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A Gateway Made Of Bone
The Seelie Court controls an empire of a thousand suns, each world linked to the next by the black oneirium gateways of the Sacred Guild of Gatemakers. While the empire plunders the conquered worlds to stave off its own destruction, Edenist rebels fight for independence. Caught somewhere in between is Celandine Brey, orphan, apprentice gatemaker and key to a treasure of untold wealth.
Chased by imperial agents and corrupt soldiers, Celandine is aided in her quest by Mr Sukh, mute veteran of the Engine Wars, Orlando Swaan, Edenist and naïve schemer, and Ana Zanbir, a demon-hunter on the run from her husband-creator, now bound to Celandine by an unbreakable oath.
From the narcotic grasslands of Aphid to the ancient temples of Nachista, from the high-rise cityscape of Termagore to the junk world of Immonda, A Gateway Made Of Bone is a fantastic journey through the conflict and chaos of a civilisation on the verge of collapse.
Chased by imperial agents and corrupt soldiers, Celandine is aided in her quest by Mr Sukh, mute veteran of the Engine Wars, Orlando Swaan, Edenist and naïve schemer, and Ana Zanbir, a demon-hunter on the run from her husband-creator, now bound to Celandine by an unbreakable oath.
From the narcotic grasslands of Aphid to the ancient temples of Nachista, from the high-rise cityscape of Termagore to the junk world of Immonda, A Gateway Made Of Bone is a fantastic journey through the conflict and chaos of a civilisation on the verge of collapse.
- GenresFantasy
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Iain Grant
53 books80 followersIain Grant is, with Heide Goody, co-author of more books than he can count.
Lots of people seem to like the Clovenhoof books, in which Satan loses his job and has to move to suburbia.
The Oddjobs series of books is also very popular, in which alien horrors set to invade our world must first get past the British civil servants assigned to keeping them under wraps.
Heide and Iain are also responsible for various other bits of funny and fantastical nonsense.
Lots of people seem to like the Clovenhoof books, in which Satan loses his job and has to move to suburbia.
The Oddjobs series of books is also very popular, in which alien horrors set to invade our world must first get past the British civil servants assigned to keeping them under wraps.
Heide and Iain are also responsible for various other bits of funny and fantastical nonsense.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 30, 2012
A Gateway Made of Bone follows the story of Celandine Brey.
Celandine was brought up in an orphanage, so she hadn't imagined a life where she might go travelling. She definitely hadn't planned a journey across multiple worlds, each more fascinating than the last.
It's the discovery of a rare talent that sets her apart from the other orphans. It's discovered by someone who comes to the orphanage looking for a very particular child...
We watch as she's launched onto her journey by a violent encounter that makes her realise that others out there know more about her mother than she does. All she finds out is that her mother has left something for her, something so precious that others will kill to get to it first.
She picks up some travelling companions along the way. There's Ana, the demon-hunting clone who has sworn to protect Celandine. There's Mr Sukh, the war veteran whose tongue has been cut out by his enemies, but who speaks volumes with his scimitar. Then there's Orlando, an awkward youth with few special talents, but a puppy-like devotion to Celandine.
The characters are such fun that you'll want to spend more time with them. Even the villains are complex and interesting, with more than a dash of humour in the evil punishments dished out by Sepulin, who believes that he can be much more creative than simply killing his enemies...
The worlds will take your breath away with their richly-imagined variety. Some places will seem tantalisingly familiar, while others are less so. Would humans really create a world entirely dedicated to the production of drugs? Of course they would.
The quality of the writing is stunning. We get the details that we want, but we're left to fill in the blanks ourselves. There isn't a single scene in the novel that 's slow-paced or dull; it's a delight from start to finish. I guarantee that you'll be thinking of Celandine and the breath-taking legacy from her mother long after you finish the novel.
Celandine was brought up in an orphanage, so she hadn't imagined a life where she might go travelling. She definitely hadn't planned a journey across multiple worlds, each more fascinating than the last.
It's the discovery of a rare talent that sets her apart from the other orphans. It's discovered by someone who comes to the orphanage looking for a very particular child...
We watch as she's launched onto her journey by a violent encounter that makes her realise that others out there know more about her mother than she does. All she finds out is that her mother has left something for her, something so precious that others will kill to get to it first.
She picks up some travelling companions along the way. There's Ana, the demon-hunting clone who has sworn to protect Celandine. There's Mr Sukh, the war veteran whose tongue has been cut out by his enemies, but who speaks volumes with his scimitar. Then there's Orlando, an awkward youth with few special talents, but a puppy-like devotion to Celandine.
The characters are such fun that you'll want to spend more time with them. Even the villains are complex and interesting, with more than a dash of humour in the evil punishments dished out by Sepulin, who believes that he can be much more creative than simply killing his enemies...
The worlds will take your breath away with their richly-imagined variety. Some places will seem tantalisingly familiar, while others are less so. Would humans really create a world entirely dedicated to the production of drugs? Of course they would.
The quality of the writing is stunning. We get the details that we want, but we're left to fill in the blanks ourselves. There isn't a single scene in the novel that 's slow-paced or dull; it's a delight from start to finish. I guarantee that you'll be thinking of Celandine and the breath-taking legacy from her mother long after you finish the novel.
March 29, 2013
Gateway is a great way to ease yourself into sci-fi, steam-punk fantasy. It offers all the motifs that genre fans expect (superbly-detailed worlds, an endless cast, intelligent concepts) whilst delivering enough to satisfy mainstream readers and newcomers alike (humour, lovable characters, snappy dialogue, action). This is a difficult balance to achieve but Iain Grant treads the fine line without slipping.
The plot may feel familiar to those who have read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials: a young girl with a particular talent and famous parents must travel between worlds with eclectic companions to achieve her destiny, finding the last remaining titan, whilst fleeing a totalitarian power. However, being compared to Philip Pullman's award-winning trilogy is by no means a bad thing and it will be interesting to see how Grant develops this into a trilogy over the next few years.
Where Grant excels is the sheer generosity of his writing. A lesser writer may have held back some of the great ideas on offer here for a future book. Instead, Grant provides high quality concepts at a dizzying rate. The pages are packed memorable characters, moments, one-liners and twists. The reader will be rewarded with Tolkien-esque detail. Each world is drawn with its own religions, histories, environments and people, although thankfully Grant is more concise in his description than Tolkien.
Going into specifics would detract from the constant surprises of the tale but, suffice it to say, this is a novel of demons and krakens; of circus assassins and clones; of dying worlds and hidden worlds. There is a Library the size of a city housing sentient books and a world covered in garbage harbouring a missing pirate ship. Best of all, there is an army of killer toy dolls named the Penny Dreadfuls which appear just in time for the novel's climatic battle.
The revelations towards the end offer much reward for the reader and you will certainly be left wanting more.
The plot may feel familiar to those who have read Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials: a young girl with a particular talent and famous parents must travel between worlds with eclectic companions to achieve her destiny, finding the last remaining titan, whilst fleeing a totalitarian power. However, being compared to Philip Pullman's award-winning trilogy is by no means a bad thing and it will be interesting to see how Grant develops this into a trilogy over the next few years.
Where Grant excels is the sheer generosity of his writing. A lesser writer may have held back some of the great ideas on offer here for a future book. Instead, Grant provides high quality concepts at a dizzying rate. The pages are packed memorable characters, moments, one-liners and twists. The reader will be rewarded with Tolkien-esque detail. Each world is drawn with its own religions, histories, environments and people, although thankfully Grant is more concise in his description than Tolkien.
Going into specifics would detract from the constant surprises of the tale but, suffice it to say, this is a novel of demons and krakens; of circus assassins and clones; of dying worlds and hidden worlds. There is a Library the size of a city housing sentient books and a world covered in garbage harbouring a missing pirate ship. Best of all, there is an army of killer toy dolls named the Penny Dreadfuls which appear just in time for the novel's climatic battle.
The revelations towards the end offer much reward for the reader and you will certainly be left wanting more.
February 8, 2013
I really enjoyed this. I always envy authors who can create such intricate, fascinating, and engrossing worlds and then people them with equally interesting characters. Well plotted with lots of action and an important message. A great read:)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews