Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tor Books (2003), Edition: 1st, 304 pages
Description
The acclaimed Engines of Light series that began with COSMONAUT KEEP and DARK LIGHT reaches its staggering conclusion in ENGINE CITY. For ten thousand years the varied races of the Second Sphere lived in peaceful co-existence, building their civilisations under the gaze of the ever-vigilant cometary minds. But then the cosmonauts of the Bright Star came. And with them they have brought a revolution ... For one of the Bright Star's crew has warned that an invasion of the Second Sphere is imminent and has armed the ancient city of Nova Babylonia against it. Another cosmonaut thinks he's the very man to lead the invasion. The new regime of Nova Babylonia is certain it can withstand the alien onslaught. Whether it can defend itself against Matt Cairns is a question only the gods can answer ... Find out more about this and other titles at www.orbitbooks.co.uk… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobertDay
This is the concluding volume to Macleod's 'Engines of Light' trilogy. Eight years or so have passed (for some characters) since the action of the second book, 'Dark Light', and the action has moved on, with the same characters that we met in the first two volumes. (None of the action from the
I enjoyed this novel greatly, far more than the first two in the trilogy. I don't know why. Macleod still injects elements of Leftist philosophy and background into the story (and it's a brand of socialism not previously seen in his writings). He also includes a number of Easter Eggs for his reader, including a delicious one for all readers of classic British children's historical fiction. The invasion turns out to be rather different to what was expected; throughout, humans, near-humans and non-humans interact in a number of ways that feel intuitively right. Given that the populations of the Second Sphere were originally humans abducted from Earth over a period of centuries, but kept separate from the mainstream of human technological development until the late 21st century, when the starship 'Bright Star' travelled to the system as described in the first novel, 'Cosmonaut Keep', the civilizations those humans built in the Second Sphere are well-described and have an air of permanency and the weight of history behind them.
A coda suggests that events continue, though the trilogy is completed with this novel. Some critics found this trilogy less satisfying than Macleod's first four novels, the 'Fall Revolution' sequence, despite their being earlier and less accomplished novels. But I found these novels more coherently plotted and in a more consistent setting; perhaps not a spectacular advance on his earlier books, but still indicative of a serious - if sometimes playful - writer hard at work.
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second novel has any direct bearing on the plot of this one). We start out with a prologue from the point of view of the gods, the sentient assemblages of extremophile nanobacteria resident in the asteroid belt. This recapitulates the prior history of the books to date. We then alternate between Grigori Volkov on the Second Sphere world of New Earth and his sometime opponent, Matt Cairns, back on the cosmonaut world of Mingulay. In the time that has passed since the last novel, human-navigated lightspeed ships - once the sole preserve of the krakens, ancestral creatures removed from Earth in prehistory by an alien race - have become widespread and interstellar trade and travel has become more commonplace. But then news comes from his family that there is evidence that the ancient aliens may be about to return. Things go downhill from there.I enjoyed this novel greatly, far more than the first two in the trilogy. I don't know why. Macleod still injects elements of Leftist philosophy and background into the story (and it's a brand of socialism not previously seen in his writings). He also includes a number of Easter Eggs for his reader, including a delicious one for all readers of classic British children's historical fiction. The invasion turns out to be rather different to what was expected; throughout, humans, near-humans and non-humans interact in a number of ways that feel intuitively right. Given that the populations of the Second Sphere were originally humans abducted from Earth over a period of centuries, but kept separate from the mainstream of human technological development until the late 21st century, when the starship 'Bright Star' travelled to the system as described in the first novel, 'Cosmonaut Keep', the civilizations those humans built in the Second Sphere are well-described and have an air of permanency and the weight of history behind them.
A coda suggests that events continue, though the trilogy is completed with this novel. Some critics found this trilogy less satisfying than Macleod's first four novels, the 'Fall Revolution' sequence, despite their being earlier and less accomplished novels. But I found these novels more coherently plotted and in a more consistent setting; perhaps not a spectacular advance on his earlier books, but still indicative of a serious - if sometimes playful - writer hard at work.
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LibraryThing member djfoobarmatt
Great ending to this series of books. The stuff that I thought would happen pretty much happened in the first few chapters and then it kind of went to a new place from there.
How do you review a book without giving away half the plot? Synopsis: the cosmonaughts on the different worlds in the second
I liked the way the characters in this book varied in their levels of polarisation and commitment to ideology. I think this last book is kind of about ideology. Some people commit themselves to rules or morals and refuse to budge from them whereas others commit themsleves to a way of thinking. Then there are the moderates who do some of the above or don't think too much about it.
How do you review a book without giving away half the plot? Synopsis: the cosmonaughts on the different worlds in the second
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sphere prepare themselves for the 'alien invasion'. Most of the action is the race to Nova Babylona where Volkov has had a big influence. Matt does his own style of invasion on Nova Babylona (as is given away on the back of the book) which is pretty funny.I liked the way the characters in this book varied in their levels of polarisation and commitment to ideology. I think this last book is kind of about ideology. Some people commit themselves to rules or morals and refuse to budge from them whereas others commit themsleves to a way of thinking. Then there are the moderates who do some of the above or don't think too much about it.
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LibraryThing member jerevo
While still an enjoyable read, this is not up to the same standard as Cosmonaut Keep or Dark Light. The plots loses coherence as events pile up, leading to a conclusion which, while logical, is unsatisfying.
LibraryThing member malcrf
This series got better and better.......................easy read, page turner, interesting premise.............recommended
LibraryThing member closedmouth
Kind of an anti-climax, but I enjoyed it while it lasted and there were some interesting twists on what I was expecting to happen.
LibraryThing member isabelx
The prologue clarifies the role of the gods, and spells out the reason that they seeded the Second Sphere with earth flora and fauna, which I was very happy about as I had been wondering about it since reading the first book of the trilogy. From there we follow Grigori Volkov and the Tenebre
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trading ship to Nova Babylonia, and Gregor and Elizabeth back on Mingulay, where they discover evidence that the spider-monkey aliens may have returned. And from then onwards, events unroll in extremely unexpected ways. Show Less
LibraryThing member haloedrain
I wanted to like this series more than I did. I just could not bring myself to care about the competing communist/socialist/anarchist/democratic etc ideologies (really, Volkov, *must* you cause a revolution in every society you encounter, even happy, functional ones?), and the author's tendency to
Overall I liked this one better than the first two, but the end was out of left field--it's explained why killing a god is a crime, i guess, but why did they even do that, did they accomplish anything by it? And why *this* one, besides convenience? I mean, the one they encounter first in book 2 didn't seem to have a problem with humans and it was a tragedy that it died, but then they go out and kill some random one just because some gods, maybe not including this one, might attack, and somehow this helps? And then it's unreasonable that this is a crime. What?
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hint at an explanation for something, end the scene, and never bring it up again was pretty irritating.Overall I liked this one better than the first two, but the end was out of left field--it's explained why killing a god is a crime, i guess, but why did they even do that, did they accomplish anything by it? And why *this* one, besides convenience? I mean, the one they encounter first in book 2 didn't seem to have a problem with humans and it was a tragedy that it died, but then they go out and kill some random one just because some gods, maybe not including this one, might attack, and somehow this helps? And then it's unreasonable that this is a crime. What?
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Subjects
Awards
Locus Recommended Reading (2002)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2002-11
Physical description
304 p.; 6.44 inches
ISBN
076530502X / 9780765305022