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Library | Call Number | Status |
---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic (sf) Modesitt, L. 1996 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stayton Public Library | FN MODESITT, L.E. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Author Notes
Leland Exton Modesitt, Jr., was born on October 19, 1943 in Denver to Leland Exton and Nancy Lila Modesitt. He was educated at Williams College and earned a graduate degree from the University of Denver. Modesitt's career has included stints as a navy lieutenant, a market research analyst, and a real estate sales associate. He has also held various positions within the U.S. government as a legislative assistant and as director of several agencies. In the early 1980s, he was a lecturer in science fiction writing at Georgetown University.
After graduation, Modesitt began to write, but he did not have a novel published until he was 39 years old. He believes that a writer must "simultaneously entertain, educate and inspire... [failing any one of these goals], the book will fall flat." A part-time writer, he produces an average of one book per year, but he would eventually like to write full-time. The underlying themes of many of his science fiction novels are drawn from his work in government work and involve the various aspects of power and how it changes the people and the structure of government. Usually, his protagonist is an average individual with hero potential. Much of his "Forever Hero Trilogy"--Dawn for a Distant Earth, The Silent Warrior, and In Endless Twilight--is based on his experiences working with the Environmental Protection Agency. He made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2012 with his title Princeps.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The Gods themselves do battle in this prequel to Modesitt's popular Recluse saga. Set centuries before last year's The Death of Chaos, the story recounts a space battle in which the frigate Winterlance is blown into another universe and makes an emergency landing on a habitable planet. The castaways, mostly female space marines, initially must struggle with the harsh weather and their own failing technology in order to survive. Soon, however, they discover that they share their new world with a more intelligent enemy: other humans. The natives, whose culture is intensely patriarchal, have magical powers and are extremely hostile, especially to independent women. As Ryba and Nylan, the Winterlance's former chief officers, struggle to create both a civilization and a means to defend it, they must fight increasingly difficult battles even while coming to terms with their own awakening magical powers. Modesitt's character development is solid, and the novel makes intriguing use of technology in a fantasy setting, but the plot is predictable and the language pedestrian. A seemingly superfluous subplot concerning the chief villain's home life fails to add excitement. Fans of the series should enjoy this sixth entry, particularly for its explication of the myths and legends of latter-day Recluse, but it's not the sort of volume likely to win Modesitt a new legion of admirers. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A prequel to Modesitt's fantasy series about planet Recluce with its war between Order (black magic) and Chaos (white magic) (The Death of Chaos, 1995, etc.). Here, a spaceship full of human ``angels'' (they're involved in a dreadful war in space against ``demons'') falls into another universe and is forced to land on a high plateau, the remainder of the planet being far too hot for the angels. As they struggle to survive against hostile locals wielding baffling Chaos magic, engineer Nylan must learn to control his own growing Order magic powers. The two groups are easily distinguished. The newcomers' story is recounted in the past tense, while the locals rejoice in a present-tense narrative: just one of the eccentricities in an often intriguing if fairly predictable installment.
Booklist Review
The latest novel in Modesitt's Recluce series is one of the best and most accessible for readers new to the saga. It casts back in time to the founding of one of the well-established cultures of Recluce, the women warriors of Westwind. The Westwind women sprang from the mostly female crew of a crashed starship who then faced a classic situation, that of exiles from a technological culture on a pretechnological planet that holds more than a few surprises for them. Modesitt manages this version of that predicament quite well, infusing it with more action than is in most of the other Recluce yarns, as well as with a certain amount of preaching on the utility of violence. The resulting tale will hold existing series fans and probably recruit some new ones. --Roland Green