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Entire and the Rose #2
A World Too Near
In Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon introduced a milieu unique in science fiction and fantasy: The Entire, a five-armed radial universe that exists in a dimension without stars and planets and is parallel to our own universe. Stretched over The Entire is a lid of plasma, called the bright, which ebbs and flows, bringing day and twilight. Under the vast canopy of the bright live many galactic species, copied from our own universe.
Former star pilot Titus Quinn loves The Entire, but now he must risk annihilating it by destroying the fortress of Ahnenhoon. To sustain a faltering Entire, Ahnenhoon's great engine will soon reach through the brane separating the universes and consume our own universe in a concentrated ball of fire. Quinn sets off on a journey across The Entire armed with the nan, a small ankle bracelet containing nanoscale military technology that can reduce Ahnenhoon and its deadly engine to chaos. He must pursue his mission even though his wife is held prisoner in Ahnenhoon and his own daughter has sent the assassin MoTi to hunt him down.
As he traverses the galactic distances of The Entire, he learns more of the secrets of its geography, its fragile storm walls, its eons-long history, and the factions that contend for dominance. One of these factions is led by his daughter, who though young and a slave, has at her command a transforming and revolutionary power. As Quinn wrestles with looming disaster and approaches the fabled concentric rings of Ahnenhoon's defenses, he learns that in the Entire, nothing is what it appears. Its denizens are all harboring secrets, and the greatest of these is the nature of the Entire itself.
Former star pilot Titus Quinn loves The Entire, but now he must risk annihilating it by destroying the fortress of Ahnenhoon. To sustain a faltering Entire, Ahnenhoon's great engine will soon reach through the brane separating the universes and consume our own universe in a concentrated ball of fire. Quinn sets off on a journey across The Entire armed with the nan, a small ankle bracelet containing nanoscale military technology that can reduce Ahnenhoon and its deadly engine to chaos. He must pursue his mission even though his wife is held prisoner in Ahnenhoon and his own daughter has sent the assassin MoTi to hunt him down.
As he traverses the galactic distances of The Entire, he learns more of the secrets of its geography, its fragile storm walls, its eons-long history, and the factions that contend for dominance. One of these factions is led by his daughter, who though young and a slave, has at her command a transforming and revolutionary power. As Quinn wrestles with looming disaster and approaches the fabled concentric rings of Ahnenhoon's defenses, he learns that in the Entire, nothing is what it appears. Its denizens are all harboring secrets, and the greatest of these is the nature of the Entire itself.
425 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2008
25 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Kay Kenyon
43 books255 followersKay Kenyon is a fantasy and science fiction author. She is now working on her 21st novel, a fantasy. She has been a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award and several others and recently had a trilogy optioned for film, The Dark Talents: At the Table of Wolves.
Her newest fantasy series is The Arisen Worlds quartet. Book 1, The Girl Who Fell Into Myth, Book 2, Stranger in the Twisted Realm, Book 3, Servant of the Lost Power and Book 4, Keeper of the Mythos Gate. "A story of powers and magic on a grand scale.” —Louisa Morgan, author of The Secret History of Witches.
Her acclaimed 4-book series, The Entire and The Rose, has been reissued with new covers: Bright of the Sky. Called "a splendid fantasy quest" by The Washington Post.
She loves to hear from readers, and you can contact her at http://www.kaykenyon.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
Her newest fantasy series is The Arisen Worlds quartet. Book 1, The Girl Who Fell Into Myth, Book 2, Stranger in the Twisted Realm, Book 3, Servant of the Lost Power and Book 4, Keeper of the Mythos Gate. "A story of powers and magic on a grand scale.” —Louisa Morgan, author of The Secret History of Witches.
Her acclaimed 4-book series, The Entire and The Rose, has been reissued with new covers: Bright of the Sky. Called "a splendid fantasy quest" by The Washington Post.
She loves to hear from readers, and you can contact her at http://www.kaykenyon.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
April 27, 2012
A year later, and I'm back to The Entire and the Rose for round two. Unlike most epic series, it was surprisingly easy to pick up where I'd left off and remember who everyone was and what they were after. Credit goes to Kenyon's unforgettable world building and her memorable (if not likable) characters.
A World Too near, though, has two crucial elements that Bright of the Sky did not: a serious threat propelling the story, and an actual mission to give the hero a sense of purpose. The Entire, you see, is an artificial universe, and its creators have built an engine to annihilate our own universe (the Rose) and use it as fuel for the Entire. That's a pretty big darn SF idea, and the hero's mission (should he choose to accept it) is to destroy the engine before it goes into high gear.
The problem, once again, is that the main character, Titus Quinn, is too much of a cipher. Other characters talk about him, and are impressed by him, but the man himself is something of a no-personality blank - which is too bad, because it wouldn't have been hard at all to make him a cross between Flash Gordon and Thomas Covenant by pushing him a little more in the directions of "hero" and "asshole." Maybe Kenyon just has a problem with male characters; her women are much better drawn.
A World Too near, though, has two crucial elements that Bright of the Sky did not: a serious threat propelling the story, and an actual mission to give the hero a sense of purpose. The Entire, you see, is an artificial universe, and its creators have built an engine to annihilate our own universe (the Rose) and use it as fuel for the Entire. That's a pretty big darn SF idea, and the hero's mission (should he choose to accept it) is to destroy the engine before it goes into high gear.
The problem, once again, is that the main character, Titus Quinn, is too much of a cipher. Other characters talk about him, and are impressed by him, but the man himself is something of a no-personality blank - which is too bad, because it wouldn't have been hard at all to make him a cross between Flash Gordon and Thomas Covenant by pushing him a little more in the directions of "hero" and "asshole." Maybe Kenyon just has a problem with male characters; her women are much better drawn.
February 21, 2010
GAH!!! I would LOVE to give this book more stars but I'm afraid Kay Kenyon makes me feel too much like I've been scammed, or that I'm a chump, to give this book the credit it deserves. This book is a wonderful follow-up to the first book, Bright of the Sky, the characters are far more developed, the relationships far more complex, and the risks all the greater. However, just when I think Kay Kenyon has finally made a fan out of me with her intricate spell-weaving, she pulls the carpet out from under me. The novel, which until about the last 20 pages, builds to an incredible crecendo, only to be let down as the story falls apart in order for Kenyon to be able to continue in yet another book. The best analogy I can give is that of a soap opera on a Friday afternoon, there is nothing but intense drama and then just when you think you are going to find out who killed so-and-so or who slept with whom, the entire story shifts and you have to wait for next week's episodes. Cheap, Kay Kenyon, cheap.
March 3, 2014
I'm having a bit of trouble caring what happens to these characters. This is book 2, I'll finish the series, but only because it will bug me if I don't.
Finished the book and still didn't care about the characters. Interesting bits and pieces, but taken as a whole, was just not enough to keep my attention.
Finished the book and still didn't care about the characters. Interesting bits and pieces, but taken as a whole, was just not enough to keep my attention.
April 12, 2023
Yep - I still love this series. I'd love to see this book series as a TV series.
February 22, 2018
The 2nd book in the series picks up quickly after the events of the first book, and moves at a very brisk pace compared to book 1. The novel adds a great deal of depth to many of the characters, and provides many layers of detail to the environment that Kay Kenyon has created. After reading this book, I am glad that I already have book 3 so that there won't be any wait!
October 6, 2018
I found this second book of the series perhaps even more gripping than the first. Yes it's long and sometimes feels a little tedious - but I loved the complex political maneuvering and all too real emotions playing in the various characters, especially those Chalin who must pretend to love the Tarig overlords while plotting to overthrow them.
The very flawed Titus Quinn is back again, accompanied by his Entire friend Anzi, and this time by an even more flawed Helice who portrays and all-to-real "savvie" who believes she is not the just the smartest person in the room, but possibly the universe. Their mission to sabotage the Entire takes the whole book and you will be delighted by the little twist/surprise at the end.
If you like Iain M. Banks Culture series there are elements here that you will find appealing.
Unfortunately I now see this trilogy has become 4 books - why?
The very flawed Titus Quinn is back again, accompanied by his Entire friend Anzi, and this time by an even more flawed Helice who portrays and all-to-real "savvie" who believes she is not the just the smartest person in the room, but possibly the universe. Their mission to sabotage the Entire takes the whole book and you will be delighted by the little twist/surprise at the end.
If you like Iain M. Banks Culture series there are elements here that you will find appealing.
Unfortunately I now see this trilogy has become 4 books - why?
March 12, 2011
Have not yet finished this. I have enjoyed the basic plot of both books and the interesting universe, but the role of Helice is annoying me - it is becoming too much front and centre in the story and detracting from the alien roles.
March 2011 - have still not finished this book, and have too many other books that I want to read that I doubt I will get back to it.
March 2011 - have still not finished this book, and have too many other books that I want to read that I doubt I will get back to it.
June 10, 2008
Just couldn't get into it or make myself care.
February 22, 2011
This was a Reading List Short List honor title in the Science Fiction category for 2009. For the complete list, go to http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/aw...
November 28, 2011
I did manage manage to finish it, which raised it above a '1'. But the story is slow and the characters not well-drawn to the point that I don't care to finish the series, and thus the story.
May 24, 2013
Originally posted on my review blog, Stomping on Yeti, at the following location [http://yetistomper.blogspot.com/2010/... Words or Less: An undeniable triumph of world building, Kay Kenyon's The Entire and The Rose is a science fantasy tale of two worlds worth exploring despite the gradual pace dictated by occasional prose problems.[return][return]The Good: Absolutely unique world-building that combines science fiction and fantasy elements and continues to grow throughtout the entire series; Carefully plotted narrative that spans and evolves over four volumes; The world is exceptionally well integrated into the narrative rather than being adjacent to it.[return][return]The Bad: Early volumes have problems with jarring perspective changes; Worldbuilding often uses infodumping rather than in-narrative elements; The story isn't well segmented into individual novels, leaving readers with an all-or-none decision.[return][return]The Review: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Rarely is this truer than in Kay Kenyon's science fiction/fantasy hybrid quadrilogy. An undeniable triumph of world building split into four books, The Entire and the Rose is 1700 pages of complex characters and intricate narrative. The events of the series revolve around Titus Quinn, the first denizen of the Rose (our universe) to cross through into The Entire, a complex infinite world constructed by the harsh, alien Tarig and inhabited by a number of races of their creation. Several years before the series begins, Quinn and his wife and daughter were pulled into the Entire when the ship he was piloting broke apart mid-wormhole jump. Quinn returns months later in our time with no family and little recollection of what happened despite living in the Entire for over a decade. When science proves that his ravings about a second reality may in fact be true, Quinn returns to the Entire in search of his missing wife and daughter and to explore what, if any, benefit The Entire may offer Earth. As Quinn quickly becomes embroiled in the politics of the world he left behind, it becomes obvious that much more is at stake than the fate of his family. The plot only gets more complex from there, the majority of which takes place in the profoundly strange world of the Entire, although the story does take place in both universes. [return][return]To provide any more detail than that would ruin the game-changing revelations that occur frequently throughout the series, shifting plots and loyalties in unexpected but exciting ways. There are several power players on both sides of the divide and rarely is there any way of knowing who is playing who. If the Earth universe is referred to as the Rose, the other universe labeled as the Entire might be better known as the Onion. From the start of the series to the final pages, Kenyon slowly peels back layer after layer of world building, unveiling an amazingly concocted world. Religion, politics, cultural divides, a forever war, teenage cults, complex transit systems: the facets of the Entire go on and on. Kenyon details aspect after aspect of her created universe and she does an unbelievable job of unobtrusively bringing the elements she has previously cultivated back into the main plot.[return][return]It's a rare occurence but if anything there is almost too much world building. The Entire is inhabited by a number of races and species all of which are fairly unique when compared to the genre standards. However, a few of these races are almost superfluous, with not a single primary or secondary character coming from their ranks. Kenyon could have either edited them out or integrated them into the story as well as she did the primary species of Humans, Chalin, Tarig, Inyx, Hirrin, and Paion. The cultural depth of these imagined races is continually capitalized upon by Kenyon and as a result the few species that don't get starring roles ultimately fall to the wayside. [return][return]While the extraneous elements could have been handled better, the world of the Entire and the thoroughly constructed characters that inhabit it are the main attractions of the series. Kenyon's writing, on the other hand, leaves a little bit to be desired especially in the early volumes. Kenyon writes from an extremely tight third person perspective and she has an unfortunate tendency to jump perspectives mid-scene without warning, generating confusion and necessitating rereading just to confirm which character was thinking what. Kenyon gets better at this as the books go on but early on these jarring transitions occur disappointingly often especially considering a small change symbol (which is often used to switch perspectives between scenes) could have easily been used to remedy this problem. As the books progress, Kenyon does manage to reduce the frequency with which these occur. The third and fourth volumes are much stronger than the first in this regard.[return][return]Kenyon also has a propensity to take a "tell not show" approach to her worldbuilding and while the world is interesting enough, there is no in-narrative reason for the characters to lecture the way they do. Consequently, the books of The Entire and The Rose read somewhat slowly. While not a bad thing in and of itself, these are not necessarily beach reads and due to the complex nature of the world and plot, it should be read in its entirety for full effect, commanding a significant time investment on the part of the reader.[return][return]Additionally, it is important to bear in mind that this epic series would be best described as science fantasy. While Kenyon maintains the premise that all of the places and structures of her world are science-based, the science satisfies Clarke's axiom and is indistinguishable from magic. Anyone who goes into this series expecting to understand the physics underpinning the world will be sorely disappointed. Despite the trappings of science that frame the Entire, at its core it's a fantasy world; it exists and behaves the way it does because the story dictates the way it does. But it works and it works well.[return][return]Here are individual reviews of each of the four volumes in the series.[return][return]Bright of the Sky: Arguably the weakest book in the series, Kenyon's series debut suffers from exposition overload. Kenyon essentially sets up the story three times; first in the future Earth universe, than in the future Entire world, and then revealing Quinn's backstory and what occurred during his first trip to the Entire. With three full histories to explain in additional to all of the characters she introduces, it doesn't feel like a whole lot happens. The last fifty or so pages feel rushed when compared to the whole and while the end of the book comes at a natural stopping point it doesn't really resolve any of the threads introduced. With such a To-Be-Continued ending, it produces contradictory emotions - on one hand there was too little payoff after the slower prose associated with complex world building; on the other hand, A World Too Near beckoned from the shelf immediately. Bright of the Sky is also the book that suffers the most from those aforementioned perspective shifts. [return][return]A World Too Near: With A World Too Near and subsequent novels, the pace begins to pick up as Kenyon spends less time crafting her world and more time playing in it. Building on some of the surprises that emerge toward the end of Bright of the Sky, the principal conflict of the series is revealed and the battle lines are drawn. The question of who to trust is paramount and a looming decision allows Kenyon to really dig into her cast of characters. Where Bright of the Sky was about introducing the Entire, A World Too Near is really about establishing the key characters and fleshing out their motivations as they traverse the fantastic civilization. One of the most significant developments in this regard is the introduction of Helice Maki, another transplanted Earthling with an endgame that may or may not align with Quinn's. Upon entering the Entire, the plot evolves from a simple us-versus-them conflict into a more complex adventure. Although it suffers slighty from middle novel syndrome, A World Too Near really sets the stage well for the last half of the series. [return][return]A City Without End: The strongest and most science fictional of the volumes, A City Without End sees Kenyon accelerate the thread of Quinn's battle with the fearsome Tarig to a frenetic pace. Even though she still pens a few new characters, Kenyon's takes advantage of the gradual set up of the first two novels and really pushes the plot forward in unexpected directions. Unlike the other novels, A City Without Endalso includes a strong second plotline set in the Rose universe; one that could support an entire novel in and of itself. As it is, this thought provoking idea is only furthers the existing conflict. As the Rose and Entire plotlines collide on an unexpected battleground, the pages really start to turn. While the first two books were structured similar to classic "journey fantasies", A City Without End is more of a political SF thriller than a traditional fantasy. There is a great balance between closure and setup as Kenyon slams some doors and opens others, creating numerous possibilities for the direction of the concluding volume, Prince of Storms.[return][return]Prince of Storms: In the concluding volume of the series, Kenyon manages to wrap up the numerous threads of The Entire and The Rose while continuing to grow her characters in the face of new challenges. At first the final volume feels likes it would just be a prolonged epilogue especially after the spectacular ending of A City Without End but it's clear that Kenyon has a few more tricks up her sleeve. Prince of Storms takes a more fantastical approach to the Entire, taking advantage of some of the more unexplained intricacies of the Entire to raise the stakes once again. Reading the final book made it extremely clear how well Kenyon had planned out the entire series. Things that seemed to be throw away lines in the first two volumes were brought full circle, adding an appreciated cohesion to the story and lending credence to the final climax. Prince of Storms ends the series on a strong note, leaving the readers with a robust narrative that doesn't leave the door open for future derivative adventures. [return][return]Ultimately, The Entire and The Rose is more than a sum of its composite volumes, so much so that it was too difficult to reach a conclusion on one book before reading the others. The story flows through the pages like one of the arms of the Nigh (a river of exotic matter from the story), bearing strongly motivated characters through alternating periods of slow progress and torrential action. The narrative twists and turns unexpectedly, creating new letters to place between points A and B. At the core of Kenyon's series is her imagined Entire, rivaling any fantasy world for its complexity and surpassing the vast majority for sheer inventiveness. Despite some missteps in presentation, Kay Kenyon's The Entire and The Rose has created a unique science fantasy series that is worth reading, well, in its entirety.
August 3, 2024
Conundrum
I wanted to like this story and these characters but I found that I only felt for some of the fringe characters. Most of the main characters I either didn't understand their motives or worse didn't care. I may try a different story line by this author but I don't think I will read book 3 anytime soon if at all.
I wanted to like this story and these characters but I found that I only felt for some of the fringe characters. Most of the main characters I either didn't understand their motives or worse didn't care. I may try a different story line by this author but I don't think I will read book 3 anytime soon if at all.
May 14, 2017
I love this whole series, with great character development and dazzling world building. I read it quite a few years ago and I do remember that it took me the longest to stop thinking about that world almost daily.
I am going to re-read this book and the other three very soon.
I am going to re-read this book and the other three very soon.
Read
March 6, 2023I read this 12 years ago and do not remember it at all.
March 2, 2019
This book is so wonderful.
July 3, 2011
FYI - no spoilers.
The chronicle of Titus Quinn continues in this second book of the series, The Entire and the Rose. Each character is artfully developed and the aliens (referred to as "sentients" in this series) range from the terrifying to the oridinary, but never dull, trite or unbelievable. The Entire universe is a place unlike any world ever described in other sci-fi books. The River Nigh, the Sea of Arising, storm walls, minorals, the veil of worlds, the Primacies are described with facsinating detail. Author, Kay Kenyon, uses her wonderful imagination to masterfully create a Relativistic Wonderland. Read up on Relativity and Quantum Mechanics to get the full impact of the jolt you'll get when you read this series.
The Tarig lords, are mysterious and all powerful rulers who reign with absolute terror over the other sentients in the Entire. And they hunt Titus Quinn. Quinn must discover how to defeat them to save his own home, the Earth and it's universe - the Rose - and at the same time find his daughter, Sydney, and bring her home to Earth. Of course, there are complications upon complications that twist Quinn's plans around and seemingly conspire against him to get his family back and save the Rose. At times, the tension in this book causes such high anxiety that it's hard to continue reading, while at the same time you might die of curiousity if you did stop reading. A person could break out in hives from being torn like this.
After this book, the story continues in the thrid book,City Without End and the fourth and final book, Prince of Storms. I strongly recommend all of these books for anyone who loves sci-fi.
The chronicle of Titus Quinn continues in this second book of the series, The Entire and the Rose. Each character is artfully developed and the aliens (referred to as "sentients" in this series) range from the terrifying to the oridinary, but never dull, trite or unbelievable. The Entire universe is a place unlike any world ever described in other sci-fi books. The River Nigh, the Sea of Arising, storm walls, minorals, the veil of worlds, the Primacies are described with facsinating detail. Author, Kay Kenyon, uses her wonderful imagination to masterfully create a Relativistic Wonderland. Read up on Relativity and Quantum Mechanics to get the full impact of the jolt you'll get when you read this series.
The Tarig lords, are mysterious and all powerful rulers who reign with absolute terror over the other sentients in the Entire. And they hunt Titus Quinn. Quinn must discover how to defeat them to save his own home, the Earth and it's universe - the Rose - and at the same time find his daughter, Sydney, and bring her home to Earth. Of course, there are complications upon complications that twist Quinn's plans around and seemingly conspire against him to get his family back and save the Rose. At times, the tension in this book causes such high anxiety that it's hard to continue reading, while at the same time you might die of curiousity if you did stop reading. A person could break out in hives from being torn like this.
After this book, the story continues in the thrid book,City Without End and the fourth and final book, Prince of Storms. I strongly recommend all of these books for anyone who loves sci-fi.
January 23, 2011
Better than the first, the second book's story seemed a little more focused and progressed well to an exciting and fascinating conclusion. The book would have been better with a few more revelations about the "Entire," although I could sense the author is setting us up for some "big reveals" in the next two books. The story was still a good one, with plenty of interesting conflicts, especially those dealing with what it means to be faithful to one's family, even when separated by great distances or lengths of time. I think that is going to be one of the central themese to this series.
I'm committed at this point. I'm definitely going to finish the series. In fact, after I finish Rough Stone Rolling (I'm trying to alternate fiction and non-fiction books as I read), I will move on to book three. The other fiction books in my "to read" stack are going to have to wait.
I'm committed at this point. I'm definitely going to finish the series. In fact, after I finish Rough Stone Rolling (I'm trying to alternate fiction and non-fiction books as I read), I will move on to book three. The other fiction books in my "to read" stack are going to have to wait.
May 2, 2013
Second book in the "Entire and the Rose" series. Titus returns to the entire but this time, he's not alone - he's accompanied by Helice, a scheming, super-intelligent young woman near the top of the corporation who sponsors Titus's return trip to the world-next-door, "The Entire." Titus has two goals now - find his lost daughtyer Sydney, who is living among a sentient race of horse-like aliens who bond with their riders, and to carry out a deadly mission in Entire against the Tarig, the overlords of the Entire, who are far more dangerous than humanity realized.
This book cemented my desire to read the rest of this series firmly. Titus is a growing character with flaws, Helice is a delightfully sneaky secondary character, and the real, emotional decisions made by all of the other characters both minor and major are well realized.
This book cemented my desire to read the rest of this series firmly. Titus is a growing character with flaws, Helice is a delightfully sneaky secondary character, and the real, emotional decisions made by all of the other characters both minor and major are well realized.
October 14, 2008
Like Bright of the Sky, the first in this trilogy, this is an imaginative tale of life in a universe created by a species, the Tarig, who rules over it as lords and ladies. This universe needs lots of energy to maintain its impressive infrastructure, and so the Tarig are sucking the energy (and thus the life) out of Earth's universe, star by star. A human, Titus Quinn, is determined to destroy the engine that is making this possible.
As I commented in my review of the first book, there is something reminiscent of Gene Wolfe here, although neither as complex nor obscure. The interspecies relationships are particularly well portrayed, and the plot (with plenty of machinations and intrigue) moves along at a fine clip. An imaginative and accessible SF series.
As I commented in my review of the first book, there is something reminiscent of Gene Wolfe here, although neither as complex nor obscure. The interspecies relationships are particularly well portrayed, and the plot (with plenty of machinations and intrigue) moves along at a fine clip. An imaginative and accessible SF series.
July 14, 2012
It took me about half the book to "get into it", but once I did, I was totally submerged in this world. This is a little more sci-fi and less fantasy than I usually read. I love the overall conceptions of these worlds and their relationships to one another. It reminds me a bit of the "His Dark Materials" book the Amber Spyglass, though darker. I've read the second book of this series, and I'm getting ready to start the third. I'm strangely compelled by the male lead as written by a woman - I don't know why. As another reviewer mentioned, he is a little hard to sympathize with, at first anyway, but I like the anti-hero approach. And as the stories develop he becomes less of the sole focal point.
June 8, 2015
Sigue de muy buena forma la historia del primer libro, las dudas originales desaparecen para dar paso a nuevas intrigas, dejando varias por aclarar para el siguiente volumen.
Lamentablemente el ritmo es más lento y solo se tiene acción a raudales en el último capítulo, los demás si bien son interesantes, se hacen pesados de leer y hasta aburren de vez en cuando.
Claramente seguiré leyendo esta saga, pero de momento se hace necesario un descanso, ya que si bien la historia atrapa, como es un mundo nuevo con toda una historia detrás se hace un poco denso de leer de inmediato, falta la pausa para interpretar bien la historia, las decisiones de los personajes y los giros que es probable que vengan a continuación.
Lamentablemente el ritmo es más lento y solo se tiene acción a raudales en el último capítulo, los demás si bien son interesantes, se hacen pesados de leer y hasta aburren de vez en cuando.
Claramente seguiré leyendo esta saga, pero de momento se hace necesario un descanso, ya que si bien la historia atrapa, como es un mundo nuevo con toda una historia detrás se hace un poco denso de leer de inmediato, falta la pausa para interpretar bien la historia, las decisiones de los personajes y los giros que es probable que vengan a continuación.
April 6, 2016
More riveting than I found Bright of the Sky if only because the world building that slowed the pace of the first book has fittingly diminished here. The dynamics of this universe are so weird and cool, but there is an awful lot of traveling from here to there and not much really happens. Still, I found it an interesting and engrossing read because the sentients that inhabit the Entire are so well varied.
July 3, 2016
In this, the second book of what looks now to be a four-book series (quadology?) the author focuses on developing several characters and storylines that will obviously converge before the whole, grand plot is resolved. Since Kenyon is a wonderfully descriptive writer, there are great passages describing the world she has built. Several characters who were seen briefly in the first book are fleshed out here, as well, but there is something about the book that felt like it was a placeholder. Hopefully, there will be more action in the final installments!
August 4, 2016
Alternate and Plausible Universe
The Entire and the Rose books, and in particular, "A World Too Near", are enjoyable and engaging doses of alternative realities. Both educational, in the sense of learning through reflection, and entertaining, Kenyon continues her story of Titus Quinn, a double-minded citizen of Earth discovering where, and with whom, his loyalty does or should lie. Alternatively knuckle whitening and placid, inventive and familiar, Kenyon's story pulls the reader along to the end of book two both satisfied and curious for more.
The Entire and the Rose books, and in particular, "A World Too Near", are enjoyable and engaging doses of alternative realities. Both educational, in the sense of learning through reflection, and entertaining, Kenyon continues her story of Titus Quinn, a double-minded citizen of Earth discovering where, and with whom, his loyalty does or should lie. Alternatively knuckle whitening and placid, inventive and familiar, Kenyon's story pulls the reader along to the end of book two both satisfied and curious for more.
November 25, 2012
The second (of 4) in the Entire & the Rose series. These books are excellent & I'm so glad this fascinating world/story is part of me now. I haven't figured out why they take me so long to read. They are not hard to read & they're not too long. I love the expanse of the universe & the long roster of characters with multiple motivations. Maybe it's this expansiveness (like the Entire itself) that makes the books so laborious for me.
Read
May 15, 2008I learned that just because you love the first book doesn't mean you'll fall equally in love with the second one. It's like going on a first date that's Super Great and then not so much on the second.
December 19, 2011
Difficult to read. Usually when I read a book of a sprawling epic series, I get more sucked in, but when I finished this book, I was exhausted. Maybe something to do with the writing style, just isn't for me. Even though I'm totally interested in what happens.
March 6, 2015
Interesting book. When I got it, didn't realize it was second in a series.
So....
I found the characters and the setting interesting, but felt I missed a lot because of the "backstory" that would have been covered in the first book.
So, not as satisfying as it could have been.
So....
I found the characters and the setting interesting, but felt I missed a lot because of the "backstory" that would have been covered in the first book.
So, not as satisfying as it could have been.
January 5, 2009
This is a haunting series - I'm actually a little frustrated with the main male protagonist but the world(s) the story is set in are haunting and eerie.
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