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CompleteMartialArts.com - Sun of Suns: Book One of Virga

Sun of Suns: Book One of Virga
List Price: $6.99
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Manufacturer: Tor Science Fiction
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5

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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780765354532
ISBN: 0765354535
Label: Tor Science Fiction
Manufacturer: Tor Science Fiction
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2007-07-31
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
Release Date: 2007-07-31
Studio: Tor Science Fiction

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Editorial Reviews:

It is the distant future. The world known as Virga is a fullerene balloon three thousand kilometers in diameter, filled with air, water, and aimlessly floating chunks of rock. The humans who live in this vast environment must build their own fusion suns and “towns” that are in the shape of enormous wood and rope wheels that are spun for gravity.

Young, fit, bitter, and friendless, Hayden Griffin is a very dangerous man. He’s come to the city of Rush in the nation of Slipstream with one thing in mind: to take murderous revenge for the deaths of his parents six years ago. His target is Admiral Chaison Fanning, head of the fleet of Slipstream, which conquered Hayden’s nation of Aerie years ago. And the fact that Hayden’s spent his adolescence living with pirates doesn’t bode well for Fanning’s chances.



Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Pirates and Airships and SciFi Oh My!
Comment: With this book Karl Schroeder engages in a ground-breaking exercise in world building on a scale not seen since Ringworld. The result is a swashbuckling adventure through the shifting political landscape of a fragmented world. For all the hard science underlying the story it has the charm of a Miyazaki or Matsumoto anime. In a world where space is filled with air and asteroids are the basis of small towns, military combat often resolves with wooden ships firing broadsides at each other! He also tantalizes us with hints of the incredible technology that was used to create Virga. Is it the work of an ancient, fallen civilization? An exercise in lavish indulgence by a jaded culture longing for a simpler era? A refuge for humanity? Or something much more sinister?

Strong characters with vividly crafted backgrounds propel the narrative along, preventing the story from being mired in the wonder and mystery. While the story adequately covers the ground it sets out to, it definitely leaves you wanting more. Fortunately, all three books in the initial trilogy are now in print.

Ultimately, my highest recommendation is this: after buying this book in paperback, I purchased the second book in hardcover, and then re-purchased this in hardcover. 4 and a half stars.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Great start to an excellent series
Comment: Sun of Suns is the first book of the Virga trilogy (at least so far). The book itself is excellent. Virga is the most original setting for a novel since Ringworld, and in many ways is even more novel and stunning. I won't bother with the synopsis that is already well covered. But the story is an extraordinarily creative synthesis of steampunk, space opera, and post-singularity SF. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could - the half off just for ending too soon. Not as big a problem now that all three books are out.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: Far Out SciFi
Comment: It was OK, but I doubt that I will read any more of his books.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: moderately engaging
Comment: not the most original world creating...owes a great deal to larry nevin...but a fairly entertaining story.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Most Creative Book I've Read in Years
Comment: From the very first page to the very last, there was never a dull moment. This book was exciting, fun, and definitely outside of the box. Not just one or two new concepts, but dozens of them. World building at it's finest. Highly recommended.


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