McMullen, Sean Books

The Time Engine: The Fourth Book of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

McMullen Channels Wells and Heinlein 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

In McMullen's last novel, Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga), Wayfarer inspector Danolarian Scryverin and his friends defeated an invasion from the adjoining Moonworld, Lupan. Shades of H.G. Wells. In this sequel, Danolarian must cope with the time-traveling descendant of Riellan, one of Danolarian's constables. And if Eloi and Moorlocks make appearances, it's certainly not in ways you expected.

A hallmark of a McMullen fantasy is that no one is who they seem to be, and this time the mystery extends to the very events themselves. The ending resonates with some of Heinlein's later books, especially Job: A Comedy of Justice. And along the way most time traveling tropes get the McMullen treatment.

While McMullen is never so crass as to lay it all out, in this, the fourth book of his Moonworld series, the Moonworlds orbit the Lord World, Miral, much as Jupiter's Copernican moons orbit Jupiter. Verral is one of the Moonworlds, and while Jupiter's moons move through intense magnetic fields, Verral and its sister satellites' movements generate etherics, the foundation of Moonworld magic.

The mysteries and loose ends from the previous three books are mostly resolved, although there is still plenty of scope for more tales. Parts of the novel will make you laugh out loud. And some parts will stun you.

I recommend reading Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga) before this novel; events will make more sense. My only regret is that this is by far the shortest of the Moonworld stories, and the plot is much less complex as a result.

It's a mystery to me why McMullen, an Australian, isn't more popular here in the states. He is a first rate writer, and despite the homages to Wells an Heinlein, he brings originality, wit and charm to a fantasy genre that is stale and flat.

Recommended, with the suggestion you read Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga) first.

Editorial Review:

Swords, sorcery, and time travel are a strange and dangerous mix

Wayfarer Inspector Danolarian saw his world’s future and did not approve. The inspector knew about time travel because he had once met his future self. What he did not know was that he would be abducted into the future, and wind up on the run with a constable who had shape-shifted into a cat. Danolarian would also find himself marooned in the ancient past, where he would have to recover his time engine from five thousand naked, psychopathic horsemen.

A faulty repair plunges him another three million years back in time, to a world of strange, beautiful people living idyllic lives in splendid castles. But things are not always as they seem. After being attacked, he learns from his unlikely rescuer that time travel is not entirely real. A furious Danolarian returns to his own time, planning revenge against the time engine’s true builders.

Souls in the Great Machine (Greatwinter Trilogy)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In 40th-century Australia, Zarvora Cybeline discovers the world is threatened by destruction from the sky--yet the planet doesn't have enough technology even to build a steam engine. To save civilization, Zarvora must recover lost 21st-century technology. But technology is proscribed, and the dangers from the sky are joined by enemies in the sea, and even among her own ranks. Zarvora embarks on a bold and ruthless plan to save a world no one else believes is in danger.

Souls in the Great Machine is a big book at 450 pages. Stuffed fuller than a Thanksgiving turkey with great storylines, characters, and concepts, it's got thrilling action, hair's-breadth escapes, tyranny, treachery, villainy, heroism, duels, riots, war, love, hate, obsession, powerful women, mad monks, a returning ice age, a lost race, rediscovered civilizations, invasions, executions, high-tech, steampunk tech, a computer with human components, and numerous subplots. In short, Souls in the Great Machine is huge; it is epic--but it is not sprawling. In the hands of most authors, this complex and ambitious SF novel would be a trilogy. And while Souls may occasionally move a little too fast, the plot never drags and the reader's interest never flags. If you're looking for a sense of wonder, for adventure that respects your intelligence, for an enormously fun read--look no further than Souls in the Great Machine. --Cynthia Ward

Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Invasion of the Moonworld 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

McMullen is never so crass as to actually describe it, but the Moonworlds Saga is set on the earth-sized moon Verral, which orbits with its three sister moons around a kind of Super-Jovian ringed planet. Where our Jupiter generates strong magnetic fields, Verral experiences etherics, which give rise to a kind of sorcerous magic. A kind of magic which, if wrongly used, can have all kinds of disastrous consequences.

Voidfarer follows the further adventures and misadventures of the motley cast of characters first introduced in "Voyage of the Shadowmoon" and continued in "Glass Dragons." This time, the threat to the safety of the moonworld Verra comes from an invasion by the sorcerors of its sister moon Lupan. The Lupan sorcerors are far more powerful than those of Verral. On their giant glass tripod war machines, the Lupanese set out to conquer Verral.

Yes, it is a fantasy version of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" but it's also a McMullen, which means humor, love, sex, intricate plotting, betrayals and epic journeys across stunning fantasy landscapes. It's also the story of the arrival of democracy on the feudal moon of Verral, which gives McMullen the chance to spoof most Marxist cliche's.

No character in a Moonworld story is exactly who what he or she appears to be. No McMullen character's motivations are what you think they are. This story, told in the first person by a kind of roving marshal, is self-contained. You don't have to have read "Shadowmoon" or "Dragons" to enjoy this tale, but if you haven't you'll miss half the fun. When the courtier Laron says he is an old man in young man's body, it means far more if you have read "Shadowmoon."

And there will plainly be a sequel.

The Moonworlds Saga does't pretend to be high concept stuff. This is not Tolkien or any of its tedious horde of Tolkien wannabes. But it is fun and sometimes delightful reading. McMullen improves with each book. Recommended.

Editorial Review:

At first Wayfarer Inspector Danolarian thought the huge oval thing that had fallen from the sky was a dragon's egg. When it opened, however, he knew that it was much, much worse. His world was being invaded by pitiless sorcerers from Lupan, who could sweep whole armies aside, and even defeat the invulnerable glass dragons. Surrender or flight were the only options ... but not for Inspector Danolarian, his Wayfarer Constables, and his sweetheart, the sorceress Lavenci.
Although Danolarian is no sorcerer, he's no ordinary Wayfarer either. Faced with civilization crumbling around him, and organized resistance shattered by the invincible magic of the Lupanians, he chances upon an unlikely ally and begins to fight back. It won't be easy, for he has to rally the demoralized sorcerers of Alberin, organize its terrified citizens, stay one step ahead of his own past, and, most importantly, survive a dinner party with Lavenci's mother.

Glass Dragons (The Moonworlds Saga)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Not as good as the first 3 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

The sequel to the Voyage of the Shadowmoon, The Glass Dragon again unites the main casts to confront a new danger that might again destroy the world.
If the ending to The Voyage of the Shadowmoon, left you with a warm fuzzy feeling, my advice to you is to treasure that moment and avoid this book. The main issue I had throughout The Glass Dragon was a lack of a definitive antagonist. With Shadowmoon, there were active characters who were intent on using Silvedeath to gain power (Warsovran, Feran, etc). The Dragonwall is a danger that is similar to Silverdeath in that it's a weapon of doomsday potential that is available to anybody. However, unlike the pursuers of Silverdeath, the Dragonwall's "people" were all annonymous who might or might not have used it for their selfish purposes once they realized it's true potential. Also, about 30% of the story was actually devoted to Dragonwall. The majority of the book was focused on the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-like antics of Andry and Wallas, who go from place to place with no rhyme or reason with little or no relation to the overall plot. Personally, I thought the book would have benefited if the story focused solely on the antics of these two instead of confusing the overall flow of the story with intermittent scenes about the Dragonwall. In all honesty, if it wasn't for the Terry Pratchett-like humor and dialogue I probably would have given this book a lesser rating.

Editorial Review:

A broad and complicated novel filled with wonderful characters, woven through with low humor and great courage, and built upon grand acts of heroism and love. It is the tale of Laron, the chivalrous 700-year-old vampire, the appallingly dangerous and beautiful Velander, and the long-suffering Terikel, as they investigate a secret project of arcane magic, a magic so dangerous it could destroy their world . . .

(20040315)

Voyage of the Shadowmoon (The Moonworlds Saga)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sean McMullen, one of Australia's leading genre writers, took America by storm with his sweeping Greatwinter Trilogy, a post-apocalyptic science fiction tour de force that won over critics and readers alike.

Now McMullen delivers Voyage of the Shadowmoon, a fantasy epic of daunting skill and scope. The Shadowmoon is a small, unobtrusive wooden schooner whose passengers and crew are much more than they seem: Ferran, the Shadowmoon’s lusty captain who dreams of power; Roval, the warrior-sorcerer; Velander and Terikel, priestesses of a nearly extinct sect; and the chivalrous vampire Laron, who has been trapped in a fourteen-year-old body for seven hundred years.

They sail the coast, gathering useful information, passing as simple traders. But when they witness the awful power of Silverdeath, an uncontrollable doomsday weapon of awesome destructiveness, they realize they must act. But every single king, emperor, and despot covets Silverdeath’s power. It will take all of their wits and more than a little luck if they hope to prevent one of these power-hungry fools from destroying the world. Their only advantage? The Shadowmoon.

While it seems to be little more that a small trading vessel--too small for battle, too fat for speed—it is actually one of the most sophisticated vessels in the world, one that allows them to travel to places where no others would dare. They can only hope it will be enough to save them all before Silverdeath rains destruction across their entire world.

Eyes of the Calculor (Greatwinter Trilogy)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Stands Alone 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

For some reason, I didn't discover this was actually the last in a trilogy until halfway through the book, when it became clear that there was a complicated plot that had occured earlier. However, this did not at all stunt my enjoyment of Eyes of the Calculor, but perhaps it did limit it.

McMullen definately has his own magnificent and very readable style, combining a sense of humour with wonderfully endearing yet complex characters, politics, religion and society, magic, technology and science, all set just under two thousand years in the future. The plot is complicated enough to allow an immediate re-reading, and many "Oh!" moments, where everything clicks into place.

Although Eyes of the Calculor was fabulous as a stand alone book, I recommend it be read in sequence, in order to clean up issues of history and organisation of the society (which is quite complicated and worth understanding).

If you're looking for something light and funny and completely new and unlike most other science fiction, this is the book (and series) for you. 4.5 stars.

Editorial Review:

Imagine a glittering, dynamic, and exotic Earth two thousand years in the future, where librarians fight duels to settle disputes, there is no electricity, fuelled engines are banned by every major religion in Australia, humanity has split into two species, and intelligent cetezoids rule the oceans.
Fundamentally, unexpectedly, things are changing everywhere. As catastrophe looms and civilization begins to crumble, the Dragon Librarians have just one means left to hold their world together: to kidnap every numerate person on the continent and rebuild their out-of-date human-powered computer-the Calculor.

The Miocene Arrow (Greatwinter Trilogy)

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

If you are looking for something new and original, here it is! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Sean McMullen is a fellow Aussie but I won't let that cloud my judgment. The book is a page turner from the begining. It is fast paced and broad in scope. Sean has a rich imagination and has created a fascinating and very dangerous post apocalyptic (is there such a word?) Australia.

This is one of a 3 part series. The other two novels are equally as good and if you read the first one you will have to get the others.

Also read "The Centurians Empire" and "Voyage of the Shadowmoon" by the same Author.

Editorial Review:

In a fortieth-century America of ancient kingdoms with opulent courts, hereditary engineering guilds, and rigid class distinction in warfare, a centuries-old balance of power is shattered by a few dozen Australian infiltrators. Against a rich backdrop of war, chivalry, conspiracy, and a diesel-powered arms race, a dangerous secret alliance has formed. Now the unlikely trio of an airlord, an abbess, and a fugitive are joined together in a desperate race against time to stop the ultimate doomsday machine from being launched:

The Centurion's Empire

Sean Mcmullen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Sean McMullen, frequent winner of Australia's top science fiction award, the Ditmar, has created a fascinating adventure through time in The Centurion's Empire. From A.D. 71 to 2029, the Roman centurion Vitellan hibernates through the centuries via an elixir made from snow-dwelling insects. Unfortunately, he doesn't possess the antidote for the corrosive substance, so every time he is awakened, his body is more ravaged. His frigidarium is secreted beneath an English village, and as the Danes invade during the Dark Ages, the villagers, in fear for their lives, awaken him. He teaches them Roman martial discipline and they fight off the Danish rabble, but he's so weak that he must return to his cold sleep and await better medicine in the future. He is awakened in 1358 to battle again, this time in France, but it's his next awakening--in 2028--that propels the latter half of the novel into a thrill ride of nanotech-embellished skullduggery, as Illuminati-like factions vie for control of the resurrected hero. The centurion's viewpoint offers both a window into history and a ledge to stand on while peering into the future. Readers who enjoy the juxtaposition of historical novel with science-fiction adventure, as in Ian McDonald's King of Morning, Queen of Day, will appreciate McMullen's expertise in The Centurion's Empire. --Blaise Selby

Tarzan at the Earth's Core (Bison Frontiers of Imagination)

Edgar Rice Burroughs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Heart Warming Pulp Adventure 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Tarzan at the Earth's Core by Burroughs is a heart warming tale of loyalty, romance, and adventure set in the hollow earth setting of Pellucidar. Like all of the other tales set in this world it is full of prehistoric creatures of the various periods and peopled by the most anachronistic cast of characters ever assembled. There are pirates, Vikings, cavemen, and intelligent apes as well as some wonderful made up races such as the evolved reptilian race that enjoy feasting on human flesh. Tarzan, of course, finds himself at home in the jungles of this world, and the supporting characters are heroic and delightful to become acquainted with. Even if you have never read a novel set in this world, a fan of pulp should do oneself a favor and pick this one up. It may not be the best place to start on your journey into hollow earth, but it is at least a start.

Editorial Review:

Continuing the saga of Pellucidar, the empire located in the Earth's hollow center, Tarzan at the Earth's Core is the fourth work in this classic series. The American explorer and emperor of Pellucidar, David Innes, has been captured by the deadly Korsar pirates. Picking up on the desperate cries for help emanating from Pellucidar, Jason Gridley of Tarzana brings the message to the only person who can help, Tarzan of the Apes. Together young Gridley and Lord Greystoke travel to the exotic and strange realm within the Earth to save the imprisoned ruler. Unaccustomed to the difficulties of Pellucidar, the two struggle in its savage environment, with its eternal noon and bizarre monsters, in their quest to save Innes and the precarious rule he has established. Sean McMullen provides an introduction for this Bison Books edition.

Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction December 2002

jerry oltion, ray aldridge, gene wolfe, sean mcmullen, ron goulart

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