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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. In a world ruled by the Ila, a rebel against her is cast out of his father’s tribe when his madness is revealed—madness that sends visions of the East. Given over to the Ila, he’s ordered to lead a mission to the East to discover the source of his (and many others’) madness. As with much Cherryh, this is intricate and cold. The people are mostly rigid with honor. I didn’t understand why the source of the madness did so much damage—given the explanation, the extent to which the madness incapacitated people seemed counterproductive and unjustified within the narrative world, useful more for producing angst and tension than for doing what the source intended. So that lingering question made the book even harder for me to enjoy. (  ) rivkat | Nov 15, 2009 |  Normally I'm a big Cherryh fan, but this book is not one of her best. Its technically a sci-fi book, because it is about humans on another planet, but there's not much science or fiction about it. Mostly its about people crossing the desert on camels. Slowly. Plodding across the desert. Slowly. Day after day. Same thing, day after day. Then back again. Then again. Yes, its plodding. (  ) Karlstar | Nov 7, 2009 | - mulliner | Oct 17, 2009 | A good story and enjoyable read but oddly shallow lacking in depth and the greater explanation. If you can imagine Dune being told from the viewpoint of the Fremen, this would be like that. Apart from the desert world it's a totally different plot, but all the undercurrents in Dune happen through house politics that the Fremen are oblivious of, which makes the action and changes a mystery to them. This is the case in Hammerfall. Marak is a desert tribesman. His life has been dominated by hiding the voices and visions in his head, and following his father on raids against the ruling Ila's caravans. Eventually his madness betrays him, his father disowns him, and the Ila gathers him in. Unbeknownest to Marak, there has been a gathering plague of madness, and Ila suspects the reason lies in the east. Marak is placed in charge of a caravan of similarly afflicted (plus a conventional guide and caravan master) to find out what is there. The journey is a struggle, but the person he meets is beyond all concepts of his world. The prose is CJC's characteristic tight third person style. We only see, feel and hear what Marak does. He can speculate on the reasonings of others, but if their actions don't match his expectations we'll be blindsided until they reveal themselves to him. It's a device that works very well in maintaining surprise, which given the absense of action as such, is particularly good. The plot doesn't drag exactly, but other than Marak wandering across the desert not a lot really happens, until the end, which does get very tense. However it has a major downside, we has readers don't know what is going on in the wider universe. We can only speculate from the odd hints dropped to Marak, that he doens't understand. The lack of background makes this feel very different from a usual Cherryh novel. Although often in SF and CJC's work one has to work out the universe assumptions., there are usually plenty of clues and even sometimes infodumps to help you. In Hammerfall there is nothing at all and it is quite odd. In respects because Marak doesn't have any technology it feels very much like a fantasy novel - the early Pern series for example. If you can put off your curiosity for the entire book, then the opening prologue of the sequel Forge of Heaven explains it all. Worth reading for the story, and the sequel for the explanation! ..................................................................................................... (  ) reading_fox | Aug 26, 2009 | Rider at the Gate was a sci-fi western. Hammerfall is a sci-fi desert caravan adventure. see, sci-fi doesn't always have to be about robots and tribbles! the main character, Marak Tain --- I kept reading his name as Mark Twain. which added yet another layer I'm sure. ;) but here are the quotes already: 110. "It's my choice! It's become my choice, and I may not do choose what they want me to choose!" 340. He tried to call what he felt in his soul responsibility; but it was beyond any sense of responsibility: it was simply doing what he could do, as long as he could do it, like a man walking on his last strength. moiraji | Feb 20, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0061057096, Mass Market Paperback)One of the most renowned figures in science fiction, C.J. Cherryh has been enthralling audiences for nearly thirty years with rich and complex novels. Now at the peak of her career, this three-time Hugo Award winner launches her most ambitious work in decades, Hammerfall, part of a far-ranging series, The Gene Wars, set in an entirely new universe scarred by the most vicious of future weaponry, nanotechnology. In this brilliant novel -- possibly Cherryh's masterwork -- the fate of billions has come down to a confrontation between two profoundly alien cultures on a single desert planet. "The mad shall be searched out and given to the Ila's messengers. No man shall conceal madness in his wife, or his son, or his daughter, or his father. Every one must be delivered up." -- The Book of the Ila's Au'it Marak has suffered the madness his entire life. He is a prince and warrior, strong and shrewd and expert in the ways of the desert covering his planet. In the service of his father, he has dedicated his life to overthrowing the Ila, the mysterious eternal dictator of his world. For years he has successfully hidden the visions that plague him -- voices pulling him eastward, calling Marak, Marak, Marak, amid mind-twisting visions of a silver tower. But when his secret is discovered, Marak is betrayed by his own father and forced to march in an endless caravan with the rest of his world's madmen to the Ila's city of Oburan. Instead of death, Marak finds in Oburan his destiny, and the promise of life -- if he can survive what is surely a suicidal mission. The Ila wants him to discover the source of the voices and visions that afflict the mad. Despite the danger sof the hostile desert, tensions within the caravan, and his own excruciating doubts, Marak miraculously reaches his goal -- only to be given another, even more impossible mission by the strange people in the towers. According to these beings who look like him yet act differently than anyone he has ever known, Marak has a slim chance to save his world's people from the wrath of Ila's enemies. But to do so, he must convince them all -- warring tribes, villagers, priests, young and old, as well as the Ila herself -- to follow him on an epic trek across the burning desert before the hammer of the Ila's foes falls from the heavens above. Written with deceptive simplicity and lyricism, this riveting, fast-paced epic of war, love, and survival in a brave new world marks a major achievement from the masterful C.J. Cherryh. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:04 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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