Rate this book

Quintessence (2013)

by David Walton(Favorite Author)

3.58 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0765330903 (ISBN13: 9780765330901)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Tor Books

series

Quintessence

review 1: avid Walton sets his vision of a flat Earth during the period between Henry VIII and Elizabeth. Stephen Parris is physician to the sickly boy, Edward VI. Christopher Sinclain is an alchemist hunting for the Quintessence (hard from Tor) of being that would allow the dead to be given life. When a ship returns from an expedition to the edge of the Earth, its crew slowly turned to sand and carrying magical creatures that can walk through walls. Edward’s death, Stephens outing as a dissectioner, enables a new expedition to the Island of Horizon on the edge of the world where strange creatures, including intelligent, telepathic non-human being who can turn invisible, and immune to guns, and who killed the previous expedition members. Along with Stephen, his daughter Catherine,... more and Christopher, who become Captain, the ship is filled with Protestants escaping the Catholic rule of Queen Mary. The historical attitudes are exactly, even though the strange science belongs more to alchemy than to the physics and chemestry that shape our world. Neat book that some may nominate for an award. Review printed in the Philadelphia Weekly Press
review 2: Really more of a 4.5, as it wasn't necessarily my favourite book ever and didn't have as much of an emotional impact as I normally expect from a 5-star book. But the quality is very high! The characters are interesting and complex, the setting is pretty incredible, the magic/science is seamless, the alternate history is engaging and realistic, and it's dripping with imaginative ideas. Also the sweet leviathan on the cover doesn't hurt! less

Download links for: Quintessence

Advertising