scenes are just so alive with energy that it really makes you hope that Swann will continue the series from Nohar's perspective.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Very Necessary Evil, August 10, 2001

By 

R. D. Johnson (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emperors of the Twilight (Moreau, Bk. 2) (Paperback)

In building a Sci-Fi Universe, most authors reach a point where some Social/Economic/Geographic explanations have to be made. This was true with Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy, Chalker's "Well of Souls" Series, Cherryh's "Chanur" books and,in the case of Swann's "Moreau" books, "Emperors of the Twilight" is the necessary "filler".

By no means does that place this as a lesser-quality story. However, if one is looking for a stand-alone book, you should not be reading series anyway.

The social/political results of modifying the human genome are very well examined and the status (in society) of the "Franks" demonstrates the creation of new slaves. Of course, this does not speak well of human nature, but then, if all you want are wine and roses, go read something Politically Correct. Reality is almost never all sweetness and light.

I did not fall head-over-heels in love with this book, but that was not the reason it was written. A very fine tie-in between "Forests of the Night" and "Specters of the Dawn", it also creates the background for "Profiteer" and other of Swann's books.

As I said, a necessary evil.