The Phoenix Exultant: The Golden Age, Volume 2
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
And now The Phoenix Exultant, a second epic novel of an heroic quest in a far future world of super-science from an important new talent.
The Phoenix Exultant is a continuation of the story begun in The Golden Age and, like it, a grand space opera in the tradition of Jack Vance and Roger Zelazny (with a touch of Cordwainer Smith-style invention).
At the conclusion of the first book, Phaethon of Radamanthus House, was left an exile from his life of power and privilege. Now he embarks upon a quest across the transformed solar system--Jupiter is a second sun, Mars and Venus terraformed, humanity immortal--among humans, intelligent machines, and bizarre life-forms, to recover his memory, to regain his place in society and to move that society away from stagnation and toward the stars. And most of all Phaethon's quest is to regain ownership of the magnificent starship, the Phoenix Exultant, the most wonderful ship ever built, and to fly her to the stars.
It is an astounding story of super-science, a thrilling wonder story that recaptures the verve of SF's Golden Age writers The Phoenix Exultant is a suitably grand and stirring fulfillment of the promise shown in The Golden Age and confirms John C. Wright as a major new talent in the field.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
John C. Wright
JOHN C. WRIGHT is an attorney turned SF and fantasy writer. He has published short fiction in Asimov’s SF and elsewhere, and wrote the Chronicles of Chaos, The Golden Age, and The War of Dreaming series. His novel Orphans of Chaos was a finalist for the Nebula Award in 2005.
Read more from John C. Wright
Is Your Cat Crazy?: Solutions from the Casebook of a Cat Therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Null-A Continuum Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to The Phoenix Exultant
Related ebooks
Star Runners: Scorpions: Star Runners Universe, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmortal at the Edge of the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Clouds and Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hellenic Immortal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the Razor's Edge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stranger Suns Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5At The Helm: Volume 2: A Sci-Fi Bridge Anthology: At The Helm, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWheelworld Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stations of the Tide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hammer and Crucible: Imperial Hammer, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmortal From Hell Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Queen of Angels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmortal and the Island of Impossible Things Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quantum Shadows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Panglor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starplex Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Golden Fleece Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bridge of Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Sun Bleeding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Triplanetary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Goliath Stone Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Legacy of Stars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Galaxy’s Edge Magazine: Issue 46 September 2020: Galaxy's Edge, #46 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eternals: The Unmaking of Heaven Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Robots Of Gotham Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Galactic Center Companion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So You Had To Build A Time Machine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Thirteenth Man Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Uplift Storm Trilogy: Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore, Heaven's Reach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Science Fiction For You
The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silo Series Collection: Wool, Shift, Dust, and Silo Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wool: Book One of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Psalm for the Wild-Built Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flowers for Algernon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sarah J. Maas: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Who Have Never Known Men Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dust: Book Three of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Annihilation: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cryptonomicon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shift: Book Two of the Silo Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Troop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rendezvous with Rama Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Contact Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tommyknockers Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Frankenstein: Original 1818 Uncensored Version Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roadside Picnic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oona Out of Order: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unsheltered: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perelandra: (Space Trilogy, Book Two) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Phoenix Exultant
5 ratings1 review
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/52.5 - 3
Wow, I was really disappointed with this one, especially considering how much I had enjoyed its predecessor. In many ways this just did not feel like a true continuation of the first book in the series. One of the major stumbling blocks for me was that I just couldn't believe the way Wright handled the voices he used for the characters in this volume. Considering his mannered and baroque set up in the previous volume I found the dialogue to be way too colloquial (and 20th cent. colloquial at that). Now maybe he was trying to show Phaeton 'stepping down' a level, both
socially due to his exile and intellectually due to his loss of certain artificial brain upgrades, but it really grated on me. Atkins and Daphne were also throwing around way too much colloquial verbiage in my humble opinion.
I also think Wright relied far too much on exposition for character actions and motives...he told us way more than he showed us, as if he felt he had to explain all of the details to us because we'd never figure it out for ourselves.
I understand that these characters are posthumans who are able to modify themselves in various ways, but it seemed like the character of Daphne became a completely differtent person. She goes from victim to hero in one mighty leap that has no explanation...I guess she must have downloaded the Nancy Drew persona since the last volume.
Ultimately, in looking back after I finished it, it seemed that not very much really *happened* in the course of the novel. Phaeton just acts more or less clueless and like a pompous ass and eventually finds the loopholes (and hidden allies) he needs thanks to the plot master (don't look behind the curtain!).
Certainly it wasn't all bad, but the sensawunda and deeper level of thought and execution of the first volume were missing for the most part.