- Hardcover: 307 pages
- Publisher: Five Star (ME) (November 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1594143501
- ISBN-13: 978-1594143502
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 15 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 408 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #935,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Isak the TruthTeller, Sep 11 2007
By Carole L. Robishaw - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dawn (Hardcover)
The book is very interesting, but what I find most interesting is how closely the actions of Isak parallel those of Jesus. Not only did McLaughlin draw from Asimov's "Nightfall", but he practically paraphrased the story of Jesus.
Just a few of the most obvious parallels:
Isak foretells a truth of a "coming of darkness" that is not believed by the priests, who see him as a threat to their power in the temple. Isak gains a following, some who really believe, and some who are using him for their own gain. Isak "performs miracles", including "healing" a woman who touches him, and several who are severely handicapped. Isak takes a child into his lap, comforting her, after her mother attempts to shoo her away from the great prophet. Isak takes refuge in the upper room of a bakery, where he breaks bread.
Isak's followers abandon him when the guards surround him to take him captive. Isak is then tortured and ordered to recant his heresies, but he stands up to them, and is later dragged through the winding corridors to the tower's top (Hill of Golgotha?), where he is to be further tortured in front of the people, as an example of what happens to those who oppose the temple priests. And I won't even get into the "Mary Madeline" figure that is present throughout.
But it was a good read, though with a somewhat predictable ending.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
strong fantasy with no magic, Nov 19 2006
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dawn (Hardcover)
Isak is a scribe who has traveled the world looking at the six orbs in the sky. He consults the priests' records and comes to some conclusions about the orbits which can be seen in the daylight. When he arrives in the city of Center, he consults the temple records and through advanced arithmetic comes to the conclusion that at a certain time that he names darkness will spread across the land. The people and the priest don't believe what he says about the gods and the high priests want him killed before he can spread this foretelling.
Isak takes shelter in a merchant's house and comes to care for the pregnant daughter who was gang rapedby the priests who masquerade their actions as a religious rite. Isak comes to learn that the ruling theocracy is corrupt and when he is offered the chance to chase them out of power when the foretelling proves correct, he takes it. Members of a secret rebellion use Isak as their spokesperson and as each day passes he wins more converts. He is still in danger from the priests who want to capture him and he has doubts he will have enough to overthrow the priest hood.
There is no magic in this tale nor is a spell cast yet this is a fantasy story of a feudal world who believes suns and planets are gods and people worship them. Many fantasies that don't have magic feel flat but DAWN is not one of them because of the atmosphere the author creates that is imbued throughout the storyline. The protagonist is a combination of innocence and pragmatist who does what he believes is right for the people of his world. He is a hero in the bardic sense of the word.
Harriet Klausner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Homage to Nightfall, May 10 2007
By Dvd Avins - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dawn (Hardcover)
This very engrossing book is in many ways an answer to Isaac Asimov's seminal short story, Nightfall.
The two stories take place in similar theocratic societies, driven by similar multi-star systems that cause their planets to only very rarely be dark.
But while in Nightfall, the society colapses despite the effort of the protagonist, Dawn has a more optimistic view of people's ability to maintain progress.
McLaughlin pays homage to Asimov in naming a historical figure "Lagash" (the name of Asimov's planet) and by using star-names that are derived from Asmov's bald Greek-alphabet names.
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