Machinations (Ultima: The Technocrat War, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Austen Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2001 | Series: Ultima the Technocrat War (Book 1)

A WORLD REFORGED A sorcerous cataclysm has remade the ancient and magical world of Sosaria, where a misguided plan to bring ultimate order to the land has altered its destiny forever. Now past, present, and future are one...a unity that sets in motion an astonishing age of discovery and confiict for this strange new world.

Once separated by time and space, the warlike Juka, the calculating Technocrats, the matriarchs of the Meer, and the Virtuous knights of New Britannia are now on a collision course. Fragile alliances threaten to unravel as treachery and deceit pit kingdom against kingdom. Unless bitter enemies can put aside their vengeful differences long enough to uncover the truth, all Sosaria will be ripped asunder.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Star Trek (April 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743403797
• ISBN-13: 978-0743403795
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,547,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic first book from a new author!, April 5, 2001

By 

Joshua W. Fenton (Cross River, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Machinations (Ultima: The Technocrat War, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Austen Andrews wrote the prequel fiction to what was to be an incredible online game called Ultima Worlds Online: Origin. The bad news is Electronic Arts cancelled the game. The good news is the book does not need the game. This is a compelling story of a world in flux from the perspective of three races in conflict. The world is a combination of magic and technology in the finest traditions of man versus man and man versus nature adversity. This book kept me up way too late on successive nights. It can be risky to try new authors, but Austen Andrews will be a name followed for years to come.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Based on the Ultima Series? Not really., June 28, 2001

By 

"paulondragon" (Auckland New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Machinations (Ultima: The Technocrat War, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

If your intent is to find a book based on the popular single player Ultima series of computer games, seek elsewhere. The book is based on the history designed for the cancelled online MMRPG Worlds of Ultima: Origin, which diverges from the history of the single player Ultima games just after Ultima 1, originally released back in 1980. While some names will be familiar to fans of the original series, there is little to no connection with the history of the popular series other than names of people and places which have little resemblance to their original depictions. 'Based on the bestselling computer game series' is stretching the truth to a noticable degree. The fact that the marketing seems targetted at fans of the original series without actually fulfilling that promise is a major reason for rating the book with 4 instead of 5 stars.

That being said, the book itself is well worth reading. Fascinating characters, and hints at a longterm history, even if it isn't the one many purchasers might expect from the front cover. The interactions between the characters are believable and definitely not some stereotypical types stuck into a generic world. People and places are described well, and fit together. All in all, while this book isn't quite in the league of the classics such as the works of Tolkien, I have no hesitation in recommending that people buy and read the book, bearing in mind that it is not set in the original Ultima world of Sosaria/Britannia, but rather one that is more a 'what if' world where events went differently from a point in the deep past.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Ultima background? No problem!, May 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Machinations (Ultima: The Technocrat War, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished 'The Technocrat War' and all I can say is: Wow! I had no knowledge whatsoever of the Ultima game/world before reading this book, and I didn't find it a hinderance at all. The world leaps off the page and into your imagination with an almost uncanny ease. The story and characters are so intriguing and vivid that I had trouble putting it down. This is a splendid work, and I look forward to future titles from this talented author.