On the Oceans of Eternity [Hardcover]

S. M. Stirling (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 630 pages
• Publisher: Roc (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739410075
• ISBN-13: 978-0739410073
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,179,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft -- I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as predecessors, April 28, 2000

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Oceans of Eternity (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an entertaining book but not as good as its two predecessors. Overall, these books are a very successful continuation of the popular subgenre pioneered in De Camp's Lest Darkness Fall in which a contemporary American is transported to the past and changes history for the better. There are two major defects in construction of the present book. In the second book in this series, Stirling expanded considerably the geographic scope of the plot. This is understandable; who could resist the opportunity to play around with history in the Bronze Age Fertile Crescent or Myceanean Greece. Unfortunately, this meant introducing a number of subsidiary plot lines and by this volume, the parallel plot lines have become unwieldy and the book loses narrative coherence. Good editing would have been very helpful. Stirling also sacrifices some interesting lost opportunities; this book contains the historical equivalent of Ulysses and some other heroes of the Trojan War. More could have been done with these interesting characters without introducing new plot lines. The second major defect is the ending of the book. It appears that Stirling simply couldn't figure out a good ending and the conclusion is a transparent and largely unsatisfying effort to tie up loose ends. Several reviewers (see below) have commented on the schematic, pure good versus evil, nature of the principal characters. This is a fair but incomplete criticism. I suspect Stirling wished to avoid what might be termed western triumphalism. He wished to show that introduction of modern western technology is not by itself beneficial but only when driven by the right ideals. Consequently, the temporal transposition of Nantucket produces two offspring, the democratic and pragmatically idealistic Republic of Nantucket itself, and William Walker's Greek empire, a Stalinist state with the addition of chattel slavery. The latter is located, not coincidentally, in what would later become known as Sparta, the original totalitarian state. This is an attempt to be more intellectually honest than most books in this subgenre. Despite flaws, this is a superior and well researched entertainment with considerably more real intellectual content than most popular fiction. Stirling also has left open the door to sequels. These would be welcome but should be written more carefully than this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stirling For President!, April 10, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Oceans of Eternity (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been waiting for this book for two years. Let me tell you, brother... It was worth the wait!

"On the Oceans of Eternity" is for anyone who likes action, adventure, women in chainmail, or boys with guns or vice versa. :) Unlike most action books, this one has plenty of food for thought and literally tons of research behind it. You will come away from this read having learned something as well as having had lots of fun.

If you are new to the series, start with "Island in the Sea of Time" then read "Against the Tide of Years". This volume brings that series to a close, in a most satisfying manner.

Unlike the middle book, this title was edited quite well, the pacing was almost perfect and the execution flawless. The ending comes all too sudden and swift for the reader's taste.

Odikweos' meeting with Arnstein was everything it should have been, the ends (and beginnings) that well-loved/hated characters met were plausible and intriguing. To be less vague would spoil the surprises in store, so read and enjoy!

//Fritz!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It was fun while it lasted., April 14, 2000

By 

Blue Cat Books (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Oceans of Eternity (Mass Market Paperback)

"Island in the Sea of Time" and "Against the Tide of Years" had set up a heck of a situation, and Stirling had to resolve it - somehow - here in "Oceans". I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books of the series; enough so that I bought this latest one on the day it came out. [I felt like someone sleeping out for Dead tickets. An interesting experience.]

The resolution is a bit of a disappointment.

I don't want to give you any spoilers - not when the book was only released 5 days ago. So I'll have to make an analogy:

Anyone who reads Stephen King books has probably encountered what you could call the "Stephen King" ending. This type of ending occurs when SK has built up an impossibly powerful and secure villain or situation, but still feels the need to have good triumph, so he contrives something ridiculous to serve as his resolution. For example, in "The Stand", the "Hand of God" comes down and destroys the villain [if that was all it took, why is the rest of the book there?], or in "Needful Things" people make shadow puppets that destroy the villain. You know - cheapo endings.

By analogy, this is the way the series ends. You read it, you perceive it, and you say to yourself, "You have GOT to be kidding me."

Other than that, there is plenty of entertainment value in the book, as in the first two. History, historical geography, military science, naval science, engineering history, botany, political science - Stirling doesn't think there is a university department out there he can't turn into a plot point. He pulls it off well. And there is, pleasantly, less overt political content to this installment of the series - if you discount the cheesy resolution.

...Read the book for pure entertainment value - just skip Chapter 30.