Customer Reviews

The Phoenix in Flight (Exordium, Book 1)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jerrode Eusabian of Dol'jhar has waited twenty years to complete his vengeance against Gelasaar hai-Arkad, the Panarch of the Thousand Suns. Eusabian's takeover goes according to plan until Gelasaar's wastrel third son, Brandon, commits the unthinkable, unforgivable sin of refusing to show up for his own coming-of-age ceremony, where Eusabian planned to have him killed. With both his brothers dead and Gelasaar captured, Brandon -- a drunken womanizer and naval academy washout -- becomes the Panarchy's last hope. Thus begins a vast and wonderful original space opera. Smith and Trowbridge have gone beyond the usual, thinly created, loosely imagined trappings of an interstellar society to create a fully realized political, social, economic and military system. It takes a little time to get into this series because of the complexity of the setting, but readers will be richly rewarded for their effort. The characters are deliciously complex, headed up by the implacable villain Eusabian, the unpredictable Prince Brandon, and the cold, inscrutable Rifter captain Vi'ya. The space battles are the best I have ever read, making great use of relativistic possibilities. The alien species of the Kelly, the Eya'a, and the Ur are more than humans-in-costume or afterthought set decoration, which was a pleasant surprise. The action is gripping, hair-raising, edge-of-your-seat as Brandon is harried across space, an unlikely hero in improbable company. More, it's laugh aloud *funny* in places -- something else that was a nice surprise. Kudos to Smith and Trowbridge. This is how space opera should be done.

.... Well this is not young adult fiction but it's the best space opera I have ever read : funny, exciting, intelligent. The characterization is very good, and if characters are not exactly what they appear at first sight, there are quite enough clues for the carefull reader, and it's part of what makes the books so vivid and intelligent.

The only problem with this series is how ridiculously difficult it is to get all 5 of these books. A reissue would be nice, a book 6 even nicer - book 5 wrapps up almost everything, but there is definite room for another sequel.

When I read that Smith and Trowbridge were revising The Exordium for the e book market, I wondered at first whether they might take some of the edge from a series that is unique, complex, captivating, and thrilling. If The Phoenix in Flight is any indication of how the rest of the series will go, one of the best vehicles of Space Opera is running better than ever.

The Exordium is a complicated story that, in lesser hands than those of the authors, could have become hopelessly confusing. It comprises many fully developed levels of a galactic society, well realized alien cultures, multiple exotic worlds, and strange, elaborate customs. The story's strength is that, in telling it, the authors focused, not on their immense labor of world-building, but solidly on their characters. There is, as some critics of the story have noted, a phone-book full of them, but each of them is fully realized and vivid, with a voice clearly his or her own. Even for the most despicable villains, you'll find yourself caring.

Even more fundamentally, the authors have focused on characters in conflict. Vengeance, greed, honor, and duty carry this along at a pace that, despite the story's complexity, is as fast as you could hope to read. The first novel is likely three times as long as the average action-adventure novel, yet it astounded me how quickly I reached its end.

Having read The Exordium years ago in its paperback release, I was looking for what the authors might have left our, but noticed nothing missing in a tightly flowing narrative. Happily, as far as I could tell, all of the story's glorious comic relief -- sometimes desperately needed in a moment-by-moment life-and-death plot -- is intact. The authors have also woven new threads into their tight tapestry of a plot. Most intriguing of these is the appearance of the intelligent dogs of the Panarchic Palace. I am eager to see what role these will play in the four upcoming revised novels.

Over all, how can one resist a future in which, thousands of years from now, and unknown light-years away, the wise are still quoting William Butler Yeats?

Full disclaimer -- I purchased the e-book version the moment it was out, because I've loved the paperbacks for years. And not without reason, I contend (although I'll get into that below).

The Exordium series are best described as "hard space opera" -- whilst they play fast and loose with the rules of physics, they also work out, in some detail, the implications of their incredible gadgetry (e.g. the time and effort that must have gone into figuring out how battles between faster-than-light ships using speed-of-light sensors might actually work). This isn't to say that Smith and Trowbridge have neglected to work out their characters and societies either. The Panarchy is a complex and intricate society that contrasts well with the near-anarchy of the Rifters, and the tensions that have existed between the two (and which are exploited by Dol'jhar to open the books) feel like they've been worked out much farther into the past than we see.

In the new electronic editions, the problematic first-200-pages have been re-worked to give a better introduction to the way the universe worked before being torn apart by the Dol'jharan attacks, and a number of problematic scenes and niggling typos have been cleaned up. If the rest of the e-books live up to the new version of The Phoenix in Flight, they will become my favoured way of introducing newcomers to the series.

I discovered this gem of a book in the mid 90's in a thrift shop. It soon became one of my favorite books, then favorite series.

Recently re-published with some re-tooling of the troublesome first 200 pages, this book remains a must-read for anyone with a bit of interest in history, political science, space operas, and a number of other genres. Yes, it really is that good. Many other reviewers have covered the book/series in greater detail, so I don't feel the need to repeat their kind words.

Enjoy reading about the Phoenix House, the Thousand Suns, and an epic tale of revenge and redemption.

It's been far too long since the print version of the Exordium series went out of print, and what a joy to find that it is just as good a read as the first time -- even better, because this second edition corrects what for me was a hurdle in getting into the story. The opening now grabs me and pulls me in. I don't read much military sf, but this is such a rich dramatic story and the characters are ones I care about, that I got swept away.

The Phoenix in Flight has all the grandeur of a vast and complex landscape, classic story elements, plus -- and this is sadly lacking in much "epic" fiction -- a balance of cultures-done-right, truly weird and wonderful aliens, non-formulaic romance, battles in space that don't violate the laws of physics or naval strategy, and outright slapstick humor. While these sound like incompatible elements, Smith and Trowbridge pull it off brilliantly.

The only drawback of this book is that it left me wanting more right now, and I'll have to wait for the new edition of the next volume.

One great scene has our Heroes sneaking into the palace that the Enemy has conquered, being chased by blaster-armed guards and trapped in the kitchens, when the missing prince programs the mechanical waiters to throw acidy lime pies in the faces on the troopers whilst they escape. Oh, do you laugh. But keep a dictionary nearby, as some of the social-politcal happenings require lots of polysyllabic latin-rooted words. It's an interesting series on various levels - chase scenes, space battles, political manuverings, personality/class clashes, information technology theory. Just when the plot thickens, you find another plot forming beneath. My only problem is some minor plots are not developed well enough, or rather, left hanging in case they write a second series

It has been almost a twenty years since the wonderful Exordium series by Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge last saw physical print. Even then, it was a fascinating study, a rousing epic, and at times very, very funny. It has a very well-thought-out setting and characters, and it is unabashedly epic in scope while getting into the minds of the characters very well. Exordium is a blend of rousing action, political intrigue, humor, and style. When I first started reading it, I was immediately swept away by the whole thing, and it was only by dint of the fact that I could not find the second book anywhere, that I could not bring myself to continue.

Exordium is back in print! Well, e-print anyway. And with this re-release, the authors have decided to revise and revisit their original work. Clarifying the setting and the characters, and making it more accessible to first-time readers, drawing them in immediately to the world of the Panarchy.

If you are looking for epic science fiction, with excellent storytelling, interesting characters and situations, and a rich storyline, this is a story to go with.

This unique series has long been out of print and that's a shame. I was so happy to see that they were able to find a way to bring it back into availability as I have long since read my paper copies into non-existance.

The Phoenix in Flight is the first part of a 5 book series that explores a universe in which the central theme is both loss and hope. How people from various cultures (Planet bound humans vs space station human dwellers, true aliens versus humans long mutated into almost unrecognition, etc.. ) interact and what makes them the same and different yet still able to have enough commonality to share goals and dreams.

It's a coming of age book alongside epic adventure. It has humor and romance and tragedy and characters you truly grow to care about. It has interesting technology to marvel at and, of course, a long lost advanced civilization to wonder about.

I cannot recommend this book (and series) highly enough.

Read and enjoy.

The Worlds of Exordium by Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge has long been one of my favorite science fiction series-I think I've bought the long out of print paper copies 3-4 times each over the years, only to have family and friends "borrow" them forever. For some reason, book four, The Rifter's Covenant, was always the most difficult paperback to replace; not sure if fewer copies of that one were printed, or if it was the most eagerly hoarded of the five.

Fortunately for everyone except the used paperback book stores, the series is finally being re-released in e-book form, and available for the Kindle and other eReaders, including the iPad. Even better, Smith & Trowbridge have spent the intervening years (the first book in the series was released in 1993) collaborating, evaluating, and honing their epic tale (and maintaining a long running online conversation with their fans on both blogs and messageboards). The result? The Phoenix in Flight, the first book in the five book series.

The original Phoenix in Flight (1993) had one weakness-the first half of the novel was a bit chaotic. Quite a few threads and storylines appeared and disappeared in rapid succession, in an attempt to capture the complex machinations occurring around the galaxy. While most of these fragments were explained or expanded on in the later books, it did make for a somewhat confusing experience at the start.

Smith & Trowbridge have completely reworked the first half in this e-book revision (May 2011). The pace feels much more measured; characters are more fully fleshed out, and the stage is clearly set for the rest of the story to unfold. It is a pleasure to visit this Universe once more.

If you remember the original series fondly, you won't be disappointed by the changes. If you are coming new to The Worlds of Exordium, I envy you.