In the Mouth of the Whale. Child of the River: He has a Ph. D in Botany and worked as a researcher in biology at various universities, including Oxford and UCLA, and for six years was a lecturer in botany at St Andrews University, before leaving academia to write full time. He started publishing science fiction with the short story "Wagon, Passing" for Asimov's Science Fiction in His first novel, Billion Stars won the Philip K. Dick Award in , and 's Fairyland won the Arthur C. Clarke and John W. He lives in London. The World According to Anna. Return to Book Page. Preview — Confluence by Paul McAuley.
Confluence - a long, narrow, artificial world, half fertile river valley, half crater-strewn desert.
A world beyond the end of human history, served by countless machines, inhabited by 10, bloodlines who worship their absent creators, riven by a vast war against heretics. This is the home of Yama, found as an infant in a white boat on the world's Great River, raised by Confluence - a long, narrow, artificial world, half fertile river valley, half crater-strewn desert.
This is the home of Yama, found as an infant in a white boat on the world's Great River, raised by an obscure bureaucrat in an obscure town in the middle of a ruined necropolis, destined to become a clerk - until the discovery of his singular ancestry. For Yama appears to be the last remaining scion of the Builders, closest of all races to the revered architects of Confluence, able to awaken and control the secret machineries of the world.
Pursued by enemies who want to make use of his powers, Yama voyages down the length of the world to search for answers to the mysteries of his origin, and to discover if he is to be the saviour of his world, or its nemesis.
This is the home of Yama, found as an infant in a white boat on the world's Great River, raised by an obscure bureaucrat in an obscure town in the middle of a ruined necropolis, destined to become a clerk - until the discovery of his singular ancestry. You can read this item using any of the following Kobo apps and devices: The physical context also took a little bit of effort to imagine. Books by Paul McAuley. Overall rating No ratings yet 0. Summary of the Series In a world at the end of its time, a world made by the intelligence and pride of men, half of which is a fertile river valley and the other half, a crater-strewn desert, a young man named Yama seeks out his identity and inheritance. Ancients of Days has hints of Gormenghast in the fights within corridors of the Palace of the Memory of the People in Ys, and the houses and markets within its sprawling boundaries.
Hardcover , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Confluence , please sign up. Can anyone tell me if this book would be appropriate for a 12 year old who is an avid, advanced reader? Liam Proven I think they might find some of the concepts tough.
There is some sex and violence but the levels are quite moderate. See 2 questions about Confluence…. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Dec 08, Chris rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I read this several years ago and was blown away by the concept of an artificially created world, long abandoned by its creators, and maintained by machines some of which are understood and controlled by the world's current inhabitants. When an orphan child appears who can control the world's machines, he becomes sought after by differing sides in a protracted religious war.
The author creates a rich, believable world that is both ancient and technological, and a political structure ruled by com I read this several years ago and was blown away by the concept of an artificially created world, long abandoned by its creators, and maintained by machines some of which are understood and controlled by the world's current inhabitants. The author creates a rich, believable world that is both ancient and technological, and a political structure ruled by competing departments that will ring true with anyone whose ever been within ten feet of a bureaucracy.
I picked this up to read again and am halfway through Child of the River. I'll have more when I finish reading this. Feb 10, Jim Mcclanahan rated it it was ok. The first novel in the trilogy was intriguing and inspired me to move on to the second. But I'm afraid the story bogged down in a morass of useless detail. World-building is one thing, but soporific minutiae is are another.
The characters two-dimensional, it is revealed get bogged down in endless factions and the resultant palace intrigue. I kept expecting the Lollipop Guild to rear its ugly head and join the fray. I stopped before the end of book two and will not take it up again. Too many The first novel in the trilogy was intriguing and inspired me to move on to the second. Too many other good reading choices out there. The atmospherics of this far-future world are well-rendered.
Jun 01, Sebastian rated it really liked it. A rather convoluted book that took some time to get into. The physical context also took a little bit of effort to imagine.
But I did get hooked and came to enjoy the book a lot. I suspect this book will be one that one will put aside after a few pages, or will stick with it and come to enjoy as it progresses. Dec 16, Alexander Telishev rated it it was amazing Shelves: Rather more palatable ruminations on the Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy rather than the original book itself. It poses the same questions, albeit in a more direct fashion, has similar structure and physics, but it arrives to the same answers or disagrees with the Severian's tale in a very different fashion.
It'd be worth reading only because of that, but it also has a lot of very interesting and on-point observations.
Current political turmoil regarding identity, stagnation, progress, co Rather more palatable ruminations on the Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy rather than the original book itself. Current political turmoil regarding identity, stagnation, progress, collective vs individual were reflected here almost years before they went mainstream.
Also, he strikes at the crux of the trap that various forms of anti-scientific and anti-reason postmodernist ideas present to humanity. Here's why - my favourite excerpt: It seemed to Pandaras that everything was allowed except for that which was forbidden, but it was difficult to know which was which because there were no rules. The other prisoners had the same problem, and all their objections and expressions of bafflement were met by the same answer. You cannot see because you have not been allowed to see.
Confluence - The Trilogy: See details and exclusions. See all 3 brand new listings. All listings for this product Buy it now Buy it now. Any condition Any condition.
Confluence - The Trilogy: Child of the River, Ancients of Days, Shrine of Stars [ Paul McAuley] on www.farmersmarketmusic.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Editorial Reviews. Review. Highly entertaining and beautifully written― PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Confluence - The Trilogy: Child of the River, Ancients of Days, Shrine of Stars - Kindle edition by Paul McAuley. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks , note.
Trending price New. About this product Description Description. He gave up his position as a research biologist to write full-time. He lives in London. You can find his blog at: Publication Data Place of Publication.