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Deneb
Deneb: the most exciting, challenging, and thought-provoking science fiction epic of the decade. With dozens of characters from seven distinct cultures, Deneb throws life-or-death goals and immediate needs into dire conflict, pitting one beloved character against another. Few will survive. Many will suffer. The stakes are enormous.
The sky was too strange to be real. The forest was too quiet to be theirs. The place was brutal, deadly, unyielding—and beautiful. All of it had but one purpose: A purpose realized in the arrival of 91 passengers on a late afternoon flight to Chicago. Their actions under a green sky, their deeds in a too-quiet forest, their answer to ancient truths, would determine the destiny of humankind.
The forces of nature arrayed against him, a war hero used all his skill—and courage—to safely land a jumbo jet in the Wisconsin wilderness. Before the day was over, half the survivors of Pacific Airlines Flight 159 would be dead. Those who lived would face terrors of man and beast, mountain and forest, mind and spirit. “We need to make this place our own,” but to do so, they had to face each other, their inner selves, and those who had long been there. The natives’ ancient tales spoke of Bright Walker and the Man of One Eye, the Wolf of Fear and the Wolf of Truth. Every one of their ancient stories—the Visions of Wonder, the Visions of Terror—the accumulated wisdom of 45,000 years—came to life in the flesh-and-blood passengers of a 21st century commercial jet.
The arrival of Flight 159 in a surreal place-out-of-time was neither accident nor destiny. “Someone brought us here,” but the key to understanding the survivors’ role was to be found a thousand years in the future and a thousand generations in the past. Understanding came in dreams and visions, in an outcast albino and a young track and field athlete, in a Texas junk dealer and a Toronto soap salesman. By the end of the year, the survivors, driven by will and desire and conscience, took up arms to defeat and destroy each other. On a great field of battle, standing at the fore of 60,000 warriors, they launched the cataclysmic battle that would decide the future of the human race.
Brimming with symbolism, metaphor, allusions to stories ancient and new, Deneb is not merely high adventure and compelling science fiction. Deneb is a story full to overflowing with ideas to be savored, concepts to be discussed, notions you will find challenging, discomforting, and worthy of contemplation and analysis, disagreement and debate. Deneb will build a road not only to revelry and enjoyment, it will blaze a trail to your psyche—and to your heart. The greatest adventure of the decade awaits!
The sky was too strange to be real. The forest was too quiet to be theirs. The place was brutal, deadly, unyielding—and beautiful. All of it had but one purpose: A purpose realized in the arrival of 91 passengers on a late afternoon flight to Chicago. Their actions under a green sky, their deeds in a too-quiet forest, their answer to ancient truths, would determine the destiny of humankind.
The forces of nature arrayed against him, a war hero used all his skill—and courage—to safely land a jumbo jet in the Wisconsin wilderness. Before the day was over, half the survivors of Pacific Airlines Flight 159 would be dead. Those who lived would face terrors of man and beast, mountain and forest, mind and spirit. “We need to make this place our own,” but to do so, they had to face each other, their inner selves, and those who had long been there. The natives’ ancient tales spoke of Bright Walker and the Man of One Eye, the Wolf of Fear and the Wolf of Truth. Every one of their ancient stories—the Visions of Wonder, the Visions of Terror—the accumulated wisdom of 45,000 years—came to life in the flesh-and-blood passengers of a 21st century commercial jet.
The arrival of Flight 159 in a surreal place-out-of-time was neither accident nor destiny. “Someone brought us here,” but the key to understanding the survivors’ role was to be found a thousand years in the future and a thousand generations in the past. Understanding came in dreams and visions, in an outcast albino and a young track and field athlete, in a Texas junk dealer and a Toronto soap salesman. By the end of the year, the survivors, driven by will and desire and conscience, took up arms to defeat and destroy each other. On a great field of battle, standing at the fore of 60,000 warriors, they launched the cataclysmic battle that would decide the future of the human race.
Brimming with symbolism, metaphor, allusions to stories ancient and new, Deneb is not merely high adventure and compelling science fiction. Deneb is a story full to overflowing with ideas to be savored, concepts to be discussed, notions you will find challenging, discomforting, and worthy of contemplation and analysis, disagreement and debate. Deneb will build a road not only to revelry and enjoyment, it will blaze a trail to your psyche—and to your heart. The greatest adventure of the decade awaits!
803 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2013
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Pearson Moore
54 books19 followersPearson Moore is the author of "Deneb," the most exciting science fiction epic of the decade. "Deneb" follows dozens of memorable characters thrown into a hostile, alien environment as they scramble to understand the deeply-layered mysteries that control their lives. As they dig into ancient visions and secrets, they discover a web of conspiracies and evil intentions that span 45,000 years of history and call into question the most basic of assumptions about human will, desire, and destiny. With profound allusions to literature old and new, "Deneb" is a story that will stay with readers for years to come.
Moore is the bestselling author of "LOST Humanity," for many years the #1 bestselling companion book to the television series LOST, written in the style that has earned him tens of thousands of followers worldwide. As well as authoring several LOST-related volumes, including "LOST Identity," Pearson has written well-received companion books for both Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad.
With over 100 essays on LOST, read at over 40,000 websites around the world, Moore is recognized as a leading authority on the groundbreaking television series. "LOST Humanity" was the #1 Bestseller in its class for 14 weeks in 2011 and several weeks in 2012. His second book on LOST, "LOST Identity," includes illustrations by renowned LOST artist ArtGUS, and concentrates on the unique characters of LOST. Moore edited the highly regarded "LOST Thought" and "LOST Thought University Edition," now required reading in many college film and drama courses.
Moore has been Featured Writer at SL-Lost.com, the Dark UFO website, Westeros.org, and WinterIsComing.com. In addition to "Game of Thrones Season One Essays" and "Game of Thrones Season Two Essays," he is author of the "Thrones Questions and Comments" series of Game of Thrones books which analyze the television series in the rich, insightful essay format that has become his hallmark.
Pearson Moore writes in several genres, including historical fiction, science fiction, and current events non-fiction. His first novel, "Cartier's Ring," was published in April, 2011. "Cartier's Ring" is the story of the founding of Canada in 1608 as seen from the Aboriginal perspective. Moore has also written "Intolerable Loyalty," a novel set in Québec during the American Revolutionary War, and "Trinity," a science fiction novel treating the emergence of a genetically unique population and its social and political implications.
Moore is the bestselling author of "LOST Humanity," for many years the #1 bestselling companion book to the television series LOST, written in the style that has earned him tens of thousands of followers worldwide. As well as authoring several LOST-related volumes, including "LOST Identity," Pearson has written well-received companion books for both Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad.
With over 100 essays on LOST, read at over 40,000 websites around the world, Moore is recognized as a leading authority on the groundbreaking television series. "LOST Humanity" was the #1 Bestseller in its class for 14 weeks in 2011 and several weeks in 2012. His second book on LOST, "LOST Identity," includes illustrations by renowned LOST artist ArtGUS, and concentrates on the unique characters of LOST. Moore edited the highly regarded "LOST Thought" and "LOST Thought University Edition," now required reading in many college film and drama courses.
Moore has been Featured Writer at SL-Lost.com, the Dark UFO website, Westeros.org, and WinterIsComing.com. In addition to "Game of Thrones Season One Essays" and "Game of Thrones Season Two Essays," he is author of the "Thrones Questions and Comments" series of Game of Thrones books which analyze the television series in the rich, insightful essay format that has become his hallmark.
Pearson Moore writes in several genres, including historical fiction, science fiction, and current events non-fiction. His first novel, "Cartier's Ring," was published in April, 2011. "Cartier's Ring" is the story of the founding of Canada in 1608 as seen from the Aboriginal perspective. Moore has also written "Intolerable Loyalty," a novel set in Québec during the American Revolutionary War, and "Trinity," a science fiction novel treating the emergence of a genetically unique population and its social and political implications.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 2, 2015
Disclaimer - I received a free copy of this book for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
Alright, so I was quite sorry to reach the end. The author has done a marvelous job of world-building, with a vast cast of characters that, for most part, are well-developed and intriguing enough to hold your interest.
The basic premise, without giving away too much of the plot, is this - a US passenger airplane from 2026 crash-lands - and a French naval ship from the early 19th Century veers off-course - into a strange land that the survivors can't make sense of, at least in the beginning, and must learn to cope with.
Discovering that they have been transported back to around 40,000 BCE, a time when the Neanderthals and the Cro-Magnons inhabited the planet, and with no way of going back to 'their' time, they find they must abandon their previous notions of culture and morality to fit in with the Tasfit (Neanderthal) and Verdos (Cro-Magnon) societies. It is interesting - even if not at all surprising for students of human nature - to see how ideas of 'civilized' behavior can be quickly re-adapted or dropped if the occasion demands it.
The first major hurdle for the passengers is adjusting to the high levels of carbon dioxide and the heat, and the second is the public sex ritual of the Tasfits and the Verdos. Apparently, this is a way for the two nations to maintain peace. If you consider it, the practice is really the precursor - since we are in 40,000 BCE - of the 'political marriage alliances' dotted throughout world history; people just got 'civilized' about not doing it in public later on, although, if I remember correctly from what I read of the Medicis, there was a fashion once of witnessing the consummation. Anyway, so, in addition to the sex ritual, the Tasfits and the Verdos are what, in modern parlance, we would call 'open-minded' about sex and sexual partners.
When you study different cultures, you come across plenty of 'cultural practices' that you wouldn't practice yourself and which therefore may seem weird to you, but which are perfectly normal to the practitioners, and which, with repeated study, may stop ringing all your alarm bells all at once.
So the Tasfits' and the Verdos' view of sex comes across, for most part, as reasonable and normal in the context of the story. The survivors adapt and so will you, dear reader. The writing here is explicit, not especially titillating, and just a little tedious; now that you know that people are 'doing it', you want the story to move on.
And so it does, and as the survivors become enmeshed in the political enmities and battles between the Tasfits and the Verdos, not to mention in the time-travel intrigues and interference of the Keller organization from the 30th century, the excitement level really goes up.
To digress a bit, I've always wondered at the telling of history as a litany of battles won and lost. Alexander the Great, for instance, never seemed great to me, just a war-monger and land-thief; of course, to dose me with my own medicine, his antics may have seemed perfectly fine and honorable to him. And this is the problem that continues into more modern times - 'War to end all Wars' or 'We fight them there, so we don't have to fight them here', that kind of thing. You can get people to commit the most awful atrocities as long as you can convince them that they are fighting for 'what is right' or for 'a just cause'.
To save the future of humanity, in this case.
Since the author mentions the Holocaust, let me also mention the Nuremberg Trials. I think it is relevant to the direction in which he takes the headstrong main character, Katherine Augustine. A key point to emerge from these trials was that you are ultimately responsible for your actions; 'following orders' is not a good enough excuse for contravening all basic human decency. Nor, it would seem, is 'for a just cause' an excusable reason; no doubt, many of the Nazis thought themselves good, honorable people, fighting for what they thought was right, and, no doubt, the main players in modern day conflicts too, similarly, think their actions justified.
Which brings us to the best line in the book -
“You preserve humanity by being human, Katherine Augustine."
A satisfying read overall. I look forward to other books by this author.
Alright, so I was quite sorry to reach the end. The author has done a marvelous job of world-building, with a vast cast of characters that, for most part, are well-developed and intriguing enough to hold your interest.
The basic premise, without giving away too much of the plot, is this - a US passenger airplane from 2026 crash-lands - and a French naval ship from the early 19th Century veers off-course - into a strange land that the survivors can't make sense of, at least in the beginning, and must learn to cope with.
Discovering that they have been transported back to around 40,000 BCE, a time when the Neanderthals and the Cro-Magnons inhabited the planet, and with no way of going back to 'their' time, they find they must abandon their previous notions of culture and morality to fit in with the Tasfit (Neanderthal) and Verdos (Cro-Magnon) societies. It is interesting - even if not at all surprising for students of human nature - to see how ideas of 'civilized' behavior can be quickly re-adapted or dropped if the occasion demands it.
The first major hurdle for the passengers is adjusting to the high levels of carbon dioxide and the heat, and the second is the public sex ritual of the Tasfits and the Verdos. Apparently, this is a way for the two nations to maintain peace. If you consider it, the practice is really the precursor - since we are in 40,000 BCE - of the 'political marriage alliances' dotted throughout world history; people just got 'civilized' about not doing it in public later on, although, if I remember correctly from what I read of the Medicis, there was a fashion once of witnessing the consummation. Anyway, so, in addition to the sex ritual, the Tasfits and the Verdos are what, in modern parlance, we would call 'open-minded' about sex and sexual partners.
When you study different cultures, you come across plenty of 'cultural practices' that you wouldn't practice yourself and which therefore may seem weird to you, but which are perfectly normal to the practitioners, and which, with repeated study, may stop ringing all your alarm bells all at once.
So the Tasfits' and the Verdos' view of sex comes across, for most part, as reasonable and normal in the context of the story. The survivors adapt and so will you, dear reader. The writing here is explicit, not especially titillating, and just a little tedious; now that you know that people are 'doing it', you want the story to move on.
And so it does, and as the survivors become enmeshed in the political enmities and battles between the Tasfits and the Verdos, not to mention in the time-travel intrigues and interference of the Keller organization from the 30th century, the excitement level really goes up.
To digress a bit, I've always wondered at the telling of history as a litany of battles won and lost. Alexander the Great, for instance, never seemed great to me, just a war-monger and land-thief; of course, to dose me with my own medicine, his antics may have seemed perfectly fine and honorable to him. And this is the problem that continues into more modern times - 'War to end all Wars' or 'We fight them there, so we don't have to fight them here', that kind of thing. You can get people to commit the most awful atrocities as long as you can convince them that they are fighting for 'what is right' or for 'a just cause'.
To save the future of humanity, in this case.
Since the author mentions the Holocaust, let me also mention the Nuremberg Trials. I think it is relevant to the direction in which he takes the headstrong main character, Katherine Augustine. A key point to emerge from these trials was that you are ultimately responsible for your actions; 'following orders' is not a good enough excuse for contravening all basic human decency. Nor, it would seem, is 'for a just cause' an excusable reason; no doubt, many of the Nazis thought themselves good, honorable people, fighting for what they thought was right, and, no doubt, the main players in modern day conflicts too, similarly, think their actions justified.
Which brings us to the best line in the book -
“You preserve humanity by being human, Katherine Augustine."
A satisfying read overall. I look forward to other books by this author.
August 30, 2016
My overall impression is that Deneb is a challenging read which is ultimately worth the effort. I found it sometimes hard going mainly because of, first, the number of characters to keep track of, and secondly, and increasingly later on, the extent to which Moore integrates other languages and words with the English text, most notably the Tasblish and Verdos, but also some French and modified (putative far future) English. With both strange words and character names, particularly the Verdos and Tasfit characters, I felt that there was a confusing similarity between them. However, Moore's characterization and story are both good, and one is drawn into wanting to find out what happens to everyone, and why. Moore's attempt to use human sexuality as a lens through which to examine human values is in my opinion not entirely successful; nevertheless one should recognise that the sexual encounters, and tender love scenes, are not just there for the sake of it. Moore makes a serious and admirable effort to engage with our best scientific understanding of time and the complex possible effects of intervention in it. He mounts a thoughtful challenge to our casual notions on how to define humanity, and on humanity's priorities in 21st Century life, especially in the Western world. In his depiction of the human struggle he uses the symbol of the wolf, which he labels the wolves of Fear and Truth. I would describe this as serious science fiction of the type that Iain Banks is known for. I have wavered between three and four stars and in the end settled on three: this is a good book but it could have been easier to read.
Disclosure: I was given a free review copy in exchange for an honest and objective review.
Disclosure: I was given a free review copy in exchange for an honest and objective review.
April 20, 2014
Deneb is the kind of book that really defies description. While it can be classified as science fiction, it is really much more than that. It is a heroic tale of epic fantasy, but enough with labels. The passengers of a jetliner find themselves transported through time to a distant age in Eastern Europe, they are not alone. A nineteenth century vessel is also diverted to this era. Why? No spoilers here. Suffice to say that big things are happening and the unwary time travelers are caught up in the midst of a cultural conflagration that will test the very mettle of their being. This is a big, sweeping tale. Too big to be told in one book, and written in a style that is reminiscent of earlier epic tales like "The Lord of the Rings". The world and its cultures are complete, the back stories are complex, as are the religion, languages and social customs. The story comes complete with illustrations, tables and definitions, which are helpful in a book as complex as this. The bottom line here: it's a darn good book that is well written and brimming with imagination. Not light reading at all, but if you like a book that has lots of material for your mind to chew on, this is definitely not to be missed.
May 11, 2014
I always worry when an author proclaims his own work as an epic and so approached Deneb with cautious anticipation. However, my fears were allayed within the first few chapters as I discovered the wealth of interesting and differing characters mixed into a complex plot that certainly pushes itself into that category.
From the moment that flight Pacific 159 is hit by a blinding flash of light, you are thrown into a story of how the passengers try to survive not only the weird new environment that they find themselves in, but also the mysterious appearance of an 18th Century French navy ship as well as the native inhabitants who believe in an ancient prophecy that the passengers seem to be fulfilling.
The story does involve some violence and sex but the fact that it is over a quarter of a million words long will probably take it out of the range of any younger readers who may be offended. However, I feel that this is important to the story and it would certainly be less without it. I would liken my reading of this book to that of The Lord of the Rings, in that it is now a book that I can say that I am pleased to have read it.
There are two versions of the book, the “normal” version which includes maps and sketches in a style similar to Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow and Jack West series of books, as well as an “illustrated” version which includes the author’s impressions of the characters and places.
I received both copies for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
From the moment that flight Pacific 159 is hit by a blinding flash of light, you are thrown into a story of how the passengers try to survive not only the weird new environment that they find themselves in, but also the mysterious appearance of an 18th Century French navy ship as well as the native inhabitants who believe in an ancient prophecy that the passengers seem to be fulfilling.
The story does involve some violence and sex but the fact that it is over a quarter of a million words long will probably take it out of the range of any younger readers who may be offended. However, I feel that this is important to the story and it would certainly be less without it. I would liken my reading of this book to that of The Lord of the Rings, in that it is now a book that I can say that I am pleased to have read it.
There are two versions of the book, the “normal” version which includes maps and sketches in a style similar to Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow and Jack West series of books, as well as an “illustrated” version which includes the author’s impressions of the characters and places.
I received both copies for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
October 7, 2013
Deneb is a very ambitious story by an ambitious author.
Deneb, for those who don't know (which well may be most of us) is the name of a very bright star in our galaxy. It was sometimes used for navigation in the old days, although the North Star was by far the most popular.
A central theme of Deneb is the wolf. Here, the wolf is both friend and enemy. I felt as if we were recounting the story of how the wolf transitioned from a feared enemy to man's best friend - the domestic dog. It is interesting how a major character in this story, believing in legend, laid herself to peace with a wolf and earned the wolf's trust. The wolf is pivotal later on in the story.
Katherine Lois Augustine ("Kathy") is probably the most major character in a story populated by dozens of main characters. It is interesting in how, without an inherent thirst for power, she finds herself tested again and again and progresses through the ranks of her adopted tribe, the Verdos. Kathy follows her heart throughout the story, and earns several enemies as well as friends. She acts on pure instinct, and we wonder throughout the story if it is good enough for her redemption at the end - is it?
Time travel is a major component of how the novel begins, although it is not wrapped up neatly at the end. There are several unanswered questions about how the temporal displacement happened and how it is resolved (if it ever is). I wasn't sure what prompted the events of October 16, 2026 or if it was by accident or by design. I would have loved to find out, I'm sure several clues were sprinkled throughout the story, but I was unable to put the pieces together. Maybe the next reader will succeed!
I was not also unable to figure out what happened to the moon (it disappeared) and the insects on Earth (they disappeared as well, aside from their importance to the cycle of life, I'm thinking how nice that would be!)
The author easily displays his command of English literature and detail. There's no doubt that Pearson Moore is a talented author. I just would like the story to be a little more accessible to me, as I am eager to understand what is going on. Fortunately, there were several arcs in the story to satisfy me, but I'm not wholly sated until I can tie together all the major developments. I would like to make a list of them here but I realize that would spoil some of the plot, so I'll refrain for now.
As a previous reader had touched upon, I was a bit out of my comfort zone in reading the details of rituals demanding on-the-spot lovemaking in order to comply with tribal customs, and to be fully accepted. It seemed the women feared these rituals, and the author writes that afterwards, they actually enjoyed the love-making, or felt it was something "that had to be done to show respect." While I understand it's in the context of two ancient tribes, and it's just a story in a future world, I'm sure that our values of "no means no" and not staking out consequences for saying "no" are universal. Perhaps a revision of these customs would ensure readers can enjoy this terrific story without feeling uncomfortable. Perhaps the author wanted us to experience discomfort, to think more about it, but as a reader I personally didn't want to be placed in this situation of reacting to that. Sorry.
Aside from the unanswered questions on time travel and how everything started, I did appreciate the message, at the very end, of ultimate sacrifice and unrequited love. It is a very powerful message to convey.
I loved the thread in this story concerning a mystery... who is "Black Widow," and who is "Wanderer," and what do these strange numbers mean? I loved this subplot. Whenever I found a passage concerning this mystery, I found my heart racing.
I was wondering if I liked the idea of combining futuristic science fiction with ancient legends. Most of the story occurs among two tribes... the Tasfit and the Verdos. I wasn't sure why they were at war with each other or how they evolved. The author has put in a lot of detail (including interesting guides at the end of the book about how to speak their language and how their time cycles are set) about these two tribes but I wanted to get a feel of what they thought of each other and what strategic advantage they wanted from each other (did they want land? did they want access to water routes?). I wasn't sure of the geography, perhaps a larger scale map in this illustrated edition would have helped, with domains set out as Tasfit territory, and Verdos territory and showing what access they had to strategic points such as mountain ranges or major rivers. There are many maps in the illustrated edition, but they're small scale of locales.
In short, when I read science fiction, I like a lot of futuristic plot, or science fiction in the modern world. Here there is a *lot* of ancient tribal customs and so on. I felt like it could be like "The Clan of the Cave Bear" or something like that, if you just took out the plane and the contemporary Westerners on board. (By the way, I was puzzled how a place initially so hot with elevated carbon dioxide levels could become scenes of winter by the end of the book, or how the tribes had evolved to fortresses and catapults in the end (before the interventions of the Westerners)). I think I prefer less emphasis on the ancient tribes, or their legends, and focus more on the Westerners and the time travel aspect. The tribal names are very hard to follow and even major Western characters are given ancient names, thus I tended to even lose track of the major Western characters. Kathy for example has five or more given tribal names throughout the last half of the book.
The illustrated edition is very beautiful. It is epic in reach and intention. I loved the majestic drawings. (Perhaps too many people shown without coverings on their torsos, but I quibble.) The stark silhouette renderings of the battles were breathtaking to look at. The various murals and artwork from Renaissance Times makes this feel like an educated read - I'm a sucker for that kind of thing! If you order "Deneb," make sure you get the illustrated edition. The wait for the mail is definitely worth it.
The introduction of turn of the century (19th century) French sailors and guests in the book was an interesting prelude to the convergence of cultures. I'm from Canada, so I'm partial to some French sprinkled throughout the book. And, yay to some flavour from Canada (maple syrup! Louis Curotte!)
Overall, four stars for excellent writing, and epic reach. I may still have questions for some of the basic subplots, and I may disagree with some of the propositions of this book in myth and ancient legends, but we can't deny the majesty of this story.
Deneb, for those who don't know (which well may be most of us) is the name of a very bright star in our galaxy. It was sometimes used for navigation in the old days, although the North Star was by far the most popular.
A central theme of Deneb is the wolf. Here, the wolf is both friend and enemy. I felt as if we were recounting the story of how the wolf transitioned from a feared enemy to man's best friend - the domestic dog. It is interesting how a major character in this story, believing in legend, laid herself to peace with a wolf and earned the wolf's trust. The wolf is pivotal later on in the story.
Katherine Lois Augustine ("Kathy") is probably the most major character in a story populated by dozens of main characters. It is interesting in how, without an inherent thirst for power, she finds herself tested again and again and progresses through the ranks of her adopted tribe, the Verdos. Kathy follows her heart throughout the story, and earns several enemies as well as friends. She acts on pure instinct, and we wonder throughout the story if it is good enough for her redemption at the end - is it?
Time travel is a major component of how the novel begins, although it is not wrapped up neatly at the end. There are several unanswered questions about how the temporal displacement happened and how it is resolved (if it ever is). I wasn't sure what prompted the events of October 16, 2026 or if it was by accident or by design. I would have loved to find out, I'm sure several clues were sprinkled throughout the story, but I was unable to put the pieces together. Maybe the next reader will succeed!
I was not also unable to figure out what happened to the moon (it disappeared) and the insects on Earth (they disappeared as well, aside from their importance to the cycle of life, I'm thinking how nice that would be!)
The author easily displays his command of English literature and detail. There's no doubt that Pearson Moore is a talented author. I just would like the story to be a little more accessible to me, as I am eager to understand what is going on. Fortunately, there were several arcs in the story to satisfy me, but I'm not wholly sated until I can tie together all the major developments. I would like to make a list of them here but I realize that would spoil some of the plot, so I'll refrain for now.
As a previous reader had touched upon, I was a bit out of my comfort zone in reading the details of rituals demanding on-the-spot lovemaking in order to comply with tribal customs, and to be fully accepted. It seemed the women feared these rituals, and the author writes that afterwards, they actually enjoyed the love-making, or felt it was something "that had to be done to show respect." While I understand it's in the context of two ancient tribes, and it's just a story in a future world, I'm sure that our values of "no means no" and not staking out consequences for saying "no" are universal. Perhaps a revision of these customs would ensure readers can enjoy this terrific story without feeling uncomfortable. Perhaps the author wanted us to experience discomfort, to think more about it, but as a reader I personally didn't want to be placed in this situation of reacting to that. Sorry.
Aside from the unanswered questions on time travel and how everything started, I did appreciate the message, at the very end, of ultimate sacrifice and unrequited love. It is a very powerful message to convey.
I loved the thread in this story concerning a mystery... who is "Black Widow," and who is "Wanderer," and what do these strange numbers mean? I loved this subplot. Whenever I found a passage concerning this mystery, I found my heart racing.
I was wondering if I liked the idea of combining futuristic science fiction with ancient legends. Most of the story occurs among two tribes... the Tasfit and the Verdos. I wasn't sure why they were at war with each other or how they evolved. The author has put in a lot of detail (including interesting guides at the end of the book about how to speak their language and how their time cycles are set) about these two tribes but I wanted to get a feel of what they thought of each other and what strategic advantage they wanted from each other (did they want land? did they want access to water routes?). I wasn't sure of the geography, perhaps a larger scale map in this illustrated edition would have helped, with domains set out as Tasfit territory, and Verdos territory and showing what access they had to strategic points such as mountain ranges or major rivers. There are many maps in the illustrated edition, but they're small scale of locales.
In short, when I read science fiction, I like a lot of futuristic plot, or science fiction in the modern world. Here there is a *lot* of ancient tribal customs and so on. I felt like it could be like "The Clan of the Cave Bear" or something like that, if you just took out the plane and the contemporary Westerners on board. (By the way, I was puzzled how a place initially so hot with elevated carbon dioxide levels could become scenes of winter by the end of the book, or how the tribes had evolved to fortresses and catapults in the end (before the interventions of the Westerners)). I think I prefer less emphasis on the ancient tribes, or their legends, and focus more on the Westerners and the time travel aspect. The tribal names are very hard to follow and even major Western characters are given ancient names, thus I tended to even lose track of the major Western characters. Kathy for example has five or more given tribal names throughout the last half of the book.
The illustrated edition is very beautiful. It is epic in reach and intention. I loved the majestic drawings. (Perhaps too many people shown without coverings on their torsos, but I quibble.) The stark silhouette renderings of the battles were breathtaking to look at. The various murals and artwork from Renaissance Times makes this feel like an educated read - I'm a sucker for that kind of thing! If you order "Deneb," make sure you get the illustrated edition. The wait for the mail is definitely worth it.
The introduction of turn of the century (19th century) French sailors and guests in the book was an interesting prelude to the convergence of cultures. I'm from Canada, so I'm partial to some French sprinkled throughout the book. And, yay to some flavour from Canada (maple syrup! Louis Curotte!)
Overall, four stars for excellent writing, and epic reach. I may still have questions for some of the basic subplots, and I may disagree with some of the propositions of this book in myth and ancient legends, but we can't deny the majesty of this story.
September 24, 2013
I am reviewing a free Kindle eBook review copy of Pearson Moore's Deneb. It also comes in paperback and illustrated paperback editions.
Deneb is a well-written story that encompasses several genres. At its heart, it is a science fiction time-travel story with nods to television's Lost and Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain. We initially follow the survivors of Pacific Airlines Flight 159 from the year 2026 as they learn to live in a land similar too, but still different from Earth—no moon, or insects, and a different atmosphere.
But, as the mythology, cast of characters, level of intrigue, and the world-building grow, it becomes akin to Lord of the Ring or Game of Thrones. It also has elements of pulp and men's adventure fiction, with fairly explicit sex that can be attributed to understanding the primitive cultures encountered in this world. I found some the sexual descriptions unnecessary and off-putting. Once we know because of the excessive heat, that no one wears shirts or blouses, we can picture it from there. It should be noted that Deneb is populated with strong female characters from four different times and culture, who drive the story forward.
I've wavered between 3 and 4 stars for two reasons:
The first reason I lay onto myself and cannot fault the writer: as the story became more complex, I had trouble following who was who and where the widespread actions were taking place. I also had problems learning the language and naming conventions of the two competing native cultures, Tasfit and Verdos. A reader like me would benefit from a map and location designations when the action shifts locale.
The second reason is one of structure. After 800 pages of sometimes dense reading, I expected a more satisfying ending.
If you are a fan of science fiction and complex Tolkien and Martin societies, this is a must read.
Deneb is a well-written story that encompasses several genres. At its heart, it is a science fiction time-travel story with nods to television's Lost and Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain. We initially follow the survivors of Pacific Airlines Flight 159 from the year 2026 as they learn to live in a land similar too, but still different from Earth—no moon, or insects, and a different atmosphere.
But, as the mythology, cast of characters, level of intrigue, and the world-building grow, it becomes akin to Lord of the Ring or Game of Thrones. It also has elements of pulp and men's adventure fiction, with fairly explicit sex that can be attributed to understanding the primitive cultures encountered in this world. I found some the sexual descriptions unnecessary and off-putting. Once we know because of the excessive heat, that no one wears shirts or blouses, we can picture it from there. It should be noted that Deneb is populated with strong female characters from four different times and culture, who drive the story forward.
I've wavered between 3 and 4 stars for two reasons:
The first reason I lay onto myself and cannot fault the writer: as the story became more complex, I had trouble following who was who and where the widespread actions were taking place. I also had problems learning the language and naming conventions of the two competing native cultures, Tasfit and Verdos. A reader like me would benefit from a map and location designations when the action shifts locale.
The second reason is one of structure. After 800 pages of sometimes dense reading, I expected a more satisfying ending.
If you are a fan of science fiction and complex Tolkien and Martin societies, this is a must read.
February 18, 2014
"Deneb" by Pearson Moore is a difficult book to define. Clearly it belongs to the science-fiction genre but it shares many of the traits found in historical fiction and the more grounded examples of fantasy fiction. This epic features many nods to the LOST TV series, but has the scope and complexity found in the "Game of Thrones" series. Parallels to some of our more ancient world cultures can also be found amongst the Tasfit and Verdos. I wasn't particularly interested in their cultures and their war, but that's more of a personal preference than anything else. I found that the other cultures/people groups interested me more. "Deneb" is an ensemble piece with well-defined characters from 'all over the map'. Some you'll love, others you'll hate. And many will really surprise you. I enjoyed the book, its scope and many of its characters. The world-building was particularly impressive. I found the first/last few chapters to be exceptionally interesting. The future subplot was intriguing and may just prove to be more important to the story than I first reckoned. That said, while much of the book was well-written, I felt the middle section of the story seemed to be plod along and focused too much on night-time activities. The illustrations contained herein ranged from good to great but were overused to the point of tedium. Other illustrations confused me. "Deneb" is recommended for mature adults who enjoy something a little more complex and challenging than their usual reading fare.
Well-written and very clever. Still, the story was not what I expected. Also, I found it too graphic in places.
7.5/10
Well-written and very clever. Still, the story was not what I expected. Also, I found it too graphic in places.
7.5/10
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October 29, 2014Review removed at author's request.
July 13, 2015
Deneb certainly promises a great deal. But can it deliver? The instinctive answer is no. Pearson Moore seems so full of himself that he can’t possibly deliver on his promises. But as it happens, I’m familiar with Moore’s frankly brilliant work as an essayist, creating inventive and insightful theories about popular television series like Lost and Game of Thrones, two series that this book highly resembles. If anyone can pull off the promises he made, he could. Did he? Of course not. But he certainly came pretty damn close.
Deneb takes place 45000 years before the present day, and deals with the antics of four different groups of time travelers – one from the present (more or less), one from the past, and two from the future. As each group interacts with the local Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal civilizations, moves and countermoves will be made, people will learn about humanity, and more than a few surprising revelations will occur. A twist near the end, in particular, blew me away.
Unfortunately, Deneb’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. It’s a ludicrously complex book which makes A Song of Ice and Fire look simple at places. It’s also excessively long – over 800 pages – with dozens of different characters, many with different titles and two names. At one point, I was all the way through a pivotal scene before realizing that the character involved was someone completely different, which, as you might imagine, confused matters significantly.
Moore also didn’t do as extensive a job as I expected expressing the themes of the novel, although when he did, it hit hard. I believe that the story suffered from the overly excessive plotline, but also from the many, many explicit sex scenes, the vast majority of which seem unnecessary. To be sure, some were indeed helpful in advancing plot, character, and the themes, but most were not necessary to share in such great detail.
Nevertheless, when this book is good, it really knocks it out of the ballpark in terms of quality. The themes of this book are indeed important. While complex, they can be narrowed down to the simple fact that if we do not hold onto basic values, we are not human. The characters are simply stunning, with many strong female characters. And even better, these characters are not just fighters; there are many strong female characters who possess moral strength and strength of will, and are pacifists, by and large.
Deneb is a tale breathtaking in its scope. Although you may lose faith in this book at some point, I encourage you to keep going, because the rewards of reading this book are plentiful. Moore still has a ways to go as an author before he reaches his skill as a essayist, but if Deneb is any indication, his future work will be worth keeping an eye on.
Deneb takes place 45000 years before the present day, and deals with the antics of four different groups of time travelers – one from the present (more or less), one from the past, and two from the future. As each group interacts with the local Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal civilizations, moves and countermoves will be made, people will learn about humanity, and more than a few surprising revelations will occur. A twist near the end, in particular, blew me away.
Unfortunately, Deneb’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. It’s a ludicrously complex book which makes A Song of Ice and Fire look simple at places. It’s also excessively long – over 800 pages – with dozens of different characters, many with different titles and two names. At one point, I was all the way through a pivotal scene before realizing that the character involved was someone completely different, which, as you might imagine, confused matters significantly.
Moore also didn’t do as extensive a job as I expected expressing the themes of the novel, although when he did, it hit hard. I believe that the story suffered from the overly excessive plotline, but also from the many, many explicit sex scenes, the vast majority of which seem unnecessary. To be sure, some were indeed helpful in advancing plot, character, and the themes, but most were not necessary to share in such great detail.
Nevertheless, when this book is good, it really knocks it out of the ballpark in terms of quality. The themes of this book are indeed important. While complex, they can be narrowed down to the simple fact that if we do not hold onto basic values, we are not human. The characters are simply stunning, with many strong female characters. And even better, these characters are not just fighters; there are many strong female characters who possess moral strength and strength of will, and are pacifists, by and large.
Deneb is a tale breathtaking in its scope. Although you may lose faith in this book at some point, I encourage you to keep going, because the rewards of reading this book are plentiful. Moore still has a ways to go as an author before he reaches his skill as a essayist, but if Deneb is any indication, his future work will be worth keeping an eye on.
February 28, 2015
Deneb is indeed epic in scope and characters, plot and environment. There are lists of references and extensive maps. And at the end, a simple line that says end of book one.
Given the commitment the novel asks of the reader, it was disappointing that a key question about the plot is not resolved. While the mystery of the plane and the mariners and the tribes is revealed, the twist to the time manipulation paradox is left to, presumably, the next book.
Overall, the work is well written. This was a stretch for me as I prefer much shorter works. In many ways, this was not my cup of tea, but certainly bears looking into for fans of this genre.
Given the commitment the novel asks of the reader, it was disappointing that a key question about the plot is not resolved. While the mystery of the plane and the mariners and the tribes is revealed, the twist to the time manipulation paradox is left to, presumably, the next book.
Overall, the work is well written. This was a stretch for me as I prefer much shorter works. In many ways, this was not my cup of tea, but certainly bears looking into for fans of this genre.
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