From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Wonders abound in British author Swainston's polished sequel to
The Year of Our War (2005). The Emperor San and his Circle of Immortals strive to protect the medieval empire of the Fourlands from monstrous creatures called Insects, but the continuity of the Circle is threatened. Serein, the Swordsman, is unexpectedly defeated in ritual combat by a young upstart, who is then sent—along with Comet, the Messenger, and other Immortals—on a mission to Tris, an idyllic and recently discovered island nation. Unfortunately, the Immortals, who assume their own superiority to mere humans, make a mess of things, upsetting the democratically minded islanders and accidentally loosing on them an Insect they'd brought along to help persuade the natives to join the empire. Swainston's scintillating prose, well-developed characters and talent for brilliant absurdities (one character alternates between human and shark and drives an automobile with a living engine) mark this as one of the more innovative fantasies of recent years.
(Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Review
"A more original sort of fantasy. " -- Roz Kaveney TIME OUT For my money Swainston is one of the best British authors writing in any genre. She has a facility with language and a genius for plot and character which Booker prize winners could, and should, be envious of. The Hobbs, Brookses and Feists of this world may well outsell it, but this will be the outstanding fantasy book of the year by a country mile -- Publishing News "An uncompromisingly classy act." THE GUARDIAN 'NO PRESENT LIKE TIME is a welcome return to the world Swainston put on paper so delectably first time round. Whereas THE YEAR OF OUR WAR centred on - you guessed it - a war, NO PRESENT LIKE TIME has more of a political edge, embossed with flawless, deep characterization. (This is) an extremely unusual, familiar yet at the same time extraordinarily original novel. There's joy to discover on every page, even if that page does involve some poor fool getting his read ripped off' -- Jayne Dearsley SFX "Once again, Steph Swainston has created a remarkable work of fantasy, both refreshing and enjoyable. It is great to see such a revitalisation of the genre with brilliant new authors like her leading the way." OUTLAND
by Steph Swainston
