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The Sunless Countries: Book Four of Virga
 
 
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The Sunless Countries: Book Four of Virga [Hardcover]

Karl Schroeder (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 4, 2009 Virga (Book 4)

In an ocean of weightless air where sunlight has never been seen, only the running lights of the city of Sere glitter in the dark. One woman, Leal Hieronyma Maspeth, history tutor and dreamer, lives and dreams of love among the gaslit streets and cafés. And somewhere in the abyss of wind and twisted cloud through which Sere eternally falls, a great voice has begun speaking.

As its cold words reach even to the city walls—and as outlying towns and travelers’ ships start to mysteriously disappear—only Leal has the courage to try to understand the message thundering from the distance. Even the city’s most famous and exotic visitor, the sun lighter and hero named Hayden Griffin, refuses to turn aside from his commission to build a new sun for a foreign nation. He will not become the hero that Leal knows the city needs; so in the end, it is up to her to listen, and ultimately reply, to the worldwasp.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The inventive and solidly enjoyable fourth novel set in the bubble world of Virga (after 2008's Queen of Candesce) takes place far from the artificial suns that light the central regions. As entire towns fall victim to a mysterious threat, perhaps from outside, a religious movement begins insisting that the world is eternal, not created. The Eternists confiscate books, censor the news and force through a referendum subjecting science to popular vote, while sun lighter Hayden Griffin, familiar from previous books, teams up with local historian Leal to investigate the attacks. They find an expedition killed by rain, meet up with groups officially deemed mythical and fend off political threats and outside forces that aren't what they seem. Schroeder paints his unique world with deft touches while keeping the story moving briskly. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“I loved it. It never slowed down.  The background is fascinating and the characters held my attention. It reminded me a little of The Integral Trees, with technology a little more advanced.”
--Larry Niven, author of The Juggler of Worlds, on Sun of Suns

“Schroeder…is proving to be one of our most ingenious devisers of exotic, fantastic settings as well as a spinner of ripping yarns….Schroeder’s world-building, storytelling, and character-drawing chops seem strong enough to give even Known Space a run for its money."
--Locus on Queen of Candesce

“[The] world-building continues to be impeccable, and the story’s timing is a fantastic tour de force of his creation.  The politics and structure of Virga continue to be a fine backdrop to some of the most entertaining space opera out there.”
--Booklist on Pirate Sun

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (August 4, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0765320762
  • ISBN-13: 978-0765320766
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born September 4, 1962 in Brandon Manitoba. My family are Mennonites, part of a community which has lived in southern Manitoba for over one hundred years. I am the second science fiction writer to come out of this small community -- the first was A.E. van Vogt!

I moved to Toronto in 1986 to pursue my writing career. I married Janice Beitel in April 2001 and our daughter Paige was born in May 2003.

I divide my time between writing fiction and consulting--chiefly in the area of Foresight Studies and technology.

 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The world of Virga continues to amaze., November 28, 2009
By 
This review is from: The Sunless Countries: Book Four of Virga (Hardcover)
Contrary to my expectation that closer inspection would reveal the flaws, the more we see of Virga the more sensible and logical it is. This book talks about some of the biological industry, history and construction of Virga, and hints on the larger ecosystem of which Virga is but a pocket.

This book starts a new story arc with Hayden the Sunlighter now playing second fiddle to a historian thrown into the fray because no one else will do it. I think Schroeder's plot construction is getting stronger; the book was well paced with some twists, but nothing just crazy out of the blue.

While not the pinnacle of science fiction (hence only giving it 4 stars) I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and meat for thought.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Karl always delivers, October 21, 2009
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This review is from: The Sunless Countries: Book Four of Virga (Hardcover)
Once again, Karl gives us another great book. This series is very enjoyable, and every entry is excellent. Each book in the Virga series has a different main character, which is an interesting approach. This time it's Leal, an excellent, likable heroine. I really like the way Karl writes females; it really feels like a woman's voice and point of view, very believable. It breaks my heart to have to wait for the next book. But it'll be well worth the wait, as always.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Solid; 3.5 Stars, August 15, 2009
By 
R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Sunless Countries: Book Four of Virga (Hardcover)
The Sunless Countries is the beginning of what is probably a second trilogy involving Virga, a very well imagined space habitat. Inspired by books like Larry Niven's Ringworld and Bob Shaw's Orbitsville, the basic idea is an exotic extrasolar space habitat, in this case a 5000 mile diameter sac containing a breathable atmosphere and a central fusion "sun." As is typical for this genre, the novels are adventure stories showcasing the exotic features of the habitats and their inhabitant societies. Schroeder is a competent writer and his habitat is a clever construction. In this series, Schroeder is expanding the setting by introducing more characters from outside Virga and also moving outside Virga for some of the action. Compared with prior books, I found this one a bit slow to start and character development is not as good as some prior books. We'll see what the next books bring.
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