Book: The Broken God: (A Requiem for Homo Sapiens --Pt.I)

Author: David Zindell
Publisher:

This is certainly the most memorable sci-fi novel I have read in the past few years (and one of the best novels in all categories). The plot-as described in the critics` reviews above follows the adventures of one Danlo on his journey to become a Pilot in the city of Neverness and his subsequent quest to find the truth about his father but it is the other detail in this book which rises it far above almost all other science fiction books I have read. (The only one I can think of which comes close is Dune). A fantastic cast of alien and human characters all wonderfully developed and different, whole new worlds described in great detail and an astonishing imagination as well as a wonderful intermingling of mathematical ideas into the story. Awesome. However for me the single most wonderful thing about this book (and its two sequels) is the quality of prose with which David Zindell writes. It is simply mesmerising and a sheer joy to read, something science-fiction is not noted for. Such beautiful language and a classical Homeric oddysey combined in one book. A must read!

The second and third books in the trilogy are The Vild and War in Heaven.