Ancients of Days: The Second Book of Confluence (Hardcover)

by Paul J. McAuley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Paul J. McAuley's Confluence trilogy, with its far-future bioengineered setting, lush prose, and messianic themes, adds up to brilliant, literary storytelling. Ancients of Days is the second book in the trilogy--the first was Child of the River, in which young Yamamanama (referred to as Yama, thankfully) began to search for the secrets of his bloodline. His world, Confluence, is an artifact of a civilization long gone, a vast, keeled structure that rocks back and forth on its long axis as it travels around its sun. Confluence is populated by nanoengineered peoples tracing their origins from thousands of animal species. The entire galaxy, including the locations of stars, has been artificially manipulated in this unimaginably distant future, presumably by ancient humans--known as the Preservers--as they extended their reach beyond earth. In Ancients of Days, Yama continues his quest, learning that he may be one of the Builders, the first bloodline created by the Preservers. He can control the many machines that roam Confluence, and people of other bloodlines obey him. But Confluence is a world in conflict, and the evil Prefect Corin continues his hunt for Yama, in order to use the young man's powers to control weapons of war. Yama's friends help him as best they can, but as his power grows, they must decide whether to trust him or fear him. Is Yama one of the Ancients of Days, a messiah come to raise up the bloodlines from their base existences? Or is he a hapless tool of the malevolent feral machines that hover in orbits just off the horizon of Confluence? Don't miss this amazing series, destined to be one of the most memorable in science fiction. --Therese Littleton

From Publishers Weekly
In McAuley's followup to Child of the River, named a PW Best Book of 1998, Yama continues his quest for identity, still pursued by the implacable Prefect Corin of the Department of Indigenous Affairs, who would subvert Yama's burgeoning psychic powers and put them to use in the war against the Heretics. Confluence is a planet-sized, needle-shaped artificial environment set millions of years in the future by the Preservers, humanity's distant descendants, to orbit a star. Nearby is the Eye of the Preservers, a massive black hole within which the galaxy's remaining humans have evidently hidden themselves, for reasons unknown. The inhabitants of Confluence, the 10,000 bloodlines, are, apparently without exception, animals, some of earthly origin and others not, all genetically engineered for human intelligence and form. Yama, an orphan of mysterious parentage, is a Builder, a member of a bloodline thought long extinct. His desire to uncover the mystery behind his birth is the motivating force for both his quest and the series. Throughout, he is opposed not just by Prefect Corin but by other intelligent beings, both organic and inorganic, who would bend him to their will. Although there are many exciting incidents along the way, what counts most in this colorful tale is the complex world that McAuley has created. Reminiscent of Gene Wolfe's classic series Book of the New Sun and the best of Jack Vance, the Books of Confluence are highly entertaining and beautifully written, full of exotic settings, unusual characters, nuggets of scientific speculation and a healthy dose of decadence. McAuley is one of the field's finest practitioners and here he is writing at the top of his form. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 386 pages
• Publisher: Eos (T); 1st edition (July 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380975165
• ISBN-13: 978-0380975167
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,648,855 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy sequel to Child of the River., August 14, 1999

By A Customer

Part of the magic of "Child of the River" was the gradual unfolding of the complexity of the planet Confluence: the sentient machines, the extraordinarily complex caste system of the society, the huge sweep of time across the culture. That there is a rollicking good tale running through the first two books now, makes McAuley's creation quite an accomplishment. Although these books are written as a trilogy, the typical beginning-middle-end of that form doesn't seem to be the prevailing idea here. This story is both expanding and contracting in unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable ways. The "Angel" character is a little preachy with her history, but McAuley is building a whole cosmology full of intrigue and creative, almost footloose ideas. In other words, it succeeds in doing what good science fiction can do, it takes us out of our own cultural and technological limits so that we can look back at them in a whole new way. "Ancients of Days" has me looking forward to the third book . . . .

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, literal, "world-building", August 3, 1999

By A Customer

Reminiscent of Silverberg's Valentine series, this superb novel takes place on a long, narrow artificial world. The world is completely innundated with sophisticated machines, ranging in size from smaller than cells to large as whales. The planet itself is a machine, and the young protagonist, Yama, is a unique being who has the ability to control the machines. His powers make him a puppet in an on-going struggle for power. The action is fast and very exciting--at one point, I was yelling out loud! Great series, imaginative and beautifully written.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read. Better than the first (Child of the River)., August 10, 1999

By	"dulcimert" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book more than his first. McAuley got around to explaining how all came into being and now a lot of it makes more sense. I recommend this series for those who are waiting for the next Jordan (Wheel of Time) book. Yama reminds me of Rand (e.g. people want to kill/serve him and people are afraid of his powers and some want to use him).