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An Autumn War (The Long Price Quartet)
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| List Price: | $25.95 |
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Product Description
Daniel Abraham delighted fantasy readers with his brilliantly original and engaging first novel, and in his second penned a tragedy as darkly personal and violent as Shakespeare’s King Lear. Now he has written an epic fantasy of much wider scope and appeal that will thrill his fans and enthrall legions of new readers.
Otah Machi, ruler of the city of Machi, has tried for years to prepare his people for a future in which the magical andat, entities that support their commerce and intimidate all foes, can no longer be safely harnessed. But his efforts are too little, too late. The Galts, an expansionist empire from across the sea, have tired of games of political espionage and low-stakes sabotage. Their general, a ruthless veteran, has found a way to do what was thought impossible: neutralize the andat.
As the Galtic army advances, the Poets who control the andat wage their own battle to save their loved-ones and their nation. Failure seems inevitable, but success would end the Galtic threat.
With wonderful storytelling skill, Abraham has wedded the unique magic, high-stakes betrayal and political intrigue of his previous works with a broad tapestry of action in a spectacular fantasy epic.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #145836 in Books
- Published on: 2008-07-22
- Released on: 2008-07-22
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 368 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Bookmarks Magazine
Much of the praise that SF critics offer for An Autumn War sounds like a review of a more-mainstream literary novel, with observations on Abrahamâs complex and engaging characters, the multiple layers of power throughout his plot, and the excellent writing. âRarely does the penultimate volume in a series carry such a charge of its own,â notes Locus. But the reviewers return to full geek mode to gawk over the game-changing plot twist and ensuing cliff-hanger. Subtle plot development and engaging characters are great, they seem to sayâ"but, just to show how compelling this series really is, what they really want is the next (and last) book, The Price of Spring (2009).
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.
Review
"A Betrayal in Winter is exactly the kind of book I love: dynamic characters, sharp plotting, and an original, thoughtful take on magic." —Brandon Sanderson, author of Mistborn
“Compellingly plotted and elegantly written, A Betrayal in Winter is a very successful continuation of what promises to be a significant and original contribution to fantasy literature.” —SCIFI.COM
About the Author
Daniel Abraham won the International Horror Award for best short story. His previous novels include A Shadow in Summer and A Betrayal in Winter, the first two volumes of the Long Price Quartet. He is also the author of the Wild Cards comics miniseries The Hard Call, and co-author with George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois of the novel Hunter’s Run. He lives in New Mexico.
Customer Reviews
A real pageturner
The strength of the first 2 books of the series was in the setting and the characters. Abraham's writing has a philosophical bend to it; he uses the novels to study human societies and individuals. I thoroughly enjoyed summer and winter, but it was a slow read, with only a dash of suspense to help one turn the pages. Not so for this book. I stayed up till 5AM last night finishing it. All the elements that made the first two books so enjoyable are still there: the alien, yet familiar setting of the world of the poets and their andaat, the family minidramas, the little touches with the hand poses and the food. However, this time the story grabs and doesn't let go. The ending was brilliant. I am still mulling over the questions posed by the resolution, the meaning of it all. We have here humanist sentiment coming to grips with the brutality that comes from ambition and the need to survive. I can't wait for book 4.
Looking Forward To Book 4
While I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it as much as the first two books of its series, The Long Price Quartet.
In all three books, my favorite characters have been the poets. I have always enjoyed the poets' interactions and conflicts with the andat. Daniel Abraham's language is the most compelling and interesting when he is writing about them. Unfortunately, this third book, The Autumn War, does not focus as much on the relationship between any particular andat and poet. But the book is absolutely fantastic when it does.
Still, I quite enjoyed this book. It was very gripping. Every time I picked up the book, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to keep reading and reading and reading. And the characters, who didn't seem as intricate as they did in the first two books, were still quite solid and full.
I don't usually enjoy fantasy novels that focus on military campaigns by ruling nations. But this book isn't the average military fantasy. This book's wild and excellent ending speaks to this point; it left me deeply wanting to read the fourth book of the series. I hope it comes out soon.
Oh, and the character, Sinja . . . he is really cool.
Still Amazing and Fabulous
It's hard to believe that the first book in this series was Daniel Abraham's first book. It was so good that I eagerly await each one in the series.
As I was reading this book, I thought about all the military SF I have read in the past. So much of it is mere body count or more cool ways to destroy people and their property. Although this book is about a deadly war, it is much more about the effects of any war on the people who fight it and the people who suffer from the fighting.
In the previous two novels, Otah, a disowned son of a Khai (an hereditary leader of a large city/state) trains to be a poet (a master of a elemental spirits), becomes a common laborer, courier, and eventually Khai of his father's city/state in the far north mining areas. His empire is protected by andats, elemental spirits that can change the nature of reality itself. The rival empire of Galt is desperate to end the threat of andats forever. One lone Galtic general travels to the far east to recover manuscripts from the First Empire that ended in almost complete destruction when andats fought andats. He finds a way to release all andats from their binding allowing him to quickly destroy all the andat protected cities and their poets in a short period of time. Only Machi in the far north is left. Their two remaining poets try desperately to recreate an andat, any andat. And so they do, but it is just as treacherous and dangerous as all previous andats. Both Galt and the Khaimate cities are changed forever.
Although this book is even more grim than the previous novels, you are so captivated by the strong and weak characters that Abraham has created that you follow their paths with great anticipation. I am confident that the fourth and final book will show a changed, but more stable world.
