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The Quantum Rose The Saga of the Skolian Empire Catherine Asaro Julie Bell 9780812568837 Books

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The Quantum Rose The Saga of the Skolian Empire Catherine Asaro Julie Bell 9780812568837 Books

"The Quantum Rose" is another winner in Catherine Asaro's provocative and compelling "Skolian Empire" series. This one doesn't advance the saga all that far-it's more of a gapfiller than anything else--but it has a kick to it. The tale starts out as yet another take on "the culture that the galactic civilization forgot, and which has regressed" and has gone medieval.
Sounds familiar? But be not afraid, Toto. We're not in Darkover any more. Asaro has a new angle on the old idea, filling it with romance, high tech, low tech, dance, horselike critters (two brands) telepathy, and oh yeah. Quantum physics.
There's enough action for the space opera fans; steamy romance for the romantically inclined; and hard science for those who like their science fiction to emphasize, well, the science (an early version of the first half, we're told, appeared in _Analog_).
At heart, though, the story is about growing up and taking charge, as young Kamoj, torn between two men, Vryl of the Skolians and Jax of her own world, eventually finds love in all the right places, and grows as a person. So, in the end, the story is more about the development of character than anything else. And how many genre novels can you say that about?
There's enough material here for a 1200-page by-the-numbers trilogy, but Asaro, with her lean, mean, prose style, doesn't waste our time--she keeps things down to a reasonable 403 pages (plus appendixes).
This is a must-have for Asaroistas although newcomers would probably be better off starting with _Primary Inversion_ , which led off the series, before they tackle this one.
All in all another example of what science fiction can be in the right hands.


Tags : The Quantum Rose (The Saga of the Skolian Empire) [Catherine Asaro, Julie Bell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV>A New Adventure in the Saga of the Skolian Empire.<BR><BR>Kamoj Argali is the young ruler of an impoverished province on a backward planet. To keep her people from starving,Catherine Asaro, Julie Bell,The Quantum Rose (The Saga of the Skolian Empire),Tor Science Fiction,0812568834,FICTION Science Fiction General,Fiction,Fiction & related items,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera,Fiction-Science Fiction,MASS MARKET,Science Fiction,Science Fiction - General

The Quantum Rose The Saga of the Skolian Empire Catherine Asaro Julie Bell 9780812568837 Books Reviews

I knew from looking at the book's cover that I could be in trouble, but I still had hope. This can't be classified as science fiction, but rather as only childish fantasy. To think of Isaac Asimov in comparison... I'm sorry, but the book was not even at the juvenile level in terms of story content, philosophy, or ideas about what wonders other worlds and times might hold. I would never purchase another book by this author.
I ordered this book and suffered through it because it won the Nebula Award. If you enjoy good writing, in-depth characters, fascinating Science Fiction or Fantasy worlds I feel certain this book is not for you. On the other hand, if you like a fast read romance loaded with cliches you may like this book. Never again will I assume a book is at the top of its genre because it is a Nebula winner.
Good book, fun read.
Love this series and all the books i have read so far.
I have become a Skolian junkie and was very excited to get this book since it was one that won some awards and was highly touted in the series. When I read it, I found this one to be way more insipid romance novel than the other books in the series. I like the dynamic she usually finds between the sci-fi and romance. This was beyond bad in terms of plot and dialog. This was a painfully cheesy read and really disappointing. I am glad it was not the first one I picked up or I would not have bothered with any of the other books.
"...a science fiction author who is not only a talented writer but an accomplist scientist"; "A deeply romantic novel set in space that was also an allegory for quantum physics..."; and "Wow, what a fabulous story!" I had heard so many wonderful things about the Skolian Empire Saga (and its brilliant author) that I just had to give The Quantum Rose a try.
Catherine Asaro invented a universe in which humans had spread among the stars ages ago through time travel. Some colonies, such as the one on planet Balumil, had been lost to their parent civilizations long enough to forget their origins, regressing into a sort of dark ages as their ancestors' technology slowly faded. Kamoj Argali is a beautiful young ruler of a province on Balumil who is being forced by circumstances into marriage with another governor who could only be described as a sociopath. Without warning Vyryl Lionstar steps in and claims her away from her sad fate; he has fallen in love with her at first sight. In the days to come Kamoj learns some uncomfortable truths about not only her planets' people, but the civilizations beyond. Now, it looks as if Lionstar needs her to stretch her psychological endurance to its limits so that together they can save the Skolian empire together.
I got almost what I had expected from this novel. Yes, it is a romance. Yes, it is science fiction. Yes, it is an allegory for quantum physics, employing clever wordplays and terms to complete the analogy. There is plenty of adventure among the stars, interesting cultural speculation and psychology explored in The Quantum Rose. The problem is, although I am otherwise well-educated I have never taken a physics class in my life and I cannot remember much about high school chemistry. Let's just say that the clever physics allegory flew right over my head, leaving me with...a nice romance that did an abrupt about-face in the middle and turned into a pedestrian interstellar adventure. Maybe if I'd had a better head for mathematics and science I would have found the alleged brilliance in this book more than enough to make up for its lack plot originality. As it is however, I can only judge TQR on its storytelling merit, which was just average in my opinion.
Asaro deserves credit for well-thought-out universe building and unusual insight into the complex relationships between her characters. I think of her writing style as having the potential to become very good, but unrefined here. Indeed, maybe her later books show improvement. The romance plotline was nice and standard, but gratifying to somebody who would like to see more such good sci fi/romance hybrids make it into the mainstream. BUT, unless you're a chemistry/physics/mathematics wiz, there is nothing particularly special about TQR beyond that.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
"The Quantum Rose" is another winner in Catherine Asaro's provocative and compelling "Skolian Empire" series. This one doesn't advance the saga all that far-it's more of a gapfiller than anything else--but it has a kick to it. The tale starts out as yet another take on "the culture that the galactic civilization forgot, and which has regressed" and has gone medieval.
Sounds familiar? But be not afraid, Toto. We're not in Darkover any more. Asaro has a new angle on the old idea, filling it with romance, high tech, low tech, dance, horselike critters (two brands) telepathy, and oh yeah. Quantum physics.
There's enough action for the space opera fans; steamy romance for the romantically inclined; and hard science for those who like their science fiction to emphasize, well, the science (an early version of the first half, we're told, appeared in _Analog_).
At heart, though, the story is about growing up and taking charge, as young Kamoj, torn between two men, Vryl of the Skolians and Jax of her own world, eventually finds love in all the right places, and grows as a person. So, in the end, the story is more about the development of character than anything else. And how many genre novels can you say that about?
There's enough material here for a 1200-page by-the-numbers trilogy, but Asaro, with her lean, mean, prose style, doesn't waste our time--she keeps things down to a reasonable 403 pages (plus appendixes).
This is a must-have for Asaroistas although newcomers would probably be better off starting with _Primary Inversion_ , which led off the series, before they tackle this one.
All in all another example of what science fiction can be in the right hands.