City Without End
Authors: Kay Kenyon
Praise for
Bright of the Sky
Book One of The Entire and the Rose
“At the start of this riveting launch of a new far-future SF series from Kenyon (
Tropic of Creation
), a disastrous mishap during interstellar space travel catapults pilot Titus Quinn with his wife, Johanna Arlis, and nine-year-old daughter, Sydney, into a parallel universe called the Entire. Titus makes it back to this dimension, his hair turned white, his memory gone, his family presumed dead, and his reputation ruined with the corporation that employed him. The corporation (in search of radical space travel methods) sends Titus (in search of Johanna and Sydney) back through the space-time warp. There, he gradually, painfully regains knowledge of its rulers, the cruel, alien Tarig; its subordinate, Chinese-inspired humanoid population, the Chalin; and his daughter’s enslavement. Titus’s transformative odyssey to reclaim Sydney reveals a Tarig plan whose ramifications will be felt far beyond his immediate family. Kenyon’s deft prose, high-stakes suspense, and skilled, thorough world building will have readers anxious for the next installment.”
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review
“. . . a splendid fantasy quest as compelling as anything by Stephen R. Donaldson, Philip José Farmer, or yes, J. R. R. Tolkien.”
Washington Post
“. . . a bravura concept bolstered by fine writing; lots of plausible, thrilling action; old-fashioned heroism; and strong emotional hooks . . . the mark of a fine writer. Grade: A.”
Sci Fi Weekly
“Kay Kenyon’s
Bright of the Sky
is her richest and most ambitious novel yet— fascinating, and best of all, there promises to be more to come.”
Greg Bear
Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of
Quantico
and
Darwin’s Radio
“[A] star-maker, a magnificent book that should establish its author’s reputation as among the very best in the field today. Deservedly so, because it’s that good . . . a classic piece of world making. . . . [H]ere is another of those grand worlds whose mere idea invites us in to share in the wonder.
Bright of the Sky
enchants on the scale of your first encounter with the world inside of
Rama
, or the immense history behind the deserts of
Dune
, or the unbridled audacity of Riverworld. It’s an enormous stage demanding a grand story and, so far, Kenyon is telling it with style and substance. The characters are as solid as the world they live in, and Kenyon’s prose sweeps you up and never lets go. On its own, [it] could very well be the book of the year. If the rest of the series measures up, it will be one for the ages.”
SF Site
“The author of
The Seeds of Time
imagines a dystopic version of our own world. Reminiscent of the groundbreaking novels of Philip K. Dick, Philip José Farmer, and Dan Simmons, her latest volume belongs in most libraries.”
Library Journal
“In a fascinating and gratifying feat of world building, Kenyon unfolds the wonders and the dangers of the Entire and an almost-Chinese culture that should remain engaging throughout what promises to be a grand epic, indeed.”
Booklist
“With a rich and vivid setting, peopled with believable and sympathetic characters and fascinating aliens, Kay Kenyon has launched an impressive saga with
Bright of the Sky
.”
SFFWorld.com
“Kay Kenyon has created a dark, colorful, richly imagined world that works as both science fiction and fantasy, a classic space opera that recalls the novels of Dan Simmons. Titus Quinn bestrides
Bright of the Sky
in the great tradition of larger-than-life heroes, an engaging, romantic, unforgettable character. The stakes are high in this book, the characters memorable, the world complex and fascinating. A terrific story!”
Louise Marley, author of
Singer in the Snow
“Kenyon writes beautifully, her characters are multilayered and complex, and her extrasolar worlds are real and nuanced while at the same time truly alien.”
Robert J. Sawyer Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author of
Rollback
and
Mindscan
“Kay Kenyon takes the nuts and bolts of SF and weaves pure magic around them. The brilliance of her imagination is matched only by the beauty of her prose. You should buy
Bright of the Sky
immediately. It’s astounding!”
Sean Williams, author of
The Crooked Letter
and
Saturn Returns
Praise for
A World Too Near
Book Two of The Entire and the Rose
“One of the most imaginative creations in recent science fiction history.”
SF Site
“Kenyon’s latest has it all—plot, character, action, science, and the sense of wonder that all the cynics say can’t be done anymore. A remarkable achievement.”
Mike Resnick, Hugo-winning author of
Starship: Mercenary
and
Santiago
“The fate of two universes hangs in the balance in this intricately plotted sequel to
Bright of the Sky
. . . . Tangled motivations, complex characters, and intriguing world building will keep readers on the edges of their seats.”
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review
“Kay Kenyon continues to offer some neat adventures for her protagonists in this really alluring offbeat universe she’s created. . . . All the characters continue to be fascinatingly complex. . . . Every minor character is endowed with exceptional depth and reality. . . . The artificial universe known as the Entire remains a great conception and playground for adventure.”
Sci Fi Weekly
“. . . continues the promise shown in book one. . . . The Entire is a marvelous parallel universe . . . [and] the details of [the main character’s] quest make for stunning adventure fiction, while the mysteries revealed about the Entire are completely mind-blowing. . . . It is epic fantasy and world building on a grand scale. It would be criminal if this novel didn’t make year’s best lists at the end of 2008.”
Realms of Fantasy
Also by Kay Kenyon
BRIGHT OF THE SKY
Book One of The Entire and the Rose
A WORLD TOO NEAR
Book Two of The Entire and the Rose
CITY
WITHOUT
END
CITY
WITHOUT
END
KAY
KENYO
BOOK THREE
of
THE ENTIRE AND THE ROSE
Published 2009 by Pyr
®
, an imprint of Prometheus Books
City Without End
. Copyright © 2009 by Kay Kenyon. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a Web site without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Inquiries should be addressed to
Pyr
59 John Glenn Drive
Amherst, New York 14228–2119
VOICE: 716–691–0133, ext. 210
FAX: 716–691–0137
WWW.PYRSF.COM
13 12 11 10 09 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kenyon, Kay.
City without end / Kay Kenyon.
p. cm. — (The entire and the rose ; bk. 3)
ISBN 978–1–59102–698–3 (alk. paper)
I. Title.
PS3561.E5544C58 2009
813'.54—dc22
2008049650
Printed in the United States on acid-free paper
For my husband, with love
CONTENTS
I
N THIS SERIES, I
continue to owe thanks to those who good-heartedly agree to read drafts and advise me on science and technology. Deep gratitude to my husband and first reader, Thomas Overcast; science fiction writer Karen Fishler; writer of hard physics science fiction Robert Metzger; theoretical physicist Todd Brun; and, for advice on traumatic injuries, my EMT son, Matt Balser—all of whom were kind enough to read and comment on various parts of this book. Departures from the strictly possible and fictionally plausible are on my own shoulders. To my agent, Donald Maass, my sincere thanks for setting me on the path to this story. I am indebted to my editor, Lou Anders, for his suggestions and contagious passion for this series as well as for conceiving the perfect matchup of my story with the artwork of the superb Stephan Martiniere.
