Customer Reviews

Twilight of the Empire

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

 

 

I am not a sci-fi book reader. That is, not till I read Twilight of the Empire. Excellent. If you like great in-depth, believable character development mixed with fast-paced, don't plan on getting a lot of sleep action, this book will not disappoint. It has plenty of both, as well as some of the best writing I've come upon. Simon Green possesses a pleasantly understated method of writing which is very "human", like talking to a buddy. No fancy-shmancy wording or rhetorically correct banter just for the sake of fancy-shmancy wording and rhetorically correct banter. No unnecessary words to muddle what one's reading. I'm a visual reader - I have to be able to "see" what I'm reading, the more I can the more I enjoy - and Simon Green has created one of the most easily visual books I've ever read. You can't help but see every detail: the seediness of Mistworld, the eeriness of Ghostworld, the savageness of Hellworld. These places are real, and their inhabitants alive (this guy has one whacked-out imagination. Very original!). While reading Twilight I couldn't help thinking `man, this would make a great movie.' If only Simon Green were a director....

I've read lots of SciFi books but this one is my favorite. I really liked the parts Ghostworld and Hellworld the best. I liked Ghostworld because the way the characters got through most of the obsticles was very creative. And I liked the Hellworld part because the enemy in that part was very creative, so was the parts of it where the characters were fighting, and the plot was very creative also. The part Mistworld was great too I especally liked the way Simon R. Green went into the thoughts of Mary while she was being controlled.

I've read Green before, but this is most definantly his best work. It helps to have read the Deathstalker seriese but it is not a must. If your tired of the overused dragons and faries of popular sci-fi just take a walk with Green.He is capable of creating aliens and habitats I don't thik any other mind could come up with. Mr. Green, if you see this, thank you so much for the experience of this book. I hope you love it as much as I do. (Topaz was my favorite charactor)

I read the first book included in Twilight of Empire while I was on a cruise a couple of weeks ago. Mistworld is written clearly for easy reading. It is built around a situation that capitalizes on the relationships between prominent characters that many writers would go overboard with. Mr. Green doesn't. Despite the convoluted plot, the minor detail is kept to a minimum. I stopped reading at one point and tried get straight in my head who had done what, and how it affected others. I succeeded in this. Another neat thing is Mr. Green's sense for creating the "legendary" character. For example, in one case he has people mention the fury of one of his central characters, Topaz. She is a siren, an esper who, in her own defence, killed 500 attackers with her song. In the end, Topaz must face Typhoid Mary. Trust me, you'll know who she is. This book is terrific. And I loved Deathstalker; Mr. Green wrote that one at full steam in his technique.

Several rviewers have written about Green having found his niche, I agree. He writes well when he places sword & sorcery stories into the future and adds warp engines. It takes a bit of getting used to but his brand of fantasy with a tech twist grows on one after a time.

Coming to this book from Green's Hawk and Fisher series was a somewhat odd transition. But most definatly a good one. The new depth of horror that I found was great. We got tastes of it in "Bones" and a few other spots. Such as the Burning Man or Lament. I have not been disapointed at all with this man's writing. Keep them coming!

One thing I should say before I begin: I think Green's found his niche writing space opera. It's not really sf per se--it's more like fantasy in space, with science-fictional trappings. This isn't bad; I just thought I'd point it out.

That being said, the three novels herein give some more background to the Deathstalker universe. They're fun reads--not terribly complicated, but fun. And some of the imagery is beautiful.