Imre Bergamasc has arrived at Earth, although what he encounters is not what he expected. He is faced with a rebellion that doesn't want to hand over the planet to him and led by Jasper, a man who claims to be God. Told from Jasper's point of view, one that does not follow time in the usual way, we get to piece together the events of Imre arriving on Earth and the resulting battle between the two sides leading to a conclusion that is fitting.Set in the same universe as his Astropolis books, Cenotaxis is a short story that takes place after Saturn Returns but before Earth Ascendant. As it's told from Jasper's viewpoint it's an interesting story, we see Imre and his colleagues differently, although each are still unmistakable. Jasper is also a good character, one that can live future parts of his life before ones in the past. This is surprisingly easy to read and the way he experiences time fits the story very well.
I'd recommend Cenotaxis without hesitation, although how it fits into the overall story arc is not yet clear to me - it comes across as an extended prologue rather than a stand alone, but I couldn't tell you whether this will be related to Earth Ascendant - that's one I'll be reading fairly soon to find out.
Overall rating: 8/10
Visit Sean Williams' site here and that of the publisher, MonkeyBrain Books, here.
Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, The Book Depository
6 comments:
Hey Mark, I dropped Sean Williams a line on Facebook and told him about your review, hopefully he'll pop by and leave a comment. :-)
Book 1 is on my TBR pile, and Cenotaxis will join it (somehow). :-) Great review!
Thanks Dave, muchly appreciated! I've now got Earth Ascendant staring at me from the shelf - it's so tempting! I'd definitely get onto Saturn Returns if I were you, great read :)
Hi Mark - great review. I've only read Cenotaxis, none of the novels, and for what it's worth, from my perspective, I found it perfectly stand alone.
Hi Lou - thanks for that, it's always good to hear what others think of it, especially when it comes from a different point of view. I guess I find it a little difficult to separate it from the main series, especially when it's one I'm enjoying so much!
I love Sean's writing, but as an editor of a book line, it's hard for me to read a whole trilogy that isn't for Pyr. So I was overjoyed when Monkeybrain put this out. I could read it in a day, get some more Williams brilliance, and not feel I was spending too much time not working. What a fantastic book too!
I can understand completely Lou, I'm just glad that as a blogger I'm able to read so many different things - and find so many great authors and stories.
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