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Sky Lords #3
The Fall of the Sky Lords
This final volume of "The Sky Lords Trilogy" finds Jan Dorvin encased in an underwater cell, the prisoner of the sexually indeterminate Eloi. Far above, the struggle against the mighty airships continues, as Ashley, a rogue computer personality, once again joins forces with Milo Haze.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
4 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
John Brosnan
71 books29 followers* Pen names:
Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer, James Blackstone, John Raymond
John Raymond Brosnan was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works based around the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, from acute pancreatitis. He sometimes published under the pseudonyms Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer (both sometimes used together with Leroy Kettle), James Blackstone (used together with John Baxter), and John Raymond. Three not very successful movies were based on his novels–Beyond Bedlam (aka Nightscare), Proteus (based on Slimer), and Carnosaur. In addition to science fiction, he also wrote a number of books about cinema and was a regular columnist with the popular UK magazine Starburst.
Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer, James Blackstone, John Raymond
John Raymond Brosnan was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works based around the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, from acute pancreatitis. He sometimes published under the pseudonyms Harry Adam Knight, Simon Ian Childer (both sometimes used together with Leroy Kettle), James Blackstone (used together with John Baxter), and John Raymond. Three not very successful movies were based on his novels–Beyond Bedlam (aka Nightscare), Proteus (based on Slimer), and Carnosaur. In addition to science fiction, he also wrote a number of books about cinema and was a regular columnist with the popular UK magazine Starburst.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 19, 2024
Поредицата за Небесните господари е сред най-добрите образци на постапокалиптичната фантастика, която така или иначе любя, тача и милея.
Джон Броснан обаче се отличава не само с отличен литературен стил, а и развива няколко много интересни идеи относно бъдещето на човечеството, генетиката и сингулярността.
Джон Броснан обаче се отличава не само с отличен литературен стил, а и развива няколко много интересни идеи относно бъдещето на човечеството, генетиката и сингулярността.
May 2, 2019
Sometimes, it’s best not to return to the places or things from our treasured memories.
Remember that old movie you loved? Watch it now and you’ll find it hokey and clichéd. That theme park that seemed endless in its size and scope for adventure? Visit now and it’s a handful of dated rides in a windswept plaza dotted with patches of cotton candy vomit.
So it is sometimes with books. You return to an old dog-eared paperback, crack it open, and find a pulpy mess of dodgy sexual politics and thin characters, forever sullying your once treasured memory.
I read the second book in The Sky Lords trilogy when I was thirteen. I loved it and I always wondered what happened in book three. Did the hero survive? Did the world finally collapse under the gene-blight?
Sadly, I should have left myself wondering. The Fall of The Sky Lords is the dead mouse in a burger from your old favorite restaurant, the used condom in the bed at your once-favourite hotel, the gifted copy of a Jordan Peterson book from a friend you once respected. It’s basically a torpedo amidships of a treasured memory.
It shouldn’t have been this way. Brosnan had some great ideas at the beginning of his series, but sadly the Sky Lords books are a great example of diminishing returns in a trilogy.
As The Fall of The Sky Lords begins Jan Dorvin, warrior woman and once lord of the skies, is imprisoned in an underwater Antarctic habitat with her now sexless lover Ryn. She is struggling to find a way out, arguing with the habitat’s AIs and trying to convince them to help the world they have abandoned.
None of the characters from the Lord Mordred in book two return (we are left to assume they are dead), and instead we meet a community in Australia who are doing rather better than most. They seem to mostly consist of beautiful young women who get around topless, which after three books in Brosnan’s universe, is no surprise. There are a couple of characters the narrative follows in this community, but I’d forgotten their names twenty minutes after finishing the book.
Meanwhile one of Milo’s clones is attempting to make his way to Earth from an austerely religious space habitat while Jan and her lover Ryn are effectively imprisoned in an Antarctic habitat beneath an ice shelf. In Jan’s old Sky Angel ship another Milo clone and one of the Ashley AI’s are enroute to Antarctica, determined to break into the habitat there and steal the ancient technology within.
And from these beginnings the trilogy limps home.
The main characters will all find themselves heading toward Australia where in a nice reversal of SF’s usual amerocentrism (usually the big reveal happens in New York or Washington!) the fate of Earth will be decided.
Don’t get too excited about that decision though- it’s pretty meh.
This is one of those novels where you will find yourself looking at the page count halfway through and thinking “There’s no way the author has time to wrap all this up effectively before this book ends”. And you’d be right. All the story arcs, characters, etc. feel rushed and undercooked. I like my novels pacy but damn, The Fall of The Sky Lords is a step too far, with characters falling near instantly in love, contrived setups bringing characters together at a rapid pace, and (worstly) all the world’s problems being resolved in what felt like maybe four or five pages.
To rub the insult in, the ending is a god-damned deus ex machina - to the point that it involves actual machina - and it's deeply unsatisfying, ending the series with a sad trombone sound rather than a bang.
These aren’t the only flaws. Jan never really hits her stride, constantly being pinballed around between powerful men and powerful AIs. I guess that’s a reflection on circumstances being too big for one person to influence, but it makes for dissatisfying character development.
The recurring rape/sexual violence that festoons the series is also, by book three, becoming grating. Milo Haze, the immortal, genetically enhanced psychopath Jan meets in book one, becomes a caricature – a loathsome sexual perv and all-round murderer who just isn’t as interesting or impressive as the unstoppable four-hundred year old former corporate mastermind he was in book one. In The Sky Lords he was seductive in his awfulness, fascinating in the glimpses he gave the reader of how the world was wrecked by his and other immortals’ schemes. By book three he’s really just a rapey asshole, and not a very interesting one.
Overall, this is a weak novel, and a weak ending to a series that had real promise. If you’re interested in Brosnan’s Sky Lords Universe then maybe read book one. Possibly read book two. Do yourself and your future memories a favor however, and stop there.
Two flat and undeveloped characters out of five.
Remember that old movie you loved? Watch it now and you’ll find it hokey and clichéd. That theme park that seemed endless in its size and scope for adventure? Visit now and it’s a handful of dated rides in a windswept plaza dotted with patches of cotton candy vomit.
So it is sometimes with books. You return to an old dog-eared paperback, crack it open, and find a pulpy mess of dodgy sexual politics and thin characters, forever sullying your once treasured memory.
I read the second book in The Sky Lords trilogy when I was thirteen. I loved it and I always wondered what happened in book three. Did the hero survive? Did the world finally collapse under the gene-blight?
Sadly, I should have left myself wondering. The Fall of The Sky Lords is the dead mouse in a burger from your old favorite restaurant, the used condom in the bed at your once-favourite hotel, the gifted copy of a Jordan Peterson book from a friend you once respected. It’s basically a torpedo amidships of a treasured memory.
It shouldn’t have been this way. Brosnan had some great ideas at the beginning of his series, but sadly the Sky Lords books are a great example of diminishing returns in a trilogy.
As The Fall of The Sky Lords begins Jan Dorvin, warrior woman and once lord of the skies, is imprisoned in an underwater Antarctic habitat with her now sexless lover Ryn. She is struggling to find a way out, arguing with the habitat’s AIs and trying to convince them to help the world they have abandoned.
None of the characters from the Lord Mordred in book two return (we are left to assume they are dead), and instead we meet a community in Australia who are doing rather better than most. They seem to mostly consist of beautiful young women who get around topless, which after three books in Brosnan’s universe, is no surprise. There are a couple of characters the narrative follows in this community, but I’d forgotten their names twenty minutes after finishing the book.
Meanwhile one of Milo’s clones is attempting to make his way to Earth from an austerely religious space habitat while Jan and her lover Ryn are effectively imprisoned in an Antarctic habitat beneath an ice shelf. In Jan’s old Sky Angel ship another Milo clone and one of the Ashley AI’s are enroute to Antarctica, determined to break into the habitat there and steal the ancient technology within.
And from these beginnings the trilogy limps home.
The main characters will all find themselves heading toward Australia where in a nice reversal of SF’s usual amerocentrism (usually the big reveal happens in New York or Washington!) the fate of Earth will be decided.
Don’t get too excited about that decision though- it’s pretty meh.
This is one of those novels where you will find yourself looking at the page count halfway through and thinking “There’s no way the author has time to wrap all this up effectively before this book ends”. And you’d be right. All the story arcs, characters, etc. feel rushed and undercooked. I like my novels pacy but damn, The Fall of The Sky Lords is a step too far, with characters falling near instantly in love, contrived setups bringing characters together at a rapid pace, and (worstly) all the world’s problems being resolved in what felt like maybe four or five pages.
To rub the insult in, the ending is a god-damned deus ex machina - to the point that it involves actual machina - and it's deeply unsatisfying, ending the series with a sad trombone sound rather than a bang.
These aren’t the only flaws. Jan never really hits her stride, constantly being pinballed around between powerful men and powerful AIs. I guess that’s a reflection on circumstances being too big for one person to influence, but it makes for dissatisfying character development.
The recurring rape/sexual violence that festoons the series is also, by book three, becoming grating. Milo Haze, the immortal, genetically enhanced psychopath Jan meets in book one, becomes a caricature – a loathsome sexual perv and all-round murderer who just isn’t as interesting or impressive as the unstoppable four-hundred year old former corporate mastermind he was in book one. In The Sky Lords he was seductive in his awfulness, fascinating in the glimpses he gave the reader of how the world was wrecked by his and other immortals’ schemes. By book three he’s really just a rapey asshole, and not a very interesting one.
Overall, this is a weak novel, and a weak ending to a series that had real promise. If you’re interested in Brosnan’s Sky Lords Universe then maybe read book one. Possibly read book two. Do yourself and your future memories a favor however, and stop there.
Two flat and undeveloped characters out of five.
January 28, 2014
Thank goodness for Gollancz's Gateway publishers which are bringing back out of print (and probably never to be reprinted) science fiction and fantasy titles in ebook format. I have been looking for the last two parts of this series at a reasonable price for over a decade now, and I have finally got my hands on them.
Rereading this for the first time after more than twenty years, and after being rather disappointed with The War of the Skylords, the volume which preceded this one in the trilogy, I was very pleasantly surprised by the conclusion to this post-apocalyptic story. Like War of the Sky Lords Brosnan tells the story from a few different view points, including new characters we are introduced to for the first time in this book. However, unlike the previous one we feel rather more connection with those characters (for the most part) and their roles are rather more interesting. The story also brings together all of the different threads and themes which ran through the previous two books and brings them to a (more or less) satisfying conclusion.
While the characters are a little two-dimensional in some ways - people either seem to be inclined towards random brutality and evil, or trusting stupidity and good - the quick movement between them, fast pace of action and advancement of the plot covers these weaknesses for the most part. The casual sex and violence, including exploitation, torture and rape, which make appearances in previous books is perhaps even more present in this book which particularly has a polarising effect on the reader's impression of the characters and really serves to underscore how evil some of them are - but perhaps not without justification considering the end message of the book and the way Brosnan is presenting his world.
A fun book with some good underlying comments on the nature of humanity, our status as an evolving species and the connection with our social behaviour.
Rereading this for the first time after more than twenty years, and after being rather disappointed with The War of the Skylords, the volume which preceded this one in the trilogy, I was very pleasantly surprised by the conclusion to this post-apocalyptic story. Like War of the Sky Lords Brosnan tells the story from a few different view points, including new characters we are introduced to for the first time in this book. However, unlike the previous one we feel rather more connection with those characters (for the most part) and their roles are rather more interesting. The story also brings together all of the different threads and themes which ran through the previous two books and brings them to a (more or less) satisfying conclusion.
While the characters are a little two-dimensional in some ways - people either seem to be inclined towards random brutality and evil, or trusting stupidity and good - the quick movement between them, fast pace of action and advancement of the plot covers these weaknesses for the most part. The casual sex and violence, including exploitation, torture and rape, which make appearances in previous books is perhaps even more present in this book which particularly has a polarising effect on the reader's impression of the characters and really serves to underscore how evil some of them are - but perhaps not without justification considering the end message of the book and the way Brosnan is presenting his world.
A fun book with some good underlying comments on the nature of humanity, our status as an evolving species and the connection with our social behaviour.
May 17, 2016
Отдавна не бях попадал на поредица започваща толкова добре и сгромолясваща се до нивото на крайната и трудночитаема посредственост.
Дори не знам кое да опиша? Тъпите и необясними реакции на героите? Вкарването на втора, трета че даже и четвърта любовна история там, където и първата не е нужна (подсказка - накрая всеки се шиба с всеки. Читателя се шиба с книгата по главата). Измъчените напъни на автора да вкара хуманистична и философска мисъл във всичко, започвайки от пръдните на Майло (или Майлс ли беше?) и вървим нагоре? Или пък тръпчиво киселия на вкус и същевременно силно розов на свят почти хепи енд накрая? На мен последния ми докара силни напъни за повръщане...
Не и просто не.
Дори не знам кое да опиша? Тъпите и необясними реакции на героите? Вкарването на втора, трета че даже и четвърта любовна история там, където и първата не е нужна (подсказка - накрая всеки се шиба с всеки. Читателя се шиба с книгата по главата). Измъчените напъни на автора да вкара хуманистична и философска мисъл във всичко, започвайки от пръдните на Майло (или Майлс ли беше?) и вървим нагоре? Или пък тръпчиво киселия на вкус и същевременно силно розов на свят почти хепи енд накрая? На мен последния ми докара силни напъни за повръщане...
Не и просто не.
September 9, 2017
Има подобрение, разклоняване на няколко сюжетни линии, които този път са ИНТЕРЕСНИ. Главните персонажи са изместени и донякъде доста безучастни. За съжаление второстепенните които се появяват, поне за мен не мога да им бъда съпричастен. Дори напротив, какво става с тяхната съдба ми абсолютно все тази. А и горчивият вкус която ми остава втората част, все още ми стои....
January 14, 2021
Great trilogy. Somewhat disappointing ending. Really thought there was going to be a setup where the two Milo from different worlds would face each other. Surprising ending where humanity lost and became submissive to the machines.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2018
This was a brilliant ending
February 8, 2019
7/10. Media de los 3 libros leídos del autor: 7/10.
En realidad solo me he leído su trilogía de Los señores del cielo, entretenida.
En realidad solo me he leído su trilogía de Los señores del cielo, entretenida.
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March 16, 2021how it ends
March 26, 2022
Kopipejstam mišljenje o prve dvije knjige: drugo čitanje, nakon dvadesetak godina. Preporučam😊
December 12, 2013
Prvo moram reći da se zbilja divim mašti Johna Brosnana. Vrlo dobro je pokazao budućnost i da je nekad potrebna genetska preobrazba ljudi da bi se stvorio mir na Zemlji.
Ovdje upoznajemo malo bolje našu Zemlju budućnosti. Naši dragi likovi, Jan, Robin, Kish, Tyra ostaju, dok se pojavljuju novi kao, Jean-Paul, Ayla, Lon Haddon, Ilija Vuškov, a i novi Milo.
Novi Milo se nalazi u nebeskom naselju, pod imenom brat James, gdje vlada strogi kršćanski duh i gdje se čak ga požudu i mastrubaciju bičuje, a ljude na Zemlji smatraju ukletima. Jan i Robin se nalaze kao i prije kod Eola, gdje se Robin oporavlja. Tu upoznajemo i Phoebus, projekciju koja se pojavljuje kao halucinacija u tuđim mozgovima.
Milo je zarobljen na nebeskom anđelu, dok se Ashley sve više i više kvari. Usput i odrasta u tri mjeseca. Uspije se osloboditi, dajući Ashey lažnu nadu, da je opet imati svoje tijelo, dobija Tyru natrag kao seksualnu robinju, a Kish mu postaje rob. Naravno, do Carla se ne može više doprijeti kad mu je najpotrebiniji.
Milo ubrzo uništava Lorda Molcama, kojeg je prije osvojio Jean-Paul, gdje on i posada padaju u more, a spašavaju ih ljudi iz Palmire, Palmira je zemlja na kojoj nema gljiva i imaju dovoljno resursa za preživjeti, gdje imaju problema s morskim ljudima. Jean-Paul se oporavlja u bolnici, gdje između njega i Ayle raste napestost, a kasnije im pomaže oko morskih ljudi. Pri napadu nebeskih ljudi, Jean biva gadno ozlijeđe, i jedini spas su im nebeski ljudi, koji će ih razočarati
Milo iz nebeskog naselja upsjeva nagovoriti popove, da posjete Kagangu na zemlji, gdje žive većinom rusi pravoslavne vjere, vole se opijati, a njima vlada Ilija Vuškov. S Vuškovom sklapa ugovor da osvoje Palmiru, ali Vuškovu postane sumnjiv nakon što ubije svećenika.
Ubrzo Jan i Robin zauzimaju nebeskog anđela, zarobljavaju Mila i uništavaju Ashley, a ostatk robova je slobodan, a zatim kreću prema Palmiri.
Pamaćani prve prijateljski primaju nebeske ljude, a sljedeći dan bivaju zarobljeni. Ayla pristane biti Milova seksualna robinja da izliječi Jeana i oslobodi oca i brata. Vuškov gubi povjerenje u Mila kad je ovaj spriječio smaknuće Haddona. No Milo ubrzo susreće nepoznatu ženu koja ga prepoznaje i zarobe ju. Jean-Paul shvati da je to Jan Dorvin, u uspiju ubrzo srediti Mila s nebeskog naselja, kojeg na kraju Vuškov pogubi.
Nakon žestoke borbe između raznih strana, ljude se uspije izliječiti i Phoebus shvati da je najbolje riješenje da im promijeni moralni kod.
Jandraži likovi su mi Jean-Paul, Ayla i Jan zbog svog čvrstog karaktera, borbenosti i upornosti da zaštite svoje voljene, a i oba Mila jer su misteriozni i odlični zlikovci. Zadnja knjiga je bila najbolja i puna neočekivanih preokreta, nikad ti nije dosadno i svako malo možete očekivati novu akciju.
Ovdje upoznajemo malo bolje našu Zemlju budućnosti. Naši dragi likovi, Jan, Robin, Kish, Tyra ostaju, dok se pojavljuju novi kao, Jean-Paul, Ayla, Lon Haddon, Ilija Vuškov, a i novi Milo.
Novi Milo se nalazi u nebeskom naselju, pod imenom brat James, gdje vlada strogi kršćanski duh i gdje se čak ga požudu i mastrubaciju bičuje, a ljude na Zemlji smatraju ukletima. Jan i Robin se nalaze kao i prije kod Eola, gdje se Robin oporavlja. Tu upoznajemo i Phoebus, projekciju koja se pojavljuje kao halucinacija u tuđim mozgovima.
Milo je zarobljen na nebeskom anđelu, dok se Ashley sve više i više kvari. Usput i odrasta u tri mjeseca. Uspije se osloboditi, dajući Ashey lažnu nadu, da je opet imati svoje tijelo, dobija Tyru natrag kao seksualnu robinju, a Kish mu postaje rob. Naravno, do Carla se ne može više doprijeti kad mu je najpotrebiniji.
Milo ubrzo uništava Lorda Molcama, kojeg je prije osvojio Jean-Paul, gdje on i posada padaju u more, a spašavaju ih ljudi iz Palmire, Palmira je zemlja na kojoj nema gljiva i imaju dovoljno resursa za preživjeti, gdje imaju problema s morskim ljudima. Jean-Paul se oporavlja u bolnici, gdje između njega i Ayle raste napestost, a kasnije im pomaže oko morskih ljudi. Pri napadu nebeskih ljudi, Jean biva gadno ozlijeđe, i jedini spas su im nebeski ljudi, koji će ih razočarati
Milo iz nebeskog naselja upsjeva nagovoriti popove, da posjete Kagangu na zemlji, gdje žive većinom rusi pravoslavne vjere, vole se opijati, a njima vlada Ilija Vuškov. S Vuškovom sklapa ugovor da osvoje Palmiru, ali Vuškovu postane sumnjiv nakon što ubije svećenika.
Ubrzo Jan i Robin zauzimaju nebeskog anđela, zarobljavaju Mila i uništavaju Ashley, a ostatk robova je slobodan, a zatim kreću prema Palmiri.
Pamaćani prve prijateljski primaju nebeske ljude, a sljedeći dan bivaju zarobljeni. Ayla pristane biti Milova seksualna robinja da izliječi Jeana i oslobodi oca i brata. Vuškov gubi povjerenje u Mila kad je ovaj spriječio smaknuće Haddona. No Milo ubrzo susreće nepoznatu ženu koja ga prepoznaje i zarobe ju. Jean-Paul shvati da je to Jan Dorvin, u uspiju ubrzo srediti Mila s nebeskog naselja, kojeg na kraju Vuškov pogubi.
Nakon žestoke borbe između raznih strana, ljude se uspije izliječiti i Phoebus shvati da je najbolje riješenje da im promijeni moralni kod.
Jandraži likovi su mi Jean-Paul, Ayla i Jan zbog svog čvrstog karaktera, borbenosti i upornosti da zaštite svoje voljene, a i oba Mila jer su misteriozni i odlični zlikovci. Zadnja knjiga je bila najbolja i puna neočekivanih preokreta, nikad ti nije dosadno i svako malo možete očekivati novu akciju.
October 9, 2017
Zadnji nastavak trilogije. Odličan. Najbolji od sve tri knjige. Stalno se nešto događa, iznenadni preokreti, puno akcije, iznenađenja.
Zanimljiv do samog kraja. Brosnan je zbilja imao bujnu maštu.
U ovoj knjizi osim nam starih poznatih likova, upoznajemo i neke nove koji nam isto postaju dragi i srećom požive do samog kraja.
U knjizi se postavlja i jedna intrigantna moralna dvojba, što nam se događa ako nam se oduzme gen agresivnosti? I mijenjamo li se tad? Postajemo li manje ljudi?
Zanimljiv do samog kraja. Brosnan je zbilja imao bujnu maštu.
U ovoj knjizi osim nam starih poznatih likova, upoznajemo i neke nove koji nam isto postaju dragi i srećom požive do samog kraja.
U knjizi se postavlja i jedna intrigantna moralna dvojba, što nam se događa ako nam se oduzme gen agresivnosti? I mijenjamo li se tad? Postajemo li manje ljudi?
August 14, 2012
За съжаление предвидих края на книгата още в самото начало. Почти цялото действие беше пълнеж. Не знам на какво се дължи непреодолимото желание на писателите да дадат край на историята си, но понякога приказката е по-добре без край.
February 1, 2010
great vintage scifi
August 15, 2015
I love this trilogy. It's a good page turner.
July 25, 2013
They had me going until the end. Then it dropped so flat I was shocked!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews