Queen of Candesce: Book Two of Virga (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: speed ivy, council army, Jacoby Sarto, Lesser Spyre, Greater Spyre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Schroeder's ambitious sequel to 2006's Sun of Suns further explores Virga, the vast enclosed realm containing a miniature cosmos of floating worlds, wheellike townships and intriguing mysteries about the construct's origins and creators. Heated and lit by numerous artificial suns, the individual populations have evolved on divergent paths. When the delightfully amoral Venera Fanning finds herself on Spyre, an ancient and decaying cylindrical world that's slowly breaking apart, and realizes the Key of Candesce could not only unlock the secrets of a long-lost technology but also destroy entire worlds, she inadvertently disrupts Spyre's delicate political balance and rigid cultural mores and ignites a revolution. Comparable to classic SF epics like John Varley's Gaean trilogy and Jack L. Chalker's Well of Souls series, Schroeder's saga is an awe-inspiring example of masterful world-building. A myriad of themes, from rogue artificial intelligences to the evolution of human bodies and culture, make this futuristic epic one to reckon with. (Aug.)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

The ingenuity and inventiveness of Karl Schroeder's miniuniverse has ushered the acclaimed author into the ranks of leading world-builders. In this second chapter of the Virga saga, Schroeder takes a different approach, with mixed reactions from the critics. He largely abandons the worlds and characters introduced in Sun of Suns and focuses on one character, the Machiavellian Venera Fanning, and one place, the world of Spyre. Most critics agreed that Venera was one of the most interesting protagonists in the earlier book, and she shines here, but it is Virga itself that steals the show. Frequent flashbacks and explanations allow the novel to stand alone, but the brisk plot and vivid settings will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765315440
• ISBN-13: 978-0765315441
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,984 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Virga Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Out Nivens Niven II, February 21, 2008

By	R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a well written descendent of Larry Niven's Ringworld and Bob Shaw's Orbitsville. The essential features are an immense, exotic, and technologically formidable habitat in an extrasolar system combined with some kind of action/adventure plot that reveals the interesting features of the habitat and its occupying human societies. Schroeder does well on both counts with an ingenious space habitat and a decently written story line. The habitat is well articulated and the plotting does of a good job of displaying a variety of human cultures occupying the habitat. The plot incorporates a theme of personal transformation on the part of the protagonist that boosts character development.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Queen of Candesce - Good fun, good characters, nice physics challenges, March 28, 2009

By	B. Kondo (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Queen of Candesce: Book Two of Virga (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the sequel to Sun of Suns, but it stands alone... in fact, I read it before Sun of Suns and was engrossed. The characters are engaging and surprising, one wants to know what happens to them. This is an exciting vision of a very differently constructed world, and thinking about how the physics works will pose a fun challenge for those inclined, but can be skimmed over for those not interested in that. A great, fun read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best of the three Virga books, February 21, 2009

By	I C booklover (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Queen of Candesce: Book Two of Virga (Mass Market Paperback)

I still don't think the Virga books are Karl Schroeder's best work. If you're looking for hard, challenging SF, read Ventus, Lady of Maze, and Permanence. But the Virga books are still very entertaining and original, and well-worth your time.

I've read all three of the currently-published Virga books (I understand there is at least one more on the way), and Queen of Candesce is the best. Still, it isn't stand-alone, and must be read in context with the others. If you've read Sun of Suns and aren't quite sure whether you want to continue with the Virga series (which is where I was after reading that book), Queen of Candesce will make you glad you kept going; it is, I believe, the most artistic and thoughtful of the three; more about the characters than about the world of Virga itself.