Sentinels (Starshield, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Margaret Weis (Author), Tracy Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 1996

Created by the bestselling team of Weis & Hickman, Starshield introduces their newest fantastic universe with an unforgettable, magical, grand adventure!

Rebellion threatens to rock the very foundation of civilization.  If the wrong side wins, the people will be at the mercy of minds with no conscience or humanity.  The only hope for freedom lies with the Mantle of Kendis-dai, a relic reputed to hold the power of absolute Truth.  But the Mantle of Kendis-dai is long lost in the mists of myth and time...if it ever really existed at all.

Merinda Neskat, dedicated to the pursuit of Truth above all, is determined to find the legendary Mantle.  The key to her quest is a group of lost Earthpeople, led by the feckless Jeremy Griffiths, who holds knowledge he shouldn't have--and doesn't understand.  Together, Merinda, Jeremy, and his companions set off on a dangerous race against time and deadly enemy forces, seeking a mysterious world that holds the secret that can save them--or destroy the path of civilization forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The veteran SF team of Weis and Hickman (the Dragonlance and Deathgate series) plunges into a new universe with this soap operatic tale of a galactic chase. Exactly 3256 years after a family row sent supreme god Kendis-dai "into mortality" after losing his sister-lover Shuana-kir, "Omnet sifter" Merinda Neskat loses her own lover, Queekat Shn'dar. Even grimmer, Omnet, the governing intergalactic organ of information dissemination, is threatened by the revolt of its synthetic minds?the faster-than-human components that run every aspect of the automated universe, from computers to household appliances. To save Omnet, the grief-ridden Merinda must recover an ancient artifact, the Mantle of Kendis-dai, symbol of the lost Kendis civilization and key to a secret wisdom that could save civilization or disrupt it forever. After searching for eight years, Merinda meets the remnants of Earth's first mission beyond its solar system. Led by the inept Jeremy Griffiths, the bumbling Earth team helps Merinda defeat the evil forces lurking both inside and outside her own shaky, heartbroken psyche. Ludicrous dialogue ("Get out of my sight!... You are a black hole in my existence") and particularly cheesy characterizations spoil this introduction to a potentially intriguing universe where "quantum weather" disrupts the laws of physics and allows magic to intersperse with science. In addition, the mythical, far-future and contemporary Earthling plot lines lack convincing linkages, boding ill for future volumes in this series. $150,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Veteran sf team Weis and Hickman (The Hand of Chaos, LJ 2/15/93) again create a complex universe in the first book of a planned trilogy. When synthetic minds rebel against humans, disrupting information flow with lies, reluctant Earth captain Jeremy Griffiths is the key to saving civilization. The Mantle of Kendisdai, a powerful ancient artifact of knowledge, can stop the Sentinels?but only if it can be found. This thought-provoking adventure tale of power, greed, and information belongs in all sf collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 421 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (November 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345397606
• ISBN-13: 978-0345397607
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,330,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margaret Weis graduated from the University of Missouri in 1970 with a BA in Creative Writing and Literature. Following a career in publishing she became an editor with TSR in 1983, and now lives with her husband and two cats in a converted barn near Lake Genva, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breath of Fresh Air!, November 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sentinels (Starshield, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Maybe most people wouldn't exactly call this book a classic: it takes pride in being frivolous and fun and steering clear of too many deep messages with its tongue-in-cheek action. Nor can it seriously be called a science fiction book - this is straight fantasy, but at its absolute pinnacle. When people read this they don't seem to notice all the good things it's doing, not only is it the most enjoyable adult fantasy book I have ever read, but it presents a fantastic female character in Merinda Neskat, which should be particularly appreciated in this genre when we run the risk of being swamped by females like Eddings' Ce'Nedra, Feist's Carline, or any of Gemmel's gorgeous young heriones inexplicably attracted by the 40+ year-old hardened hero.
Starshield is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre! For once it's trying something new and, even more amazing - it succeeds completely! I have become so sick of the fantasy genre where everything is so formulaic: medieval setting with magic; a huge war between good and evil involving at least one royal person... etc, etc. Starshield is wonderfully different. The science fiction/fantasy blend is superb. Weis and Hickman's universe creation is entertainingly ridiculous, yet not so much as to be entirely unbelieveable so the reader doesn't feel alienated. Jeremy Griffiths is the quintessential anti-hero, while Merinda is perfect as the tough herione. Sure, the TFP processors are a ridiculous idea, but you can forgive anything in this book. Nightsword is a great follow-up to it.
The only thing I can say against Starshield is that, because of its lack of popularity, it seems that the final book of the trilogy will never be published. This is a real tragedy, particularly considering the popularity of Weis and Hickman's other, far more mediocre books. However, Starshield and Nightsword also work as stand-alone books, so this doesn't damage a reading of them.
This book fully deserves a rating of 5/5: it's a near-perfect book and a true masterpiece of modern fantasy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Starshield Novel, July 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sentinels (Starshield, Book 1) (Hardcover)

This was an excelent book, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman lived up to their reputation. It starts off a little slow, like many new series but quickly picks up and is a page turner.

5.0 out of 5 stars sf fantasty, September 30, 2011

By 

Stephen Dunklee "bookgeek" (arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sentinels (Starshield, Book 1) (Hardcover)

sf fantasty about as good as it gets. this book creates a new alternate reality universe which combines both fantasty and scifi. Dont try to anaylize it, just read it and have fun. In this universe anything is possible.