The Promise of the Child
Published on 19. November 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
544 pages
978-1-4732-1136-0 (ISBN)
Description
An extraordinarily inventive and hugely original SF novel that charts a compelling vision of a future and spins an hypnotic narrative around it. A novel that could command the same amount of attention and furore that met the publication of The Quantum Thief. The richness and originality of its vision combined with its playful take on hard science make this a novel with real commercial potential that will be talked about for years and should launch a major career in SF.
In the far future man has spread out into the galaxy. And diversified. Some have evolved physically into strange new forms, some have become immortal. Some hark back to the old ways. We have built a glorious new future. One that stretches from the sleepy Old World, to new terraformed planets and Dyson spheres built around artificial suns. For as long as we can remember (and some have lived 12,000 years) we have delighted in a rich new existence. Yes there have been wars but we are content in our splendour. Art is revered, life is easy, death forgotten for many. But now there are rumours of a bid to oust the Emperor and a worrying story that our history is not as we remember it - not only man left Earth...
In the far future man has spread out into the galaxy. And diversified. Some have evolved physically into strange new forms, some have become immortal. Some hark back to the old ways. We have built a glorious new future. One that stretches from the sleepy Old World, to new terraformed planets and Dyson spheres built around artificial suns. For as long as we can remember (and some have lived 12,000 years) we have delighted in a rich new existence. Yes there have been wars but we are content in our splendour. Art is revered, life is easy, death forgotten for many. But now there are rumours of a bid to oust the Emperor and a worrying story that our history is not as we remember it - not only man left Earth...
Reviews / Votes
it;'s rare to come across something as original as this debut novel, set 12,000 years from now * Stuff Magazine * a beautifully crafted read that's evocative and hugely inventive * SFX * an incredibly impressive debut novel novel, with an engrossing plot and delightful oddness that should satisfy any space opera aficionado * Sci-Fi Now * to call The Promise of the Child one of the most accomplished debuts of 2015 so far is to understate its weight-instead, let me moot that is among the most significant works of science fiction released in recent years. * Tor.com * Marvellous...a space opera of surpassing gracefulness, depth, complexity, and well, all-round weirdness * Locus * Intense, bold writing; inventive worldbuilding; excellent plotting. * SF Signal * I love gobsmacking moments in science fiction, moments that make me sit up with a jolt and see everything around me with fresh and curious eyes. Wonder is vital. There are times whenThe Promise of the Child is truly wondrous. Without doubt, it is innovative, complex, ambitious and original * For Winter's Nights * The prose is baroque, the pacing stately * Financial Times * To call The Promise of the Child one of the most accomplished debuts of 2015 so far is to understate its weight-instead, let me moot that is among the most significant works of science fiction released in recent years. Granted, you've got to give it your all, but give it that and you'll get all that and more besides back * TOR.COM * This is the purest example of space opera we've seen in some time, thoroughly blurring the line between science fiction and fantasy. The wildly divergent post-humans of our future galaxy could just as well be from the pages of Tolkien; the science can be indistinguishable from magic. (Not unrealistically, come to think of it.) A lot of sci-fi draws straight lines between now and all the tomorrows to come, but Toner posits a weirder, wobblier path to the future. This first-in-a-trilogy builds an intriguing new world, and gives us every reason to have high hopes about what's coming next. The book is challenging, ambitious, and rewarding, and it's impossible not to admire Toner's wild imagination and carefully constructed world. This thing is bonkers, no question. It's also one helluva debut. * BarnesandNoble.com * Marvellous...a space opera of surpassing gracefulness, depth, complexity, and well, all-round weirdness -- Paul Di Filippo * Locus *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 168 mm
Width: 237 mm
Thickness: 43 mm
Weight
714 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4732-1136-0 (9781473211360)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Thomas N. Toner was born in the English countryside to two parents employed by the BBC (his mother was a set designer for Doctor Who). He studied fine art and painting in Loughborough before moving to Australia to write. He collects giant fossilized shark teeth, and lives in Bath.