World Without End

Moontide and Magic Rise #1

by Sean Russell

When naturalist Tristam Flattery is summoned to save a plant species with magical, medicinal properties, he is drawn into a political struggle that spans generations, threatens civilization, and leads him to the ends of the known world. Original.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1995

About the author

Aka Sean Thomas Russell

Sean Russel has co-written, with Ian Dennis, a mystery series called "Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner". The first volume of the series was published by Bantam under their joint pen name, T.F. Banks.

Sean Russell was born 1952 in Toronto. At the age of three his family moved to the outskirts of the city, where they lived in a cottage at the beach of Lake Ontario. At the age of ten he decided to become an author, and the fantasy genre caught him years later, while reading J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. After university, he moved to Vancouver, and two years later to Vancouver Island, where he still lives with his family. He published his first novel in 1991.His first historical naval novel Under Enemy Colours, published in 2007, introduced a new Royal Navy hero, Charles Hayden, and HMS Themis, a fictitious frigate.

Mr. Russell cites history as one of his passions, collects old yachting and sailing books, skis, sails and travels. Past interests include caving, rock climbing, hiking, and racing sailboats.

Reviews

[Chris Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I only give four stars to contemporary SF and Fantasy no matter how good it is. I save the five stars for the Immortal Classics. But some books are just so astounding that the rules need to be rewritten for them. This whole series falls into that category. It was steampunk before steampunk, and urban fantasy before UF became the hot new thing. Russell's world has all the magic and intrigue of steampunk with none of the copycat factor. And it deals with the real and profound issues of Victorian society instead of getting hung up on fashion accessories and whether or not they put skirts on piano legs. Plus, it is a great End of the Age of Magic story ... And I'm a sucker for those. Imagine A. S. Byatt turning her hand to popular fantasy, and you've got some idea of what Sean Russell does in these books. Yes, it's a fun ride ... But he also raises big questions about the relationship between science and spirituality, faith and reason, men and women, that will linger long after you've turned the last page.

[Phyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good, but it was very clear that this was just the first half of the very large story, so it was obviously not a story in itself. Russell tried very hard to give this book its own rise in action and climax, and once we finally got to it, it was at least intriguing. And it did make me eager to get to the second book right away. There was the feeling of "Now the story is *really* getting interesting."

It wasn't that the story in this volume wasn't interesting -- it just took a long time for everything to develop. But the characters were well drawn, and it wasn't hard to adopt favourites pretty quickly. I loved the main character, Tristam, even while I felt that we were actually too much outside, observing him, rather than being right there in his head with him. I also quite liked his cousin, Jaimas, and wished that we could see more of him, but Tristam was so very much the centre of things that I was sorry we didn't. (I got my wish in the second book, though...)

I was uneasy about Tristam occasionally, though, because so often there seemed to be evidence that certain characters were using him or had ulterior motives -- yet he continued to trust them. There didn't seem to be any rationale for it, and I felt like he wasn't behaving like a real person. So even though I liked him, I wasn't entirely satisfied with how he was portrayed.

The thing that was greatest about the book, to me, was the court intrigue. That was really, REALLY well done, and I frequently laughed in delight, thinking to myself, "I don't know whose side anybody is on!" In fact, I wasn't even sure how many sides there were, in the first place. I thought that was probably very much like a royal court in this sort of society.

I did enjoy the book, but I sometimes wondered, with both this and the next one (which was far more gripping) whether they could have been written with half or 2/3 the length.

[Fantasy boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

World without End is a slow paced fantasy book, which the plot developments hardly have been seen in this book. The duology Moontide and Magic Rise was split into two books, maybe this is the reason why World Without End seems a slow book for me, I am planing on read the second book of the series. But I am not sure when. The story is about an empiricist who believe the science from experiences rather than occult or magic. His doctrine was that These enigmatic phenomenon all have logic explanations base on science. However, He received a message from his king and the king told him that he was dying and he must find a peculiar type of herb to sustain the king's life. The journey would entirely change his belief after he realized that Magic was still existed and he was one of the magician's Descendant. This is a interesting book without telling you directly is magic existed or not, every extraordinary experiences all from the perspective of the protagonist. You never sure what would happen next when magic and science coexist in the world.
The writing style is quite fluent for me to read, It quite acutely depicts the atmosphere of this magician's world. The writing is lyrical and poetic both are elicited the ancient mythos of this book. easily imagine the unique buildings and breathtaking views. After all, World Without End is a hidden gem with beautiful writing among fantasy books.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Note: World Without End, is technically the first book in the Moontide and Magic Rise duology, however it really is just the first volume of the book, which was split in two simply due to the length of the text. I purchased the first editions, and each is a mass-market paperback of 600~ pages, simply too much material for one volume. A few years ago DAW republished the books in a single omnibus volume.

Note 2: I really love the cover of the original book, its much better than the omnibus cover.

Wow, just wow. World Without End is astonishingly good. Perhaps its just nostalgia, but I love a good nautical novel with elements of discovery and adventure. As a kid, my favorite books belonged to this genre, R.M. Ballantyne’s books specifically, but they have aged poorly enough in my mind that I can’t enjoy them anymore. Unlike Ballantyne’s books, which generally feature a flawlessly manly, heroic, virtuous, righteous etc. main character who remains impeccable in the face of adversity, Tristam, this books main character, is flawed, lackluster, filled with self-doubts, driven by fleeting passions, but he learns to be courageous, courteous, and discards some of his youthful inexperience. I felt as if I was along for Tristam’s journey, lapping in his botanical enthusiasm and sympathizing with his naivete at every turn of the page.

Plot: 4 out of 5
Setting/Worldbuilding: 4.5 out of 5
Characters: 4 out of 5
Writing Style 5 out of 5
Personal Enjoyment: 5 out of 5

In the introduction to the omnibus edition, Russell writes:

World Without End had a simple premise, though one that was somewhat original for its time. What if a young naturalist, like Charles Darwin, was sent on a long voyage to distant parts of the earth, but instead of discovering a foundational theory of biological science, discovered magic existed?

While this is certainly a plot element, there is so much more going on in this story. Courtly drama and politics, conflicted characters, diplomatic intrigue all flow together relatively seamlessly. While it is pretty easy to figure out what the Regis plant’s function is, the rest of the plot remains rather subversive and intriguing.

The ‘romance’ in this book, if it can be called that, is a nuance filled one, and despite my general loathing of the object Tristam’s fascination, Russell perfectly counterbalances irrational emotional desire against caution and instinct.

Simply because World Without End is only the first half of the story, I can’t elaborate at length on the book, because so many things remain unresolved. I have already enthusiastically started the second volume, Sea Without a Shore.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked:
• Nautical adventure!
• Naturalism!
• Fantasy!
• Subtle court intrigue!
• Immersive world-building!
• And for some reason, I’m a sucker for pretty much any variation on the name “Tristan”.

What I didn’t like:
• Too much romance.
• At times, it was too slow.
• The duchess: If the plan was to make us feel sympathy for her, it failed miserably. If the plan was to make us hate her, then well done. Every interaction between her and Tristam was maddening to the point that I almost quit the book a couple times. Unfortunately, they spend basically the entire book together. Tristam is supposed to be an intelligent man, but he’s constantly manipulated by her, even when he knows better. Even when he knows that she used him, he forgives her because she smiles at him. Her character and Tristam’s mindless lust for her are the reason I dropped the book down to 4 stars, almost 3.

But if I take a deep breath and let that go, I truly enjoyed the slow-burning build-up, the elegant prose, and the magically-charged atmosphere. And it was nice to follow a polite naturalist rather than a hardened warrior for once.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

How is it that I have never heard of this author? And a Canadian to boot! This novel had everything I love about fantasy. Political intrigue, a hint of magic forgotten or lost (reminds me of A Song of Ice and Fire) and all things nautical. Imagine a world set circa 1830’s where natural philosophers were prevalent and there are allusions to Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell. Imagine a world where mages were once prevalent but gone. Imagine that the protagonist (who is very alike to Joseph Banks) goes on a journey similar to Captain Cook and his his explorations along with a dash of Master and Commander on the Far Side of the World. Imagine that there are ruins that allude to Mayan ruins buried in the jungles with a long lost civilization that are waiting to be explored. I can’t wait to read the next book!

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not only does this book take a really long time to get going, but the ending is very abrupt. I recognize that this is part of a series, but I got the impression that I was being goaded into reading the next one before I finished. I could tell when I got down to the last hundred pages that, judging by the pace thus far, there was no way things were going to be resolved. I'm not sure I'll pick up the next one, although I admit I am a bit curious to see where things go.

As far as plot goes, things were a bit too coincidental. I get the impression that a lot of this was a deliberate choice by the author, but there was a little too much of it for my taste. It felt... kitschy in a way.

I must say that Russell develops characters very well, though his means of describing their interactions seemed limited. It's always a hand just so or skirts just so or what have you. Thankfully this was offset by Russell's exceptional skill at integrating observations about flora and fauna. Considering that most of the story is from the point of view of a naturalist, this is appropriate. However, I would like to stress that Russell transforms what would be droll scientific descriptions by a naturalist into precise, wondrous descriptions of scenery and animal life. I did not find the use of Latin names to be tedious in the slightest, though such uses are aplenty.

Because my judgment on the novel as a whole often wavered, the pace was often tedious and the ending was shockingly abrupt, I cannot give more than two stars.

[Megan Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

My actual rating is closer to 3.5, but since goodreads doesn't allow half-star ratings, I gave this one a bump for its epic descriptions and one really intense suspense sequence.

This is not your typical fantasy story. The main character is no sword-wielding badass. He's a botanist. And somehow the story surrounding his journey manages to be interesting at least 90% of the time. The world here is obviously extensively researched (though it's also obviously based on England and France) and written in such a way that it becomes completely immersive. It is easy to imagine this world, to imagine moving and living within it. It leaps off the page.

But the biggest obstacle to my enjoyment was the obvious manipulation of the main character by the story's female lead. Despite being an intelligent man (and being written as one), he allows himself to be led around by the nose by this woman because he is desperately in lust (not love) with her. The dynamic between the two of them is downright infuriating and often detracted from the more interesting pieces of the plot.

This book is also incredibly grudging with its revelations. After 550 some pages of flaunting secrets in the reader's face, all the revelations are left for the second book. I get that this is probably one giant story carved into two for ease of publication, but it would have been nice to have some pay off after 600 pages of investment.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean Russell has a certain style, it's slow to build, and filed with details. Then, slowly, he brings together all of the details he's dropped into the mix, and suddenly you're in the middle of whatever conflict has been hinted at. It's a style that doesn't work for every reader, but for me...... well, let's just say he's on my shortlist of the Best in Fantasy.
This was the first Sean Russell book I read. I remember seeing the book in Barnes and Noble, the strange stylized cover art. and I remember seeing the size of the book and being put off a little. Finally I decided to read this book that so caught my eye. And boy am I glad I did.
It is the story of young Tristran Flattery, his cousin, his friends, and the fascinating tale of his deceased guardian, the mysterious Erasmus, who may or may not have known the secrets of the vanished mages.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmm.. i like the concept, but it drags on so. i really love The Initiate Brother, so i want to like other Sean Russell but i can't get into it. i didn't realize when i picked it up that it was connected to Under The Vaulted Hills, I read that a few years back and got impatient with all the cave-wandering. this is somewhat similar, except they're on a sailing ship. i think the characters don't have enough depth to keep it afloat.. there's too much mystery and scheming and not enough humanity.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interminable ship sailing takes up most of book. I wanted adventure, not proverbial creaks and groans of ship framework.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookstore find. I really enjoyed Russell’s “Initiate Brother” duology, though I only realized after purchase it was that author. The premise sounded good, so I was pleased by what I took as confirmation upon that discovery.

And I did really enjoy it. It ended mid story, which was annoying, but I knew to expect it from reviews. I think I would have been very irritated if I hadn’t know what was coming, because it truly does stop in the middle of everything. I understand an already 600+ book needs to be broken up to make it manageable, but it wasn’t written that way.

I did get a bit frustrated with Tristram’s wishy-washyness over the Duchess, but maybe that’s authentic to a man dangling after a woman?

The world building was fun. I liked the combination of magic and scientific method. It gave it an early Victorian flavor that still felt unique because of the details of geography and magic.

Very interested to see where it goes in book two.

[Lauren]

DNF at about 10%, and I had to skim the last 10 pages of it to get to that point. Well-written, but dense and slow-paced, and you have to care about the intricate details of Russell's secondary world, alternate England flora, because the protagonist Tristam is a botanist, and his mission is to save a species of plant from dying for the king. That's about the extent of the character's personality as well. The only female character is a noble woman whose character can be summed up as "beautiful", via the male protagonist's point of view of course. Apparently part of this 600 page book is about their romance, even though Russell made sure to write a whole paragraph about Tristam looking in the mirror and thinking to himself how he's odd-looking, therefore women aren't into him. Too tedious for me to bother continuing.

[Bernard S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I created an account to say: Please do not start on this book. It is not necessary bad, but that’s the problem. It is just good enough to kept you reading the whole 2000 pages while wishing you haven’t. The whole story is like a closed world video game where the characters got lead to one predetermined place after another to fulfill predetermined requirements or seeing some sign… with just enough charm to make you hope it will lead to something, which it doesn’t. It’s so bad that me and my housemate decided we won’t donate it or even leave it at the little street libraries. We will give them to ppl we really really don’t like and have them suffer like we did.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Although a slower plot with a long build up, I loved reading about Tristam who is the ever scientific botanist and naturalist, go on a seafaring adventure and come to terms with magic. In this world, the mages of the past are long forgotten, but will they be rediscovered? At this one point the exploration and discoveries of uncharted territory reminded me of my own experience seeing Tulum.

4/5 stars ⭐️

[Danny · Rating 2 out of 5]

World Without End more like Book Without End. I suppose this writing style just isn't for me, extremely slow paced. Seems as though 90% of this book took place aboard ship. I was interested enough to finish, at least.

[M.Marie.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly gripping, given the pseudo-15th century narration style from an explorer/empiricist wandering the seas a la Darwin.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book in high school. It's entertaining enough. It does not pass the Bechdel test.
Ends in a cliff hanger.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fin og dejlig bog, sat i en fantasyverden der er nået ind i renæssancen. Magikerne er for længst forsvundet og fornuften har indtaget dens plads... well mostly.

[Megan]

DNS 6/19/23

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty freaking sweet

[Ames Ped · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a 606 page character development precursor for the actual story. Nothing really happened.

[Martyn F · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole book is a very long introduction to the real story of the second book. So it is pretty long winded, but, surprisingly enough, seldom boring.

Interesting characters. Interesting setting. And once they leave Farrow the story picks up speed. Which I hope will continue in the next part.

Edit: The next part sees a bit more action than the first one. That is good.

But the part of Tristan is a lot smaller. Instead the focus lies more on the intrigue at court, which I found less interesting. You are also kept in dark about what is really going on too long and that made it less interesting for me.

I liked his Initiate brother series better.

[James Oden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my only data point, but I have to say Sean Russell is a solid writer. His prose feels like reading some of the great literary authors out of the 19th century. He paints picturesque scenes, and his characterization leaves you feeling like you are dealing with very and distinct individuals. He also seems to spend much time researching the era within which he sets his stories. The attention to detail with regard to rigged ship terminology, for example, was really quite amazing (frankly, I think I would do well to go and study all parts of a rigged ship and re-read the book). So just from the point of view of such well written/lovely prose I rate this book highly.

The story itself takes place in an alternate world set in a 1600-1700's Europe style world. Though magic is hinted at throughout the book, the book is set in an age of reason where empericist hold sway, and that which cannot be observed and measured is held in disdain. However, their history clearly speaks of mages who held great power inhabiting their almost recent past and the main character, Tristam Flattery, is said to be related to one of the last. Tristam, a talented naturalist, is from the beginning thrown into the intrigues of the court. This is very much against his own inclination as in truth he merely wishes to pursue his science. Despite his wishes though, we find that interest in Tristam goes well beyond his own nations borders and he is unbeknownst to him wrapped up in an intrigue whose result will likely be globally impacting.

I especially like the way that Russell was able to allow us to see the changes in Tristam's character as the story progressed. In the beginning I can't say that I especially liked Tristam, and certainly from his beginnings one did not see the makings of a hero. However, little by little Tristam becomes stronger emotionally as he transverses the various crises in the book. Also, the way that Russell shows Tristam slowly, very slowly, accepting his role in this mage business is quite masterfully done. I suppose at some points, I wanted to throttle Tristam and ask him, "How can you not possibly get what is going on". In Russell's defense Tristam was an empericist in such a deep and fundamental way that the pace he took towards realization of the non-empirical side of life was completely in keeping with who Tristam was.

Russell's treatment of the theme of the balance between our rational and irrational selves is commendable. In the book Tristam is constantly struggling between both, and becomes more and more aware of the need for both. What is so nice about Russell's treatment of this is that he does not overly focus on it, but through consistent treatment of the theme throughout the book his point is hit home.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

World Without End is the first in a two-book series called Moontide and Magic Rise. The milieu is a world that resembles Europe of the late 18th or early 19th century, a time when empiricism and science are on the rise. The twist is that these new ways are replacing the old ways of the powerful Mages, who mysteriously obliterated all traces of magic from the world before their passing. Our central character is Tristam Flattery, a promising young naturalist who is also the nephew and heir of the legendary Erasmus Flattery, the apparent assistant to the last known Mage.

Tristam is sent off on a voyage of discovery, to find a magical herb that his king needs and to do the scientific work of classifying undiscovered species of plants and animals that could make his career as a naturalist. Not surprisingly, over the course of the two novels young Tristam Flattery comes to realize that he is a man of Talent, born with the potential to become a Mage. He also, however, discovers the costs to himself and to the world that this great power would entail. Meanwhile, back home the rest of the cast of characters is dealing with political intrigue as various factions on Farrland seek to rediscover the secrets of the mages for their own ends or to prevent this knowledge from coming to light. Russell weaves an impressive tapestry of intrigue and convincingly paints a number of characters, so that by the end of the series, Tristam is just barely still the "main" character.

Although there's action here, it's primarily a story driven by the characters and the political and social intrigue. What's central to the story is getting to know these characters and figuring out who we can trust and like and who we can't, to figure out what's going on along with the characters and then see how this complex web is finally resolved.

It was a good read: Russell flat-out knows how to write, and his world here features very subtle magic and a much different setting than most fantasy. No elves or dwarves here, no knights on horseback and no epic battles, but there's still plenty going on to hold one's interest.

[Paul Gazis · Rating 5 out of 5]

World Without End by Sean Russell and its sequel, Sea Without a Shore, were one of my most treasured discoveries of the 90s. They’re a combination of political intrigue, adventure thriller, nautical adventure, and regency set in a world at the dawn of its scientific revolution, and the author pulls it off quite well. This world resembles ours of Issac Newton or Captain James Cook’s day – it even has analogues of our England, France, and Germany – but with one important exception. In this world, mages did exist. They dwelt apart from society, left alone because of their very real power. Then, a generation or two before the events of the story, they stopped training successors, took steps to ensure that their arts could never be recovered, and became extinct. Why, you may wonder, would they do such a thing? This question is central to the story. And the author offers clues so cleverly and well that you owe it to yourself to read it.

The book has several other qualities that make it stand out. The characters are engaging – people you can admire, and wouldn’t mind getting to know. They also behave in a realistic fashion. When someone shoots an arrow at one, he doesn’t suddenly produce a sword from nowhere and turn into Dorgon, the Mighty Warrior. Instead he thinks, “Wow, those chappies just tried to kill us! We’d better clear out!” Finally, in a world full of books about powerful enchantresses, noble knights, stalwart barbarians, sorcerous children seeking their lost inheritance... and yes, Dorgon, the Mighty Warrior... its great to come across a story that really is different, and well-written too.

[Stephen Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've read a fantasy book where the protagonist is a botanist. That said, this book is similar to Marie Brennan's Lady Trent series where the main character is a naturalist pursuing some sort of natural phenomenon. I love the setup of the story, and the plot allows for marvelous world building through the character's investigation to a possibly magical plant that could be going extinct. This book didn't have a lot of action to it, as it felt like it was setting up for the sequel novel, but that's okay. The only thing I thought was a little weird of the main character's acquiescence to being used by an older woman (but whatever floats his boat, I suppose). Overall, I hope I can get my hand on the sequel someday.

[William K · Rating 2 out of 5]

World Without End tricks you into thinking the story revolves around Tristam Flattery. Tristam's eccentric uncle dies and leaves behind a bunch of loose ends which lead him to a ship...The Swallow. The Swallow boasts a crew and guest manifest which would make the Enterprise jealous. Romantic intrigue, mysticism, and a quest to save the king. The author goes out of his way to put you on the deck of the boat along with Tristam. Learning a little about Tristam's adventure, his libido and multitudes of knowledge about sailing the high sea. By the end of the 600+ page journey it will leave you wondering...A second book?

[Laura Gilfillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tristam Flattery, a promising young naturalist, is summoned to the royal court to try to revitalize a mysterious and secret plant. While there, he is drawn into a political struggle between forces that would like to revive the age of the mages versus those who want to stop it. He ends up on a voyage of discovery, as the ship's naturalist, but he is caught in a the grip of a destiny that pulls him unwillingly towards the development of his magical powers.

[Tankerbay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, seems I swapped this review with the one for #2. Anyway, this pair of books had a good, epic storyline. A little fantastic, as if he couldn't decide if this was a rational world or a magical one. It turns out that dichotomy was the major plot point, only not obviously so until the very end. So.... I guess I'd call the main plot-line a little subtle.

Not something I'll read again, but I'm not disappointed I read it.