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The Rose Sea
Struggling for freedom, New Empire officer Bren Morkaarin and rancher's daughter Kara Grenlaarin find their destinies intertwined as they battle side-by-side through the Imperial Sea toward the capital of the wizard kings
412 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1994
2 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Stirling
170 books1,651 followersStephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 6, 2019
Well-done sword-and-sorcery. Fluff, but *good* fluff.
It's a pretty standard setup - the Tykissian Empire (a Romanalog) is invading Tarin Tseld (Aegypt). The XIXth Imperial Foot is understrength, so a press gang rounds up some recruits in a tavern -- a young horse-trader, a cat-woman, a lawyer. The Tykissian Grand Admiral is scheming with Darkist(!), Yentror of Tarin Tseld & a Mighty Sorcerer -- well, you get the picture.
Holly & Steve don't let us down. The women are strong, the men are good-looking, the dialog is snappy...
We're in the Hall of Forgotten Gods:
[Quote]
Amourgin stared at the god the spirit had found... The idol was formed of some dull grey metal; the subject was a priapic, round-cheeked statue with a leering grin and vacant eyes ...
"He's Heinous."
"Yes, he is - but what does that have to do with me?"
"He's the *god* Heinous, you idiot..."
"Right, I'll wake him." He sighed. "*How do I wake him?"
"You worship him..."
"Just what sort of worship does old Heinous prefer?"
"Candles, hymns, dancing girl, sacrifices... the usual sort of thing."
"No doubt. And here I am, not a candle or a dancing girl to my name --"
"SING... TO... HIM"
"O Heinous, O Heinous," sang Amourgin, improvising fast, "How heinous is your name... "
The battle-gore gets pretty graphic, but the heros are smart & sassy, the villains are, well, villainous, and the action is non-stop. If you've read solo books by Stirling & Lisle, you'll be able to figure out pretty well (I think) who wrote what - which I thought was fun. Recommended for a few hours of light entertainment. Don't be put off by the generic Baen cover & jacket copy -- as I was: this one sat on my to-read shelf for a *long* time.
[1998 review by Peter D. Tillman. Written for rasfw??]
It's a pretty standard setup - the Tykissian Empire (a Romanalog) is invading Tarin Tseld (Aegypt). The XIXth Imperial Foot is understrength, so a press gang rounds up some recruits in a tavern -- a young horse-trader, a cat-woman, a lawyer. The Tykissian Grand Admiral is scheming with Darkist(!), Yentror of Tarin Tseld & a Mighty Sorcerer -- well, you get the picture.
Holly & Steve don't let us down. The women are strong, the men are good-looking, the dialog is snappy...
We're in the Hall of Forgotten Gods:
[Quote]
Amourgin stared at the god the spirit had found... The idol was formed of some dull grey metal; the subject was a priapic, round-cheeked statue with a leering grin and vacant eyes ...
"He's Heinous."
"Yes, he is - but what does that have to do with me?"
"He's the *god* Heinous, you idiot..."
"Right, I'll wake him." He sighed. "*How do I wake him?"
"You worship him..."
"Just what sort of worship does old Heinous prefer?"
"Candles, hymns, dancing girl, sacrifices... the usual sort of thing."
"No doubt. And here I am, not a candle or a dancing girl to my name --"
"SING... TO... HIM"
"O Heinous, O Heinous," sang Amourgin, improvising fast, "How heinous is your name... "
The battle-gore gets pretty graphic, but the heros are smart & sassy, the villains are, well, villainous, and the action is non-stop. If you've read solo books by Stirling & Lisle, you'll be able to figure out pretty well (I think) who wrote what - which I thought was fun. Recommended for a few hours of light entertainment. Don't be put off by the generic Baen cover & jacket copy -- as I was: this one sat on my to-read shelf for a *long* time.
[1998 review by Peter D. Tillman. Written for rasfw??]
September 4, 2013
What surprised and engaged me was not the bog-standard high fantasy "save the world" plot, nor the Quest For The Ultimate Foozle into which the story devolves in its final quarter. All that is somewhat mundane, with various intrigues and corruptions afoot, plot arcs for the admittedly appealing characters (who form up into not one, but two sets of romantic interests), and a magic system that was frequently technology in all but name.
It was the world building. The authors don't make a loud, big deal about it, but some planning had gone into the circumstances of this world. The technology emulates that of the 16th or 17th Century or thereabouts, with prevalent matchlock weaponry, frigates coming into use, and little things like letters of credit, implying a healthy banking system.
Further, the history of the Tykissian Empire had some heft to it, bringing the idea of a set of mercenary tribes that came south through the mountains to overturn a decrepit, corrupt Old Empire and scattering its forces across the sea, for them to found a future superpower rival. I find these little details enthralling and it's a pleasure to see them all work in harmony to inform the plot and setting.
The book in fact starts from a military point of view, with a motley crew of citizenry being unhappily impressed into service with an infantry regiment, and is a viewpoint that the authors were thoroughly comfortable with and could speak to. Positioning the characters as part of a military structure made the rest of the story more compelling: how would they deal with entanglements and rivalries while maintaining discipline and working within the system?
I thought that the story would remain there, but it makes a sudden, late jink into more conventional territory once the Race For The Gadget was on, as the protagonists race away from the military body.
It was the world building. The authors don't make a loud, big deal about it, but some planning had gone into the circumstances of this world. The technology emulates that of the 16th or 17th Century or thereabouts, with prevalent matchlock weaponry, frigates coming into use, and little things like letters of credit, implying a healthy banking system.
Further, the history of the Tykissian Empire had some heft to it, bringing the idea of a set of mercenary tribes that came south through the mountains to overturn a decrepit, corrupt Old Empire and scattering its forces across the sea, for them to found a future superpower rival. I find these little details enthralling and it's a pleasure to see them all work in harmony to inform the plot and setting.
The book in fact starts from a military point of view, with a motley crew of citizenry being unhappily impressed into service with an infantry regiment, and is a viewpoint that the authors were thoroughly comfortable with and could speak to. Positioning the characters as part of a military structure made the rest of the story more compelling: how would they deal with entanglements and rivalries while maintaining discipline and working within the system?
I thought that the story would remain there, but it makes a sudden, late jink into more conventional territory once the Race For The Gadget was on, as the protagonists race away from the military body.
July 20, 2012
One of my all time favorite fantasy novels. It's lewd and irreverent (possibly more than a bit tongue-in-cheek), it has firearms in it, an immortal legacy god-king, giant crocodiles, a cat girl, shallow but fun characters, entertaining dialogue...and a god with an erection? It was the first non-Tolkein style fantasy I ever read that wasn't a fairy tale or epic poem and that's probably flavored my view of it, but I stand by my love of this book.
Sadly it's out of print.
Sadly it's out of print.
April 19, 2009
The main characters were great! The story was a little confusing. Over all it was good and funny
March 1, 2017
I had a hard time getting into the book. The main characters were good, but the setting just wasn't pulling me in. I also think the title should be better.
November 15, 2011
I am not a big fantasy fan, but this does not read terribly much like fantasy. There is a definite scarcity of bearded wizards and annoying halflings. It’s more like a pirate/explorer story, and quite entertaining
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1362
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1362
July 19, 2013
I would probably give it a 3 1/2 if I could.
January 22, 2016
Urban fantasy, nice read
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews