Conqueror (Gollancz S.F.) - Stephen Baxter

Second Book in the Series

Stephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aero engineering research). Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England. He has written a number of books and Emperor published in 2006 was the first in the series.

This book published in 2007 is the second book in the much acclaimed Time's Tapestry following on from Emperor. The book is full of intrigue, plot and counter plot. The author keeps the pace fast and furious and the reader is carried along on a wave of euphoria.

The synopsis provided by Amazon is more than adequate for the prospective reader to get a feel for what this book is about. Any more information would probably spoil it for the reader. Suffice to say that the book is a work of fiction and the author uses poetic licence to its best advantage to make an interesting and exciting novel.

Best so far in excellent series

The momentum and energy of Conqueror, the second in the Time's Tapestry series, overcome the potential problems faced by any novel which covers such a long historical period. Although the focus inevitably switches from one group of characters to another, Baxter manages to maintain a strong narrative drive - and to leave the reader waiting eagerly for the next installment. He's particularly good at defamiliarising history, making it read more like the genre he is most associated with, science fiction.

A fascinating fictional history of England's darker days

This book starts in the Saxon era and tells the story of the Viking and Norman invasions of Britain. Reading this series has encouraged me to find out more about England's history and visit the places described in the books. I wish I'd started reading these books before visiting York, now I'll have to return.

Stephen Baxter has an excellent knack of portraying history in the grimy and butal light that is so often missing from our understanding of the past. Not so much a tale of knights in shiny armour as one of mud stained axe in face.