The Wild Machines

by Mary Gentle

Paperback, 2000

Call number

823.914

Publication

Eos (2000), Paperback

Pages

vi; 391

Description

There is More Than One History Of The World... In an unremembered past of savagery, magic, and miracles, one figure blazed like a fiery comet across the blood-soaked fields of Europe and North Africa -- a fierce combatant and brilliant strategist named Ash, unequalled in battle, who vanished into the mists of a history long forgotten, until now.The armies of the Visigoth Empire have smashed the might of Europe, plunging the conquered lands into unnatural night.Only Burgundy fights on, battered but unbeaten, still warm in the embrace of the sun. It is the heart of the continent, supreme in culture and force of arms. But the beleaguered Duchy's ultimate fate lies in the hands of its rightful ruler, Duke Charles, trapped behind the walls of Dijon -- a city under siege by the brutal soldiers of the Faris, Ash's dark twin. Like Ash, the Faris hears the words of the dread machinery that seeks the extermination of all humankind. Unlike Ash, she heeds them.Fresh from the horrors of Carthage -- and the apocalyptic seductions of the Wild Machines -- Ash must decide whether to lead an army to near-certain doom, in an attempt to lift the siege of Dijon. For if the great city falls, and Charles dies, the sun will rise on the world no more...and humanity will descend into a darkness without end.… (more)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1999

Physical description

vi, 391 p.; 7.2 inches

ISBN

0380811138 / 9780380811137

User reviews

LibraryThing member Anglofile41
Mary Gentle's Ash quartet is one of the best fantasy series anywhere. This alternate history of 15th century Europe from France to Carthage has a woman warrior as hero and all the adventure, violence (NOT for the faint of heart -- some is very brutal, especially in #2), camaraderie, heroism,
Show More
swords, agony, history of the nobility, questing, magic (or science?), and suspense you could hope for in a medieval sci-fi series. It's worth searching for the hard-to-find last volume (Lost Burgundy #4) for the marvelous pay-off to the series.
Show Less
Page: 0.9603 seconds