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Waters of Versailles: A Tor.Com Original by [Kelly Robson]

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Kelly Robson

Waters of Versailles: A Tor.Com Original Kindle Edition

by Kelly Robson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 82 ratings

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Finalist for the World Fantasy Award and Nebula Award, and winner of the Aurora Award

Waters of Versailles is a historical fantasy about sex, magic, and plumbing. In 1738 France, soldier and courtier Sylvain de Guilherand enlists magical help to bring modern conveniences to the court of Louis XV. The innovation sparks a cold war in the hothouse palace environment as the nobles compete to outdo each other. Everyone wants what Sylvain has, but can he control the magical creature who makes it all possible?

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Print length

69 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Tor Books
Publication date

June 10, 2015
File size

464 KB
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Kelly Robson
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00VPX20RC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books (June 10, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 10, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 464 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 69 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,262,621 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,518 in Two-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads
- #5,609 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #10,273 in Historical Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 82 ratings

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About the author

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Kelly Robson

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Like you, I'm a passionate reader. I spent most of my teenage years either hanging out at the drugstore waiting for new issues of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, or when I was in the city, lurking in the SF and Fantasy section of the bookstore. This was pre-Internet and since there were no bookstores in my town and the library was pretty bare, good books -- the kind that made my heart sing -- were precious treasures. To this day, nothing is more important to me than reading, nothing is more delicious than a great novel, and few people are as important as my favorite writers.

My writing life has been pretty diverse. I've edited science books, and from 2008 to 2012 I had the great good luck to write a monthly wine column for Chatelaine, the largest women's magazine in Canada. I've published short fiction at Tor.com, Asimov's Science Fiction, Clarkesworld, and a number of anthologies. Several of my stories have been chosen for "year's best" anthologies, and in the past two years I've been a finalist for several high-profile awards.

My favorite writers are Connie Willis, Walter Jon Williams, Michael Bishop, Jack Womack, Hilary Mantel, Alan Bennett, Patrick O'Brian, A.M. Dellamonica, Saladin Ahmed, Gemma Files, Maureen McHugh, Cat Rambo, Peter Watts, and Caitlin Sweet. I have a huge soft spot for classic literature, including Jane Austen, Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy, Ford Maddox Ford, John Galsworthy, George Eliot, and Mrs. Gaskell. I also love reading non-fiction -- history, historical geography, and science.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

82 global ratings

5 star		59%
4 star		29%
3 star		12%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Zig Zag Claybourne

Delightful and Poignant

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 30, 2015

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It's hard for me as a writer to read solely for pleasure. There's always that sub-brain analyzing & studying the writing alchemy. Rarer still: being so immediately whisked by words that the sub-voice fades with each paragraph. In a short, wonderful work Kelly Robson does what a brace of novelists couldn't accomplish given a 400 page head start: lays out a story so rich and round that it feels more like lived history than fiction, and made more magical for the expert blending of original subject matter with fable and genuine heart. I wish I had it as a paperback. Something to read outdoors to a loved one within a summery breeze. Waters of Versailles was a huge pleasure to read, and one I plan to return to when I need to be reminded that words are joyful things that sing and dance when tended well. Highly, highly recommended!

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Simon Crow

clever and full of unexpected feeling

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 28, 2020

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Fun, fascinating, then exhilarating - it's a pleasure to read such cleverness. And then the unexpected breaks of feelings - starting small and getting progressively bigger until they crash everything, just like the water.

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Hugh J

A lovely little fairy tale about plumbing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 26, 2017

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Set in the court of Louis XV, Silvain hopes to win the king's favor by using a nixie to repair the fountains of Versailles and provide other comforts. But the court's appetites appetite fickle and inexhaustible.
A quick,light novella that was a delightful read!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Shauna S. Roberts

Fun romp in the court of Louis Quinze

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 13, 2015

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Courtier by day, plumber by night, the hero of this novella does his best to fit in among upper-crust society at Versailles. To fulfill his ambitions, he endures horrible people and gets frustrated with his friends. I laughed through the novella and then was sad but satisfied by the end. I wish there were a second novella about this character and his friends because I wanted more.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amy P.

Good story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 30, 2016

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Very imaginative story and a fun read.

One person found this helpful

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Kevin H.

Great Book....

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 19, 2016

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Waters of Versailles was a great book... It was an honor to read it and I highly recommend it....

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Richard Derus

Poignant, affecting read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 23, 2021

Whenever humans encounter the uncanny, the unexplainable, the magical, their first thought is "how can I use this?" The best among us finish that thought with "to make things better"; the worst, "for my own benefit"; and most of us, "to make a buck."

Author Robson's 2015 novella isn't her first publication; it's a very assured work, told well, thought through thoroughly, and of a length sufficient to set her scene, convey her tale, then leave us wishing for a bit more to enjoy. It feels *right* that Sylvain, her PoV character here, should be an arriviste at the Court. He, like Author Robson with her reader, has left even his own social cronies without the miracle of his plumbing and flush toilets! Saying "no" is dangerous, and denying someone who has your secrets what they ask for is even more foolish.

But logic dictates that even a magical creature have limits, and the nixie Sylvain has forced into his service isn't able to do everything. The more pressing question for him now is why does the nixie appear to be doing the *opposite* of what needs doing?

Never, in the history of human endeavor, has a system based on scarcity and uniqueness failed to fail. And here is Sylvain re-learning that lesson for the many-bazillionth time albeit his first. And, in the end, the world's delights are as ephemeral as we should all have learned that they are never not by now. What begins badly ends sadly. Again and again and again and again and again.

Helpful

Fenrix

The fountain and the evolution of the training were particularly inspired.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2019

I’m not sure how to feel about this novella. The magic and the nixie were phenomenal, and the blending with the setting and the burgeoning plumbing technology was great. The fountain and the evolution of the training were particularly inspired. But I didn’t really love spending that much time with our protagonist and the rest of the members of the court.

Decide for yourself. I listened to this for free over at PodCastle:

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Starship Library

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 30, 2017

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This novella was funny, sharp and intriguing, with wonderful worldbuilding, great characterisation and a warm-hearted centre.

peter darbyshire

Drip drip drip

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 26, 2016

Verified Purchase

Oh my goodness, I adored the hell out of this. Great story by a great writer. Why are you reading this when you could be reading the story?

Kit

Excellent story

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 19, 2015

Verified Purchase

I read it in one sitting. Hugely entertaining and original. Highly recommeded! I look forward to reading more by Kelly!

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