kwebster's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a fun and interesting read! I found the science is magic elements cool, and the world building was pleasantly executed. However, I did find myself occasionally lost in the world as places or practices were mentioned and I was unclear if that was information I'd already heard and should know, or if it was meant to expand the world anew.
I'm not a fan of the chosen one trope, which didn't feature too heavily in this book, however it seems to be handled decently and hopefully won't end up being an example of gender esentialism.
I will admit, I don't understand the twelfths system. Everytime they took off I was like "This is it! I'm totally gonna get it this time!" And then I'd realize I still didn't. 7/12 is fast maybe?
I'm not a fan of the chosen one trope, which didn't feature too heavily in this book, however it seems to be handled decently and hopefully won't end up being an example of gender esentialism.
I will admit, I don't understand the twelfths system. Everytime they took off I was like "This is it! I'm totally gonna get it this time!" And then I'd realize I still didn't. 7/12 is fast maybe?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Minor: Slavery and Child abuse
reasie's review
4.0
My favorite part was how the people in the story relate to their technology metaphorically as magic, but you can totes tell it's science.
My least favorite part (and that almost cost the review a star) was how it started to feel like... magic.
I want to read a sequel and I want it to categorically state that you aren't 'born' a magus in this world, you study to become one, and the study involves physics.
Still, it's a "lost colonies" world and I love those, and I love "geas" whenever it gets used, I don't even care if it's an overused trope, this time they do it nice and complicatedly. The book had a feeling of medievalism about it with FTL drives and a lost Earth and star maps and a woman with two husbands, so I'm giving it four stars.
My least favorite part (and that almost cost the review a star) was how it started to feel like... magic.
I want to read a sequel and I want it to categorically state that you aren't 'born' a magus in this world, you study to become one, and the study involves physics.
Still, it's a "lost colonies" world and I love those, and I love "geas" whenever it gets used, I don't even care if it's an overused trope, this time they do it nice and complicatedly. The book had a feeling of medievalism about it with FTL drives and a lost Earth and star maps and a woman with two husbands, so I'm giving it four stars.
wunder's review
4.0
Jo Walton called this "polyamorous alchemical space opera", and she nailed it, though the three-way love story isn't even part of the story, just a casual plot element.
I really love space opera that just flows, and this nails it. Never even a paragraph of plodding exposition or clumsy "As you know, Captain..." monologue. I'm never a fan of worldbuilding without story, so this world gets a doube thumbs up because it is creative and essential to the story. Spaceships travel faster than light through purgatory using the music of the spheres. Ah, you've heard that one before, I'm sure.
Plotwise, there is a slow start where plot possibilities open up, but not happen, are not even foreshadowed, then things start happening, including the Hegemon's elite space marines. Dig it. I could do with more characterization on the rest of the cast, but Silence Leigh is wonderful. No superwoman, just a woman in a man's job (space pilot) marooned in a society where women have no rights. She is no superwoman, just a person.
And the best part? There are two more books.
This isn't in print, but you can find used copies or borrow mine.
I really love space opera that just flows, and this nails it. Never even a paragraph of plodding exposition or clumsy "As you know, Captain..." monologue. I'm never a fan of worldbuilding without story, so this world gets a doube thumbs up because it is creative and essential to the story. Spaceships travel faster than light through purgatory using the music of the spheres. Ah, you've heard that one before, I'm sure.
Plotwise, there is a slow start where plot possibilities open up, but not happen, are not even foreshadowed, then things start happening, including the Hegemon's elite space marines. Dig it. I could do with more characterization on the rest of the cast, but Silence Leigh is wonderful. No superwoman, just a woman in a man's job (space pilot) marooned in a society where women have no rights. She is no superwoman, just a person.
And the best part? There are two more books.
This isn't in print, but you can find used copies or borrow mine.
kaa's review
4.0
Interesting and enjoyable science fantasy. I find Melissa Scott's writing style, characters, and world-building compelling, and I love the role of music in the magical technology of this universe. The very unusual method spaceflight reminds me a little of the [b:Ninefox Gambit|26118426|Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire #1)|Yoon Ha Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446557461s/26118426.jpg|46065520] series, in that the authors pretty much throw out most of our current science and take a highly creative and colorful approach to the subject instead, which I heartily approve of. The ships in the story run basically on alchemy and music, and it's awesome.
Much of the universe this story takes in is very hostile and oppressive to women, but none of the three central characters need to be convinced that this is wrong, which I appreciated. There are several interesting female characters, including the heroine, Silence. Although she moves from a marriage of convenience to affection for her two husbands by the end of the book, this story is not particularly a romance. I do hope all three of these characters and their relationship get more development in the next two books.
Much of the universe this story takes in is very hostile and oppressive to women, but none of the three central characters need to be convinced that this is wrong, which I appreciated. There are several interesting female characters, including the heroine, Silence. Although she moves from a marriage of convenience to affection for her two husbands by the end of the book, this story is not particularly a romance. I do hope all three of these characters and their relationship get more development in the next two books.
chia_s's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tikimoof's review
4.0
The traveling through purgatory was a neat concept, and luckily there was a lot of it.
Some annoying gender essentialism, but all in all cool enough that I'm interested in the sequel to see where it goes.
Some annoying gender essentialism, but all in all cool enough that I'm interested in the sequel to see where it goes.
technicolordreampossum's review
I like this! The end of book one feels like the end of the first act, rather than the end of its own story arc. Thank goodness the book I got through OhioLINK is all three books in the trilogy.
lib_britannia's review
4.0
Pulpy, strange, and utterly delightful. Silence Leigh marries (literally) into a new business contract by getting hitched to not one but two men who own and operate a spaceship run on a sort of alternative technology based around harmonious music and some strong religious symbolism. The world is fascinating, Silence is an enjoyable character, and both of her husbands Julie and Denis are excellent counterpoints to her in the novel.
Like many science fiction pieces of the time this novel does sometimes go a little off the deep end in over describing the "scientific" elements of the world such as how the spaceships run but it doesn't weigh it down too much. Plus, being that this system of science is entirely made up and fairly unique it does require at least some explanation in order to feel complete.
Like many science fiction pieces of the time this novel does sometimes go a little off the deep end in over describing the "scientific" elements of the world such as how the spaceships run but it doesn't weigh it down too much. Plus, being that this system of science is entirely made up and fairly unique it does require at least some explanation in order to feel complete.
sunyidean's review
3.0
I have so many mixed feelings on this novel.
So... context first. I picked it at random off the shelves, and decided to read it because I liked the title. If you look at the cover, note that it shows a blond woman and two men, a ship in the background--that and the blurb make it sounds like a classic space opera type story.
The cover is bullshit. This is a science fantasy space-opera about a religious mageocracy who rule space travel through magic and enforce a highly unequal society, particularly against women (many of them wear veils, and there is a blatant Jewish/Muslim feel to much of the setting.) The title comes from their unique terms for space travel; subspace, or its equivalent, is called "Purgatory" and looks like literal rivers of fire. Maguses draw their power from "hell" and when ships travel via FTL, their speed is measured in increments of "heaven" so "5/12ths of heaven" is the speed that the Sun-Treader ship travels at. (Presumably, getting to 12/12ths of heaven means you're dead, though this was never explicitly confirmed.)
PRetty cool, huh? Not conveyed on the cover.
Also not conveyed on the cover: The woman, Silence Leigh, is explicitly described as very pale with black hair. That, and the setting, makes me think of her as somewhat Asian. But she's been whitewashed, or perhaps just blond-washed, for the cover purposes. It's doubly annoying since her colouring is relevant to the book's cultures (indicative of caste/class). But no, some twat had to make her blonde. God forbid anyone find brunettes attractive *grumble grumble*
Annnyways. Main plot: Silence Leigh is a crack pilot who has been disenfranchised and lost her inheritance, essentially because she is a woman (this is what it boils down to). She comes to an arrangement with two guys; they're gonna sign up for a threeway marriage so they can all get citizenship in this empire they're in. (The empire has a 0 immigration policy, you only get citizenship through marriage or birth; one of the men is a citizen but the other isn't, and a M/M marriage doesn't confer that citizenship but apparently a MMF one does.)
I mean... on the whole, it's really a pretty progressive book in some ways. There's a little bit of internalised misogyny here and there, and some outdated stuff on gender. But this novel was also published in 1986 (I wasn't even born, lol) so *for its time* it was pretty darn good on that front, imo.
One of the more interesting things is that although Silence agrees to this marriage for cynical and monetary reasons, she does actually develop deep, platonic affection for both men. It's not quite a marriage, and for anyone hopeful of a NK Jemisin style 3 way sex scene, you'll be disappointed--no sex in the book--but it's still reasonably well done and enjoyable.
And yet, despite the ideas, ambition, and surprises, I only mark it at three stars >.>
Structurally, the story drags in places. The pacing is odd, the plots meander or else everything happens at once; the novel lacks focus. "Earth was their destiny" says the tagline, but the subject of Earth isn't raised till almost the end. And yes, this is an older book where, I guess, people were happier to accept cliffhanger endings, but I was still frustrated that the novel felt unfinished, as if it cut off right when it was starting to go somewhere. Presumably the sequel is a direct follow-on, though whether I can find it in this house is anyone's guess.
Silence herself is a bit... exasperating. She feels less like a character and more like a lens with which to showcase the ideas and worldbuilding. Her reactions are inconsistent and she behaves in ways which further the plot or stall the plot as required. I found her hard to to relate to. Again, the rules have changed for modern SFF, but ideas alone are not enough to sell me on a book.
For all that it was engaging, and had a kind of refreshing vigour (and I do appreciate space opera written by women, particularly). I am interested enough in those ideas that I'll be keeping an eye out for other books in the series, if I can find them.
So... context first. I picked it at random off the shelves, and decided to read it because I liked the title. If you look at the cover, note that it shows a blond woman and two men, a ship in the background--that and the blurb make it sounds like a classic space opera type story.
The cover is bullshit. This is a science fantasy space-opera about a religious mageocracy who rule space travel through magic and enforce a highly unequal society, particularly against women (many of them wear veils, and there is a blatant Jewish/Muslim feel to much of the setting.) The title comes from their unique terms for space travel; subspace, or its equivalent, is called "Purgatory" and looks like literal rivers of fire. Maguses draw their power from "hell" and when ships travel via FTL, their speed is measured in increments of "heaven" so "5/12ths of heaven" is the speed that the Sun-Treader ship travels at. (Presumably, getting to 12/12ths of heaven means you're dead, though this was never explicitly confirmed.)
PRetty cool, huh? Not conveyed on the cover.
Also not conveyed on the cover: The woman, Silence Leigh, is explicitly described as very pale with black hair. That, and the setting, makes me think of her as somewhat Asian. But she's been whitewashed, or perhaps just blond-washed, for the cover purposes. It's doubly annoying since her colouring is relevant to the book's cultures (indicative of caste/class). But no, some twat had to make her blonde. God forbid anyone find brunettes attractive *grumble grumble*
Annnyways. Main plot: Silence Leigh is a crack pilot who has been disenfranchised and lost her inheritance, essentially because she is a woman (this is what it boils down to). She comes to an arrangement with two guys; they're gonna sign up for a threeway marriage so they can all get citizenship in this empire they're in. (The empire has a 0 immigration policy, you only get citizenship through marriage or birth; one of the men is a citizen but the other isn't, and a M/M marriage doesn't confer that citizenship but apparently a MMF one does.)
I mean... on the whole, it's really a pretty progressive book in some ways. There's a little bit of internalised misogyny here and there, and some outdated stuff on gender. But this novel was also published in 1986 (I wasn't even born, lol) so *for its time* it was pretty darn good on that front, imo.
One of the more interesting things is that although Silence agrees to this marriage for cynical and monetary reasons, she does actually develop deep, platonic affection for both men. It's not quite a marriage, and for anyone hopeful of a NK Jemisin style 3 way sex scene, you'll be disappointed--no sex in the book--but it's still reasonably well done and enjoyable.
And yet, despite the ideas, ambition, and surprises, I only mark it at three stars >.>
Structurally, the story drags in places. The pacing is odd, the plots meander or else everything happens at once; the novel lacks focus. "Earth was their destiny" says the tagline, but the subject of Earth isn't raised till almost the end. And yes, this is an older book where, I guess, people were happier to accept cliffhanger endings, but I was still frustrated that the novel felt unfinished, as if it cut off right when it was starting to go somewhere. Presumably the sequel is a direct follow-on, though whether I can find it in this house is anyone's guess.
Silence herself is a bit... exasperating. She feels less like a character and more like a lens with which to showcase the ideas and worldbuilding. Her reactions are inconsistent and she behaves in ways which further the plot or stall the plot as required. I found her hard to to relate to. Again, the rules have changed for modern SFF, but ideas alone are not enough to sell me on a book.
For all that it was engaging, and had a kind of refreshing vigour (and I do appreciate space opera written by women, particularly). I am interested enough in those ideas that I'll be keeping an eye out for other books in the series, if I can find them.
bookswithjk's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Five-Twelfths of Heaven is a story set in a universe that is very difficult to wrap your head around. Part science, mostly magic, ships travel according to a harmonic scale, ascending towards Heaven, completing journeys across the stars in a matter of minutes. The main characters are in a polyamorous “relationship” - really, a marriage of convenience, and the romance is very very minor.
What I appreciate the most is that the worldbuilding isn’t fed to us in a heavy handed way. We are plunged right into this universe, pushed to unravel and understand the complexity of this strange way of space traveling. Even after finishing the book, I’m still left scratching my head and piecing together how it works.
What I appreciate the most is that the worldbuilding isn’t fed to us in a heavy handed way. We are plunged right into this universe, pushed to unravel and understand the complexity of this strange way of space traveling. Even after finishing the book, I’m still left scratching my head and piecing together how it works.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, and Slavery