Gradisil - Softcover

Adam Roberts

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0575076313 ISBN 13: 9780575076310

Publisher: Gollancz, 2006

Synopsis

Gradisil is a multi-generational story of murder, betrayal and revenge. It is told through the eyes of three characters and against a background where mankinds rush into space has faded away leaving individual pioneers to force their way independently into space after the collapse of the big government space agencies. They ride up into space on the lines of electromagnetic force that flower into space from earth like the mighty Yggradisil - the earth tree of Norse myth. Leaving their weight behind they still carry a cargo of enmities and hatreds. Roberts has a unique approach to SF and is one of the genre's premier stylists. This is one of his most original novels yet.

About this title

About the Author

Adam Roberts is 39 and Reader in English at London University. His first novel, Salt, was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He has also published a number of academic works on both 19th century poetry and SF.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gradisil is an epic, generation-spanning tale of migration to space, nation building, and terrifying politics, beginning not too long from now, when new technology changes the possibilities of space travel forever. If sufficiently wealthy and motivated, one can adapt a jet to catch magnetic currents and fly into orbit, in which there's plenty of space--the Uplands--to set up a habitation pod. Klara Gyeroffy and her father are among the first who do. During Klara's life, and then her daughter Gradisil's, the politics of the Uplands becomes more and more complicated. The Americans and the EU are both angling to control space and warring between themselves, while Uplanders have a certain interest in retaining the liberties they sought when they moved up in the first place. Gradisil is a major political force in the Uplands, and her influence is key to Uplands independence. In the final generation depicted, Gradisil's sons are consumed by the knowledge that their father betrayed her to the Americans and indirectly caused her death. They, like their grandmother, swear revenge. Roberts handles the politics of future war, fought mostly in courtrooms, and the idea of inhabiting orbital space, with great style. Gradisil is a thoughtful look at the near future and a well-crafted tale of people at the center of great change. Regina Schroeder
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Edition details

• Publisher: Gollancz
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0575076313
• ISBN 13: 9780575076310
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464