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CompleteMartialArts.com - Queen of Candesce: Book Two of Virga

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Manufacturer: Tor Books

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780765315441
ISBN: 0765315440
Label: Tor Books
Manufacturer: Tor Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2007-08-21
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: 2007-08-21
Studio: Tor Books

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Sun of Suns: Book One of Virga Pirate Sun: Book Three of Virga Halting State (Ace Science Fiction) Spook Country The Accidental Time Machine

Editorial Reviews:

Venera Fanning was last seen falling into nothingness at the end of Sun of Suns. Now, in Queen of Candesce, Venera finds herself plunging through the air among the artificial worlds of Virga, far from home and her husband, who may or may not be alive. Landing in the ancient nation of Spyre, Venera encounters new enemies and new friends (or at least convenient allies). She must quickly learn who she can trust, and who she can manipulate in order to survive. Survival isn’t her only goal; with the powerful Key of Candesce in her hands, she can control the fate of the entire world of Virga, yet something even more pressing is driving her—the all consuming need for revenge.

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: The evolution of Venera Fanning
Comment: In this sequel Schroeder follows Venera Fanning as she evolves into a more balanced woman than she had been. In the process he explores many of the implications of living in a world like Virga. Extraordinarily well thought out and creative. The whole trilogy is a must read.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Not Free SF Reader
Comment: The second book of a series, although I hadn't read the first when I read this, so the character of Venera Fanning and the precarious situation she found herself in to begin with was new to me.

As a spymaster and agent type of the hardarsed and coldblooded variety (except occasionally as concerns her bloke) you see that she is sort of used to this sort of thing, and sets out trying to manipulate the new setting she has pretty much literally fallen into.

Schroeder's bizarre setting makes sun of it fun with the mini town/world type settings and microbattles with a few people per side, plus the odd wooden airship.

I liked the first book more, but here, the character of Venera is rather more sympathetic when she is the main character, as opposed to just one of as in the earlier find out what is actually going on with the technology supporting their environment novel.

3.5 out of 5

Customer Rating:

Summary: Out Nivens Niven II
Comment: This is a well written descendent of Larry Niven's Ringworld and Bob Shaw's Orbitsville. The essential features are an immense, exotic, and technologically formidable habitat in an extrasolar system combined with some kind of action/adventure plot that reveals the interesting features of the habitat and its occupying human societies. Schroeder does well on both counts with an ingenious space habitat and a decently written story line. The habitat is well articulated and the plotting does of a good job of displaying a variety of human cultures occupying the habitat. The plot incorporates a theme of personal transformation on the part of the protagonist that boosts character development.

Customer Rating:

Summary: terrific thought provoking science fiction
Comment: Venera Fanning is falling into the large artificially contained nothingness of Virga. Finally, after what feels like eternity, she lands on the ancient nation of Spyre, an orb whose cylinder shape is rotting to the point that this planet is doomed.

Venera quickly does what she does best alienate people although she finds a few allies almost as amoral as she is. Trusting no one, she knows she must respond rapidly to determine who can insure her survivability on this strange world even if it means some of her new cohorts are expendable. However, Venera also possesses the Key of Candesce that can change entire worlds, but her prime goal remains to live until she can avenge those who sent her into free fall even as she understands that her first encounter arrival causes a civil war between the status quo and the reformists.

The second Virga science fiction saga (see Sun of Suns) is a terrific thought provoking entry that is loaded with action yet causes the audience to ponder deep philosophical concepts. For instance as the amoral Venera plots vengeance and causes a civil war, readers will consider what is human in light of rebellious artificial intelligence and how human culture evolves around its environment especially the Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome concept for turning Manhattan into airless space.

Harriet Klausner

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