Pavane - Softcover

Roberts, Keith

Softcover

ISBN 10: 042503142X ISBN 13: 9780425031421

Publisher: Berkley, 1976

Synopsis

An ever-expanding subgenre of sf is devoted to "alternate worlds" or "alternate histories": fiction in which a crucial event goes differently than in the world we know, & history is changed. Keith Roberts's Pavane ('68) is set in a backward 20th century molded by the assassination of Queen Elizabeth I & the triumph of a militantly antiscience Catholic Church. This is a classic alternate history, in the same company as such highly regarded novels as L. Sprague De Camp's seminal Lest Darkness Fall ('41), in which a modern man slips back in time & attempts to avert the Dark Ages; Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee ('53), set after the South wins the US Civil War; & Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle ('62), set after the Germans & Japanese win WWII. Lest Darkness Fall & The Man in the High Castle are justly famous; the other two classics, Bring the Jubilee & Pavane, are less well known, & that's a shame. One reason for Pavane's relative obscurity among American SF readers might be its British setting & author (the Moore & Dick novels are both set in the US, & De Camp, Moore & Dick were all American). Another reason might be that Pavane is a novel created from interrelated but standalone stories (6 'measures,' or novelettes, & a coda), & the stories are of varying quality. Most are wise, beautifully written & intensely visualized, especially the opener, "The Lady Margaret," & the closer, "Corfe Gate"; but "Brother John," the story of the monk-artist who witnesses Inquisition tortures & sparks an anti-Church rebellion, is far less detailed & sometimes even unclear. Another reason for the novel's obscurity may be that some of the stories/chapters have more of a fantasy feel than is typical of more recent alternate history. Also, the nature of the coda's revelations may put off some readers. Nonetheless, Pavane is an intelligent, powerful & moving work, deserving of a wide readership.--Cynthia Ward
Prologue (1968) story
The Lady Margaret (1966) novelette (aka The Lady Anne)
The Signaller (1966) novelette
Brother John (1966) novelette
Lords & Ladies (1966) novelette
The White Boat (1966) novelette
Corfe Gate (1966) novelette
Coda (1968) story

About this title

Review

An ever-expanding subgenre of science fiction is devoted to "alternate worlds" or "alternate histories": fiction in which a crucial event goes differently than in the world we know, and history is changed. Keith Roberts's Pavane (1968) is set in a backward 20th century molded by the assassination of Queen Elizabeth I and the triumph of a militantly antiscience Catholic Church. This is a classic alternate history, in the same company as such highly regarded novels as L. Sprague De Camp's seminal Lest Darkness Fall (1941), in which a modern man slips back in time and attempts to avert the Dark Ages; Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee (1953), set after the South wins the U.S. Civil War; and Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle (1962), set after the Germans and Japanese win World War II. Lest Darkness Fall and The Man in the High Castle are justly famous; the other two classics, Bring the Jubilee and Pavane, are less well known, and that is a shame.

One reason for Pavane's relative obscurity among American SF readers might be its British setting and author (the Moore and Dick novels are both set in the U.S., and De Camp, Moore, and Dick were all American). Another reason might be that Pavane is a novel created from interrelated but standalone stories (six "measures," or novelettes, and a coda), and the stories are of varying quality. Most are wise, beautifully written, and intensely visualized, especially the opener, "The Lady Margaret," and the closer, "Corfe Gate"; but "Brother John," the story of the monk-artist who witnesses Inquisition tortures and sparks an anti-Church rebellion, is far less detailed, and sometimes even unclear. Another reason for the novel's obscurity may be that some of the stories/chapters have more of a fantasy feel than is typical of more recent alternate history. Also, the nature of the coda's revelations may put off some readers. Nonetheless, Pavane is an intelligent, powerful, and moving work, deserving of a wide readership. --Cynthia Ward

From the Inside Flap

In the year 1588, Queen Elizabeth of England was assassinated. As a result, when the Spanish Armada attacked, England went down defeated, changing the history of Europe and the New World as we know it.

Now, in the Twentieth Century, the Church of Rome reigns supreme over a world of pastoral beauty, while technology is held back to the level of the steam locomotive and the primitive radio. Yet science cannot be suppressed forever, and its advocates are becoming more daring as each year passes. A revolution is building—one that will rock the foundations of an empire. An acknowledged classic of alternate history fiction, Pavane will continue to inspire writers and readers for generations . . .

Edition details

• Publisher: Berkley
• Publication date: 1976
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 042503142X
• ISBN 13: 9780425031421
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 249