Pinion

By Elizabeth Bear

Book Overview

On a broken ship orbiting a doomed sun, dwellers have grown complacent with their aging metal world. But when a serving girl frees a captive noblewoman, the old order is about to change.... Ariane, Princess of the House of Rule, was known to be fiercely cold-blooded. But severing an angel's wings on the battlefield--even after she had surrendered--proved her completely without honor. Captive, the angel Perceval waits for Ariane not only to finish her off--but to devour her very memories and mind. Surely her gruesome death will cause war between the houses--exactly as Ariane desires. But Ariane's plan may yet be opposed, for Perceval at once recognizes the young servant charged with her care. Rien is the lost child: her sister. Soon they will escape, hoping to stop the impending war and save both their houses. But it is a perilous journey through the crumbling hulk of a dying ship, and they do not pass unnoticed. Because at the hub of their turning world waits Jacob Dust, all that remains of God, following the vapor wisp of the angel. And he knows they will meet very soon. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 055359107X
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Spectra
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 1.0" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

A Very Visual Novel

I have been juggling books for the past year or two trying to find one that really captures my interest, and stimulates my imagination, only to read novels that come close, or fail completely. I picked up "Dust" on recommendation from a friend, that it had two qualities that I really valued in fiction. Innovative science fiction elements, and queer romance. I decided I was excited enough over the later that I could forgive...

original and captivating

This book was a great escape. I loved the world she created and can't wait for the next book. I read tons of sci-fi/fantasy and always love an idea that hasn't been done to death.

Enchanting and original

Elizabeth Bear has created a new spin on the multi-generational, planet-sized spaceship saga. Without spoiling the delicate suspense, the ship is crippled, in orbit around an unstable star system. The warring factions, who represent the officers vs engineering--must unite to save this world. The ship's Artificial Intelligences have splintered into competitive entities. The genetically altered inhabitants fight viciously over...

Excellent Science Fiction

Elizabeth Bear, in "Dust," has taken the ubiquitous 'Disabled Generation Ship' in an entirely new direction. The first installment of the Jacob's Ladder sequence reads like a mixture of fantasy, religion, and classical science fiction. The Jacob's Ladder is a disabled generation ship parked in orbit around two unstable stars. However, Jacob's Ladder isn't just a ship, its a laboratory and the whole of the world to the...

strong science fiction thriller

The colony ship was traveling through space for hundreds of years when explosions almost destroyed it. They traveled to the nearest planet in hopes of making repairs, but too much damage was sustained to too many systems. To make the situation even direr, the sun they orbit is starting to go supernova. Five centuries later, the artificial intelligence that enabled the captain to guide the people into safety splinters into...