No Present Like Time (Gollancz Sf S.) [Hardcover]

Steph Swainston (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gollancz Sf S. | Publication Date: April 21, 2005

Another year in mankind's war for survival against the insects. God is still on holiday, the Emperor still leads and his cadre of immortals are still quarreling amongst themselves. It is known that the insects are reaching the Fourlands from the Shift but now mankind just has to do something about it. And in the meantime attention shifts to new lands and a naval expedition is launched. And Jant, the Emperor's drug-addicted winged messanger is expected to join it. Just perfect for a man terrified of ships and the sea. Steph Swainston's trilogy is building to be a landmark of modern fantasy. This is a wildly imaginative, witty yet profound fantasy, peopled with bizarre yet real characters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Wonders abound in British author Swainston's polished sequel to The Year of Our War (2005). The Emperor San and his Circle of Immortals strive to protect the medieval empire of the Fourlands from monstrous creatures called Insects, but the continuity of the Circle is threatened. Serein, the Swordsman, is unexpectedly defeated in ritual combat by a young upstart, who is then sent—along with Comet, the Messenger, and other Immortals—on a mission to Tris, an idyllic and recently discovered island nation. Unfortunately, the Immortals, who assume their own superiority to mere humans, make a mess of things, upsetting the democratically minded islanders and accidentally loosing on them an Insect they'd brought along to help persuade the natives to join the empire. Swainston's scintillating prose, well-developed characters and talent for brilliant absurdities (one character alternates between human and shark and drives an automobile with a living engine) mark this as one of the more innovative fantasies of recent years. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"A more original sort of fantasy. " -- Roz Kaveney TIME OUT For my money Swainston is one of the best British authors writing in any genre. She has a facility with language and a genius for plot and character which Booker prize winners could, and should, be envious of. The Hobbs, Brookses and Feists of this world may well outsell it, but this will be the outstanding fantasy book of the year by a country mile -- Publishing News "An uncompromisingly classy act." THE GUARDIAN 'NO PRESENT LIKE TIME is a welcome return to the world Swainston put on paper so delectably first time round. Whereas THE YEAR OF OUR WAR centred on - you guessed it - a war, NO PRESENT LIKE TIME has more of a political edge, embossed with flawless, deep characterization. (This is) an extremely unusual, familiar yet at the same time extraordinarily original novel. There's joy to discover on every page, even if that page does involve some poor fool getting his read ripped off' -- Jayne Dearsley SFX "Once again, Steph Swainston has created a remarkable work of fantasy, both refreshing and enjoyable. It is great to see such a revitalisation of the genre with brilliant new authors like her leading the way." OUTLAND

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (April 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575070064
• ISBN-13: 978-0575070066
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,362,371 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 Writing that restores fantasy by breaking it., October 6, 2006

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: No Present Like Time (Paperback)

Something about Steph Swainston's books gives me the urge to make pompous declarations about her talent & compare her to Zelazny in the best possible way. I am really impressed by her writing, and look forward eagerly to her next book.

No Present Like Time is a follow up book to the brilliant debut The Year of Our War. Swainston combines science fiction, surrealism, and fantasy to create a really astonishing and unique style. Her main character is still the unreliable junky, the Comet Jant. Through his role as the Emperor's messenger, the reader is given a view of the various verses universes and characters as the book continues to explore the life of the lucky immortals who keep the emperor on his throne.

My review title is a paraphrase from an essay on the New Weird that was written by Michael Cisco. Steph Swainston is generally considered to be a member of the genre movement. I'm still not sure that New Weird is anything but Slipstream dressed up in a more fantasy-colored coat-- but there you go. Regardless how you categorize it-- Swainston is one of the finest examples of this new style.

Recommended for readers who like intelligent literary fantasy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm glad there was a second book!, June 25, 2006

By 

Larry Ketchersid "author of Software by the K... (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Present Like Time (Paperback)

I read "The Year of Our War", the first book in this series, and I was fascinated by the imagination of Ms. Swainston. Creating a world with immortals, insects and such a vast history, with parallel but connected universe(s) as well.

I was unaware that there would be a second book. I am glad I found it. I understand book 3 is in the works and look forward to it.

The second book follows the immortals, specifically Jant Comet the Messenger, to new worlds and old parallel ones. The character development, especially of Jant and Lightning, continue to develop in this installment, as Jant battles doubts about himself and his addiction, doubts about the immortals, and physical enemies both human and non. More of Jant and Lightnings pasts are revealed, as are some of the Emperors past. New areas of the physical world are discovered, and new parts of the parallel worlds with new allies and foes are presented as well.

The conclusion leaves open many angles for the third book, including the return of God who created the immortals, more invasions by the insects and other possible parallel world bleed overs.

This is not your average fantasy. It reads well and quickly, opens the readers imagination, and challenges them to keep up with the leaps. I eagerly await more.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine fantasy, February 1, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: No Present Like Time (Paperback)

In the Fourlands several years have passed since THE YEAR OF OUR WAR, but now a rare challenge to a position in Emperor San's Circle of the immortal Eszai occurs. Shockingly the newcomer defeats Gio Ami, and replaces him as the Swordsman, Serein. Feeling humiliated by his defeat, as only the second immortal to lose the vaunted inner circle position in several centuries, Gio vows to regain his place of prominence and more.

Meanwhile San sends Eszai members Comet Jant Shira, the new Serein, and the Sailor to negotiate with the natives of a newly discovered island, Tris to obtain their agreement to join the Fourlands. The mission fails as the islanders, knowing they were once the fifth land of the Fourlands, want their paradise to remain out of the empire. However, a deadly Insect, who should never have been on board the Stormy Petrel, is released on Tris at about the same time Gio leads an assault on San's castle.

The sequel to THE YEAR OF OUR WAR is a fine fantasy that contains two major well written subplots: the future of Tris and the insurgency led by former Swordsman Gio. There are also several minor threads involving specific relationships between characters, but those weigh down the prime sagas even when Jant uses drugs to visit the intriguing and critical to this tale realm of Shift. Still this is a well written original thriller that fans will enjoy as more people see the "Emperor's New Clothes" while the Insects still cause havoc.

Harriet Klausner