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Hell and Earth A Novel of the Promethean Age Elizabeth Bear 9780451462183 Books

Download As PDF : Hell and Earth A Novel of the Promethean Age Elizabeth Bear 9780451462183 Books

Hell and Earth A Novel of the Promethean Age Elizabeth Bear 9780451462183 Books

Elizabeth Bear is a sound story teller at the best of times and this is one of those. An interesting take on Shakespeare and Marlowe and the era in which they live. I like to see the old made new and with so much being written about the Tudor period, it's good to have the fantasy insert and the very nice character development around these two oh-so-famous figures.
The earth and faerie courts are well drawn and there is a hint of black around the edges which makes this book a bit deeper than most of the awe-struck faerie novels you read. If you like history and you like fantasy, this is a great mix and will probably send you hunting for Wikipedia to check what's real and what's not - I know I looked.
I recommend this highly and have bought the next in the series.


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Hell and Earth A Novel of the Promethean Age Elizabeth Bear 9780451462183 Books Reviews

Oh. My. God. These are not the books for you if you are intolerant of literary wankery. I would also like to point out that I suspect they will make more sense if you have a grounding in the changing nature of God. If you do love literary fiction, this is an excellent example of the genre.

Oh, the heartbreaking beauty of this book. I devoured it in a day. Which, given that it's a 400-pg book and it was a work day, you can see that I did pretty much nothing else. And political intrigue! And delicious foreshadowing! And the lovely conceit that all stories are true, somewhere, and that they affect the reality of Fairie. I mean, that's been touched on before, but this one is deliciously effectively used.
----
"No," Kit answered. "He could have been forgiven. Anyone can be forgiven, who repents. Faustus had opportunity, time, and chance to repent, again and again and again. But he never meant to. Never meant to repent, my lord [spoiler]."
Then what was his fatal flaw, Sir Poet? Lucifer's eyes sparkled. He tilted his head aside, lovelocks drifting against the exquisite curve of his neck. Enjoying the game.
" 'But Faustus' offence can ne'er be pardoned,' " Kit quoted. "The serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus.' Faustus' flaw was the sin of Judas, who deemed his transgression too great to repent of, and thereby diminished the love of God, who can forgive any offense, so long as the sinner wishes forgiveness. Faustus sinned by hubris."
---
That! That right there! That's what made me twitter that I was crying, because it is so perfectly correct, so true, so chewy in the intersection of theology and literature. Believing you are unforgiveable is to diminish God's love. waves arms madly.

Um, yeah. Start with Ink & Steel. Don't blame me if you have to take a day off.
This is the sequel to _Ink and Steel_, and readers should definitely start there first.

Kit Marley has made a deal with the devil and Will Shakespeare is freed from Hell. But Elizabeth's health is failing, those who intrigue against her are as strong as ever, spreading plague and killing poets such as Spenser who defend the Queen with the magic of their words, and events are echoed in Faerie where Queen Mebd is also threatened by intrigue. Kit continues to act for the Queen of Faerie, as well traveling to London to aid his friends, and he is searching for the killer of Shakespeare's son. He also needs to deal with his past, when he was captured and tortured by the same enemies who threaten the sovereignty of England now.

An Elizabethan age, full of plots and treason and dark magic comes alive in this conclusion to The Stratford Man story. Even more marvelous are the characters; aside from Marley and Shakespeare (who are enough to fill any tale by themselves), there are their fellow poets and playwrights, Ben Jonson and George Chapman; there is Burbage and the players; Elizabeth's nobles and ministers--the Cecils, Walsinghams, Oxford, Essex, Raleigh, and various friends and relations. And the creatures of Faerie are also a natural fit to the world of this book, with the Queen and her sister Morgan, Puck, and the sleeping Arthur, and the unquiet trees. There is also Lucifer and an angel. And because words and poetry have power and import, the language is luxurious and quotations abound, making this rich, strange world even more complex and beautiful. There is also not a little action and suspense and a worthy climax or two or three. And there is a necessary Epilogue wherein we are sad and talk of the death of kings... of repentance and salvation.

This duology is beautiful and horrific, sorrowful and amusing, gripping and fun. It's well worth a first read along with a second or third. Writing like this is one of the joys of life.
Elizabeth Bear is a sound story teller at the best of times and this is one of those. An interesting take on Shakespeare and Marlowe and the era in which they live. I like to see the old made new and with so much being written about the Tudor period, it's good to have the fantasy insert and the very nice character development around these two oh-so-famous figures.
The earth and faerie courts are well drawn and there is a hint of black around the edges which makes this book a bit deeper than most of the awe-struck faerie novels you read. If you like history and you like fantasy, this is a great mix and will probably send you hunting for Wikipedia to check what's real and what's not - I know I looked.
I recommend this highly and have bought the next in the series.