Three Unbroken (Mass Market Paperback)

by Chris Roberson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Three Unbroken is the next epic novel in the Celestial Empire sequence and details the explosive war between the Chinese and Aztec empires as they battle for control of the red planet, Fire Star.

About the Author
Chris Roberson's novels include THE DRAGON'S NINE SONS (Solaris, 2007), SET THE SEAS ON FIRE (Solaris, 2007), HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE (Pyr, 2005), THE VOYAGE OF NIGHT SHINING WHITE (PS Publishing, 2006), and PARAGAEA: A PLANETARY ROMANCE (Pyr, 2006), and he is the editor of the anthology ADVENTURE VOL. 1 (MonkeyBrain Books, Nov 2005). Roberson has been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award for Short Fiction, twice for the John independent. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and twice for the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Short Form (winning in 2004 with his story "O One." He runs the independant press MonkeyBrain books with his partner.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Solaris (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844165965
• ISBN-13: 978-1844165964
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,409,460 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating alternate history, May 8, 2009

By	J. S. Harbour (Arizona) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have enjoyed this new alternate history series from Chris Roberson, which began with The Dragon's Nine Suns, and continues now in Three Unbroken. The action is fast paced, the characters well developed and easy to relate to. I enjoy learning about Chinese culture and traditions without knowing much about it otherwise. I give this 5 stars not because it's great literature, or even great science fiction, but because it's a page turner and, like Nine Suns, it has a rather simple plot without too many layers to peel in order to understand it. In other words, there is very little diversionary writing here, very few sub-plots, and only three threads (the three main characters) inter-woven through the story. The ending is satisfying. This is a good read for a wide range of age groups, from pre-teen through aged adult. After throwing out the rubbish being written by over-hyped "greats" (yeah right) like Stephen Baxter, who really knows how to write rubbish, I find Roberson to be refreshing.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, But Not Really Exceptional Blend of Alternate History and Space Opera, April 24, 2009

By	John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Three Unbroken (Celestial Empire 3) (Paperback)

What if the Manchu Chinese Empire had progressed technologically at a pace exceeding its Western European rivals, becoming our planet's global hegemon? Or if the Aztec Empire had made a similar leap, defending its territorial independence, and becoming the preeminent indigenous technological power in the Americas? These two questions are the reasons for Chris Roberson's alternate history/space opera Celestial Empire series, of which his novel, "Three Unbroken", is essentially, a retelling of World War II that's set on the remote human-colonized world of Fire Star (Planet Mars) in the middle 21st Century. "Three Unbroken" chronicles the exploits of three loyal soldiers of the Manchus; an upper-class Manchu noble who joins an elite commando unit; a young Indian woman who becomes an accomplished bomber pilot; and a young European-American man from Texas, who demonstrates, all too quickly, his splendid talent for war in an infantry company. Roberson excels in cinematographic descriptions of bloody raids and pitched battles between Manchu soldiers and their diabolical Mexica (Aztec) foe. However, I wasn't too impressed with his characters, except for the Manchu nobleman, who forms a close friendship with his unit's commanding officer.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very poorly written SciFi, April 5, 2009

By	B. Montgomery (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Three Unbroken (Celestial Empire 3) (Paperback)

I'd recommend that nobody waste their time buying or reading this book. I bought it while walking through an airport during a long layover. I needed something to occupy myself and this book was what I found. I only finished it because I had nothing better to do.

This book is poorly written. The story is corny and the characters aren't very interesting. There are three main characters that the story attempts to follow, but aside from the fact that they perform different military functions, there isn't much significant about them. There are also a lot of inconsistencies that really bother me. For example, the two empires are fighting a war on the "Fire Planet" and all of the troops, equipment, and supplies have to shipped from Earth, but there is no war on Earth. I don't get why two empires would fight a war on another planet but not fight on Earth. The level of technology described is odd as well. In this story humans can fly over vast interstellar distances, but they don't have the technology to encrypt radio communications, provide night vision to their troops, or have automatic controls in their aircraft.

Don't waste your time with this book unless literally have nothing better to do but sit in a cramped airline seat for a couple of hours.