John M. Ford (1957–2006)

The concept is intriguing: to follow the lives of three fictional people caught up in important historical situations, culminating in the death of Richard III and the ascent of "Henry Tydder" to the throne of England (see note below).

The geographical scope ranges from Wales not long after the end of the reign of Owain Glyn Dŵr (Owen Glendower, d. 1415) to the last days of Byzantium in 1453; and from Renaissance Milan (Sforza and Medici families), to England during The War of the Roses.

Yes, it's a fantasy, with vampires, wizards and magic, but also real-life physicians, courtiers, kings, and soldiers, all of whom are convincingly portrayed as main characters as well as the "extras".

The individual stories were interesting, and the threads that were pulled together to weave the fate of Britain were intricate and sometimes elusive, but the author maintained a good sense of drama and believable detail.

Nonetheless, the conclusion was ultimately unsatisfying to me because the characters who were most invested in the fate of Wales had a trajectory from the beginning that was not compatible with its final, historical, end-point in the book.

*Henry Tydder is a kind of mangled version of the name of the victor of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 who became Henry VII.
The English is Henry Tudor; the Welsh, Harri Tudur.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/welsh-history-month-harri-tudu.....

PG-13: some mild sexual innuendo and situations; violence, although not too graphic.… (more)

Wow. This is one of the most intricate, complex, multilayered, meticulously researched alternative history/fantasy books I've ever read. (If not THE most?)
- It helps if you know your English history, your Shakespeare, something about early Renaissance and Florence, something about ancient Rome and Byzantium :)))) It heightens your enjoyment of the book, as you go through the literary/historical allusions and Easter eggs scattered throughout.
- It was interesting to see John M. Ford imagine a world without Christianity as one of the dominant religions - a world which is more humanistic, more advanced, and is a (somewhat) better place for women than 15th century Europe of "our" world.
- Nothing is spelled out and the plot unfolds slowly. As a reader, you need to PAY ATTENTION and fill in the blanks.
- The magic system is very dark. I don't think I've ever seen its like in any other fantasy book.
- The characters are wonderfully - and subtly - drawn. (I loved Cynthia!)
- This is a book you need to re-read and see what you had missed last time.
- Like many others, I highly recommend Draco Concordans as a reading companion. It is geeky and wonderful, and it's interesting to see what you have missed in chapter x.… (more)

I don’t normally write reviews, but after some of the reviews I read here I was compelled to add my voice. This is two books, The Final Reflection and The Hand of Kahless. I was taken aback by this being two books being included under one title, I am not sure why the publisher made that choice, these two stories are only linked by their focus on the Klingons and the writer John M. Ford.
When reading The Final Reflection one has to remember this was written in 1984, the same year the movie The Search for Spock was released. Much of the backstory of the Klingon culture was still “An Undiscovered Country”. And you just have to view that story as a portrayal of the Klingon culture from a different creative viewpoint. Taken in that context this is actually one of the better Star Trek books I’ve read. You just have to get around these aren’t the Klingons we get to know in The Next Generation. There are some brilliant ideas in this portrayal of a warrior race, and some do make an appearance in later stories of Klingons, but not many. But the story is interesting and in the same spirit of most Star Trek stories.
The second book in this saga is the namesake of this review. This also was a good story, written in 2004 and set in the TNG timeline. These are the Klingons we know from the later series and movies. The author did a good job of staying true to the feel of the later television series. I enjoyed this story as well, I could clearly picture Picard and Worf and others speaking these words, and the plot was logical within the setting.
I can recommend both these stories, even though they’re different stories written at different times of both the author and the stories themselves.… (more)

A teen living on the Moon plays role-playing games with his friends, feels mildly resentful toward his father, and goes interrailing.

This is a cult sci-fi classic, and after reading it, I don't...entirely understand the hype. I think the subtlety of the plot is the thing that appeals to its die-hard fans, and I'll concede that I probably missed some of the clues that illuminate the water-sacrifice dilemma that consumes the adult characters in the background. There's rel="nofollow" target="_top">another review on Goodreads that praises the book as an example of "anthropology of the future," which strikes me as a good descriptor: Growing Up Weightless is absolutely low-stakes slice-of-life sci-fi.

But it left me cold.… (more)