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Of Machines & Magics
Billions of years ago, humans abandoned their cradle and are now scattered across the galaxies. But the legends speak of a time when the sun threatened to burn away the inner worlds of the solar system when it became a red giant, and a remnant of mankind returned to Earth from the farthest stars to install a machine to move humanity’s cradle out of danger.
Since then, the remnant communities built settlements in the cracked and broken slopes of the old continental plates, exposed to the elements when the Earth was moved. Now nestled in the outer reaches of the solar system, Earth faces a new challenge—the sun has begun to collapse into a white dwarf. As the sun grows smaller and the world gets colder, the quest for the mythical machine that can move the planet closer to the fading sun becomes a race to save the planet from final extinction.
A man is chosen to carry out the task, the ultimate Steam Punk hero the only problem is he doesn't know it and would not want the job anyway. There are means however?
As imaginative as a long lost Frank Herbert but with humour and faster pace. This a genius new writer.
Since then, the remnant communities built settlements in the cracked and broken slopes of the old continental plates, exposed to the elements when the Earth was moved. Now nestled in the outer reaches of the solar system, Earth faces a new challenge—the sun has begun to collapse into a white dwarf. As the sun grows smaller and the world gets colder, the quest for the mythical machine that can move the planet closer to the fading sun becomes a race to save the planet from final extinction.
A man is chosen to carry out the task, the ultimate Steam Punk hero the only problem is he doesn't know it and would not want the job anyway. There are means however?
As imaginative as a long lost Frank Herbert but with humour and faster pace. This a genius new writer.
- GenresSteampunk
198 pages, Paperback
First published January 24, 2012
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 9, 2012
An Earth some millions of years in the future after the Sun has prematurely entered its red giant stage and, as the action starts, is about to shrink to a white dwarf. Three heroes - a somewhat world weary "magician" who considers himself to be a better engineer than sorcerer, another who lives only for the moment and a new apprentice who finds everything fresh and exciting - set out to find the original machinery which moved the planet out of the red giant's reach so it can be used to steer the world back to the inner solar system over the coming millennia.
The Earth is hardly recognizable to our era: life is confined to the old dried up sea floors, the airless continental heights are forever out of reach; certain insects have developed to large sizes and pose threats as well as giving grudging aid to the humans. Perhaps, though, the greatest threats come from the scattered communities of human beings which each believe that theirs is the only society of any worth and all others are primitive or decadent.
We visit a village where the inhabitants live their lives in the false scenes projected by a "magic" lantern and another where the laws seem to be pure whimsy. We meet a rather delightfully naive, unexplained alien; a mechanical god and a robot built from junk-yard bits - largely by itself.
A thoroughly enjoyable book with laugh-out-loud bits and thoroughly recommended to readers of science fiction through to steam punk fantasy. Hopefully, the first of many from this new author.
Of Machines & Magics by Adele Abbot
Merged review:
Billions of years ago, humans abandoned their cradle and are now scattered across the galaxies. But the legends speak of a time when the sun threatened to burn away the inner worlds of the solar system when it became a red giant, and a remnant of mankind returned to Earth from the farthest stars to install a machine to move humanity’s cradle out of danger.
Since then, the remnant communities built settlements in the cracked and broken slopes of the old continental plates, exposed to the elements when the Earth was moved. Now nestled in the outer reaches of the solar system, Earth faces a new challenge—the sun has begun to collapse into a white dwarf. As the sun grows smaller and the world gets colder, the quest for the mythical machine that can move the planet closer to the fading sun becomes a race to save the planet from final extinction.
A man is chosen to save our world there is only one problem he doesn't know it and wouldn't want the job. Like a long lost Frank Herbert this book is just as imaginative with more humour and faster paced.
The Earth is hardly recognizable to our era: life is confined to the old dried up sea floors, the airless continental heights are forever out of reach; certain insects have developed to large sizes and pose threats as well as giving grudging aid to the humans. Perhaps, though, the greatest threats come from the scattered communities of human beings which each believe that theirs is the only society of any worth and all others are primitive or decadent.
We visit a village where the inhabitants live their lives in the false scenes projected by a "magic" lantern and another where the laws seem to be pure whimsy. We meet a rather delightfully naive, unexplained alien; a mechanical god and a robot built from junk-yard bits - largely by itself.
A thoroughly enjoyable book with laugh-out-loud bits and thoroughly recommended to readers of science fiction through to steam punk fantasy. Hopefully, the first of many from this new author.
Of Machines & Magics by Adele Abbot
Merged review:
Billions of years ago, humans abandoned their cradle and are now scattered across the galaxies. But the legends speak of a time when the sun threatened to burn away the inner worlds of the solar system when it became a red giant, and a remnant of mankind returned to Earth from the farthest stars to install a machine to move humanity’s cradle out of danger.
Since then, the remnant communities built settlements in the cracked and broken slopes of the old continental plates, exposed to the elements when the Earth was moved. Now nestled in the outer reaches of the solar system, Earth faces a new challenge—the sun has begun to collapse into a white dwarf. As the sun grows smaller and the world gets colder, the quest for the mythical machine that can move the planet closer to the fading sun becomes a race to save the planet from final extinction.
A man is chosen to save our world there is only one problem he doesn't know it and wouldn't want the job. Like a long lost Frank Herbert this book is just as imaginative with more humour and faster paced.
Displaying 1 of 1 review