 First edition | |
| Author | Steph Swainston |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Emma Wallace |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Castle books |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
Publication date | April 2005 |
| Pages | 317 pp |
| ISBN | 0-575-07006-4 |
| OCLC | 156710504 |
| Preceded by | The Year of Our War |
| Followed by | The Modern World |
The fantasy/science fiction novel No Present Like Time (2005) by Steph Swainston is the sequel to the critically acclaimed The Year of Our War (2004).
The novel is set in the Fourlands, a country in danger of being overrun by large hostile Insects, and follows the exploits of Jant, also called "the Messenger" or "Comet". As a half-breed of two humanoid species Jant is the only person who can fly, which makes him an indispensable part of the Emperor's Circle of about 50 immortals, an elite group of (mostly) warriors who do not age (but, despite the name, are capable of being killed).
A young soldier, Wrenn, challenges the immortal Swordsman Gio Serein and defeats him to earn his place in the Circle. Though the Emperor San acknowledges Wrenn's victory, Gio is bitter at again becoming mortal, and has to be ejected from the Castle.
Along with Lightning the Archer and Jant the Messenger, Wrenn is chosen to accompany the Sailor Mist on her voyage to the newly discovered island of Tris, three months' journey from the Fourlands. San hopes that Tris will join the Empire, bringing with it new culture and innovation.
During the journey, Jant discovers a live Insect in the hold, which Mist plans to show to the people of Tris. With the stress of the voyage and worries of his wife's infidelity, Jant begins to use the drug scolopendium again, which allows him access to the bizarre alternate world known as the Shift. There he learns of many strange creatures, including the sea kraits - colossal sea snakes, whose environment is threatened by Insect expansion.
Arriving at Tris, the immortals find an idyllic democracy with a rich culture and history. As the ruling council debates their offer, they trade with the townspeople, finding that gold is plentiful. During the night, the Insect breaks free. Wrenn, armed only with a rapier, is unable to stop it; the Insect kills several Trisians and escapes into the sewers. Horrified, the council rejects membership of the Empire and the immortals sail back to the Fourlands in disgrace.
When they arrive home they find the land in turmoil. The rejected Gio has raised an army which he leads in rebellion against the Castle. With their crew dispersed, the four immortals travel across land to report to the Emperor. They encounter Gio in a forest, but he escapes, badly wounding Lightning in the process.
Gio's forces attack the Castle but are driven off by the Strongman Tornado and the Horse Master Hayl. Jant is sent the spy on Gio and learns that he plans to take his remaining forces to Tris.
Jant, Mist, Wrenn and the wounded Lightning set sail after him. Arriving at Tris they find Gio entrenched with a strong force. Jant attempts to poison him but fails, causing Gio's forces to attack. During the battle, Mist is killed when Gio's men overrun her position. He seeks out Wrenn and in the ensuing duel he is also killed, though Wrenn is severely wounded. Though their leader is dead, Gio's forces continue to fight. Jant, seeing that the situation is desperate, uses scolopendium to enter the Shift. There, he convinces the sea kraits to reside to the seas around the Fourlands; their arrival puts an end to the fighting and Tris is saved.
When the survivors return, the Emperor chides Jant for his unilateral action, but allows him to keep the riches he has gained from the voyage. Reconciling with his wife, Jant vows to give up scolopendium once again.
The Argonauts were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, Argo, named after its builder, Argus. They were sometimes called Minyans, after a prehistoric tribe in the area.
William Baffin was an English navigator, explorer and cartographer. He is primarily known for his attempt to discover a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, during the course of which he was the first European to discover Baffin Bay in present-day Canada. He was also responsible for exceptional surveys of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf on behalf of the East India Company.
The Battle of Sarhū refers to a series of battles between the Later Jin dynasty and the Ming dynasty and their Joseon allies in the winter of 1619. The battle is notable for the heavy use of cavalry by the Later Jin in defeating Ming and Joseon forces equipped with hand cannons, cannons, and matchlocks.
The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of supervillains who appear in comic books published by DC Comics. They are adversaries of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future. They first appeared as adults in Superman #147 and as teens in Adventure Comics #372.
Prince Caspian is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. He is featured in three books in the series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. He also appears at the end of The Last Battle.
The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend is a fantasy novel by British author David Gemmell, first published in 1993. The novel is a prequel to the popular title Legend. The novel details the early life and events of the character Druss, it is followed by The Legend of Deathwalker, which deals with later events in his life between this book and the events in "Legend".
The Boat of a Million Years is a science fiction novel by American writer Poul Anderson, first published in 1989 and nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel that same year. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Prometheus Award in 1990.
The Quickening is a fictional concept related to the immortal characters of the Highlander franchise, first introduced in the 1986 film Highlander. Originally, the Quickening referred to the energy immortals are born with, which makes them invincible to death unless beheaded. An immortal can take another's Quickening after beheading them, increasing their personal power. It is said that eventually there will be only one immortal, who will gain the Prize, the collective energy of all immortals who have ever lived.
Steph Swainston is a British literary fantasy/science fiction author, known for the Castle series. Her debut novel, The Year of Our War (2004), won the 2005 Crawford Award and a nomination for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
The fantasy novel The Year of Our War (2004) is the first book by British author Steph Swainston. It is often given as an example of the New Weird literary genre.
The Jewel in the Skull is a fantasy novel by English writer Michael Moorcock, first published in 1967. The novel is the first in the four volume The History of the Runestaff.
Africaine was one of two 40-gun Preneuse-class frigates of the French Navy built to a design by Raymond-Antoine Haran. She carried twenty-eight 18-pounder and twelve 8-pounder guns. The British captured her in 1801, only to have the French recapture her in 1810. They abandoned her at sea as she had been demasted and badly damaged, with the result that the British recaptured her the next day. She was broken up in 1816.
The Runestaff is a novel by British author Michael Moorcock, first published in 1969 under the title The Secret of the Runestaff.
According to Catholic tradition, Saint Amaro or Amarus the Pilgrim was an abbot and sailor who it was claimed sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to an earthly paradise. There are two historical figures who may have provided the basis for this legend. The first was a French penitent of the same name who went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in the thirteenth century. On his return journey, he established himself at Burgos, where he founded a hospital for lepers.
The Modern World is a 2007 fantasy/science fiction novel by the British author Steph Swainston and is a sequel to The Year of Our War (2004) and No Present Like Time (2005).
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer and a subject of the Hispanic Monarchy from 1518. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the East Indies across the Pacific Ocean to open a maritime trade route, during which he discovered the interoceanic passage bearing thereafter his name and achieved the first European navigation from the Atlantic to Asia. During this voyage, Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan in 1521 in the present-day Philippines. After that, Juan Sebastián Elcano took the lead of the expedition, and with its few other surviving members, in one of the two remaining ships, completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth when they returned to Spain in 1522.
Kelda is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is an Asgardian first introduced in Thor vol. 3 #6. Kelda is an original creation by J. Michael Straczynski, not based in Norse mythology. She is most often seen in the company of her human lover, Bill.
Atahualpa was a United States merchant ship that sailed on four maritime fur trading ventures in the early 1800s. In 1813, in the Hawaiian Islands, Atahualpa was sold to the Russian-American Company (RAC) and renamed Bering or Behring. In January 1815 Bering, under the command of the American James Bennett, returned to Hawaii where it was wrecked at Waimea Bay, Kauai.
Ragnar "Lothbrok" Sigurdsson is a main character in the historical drama series Vikings, created by Canadian network History. He is portrayed by Travis Fimmel and is based on Ragnar Lodbrok, a 9th-century Viking farmer and warrior who raided Anglo-Saxon villages in England.