Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York: Tor Books, 1999.
Pages
448
Description
The great Calculor of Libris was forced to watch as Overmayor Zarvora had four of its components lined up against a wall and shot for negligence. Thereafter, its calculations were free from errors, and that was just as well-for only this strangest of calculating machines and its two thousand enslaved components could save the world from a new ice age.And all the while a faint mirrorsun hangs in the night sky, warning of the cold to come.In Sean McMullen's glittering, dynamic, and exotic world two millennia from now, there is no more electricity, wind engines are leading-edge technology, librarians fight duels to settle disputes, steam power is banned by every major religion, and a mysterious siren "Call" lures people to their death. Nevertheless, the brilliant and ruthless Zarvora intends to start a war in space against inconceivably ancient nuclear battle stations.Unbeknownst to Zarvora, however, the greatest threat to humanity is neither a machine nor a force but her demented and implacable enemy Lemorel, who has resurrected an obscene and evil concept from the distant past: Total War. Souls in the Great Machine is the first volume of Sean McMullen's brilliant future history of the world of Greatwinter… (more)
Awards
Ditmar Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2000)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1999
Physical description
448 p.; 9.8 inches
ISBN
0312870558 / 9780312870553
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User reviews
LibraryThing member johnnylogic
Sci-fi lovers will get a kick out of this post-apocalyptic yarn where some humans are indeed cogs in the machine (or, more accurately, adders, multipliers, etc.
LibraryThing member malundy
As a librarian and a It worker, Souls in the Great Machine is one of my favorite books. It is set in the furure in Australia following a global castrophe. Librarians occupy a significant position in society (as they should). One feature of this book that is fasinating is the way the author has the
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society create an analog, people powered version of a packet switching network and computer. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDavisChanger
I was tempted to give this novel five stars, but it doesn't quite match the perfection of Patrick Tilley's Mission or Robert Reed's Marrow.
McMullen strikes the perfect balance between science fiction and clockpunk in his Greatwinter trilogy. It's truly remarkable; the setting is sometime after a
I'll probably reread this book and increase its rating at some point. It's that good.
McMullen strikes the perfect balance between science fiction and clockpunk in his Greatwinter trilogy. It's truly remarkable; the setting is sometime after a
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WWIII-ish apocalypse and technology has regressed to strictly mechanical levels. This builds a palpable steampunk quality into the everyday life of the characters while the ancient yet far-advanced technology helps drive the plot forward, satisfying my science fiction cravings. The characters are lovable as well as well-spoken and the Siren call that plagues the surviving members of humanity lends an intriguing level of mystery to the plot without being too fantastic.I'll probably reread this book and increase its rating at some point. It's that good.
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LibraryThing member bsima
A great concept with fascinating speculations about the future of mankind two thousand years from now. The book dragged quite a bit from the middle onward unfortunately. Train aficionados will be riveted. A map of the future Australia would have helped quite a bit in following the course of
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disputes among the various factions, but this was not provided. I was left with the feeling that this book could have been so much more if it was just executed a bit differently. There is potential here for certain but not enough for me to continue the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member ragwaine
I decided to read this book with my fiance after reading some awesome reviews. We gave it 100 pages but it wasn't doing anything for either one of us. None of the characters stuck out and the ideas were strange but not necessarily interesting. It's a huge book and I think there's another book after
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it so we didn't want to waste months reading it and then be left with a cliffhanger. Show Less
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
Someone recommended this to me as:
"If you like unusual SF, you should definitely pick up Sean McMullen's Greatwinter trilogy of novels, starting with the first book Souls in the Great Machine. It's set in Australia (the middle book is set in North America) and it revolves around a post-apocalyptic
The female characters aren't just "strong", they're actually real, genuine people - although the setting acknowledges gender inequality, many if not most of the movers and shakers in the story are believable women with authority, intelligence, and cunning. Male characters are similarly fleshed out, and gender (as well as cultural and romantic) conflict plays a part in the plot, but it's not heavy-handed or annoying, although some of the characters themselves certainly are (in ways that make them readably human).
The whole shebang is really well-grounded in Australian (and then North American) geography and culture, so non-Aussie readers would do well to have a map at hand while reading to get the full effect. In the second book, the North Americans fight their wars via duel-by-champion in wood-and-cloth airplanes, and that just racks up eleventy-million awesome points in itself. Saying too much about the third book would be spoilerish, but needless to say the tech is even cooler.
The main appeal, though, is that it's got dueling librarians. Like with flintlock pistols. And they do firing squads sometimes. And that is basically the most awesome thing ever."
"If you like unusual SF, you should definitely pick up Sean McMullen's Greatwinter trilogy of novels, starting with the first book Souls in the Great Machine. It's set in Australia (the middle book is set in North America) and it revolves around a post-apocalyptic
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society built slowly and realistically from the ashes of our own. You've got a kind of clock-punk level of technology in which fueled engines are religiously proscribed, yet society gets on at a pretty high level using workarounds like human- and wind-powered trains, long-distance communication via light signalling, and all the clockwork you can get your hands on. The main piece of technology around which the plot revolves is a human-(prisoner-)powered calculator, but the clockwork and trains play a huge part too.The female characters aren't just "strong", they're actually real, genuine people - although the setting acknowledges gender inequality, many if not most of the movers and shakers in the story are believable women with authority, intelligence, and cunning. Male characters are similarly fleshed out, and gender (as well as cultural and romantic) conflict plays a part in the plot, but it's not heavy-handed or annoying, although some of the characters themselves certainly are (in ways that make them readably human).
The whole shebang is really well-grounded in Australian (and then North American) geography and culture, so non-Aussie readers would do well to have a map at hand while reading to get the full effect. In the second book, the North Americans fight their wars via duel-by-champion in wood-and-cloth airplanes, and that just racks up eleventy-million awesome points in itself. Saying too much about the third book would be spoilerish, but needless to say the tech is even cooler.
The main appeal, though, is that it's got dueling librarians. Like with flintlock pistols. And they do firing squads sometimes. And that is basically the most awesome thing ever."
Show Less
LibraryThing member burritapal
Liu,Cixin may have gotten the idea for a computer made up of human components from this author.
This book had the potential to be a lot better, especially because women were the Overlords. But the dude just could not resist his breast-envy, and thus turned this fairly awesome imaginative sci-fi into
This book had the potential to be a lot better, especially because women were the Overlords. But the dude just could not resist his breast-envy, and thus turned this fairly awesome imaginative sci-fi into
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a teenage boy's book. Show Less