End of the Century [Kindle Edition]

Chris Roberson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This ambitious fantasy combines three very British stories: an Arthurian fable, a Victorian murder mystery and a modern-day YA adventure tale. A strange visitation sends young father Galaad to Caer Llundain in the year 498. American teenager Alice Fell, who gets holy visions during epileptic seizures, makes a similar pilgrimage to London in 2000. In 1897, as Queen Victoria celebrates her jubilee, consulting detective Sandford Blank and his sidekick, Roxanne Bonaventure, investigate a series of brutal murders. The hinted interconnections between the three tales are complex and fascinating, but as the stories come together, the novel disintegrates into a confusing mélange of ancient computers from the future, overlapping characters and objects moving through time and space. Though it jumps the tracks at the end, Roberson (Paragaea) still makes this a rollicking ride. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Chris Roberson is one of that bold band of young writers who are taking the stuff of genre fiction and turning it into a whole new literary form a form for the 21st century. A talented storyteller, he has a unique ear, a clever eye, an eloquence all too rare in modern fiction." --Michael Moorcock

"Roberson is another author to watch." --Charles DeLint, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 3834 KB
• Print Length: 486 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1591026970
• Publisher: Pyr (February 17, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002IPGXSS
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #493,616 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Chris Roberson's novels include Here, There & Everywhere, The Voyage of Night Shining White, Paragaea: A Planetary Romance, X-Men: The Return, Set the Seas on Fire, and the forthcoming End of the Century, Iron Jaw and Hummingbird, and The Dragon's Nine Sons. His short stories have appeared in such magazines as Asimov's Science Fiction, Postscripts, and Subterranean, and in anthologies such as Live Without a Net, The Many Faces of Van Helsing, FutureShocks, and Forbidden Planets. Along with his business partner and spouse Allison Baker, he is the publisher of MonkeyBrain Books, an independent publishing house specializing in genre fiction and nonfiction genre studies, and he is the editor of the Adventure anthology series. He has been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award three times: once each for writing, publishing, and editing; twice a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer; and twice for the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Short Form (winning in 2004 with his story 'O One').

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing thriller, September 16, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: End of the Century (Paperback)

Chris Roberson's END OF THE CENTURY tells of a teen alone on the streets in a strange city with only her visions give her keys to her life. Alice finds herself pursued by strange creatures and a mystery challenge that will plague her with visions and possibly cost her life in this absorbing thriller.

4.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed this, July 9, 2009

By 

F. Woll "justfred" (Abington, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End of the Century (Paperback)

I bought this on a whim/gamble. Glad I did. Really enjoyed it. The cover is a bit..goofy. But I really enjoyed all three story threads, and liked the way it concluded (and it left me wanting more). If you like Wold Newton, alternative history, the occult, and some sci-fi, check it out. I understand the auther uses recurring characters, so I will grab some of his other works and check them out.

Recommended.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars complex somewhat convoluted thriller, January 29, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: End of the Century (Paperback)

In 498 a bizarre vision sends Galaad journeying to Caer Llundain. In 2000, American teenager Alice Fell suffers from epilepsy; during her seizures she has strange dreams that send her to London in 2000. In 1897, Detective Sandford Blank and his partner Roxanne Bonaventure investigate brutal serial killings.

Fifteen centuries apart yet all three people share much in common. There are three eras including Camelot, late Victorian and contemporary as diverse individuals struggle with visions that make no sense to any of them.

Compelling from the onset, but not easy to follow especially when the timelines "converge", END OF THE CENTURY is a complex somewhat convoluted thriller that brings the past, present and future together in the space-time continuum. The bewilderment of the prime players make each feel genuine as they struggle to understand what is going on yet they sense the time has come but not what or why. With a story line that is fascinating but paradoxically not fast-paced, set aside plenty of time to read this engaging multifaceted thriller.

Harriet Klausner