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Paragaea: A Planetary Romance is the story of Akilina "Leena" Chirikov, who shortly after launching from Star Town in the Soviet Union, finds herself thrown into another dimension, a world of strange science and ancient mystery. There she meets another time-lost person from Earth, Lieutenant Hieronymus Bonaventure of the Royal Navy--who left home to fight the forces of Napoleon and never returned--and his companion, Balam--outlaw prince of the jaguar men. Bonaventure is interested only in show more adventure and amusement, while Balam only wants distraction until the day he can reclaim his throne. Having little better to do, they agree to help Chirikov find a way home. In the tradition of the planetary romances of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Leigh Brackett, Paragaea is in fact a "hard" science fiction adventure, grounded in the latest thinking in the fields of theoretical physics, artificial intelligence, genetics, and more. There is a rigorously rational explanation behind all of the unearthly elements, with most of the "magic" the protagonist encounters being the products of a forgotten, transhuman, post-singularity culture that has long since disappeared. Chirikov, a strictly rational Soviet cosmonaut, interprets these as best she can, using the framework of early 1960s science. Being a dutiful Soviet, she wants only to return home to Earth, to inform her superiors about what she has discovered. But she soon finds herself developing ties to her companion Bonaventure that make her wonder whether she really wants to go home at all. show lessTags
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Do you remember when you were a kid and you spent your weekends lost in the latest non-stop, quick-moving, sword-wielding, jungle-trekking, dinosaur-chasing adventure you were watching/reading at the time? Man oh man, how I loved that. So you can imagine how happy I was when I read Chris Roberson's Paragaea and got to experience that all over again: Russian cosmonauts, time-travelling adventurers, jaguar-men, reptile people. What more could you want?
During a mission into space, Cosmonaut Leena Chirikov stumbles upon a gateway to another world. As soon as Leena lands on Paragaea, she meets companions Hieronymus Bonaventure (from Set the Seas on Fire), and Balam, exiled prince of the jaguar men. Hieronymus (Hero) only seeks adventure and excitement, and Balam accompanies him until he can regain his throne. So when Leena insists that she find a way home to Earth, Hero and Balam agree to assist her.
Hero, himself, is from Earth of the Napoleonic era. Whereas, Leena came from Russia, in the 1960's. But the natives of Paragaea believe that Earth is just a myth. The gateways between worlds seem random and difficult to find. Pagaraea is a world reminiscent of a fantasy story, with strange show more Metamen, which have bodies resembling humans but the faces of animals. But this is actually a science fiction adventure, complete with advanced technology and genetics. As the trio's adventure progresses, they come across other unique and interesting characters, each with their own story.
Paragaea is a wonderful story with the feel of a fantasy, but the heart of a science fiction novel. Though it isn't necessary to read Set the Seas on Fire, I found it helpful to already have a background on the character of Hero. I found myself loving Paragaea , the story and world, even more. With more swash-buckling action and stronger characters, Roberson is a truly gifted storyteller. show less
Hero, himself, is from Earth of the Napoleonic era. Whereas, Leena came from Russia, in the 1960's. But the natives of Paragaea believe that Earth is just a myth. The gateways between worlds seem random and difficult to find. Pagaraea is a world reminiscent of a fantasy story, with strange show more Metamen, which have bodies resembling humans but the faces of animals. But this is actually a science fiction adventure, complete with advanced technology and genetics. As the trio's adventure progresses, they come across other unique and interesting characters, each with their own story.
Paragaea is a wonderful story with the feel of a fantasy, but the heart of a science fiction novel. Though it isn't necessary to read Set the Seas on Fire, I found it helpful to already have a background on the character of Hero. I found myself loving Paragaea , the story and world, even more. With more swash-buckling action and stronger characters, Roberson is a truly gifted storyteller. show less
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282+ Works 5,092 Members
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- People/Characters
- Akilina "Leena" Chirikov; Hieronymus Bonaventure; Balam
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- 90
- Popularity
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- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
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- Languages
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- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
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