Bright of the Sky (Entire and the Rose, #1)

Aug 18, 2009 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jon by: Shannon

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, read-in-my-40s

An interesting concept for speculative fiction involving an alternate universe crafted by an alien race but copied from bits and pieces of our universe. Even some of the sentient races and plant life mimic specimens from our dimension. But the physics of that realm defy understanding and twist sideways all familiar conventions.

I was unconvinced of the protagonist's passion and devotion to his obsession. Frankly, the characters bored me. No spark of compassion flamed to life in my heart for Quin...more

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Apr 27, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, 2009, favourite, cover-love

Far into our future, the world and the known galaxy is run by a bare handful of powerful corporations, the brightest people born, and machine sapients. The routes to the colonies on other planets are unstable: the K-tunnels (black holes) keep collapsing and whole shiploads of people are being lost. The company that controls the K-tunnels, Minerva, is struggling to hold onto its position and profits.

A machine sapient running a space station and stabilising a K-tunnel inadvertently stumbles across...more

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Aug 16, 2012 C. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

I wanted to like this book. The author has built an intriguing world, and the plot looked interesting and complex.
Also, I love character-driven science fiction, which this is.
Unfortunately, I hate all the characters.
(view spoiler)...more I wanted to like this book. The author has built an intriguing world, and the plot looked interesting and complex.
Also, I love character-driven science fiction, which this is.
Unfortunately, I hate all the characters.
(view spoiler)[
Literally, all of them. The viewpoint switches from one person to another, and every single one of them, once we're in their heads, turns out to be a horrible, horrible person. The best of them are either petty and self-interested, or people with at least one good intention buried amongst their general run of abuse and cruelty. The main character is supposed to be a conflicted hero, but the author seems to have forgotten about the "hero" part; he's given to random cruelties in aid of his overriding goals, goals that he nonetheless doesn't really seem to care about.
I could have coped with this if it was compensated for by the exploration of the intriguing world... but we never get to see enough of it to accomplish this. We're told it's vast, but it feels about the size of Ohio. We're told that the main character is impressed by the bizarre sky... that he never describes. It's just weird. The world is populated by an amazing array of different sentients... who never seem to do much except tell the obnoxious main character how awesome he is. This goes double for most of the female characters; I've seen few less feminist works in science fiction come out in the last twenty years.
I think this is a big part of what bugs me the most. When we step away from the alien setting and go back to Earth, we're told it's the far future... but it looks like the future as drawn in 1980 by a less-imaginative cyberpunk. We have a supposedly multicultural future in which the lead character not only doesn't speak anything other than English, he's never really gotten into the habit of trying to understand other cultures at all. We're introduced to the board of directors of a major company... and their one woman, who is clearly very intelligent, but presented as mercenary, superficial, and cruel. Our paragon of femininity is the sister-in-law of the main character, who has an engineering degree but apparently stays home with the kids all day - a perfectly valid choice, but it's never implied that it was a choice, it's just how things are. The family appears to be entirely dependent on her husband's dead-end job, for no apparent reason. People keep turning to her for her Wise Feminine Advice - which, in one case, seems to be to solve the problems of star travel by being modest in our ambitions and eschewing star travel entirely... which would be reasonable advice were it not that the book has already established that there are distant mining colonies, which are thus being condemned to death, and which neither the characters nor the author ever seem to recognize as a problem.
(hide spoiler)]
I do have to give the book credit, though - the prose is lovely, if sometimes a bit vacuous, and there are interesting ideas buried in here. I just don't think I can put up with the characters long enough to find out what happens next. I won't be following this series.(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Originally reviewed on Otherwhere Gazette)

Arthur C. Clarke once famously said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Author Kay Kenyon has created a universe where the technology is just that advanced, so that it feels more like a fantasy realm than a science fiction realm.

That universe is called the Entire, and the inhabitants of the Entire call our own universe the Rose, which is where the name of the series comes from: The Entire and the Rose. The first book...more (Originally reviewed on Otherwhere Gazette)

Arthur C. Clarke once famously said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Author Kay Kenyon has created a universe where the technology is just that advanced, so that it feels more like a fantasy realm than a science fiction realm.

That universe is called the Entire, and the inhabitants of the Entire call our own universe the Rose, which is where the name of the series comes from: The Entire and the Rose. The first book, Bright of the Sky, introduces us to the Entire by way of a future in which corporations run the Earth, most people live on the dole, and people travel through wormholes stabilized by super-advanced AIs called machine sapients, or mSaps. When one of the mSaps goes off the deep end obsessing over what appears to be a possible way into another universe, the Minerva corporation goes to call on the one human who had made it into that other universe and returned, though his story had been ridiculed at the time. But now, they want him to go back and see if he can negotiate with the leaders of the Entire for safe passage through it for their ships. So, Titus Quinn returns to the Entire, and begins a dual mission. Not only does he need to act as an envoy of the Rose, he also needs to find his wife and daughter who’d crossed over into the Entire with him the first time, but hadn’t returned.

The politics of the Entire are convoluted, but not nearly as odd as the universe they inhabit. In the Entire, there’s no open space with stars, it all appears to be a single enormous land mass, with the Bright above serving as the sky. It also seems to have as much room as all the planets of the Rose combined, and is inhabited by various sentient creatures, including the Tarig, the Bright Lords who rule the Entire. There is a version of humanity in the Entire called the Chalin, so Titus can pass with a little help from a few friends. Entire technology is amazingly different from what we’re used to, and so in many cases it seems like magic; for example, Titus’ face is altered so he won’t be recognized by using special needles to stimulate the changes in his face, in sort of an incredibly advanced acupuncture.

While the Entire parts of the book read like fantasy, the parts that happen in our own “Rose” universe are pretty solid science fiction, and good old human office politics are a big part of it. The part that kept drawing me in, though, is the Entire. It’s a universe completely unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and while it’s unusual, it all fits together very well. Titus and his daughter Sydney, while separated throughout the whole book, are nonetheless well drawn characters who make mistakes and face the consequences, and yet manage to muddle through and do the right thing.

For a fascinating alternate universe, and engaging characters, Bright of the Sky is well worth picking up. And since it’s currently free in Kindle edition [update: no longer free in Kindle edition, sorry], it’s not going to cost much to check it out, and see if you want to read the other three books in the series.(less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fic

I got this book as a free Kindle download. That's how I've gotten many books lately. Many, many free books from Amazon are simply horrible and I have begun abandoning books at a phenomenal rate. In the past, I've finished every book I've started. Because I finished this free one, it says something.

I debated on whether Bright of the Sky was a 3 star or 4 star book. In the end I decided that the pros outweighed the cons and rated it 4 stars.

The world-building in the story is outstanding. Kay Kenyo...more

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Jul 02, 2009 Kyle Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

I so wanted to give this book 4 stars, but Kay Kenyon's writing style was just a little too clumsy, despite this being her 7th book published. More on that in a moment. Be that as it may, the book was still an entertaining and interesting read. Its billed as science fiction, but much like Peter F. Hamilton's recent Void, much of the book takes place in a much more fantasy-like setting.

The Bright is a manufactured (or manipulated?) universe that exists next to our own. The rulers of this univers...more I so wanted to give this book 4 stars, but Kay Kenyon's writing style was just a little too clumsy, despite this being her 7th book published. More on that in a moment. Be that as it may, the book was still an entertaining and interesting read. Its billed as science fiction, but much like Peter F. Hamilton's recent Void, much of the book takes place in a much more fantasy-like setting.

The Bright is a manufactured (or manipulated?) universe that exists next to our own. The rulers of this universe, the Tarig, have populated their universe with sentient races patterned on those which exist in our own universe. The Chalin are a human-copy race whose society is based on feudal China. Two years before, Titus Quinn was piloting his ship through a worm-hole with his family when disaster struck. But instead of dying, he and his family were somehow transported to the Bright. When Quinn mysteriously reappears in our universe on a distant planet, he has little memory of his time in the Bright, except that 10 years passed for him, and his wife and daughter are gone.

In Bright of the Sky, Titus is finally given a chance to return to the Bright. Due to the apparent discrepancy of time between our universe and the Bright, the Minerva company (for whom Titus works for) believes the Bright may provide a safer, more efficient mode of transportation across our universe. Titus agrees to go, to investigate such a possibility. But more importantly, and secretly, he's much more interested in finding out what happened to his wife and daughter.

Kenyon isn't a master world-builder like Jordan or Tolkien, but she imagines the Bright well, without explaining too much. The Bright's inhabiting races are unique and believable. The land isn't alien by itself, but its defining characteristics are enough to make sure you don't forget this ain't Kansas. And the story stays entertaining throughout. Its not a long read, but it never gets dull or wordy. It ends in the manner you'd expect of a trilogy; the plot is all wrapped up, but a new one has just begun. I look forward to reading A World Too Near next.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Linda I rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kay-kenyon, science-fiction

This is, without a doubt, the most painfully boring science-fiction novel I have ever sadistically forced myself to finish.

Before I rant about why I did not like this story, let me first account for what I thought were its merits, few though they may be. While the premise of alternative universes is a fairly well-developed landscape for science-fiction settings, Kenyon does create a plausible job of world-building within this framework (this is, apparently, the area of writing in which she is m...more This is, without a doubt, the most painfully boring science-fiction novel I have ever sadistically forced myself to finish.

Before I rant about why I did not like this story, let me first account for what I thought were its merits, few though they may be. While the premise of alternative universes is a fairly well-developed landscape for science-fiction settings, Kenyon does create a plausible job of world-building within this framework (this is, apparently, the area of writing in which she is most noted). The science geek in me enjoyed the few instances in which quantum physics jargon was used to explain concepts. And, I liked the couple brief references of future storyline regarding how the Tarig planned to harness new energy sources for The Entire and the implications that could have on the rest of the universe.

However, these few positives are, unfortunately, lost within the miasma of literary mediocracy. First off, hello plot, where art thou? Search though I did, the plot could not be found. Titus discovers a new universe, The Entire, in a failed space voyage, losing his daughter and wife to said universe. He returns to Earth, only to get asked to go back to The Entire for more intelligence gathering. He, of course, has other motives... like finding his wife and daughter. While back in The Entire he learns their fates, along with what the rulers of The Entire, the Tarigs, are up to and returns to earth yet again. That's it. Thin, very thin. Hardly any action but a lot of whining. Obvious set up for a sequel, but usually SOMETHING is resolved within the covers of a novel... particularly if the book is over 400 pages long.

Secondly, the characters lacked any personality. None. They all seemed uniform. Even the ones that were clearly "good" or "bad". No character development either, though I suppose, Titus, being the main character, was supposed to have gone through a type of aggression-calming change. Whatever.

Lastly, the writing was contrived, at best. No style, no finesse. The descriptions were either very long-winded or really blunt. The words did not inspire sentiment for the characters, they didn't make the reader yearn for more.

I was, to say the least, disappointed. Will not be continuing with this series.(less)

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Jun 21, 2010 Phoenixfalls rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: female-author, science-fiction, sf-challenge, space-opera, aliens

This is one of those unfortunate books where the promise of a fine story and impressive world-building is completely stifled by mediocre writing. There are some startlingly powerful images in the novel, and some impressive set pieces, but there is so much dreck that I wanted to give up on the book from the very first page.

If you read science fiction mainly to explore well-imagined alien worlds, there is a fair amount here to enjoy. It takes 77 abysmal pages to finally reach the Entire, but when...more This is one of those unfortunate books where the promise of a fine story and impressive world-building is completely stifled by mediocre writing. There are some startlingly powerful images in the novel, and some impressive set pieces, but there is so much dreck that I wanted to give up on the book from the very first page.

If you read science fiction mainly to explore well-imagined alien worlds, there is a fair amount here to enjoy. It takes 77 abysmal pages to finally reach the Entire, but when the book does arrive there, there are plenty of strange creatures and a several interesting concepts that Kenyon clearly enjoyed playing with. She could have used a better editor -- I really only needed to have the Entire's time-sense explained to me once, and the same thing goes with the bright looking like boiling porridge, the river Nigh passing through all the Primacies, and quite a few other world-building elements that got repeated ad infinitum. But still, by the end of the novel I had a sense that there was this strange, chaotic, haphazard place out there, and that is saying something for the scope of Kenyon's imagination.

However, nearly every word I read made me want throw the book far, far away. Everything about Kenyon's craft is obvious -- the sentences plod rather than dance, the story takes all of the most predictable turns, and the characters. . . there is no stretch of the imagination that will let me call them people. They are mere compilations of wants that Kenyon moves about the page by means of cattle prod: Quinn wants his family and will seek them no matter what the danger (even when the danger puts him at risk of being totally useless to his family); Anzi wants to please Quinn (actually, every "good" character wants to please Quinn, for no reason that is apparent to me, except authorial fiat); all of the high-ups at Minerva want their profit margins to increase, and that is all they want because that is how Kenyon makes them the bad guys (and apparently the want of profit makes them want to make the most inhumane choice, even when there are better options available). There is no complexity to these characters, no point where they are at war with themselves because they want mutually exclusive things, no point where what they want puts them in conflict with any sort of moral sense or where they wonder if what they want is a good thing or not. Kenyon's characters are flat, and that makes every conversation, every internal monologue absolutely torturous.

If there is a ray of light in that morass, it was the all-too-brief sections in Sydney's perspective among the Inyx. In those sections, Kenyon's ridiculously simplistic treatment of her characters actually worked, because Sydney's world is one of simple wants almost entirely in the present tense. Those sections I was able to actually enjoy -- though it's entirely possible that I'm just another girl who's a softie for a horse story.

But other than those brief moments with the Inyx, I really disliked reading this book, and even though the action finally picked up in the last fifty pages and the story has clearly just begin, I will definitely not be picking up the next book.

And that makes me a little sad, because the series has absolutely gorgeous covers.(less)

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon's seventh novel, took critics by surprise. Compared to works by Frank Herbert and Philip Jose Farmer, this impressive first installment in a planned four-part series won them over with its riveting plot, vividly imagined alternate universe, and exotic alien denizens. Titus Quinn is a charming anti-hero, fully fleshed-out and likable; Kenyon's secondary characters are also convincing and memorable. One critic felt that some narrative jumps were confusing, and the Was

...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Victoria Gaile rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

It was okay. It started out stronger than it finished, with space ships and interesting technology and a reasonably interesting society. The alien planet's society was also reasonably interesting, and the mystery involving what happened to the protagonist before and how it was gradually revealed was interesting. [spoiler]I did like the horse creatures that the daughter ended up with.[/spoiler]

But there were an awful lot of unpleasant characters in the book, both human and alien. [spoiler]The pro...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Michele Maakestad rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book starts out very promising. I read the first chapters and was excited to read on. But then the book started to slow down. The book is in 3 parts and by the 2nd part, there is so much exposition that it seems like nothing happens. Spoiler alert: In part 1, they lay out a plan. Part 2, they travel as planned. Part 3, things start to happen again. My advice? Skip part 2.

Titus Quinn has traveled to an extra-dimensional world. When he returns to Earth, he is speaking a gibberish language, an...more

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May 30, 2012 Stephen Graham rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My impression of this book likely suffered because it took me too long to read; it became something of a chore to get through.

The major weaknesses are an unsympathetic protagonist and a structure overly dependent on being the first book in a series. There are major plot elements that lead nowhere significant within the bounds of the book, primarily the segments devoted to Sydney but also the import of the plotline regarding Small Girl. It's easier to see where Sydney's strand will go; one hopes...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Sunny rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

This was one of the free books offered by Amazon Kindle. The premise captured my attention and I figured it would be a good read. It started off pretty decently with some action and the reader is introduced to a curmudgeonly fellow, Titus Quinn. It's pretty understandable why Quinn is such a tormented man, he lost his wife and daughter to a place that no one ever believes he went. After that introduction, it goes downhill. The book drags on mercilessly and I know Kay Kenyon is known for how she...more

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Jun 12, 2009 Maria M. Elmvang rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Maria M. by: Shannon (Giraffe Days)

Shelves: arc, not-owned, 3-stars, 2009, sci-fi

I finally finished this today. It took me almost 2 weeks to read!! Very unusual for me. It wasn't that it was bad, it was just much too easy to put down. I wasn't intrigued by the plot, and with so many other books I also wanted to read, I kept procrastinating. But this week I finally told myself to shape up and finish it... if for no other reason, then for my own 'job satisfaction' ;-)

The plot was actually quite well thought out, but Kay Kenyon totally failed to make me care for Titus Quinn, an...more

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Aug 31, 2009 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

Twenty-fourth-century Earth, where society is organized by intelligence and aptitude, and corporations rule. A decommissioned pilot (the wormhole kind) is sent to an alternate universe as a corporate emissary, while personally he just wants to find his wife and daughter, missing there with a lot of his memories.

Huh, okay. It's the first in a quadrology, which explains why it feels about 95% setup, though the series plot does eventually show up at the end. And this is a creative book – the altern...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Glenda Christianson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Titus Quinn , his wife Johanna and 9 year old daughter Sydney are stranded in a parallel universe. That is where the similarities to other books I have read end.

The Setting: The new universe, called the "Entire"is described in vivid detail. The book flips back and forth between a future day earth and the parallel universe. The Entire is described in vivid detail and it allowed my imagination to take over and form a three dimensional planet as I read.

I found some of the more "scientific" explanat...more Titus Quinn , his wife Johanna and 9 year old daughter Sydney are stranded in a parallel universe. That is where the similarities to other books I have read end.

The Setting: The new universe, called the "Entire"is described in vivid detail. The book flips back and forth between a future day earth and the parallel universe. The Entire is described in vivid detail and it allowed my imagination to take over and form a three dimensional planet as I read.

I found some of the more "scientific" explanations beyond my grasp, but it did not distract me too much from the actual story. Some will find these explanations interesting and supportive details necessary to the book. I'm just not one of them.

The Characters: Titus Quinn is a wonderfully flawed hero. His character and many of the others seemed to walk right off the page. The reader get incite into all aspects of his personality and his character as it changes throughout the book.

The other characters are just as engaging. The different species and variety of sentient beings that walk in and out of the storyline are odd and interesting in ways that are sometimes surprising. They add to the texture of the Entire, giving it life.

What I liked: Obviously, the characters and the world of the Entire. There are many under lying themes within this book. It would be an interesting book club selection. The topic of discussion range from religion to ethics. For those of you that prefer not to look to deeply and just want to be entertained, this book will satisfy!

The writing flowed well, with the exception of one part in the middle of the book. The fact that it is meant to be a series and the book left several plots unfinished. I love that I can look forward to reading more about this intriguing new universe and these interesting characters!

What I did not like: As I mentioned the more detailed technical explanations seemed to distract me from the plot. The writer was very cognizant of this fact and kindly repeated many of the details so I didn't have to back track to remember what a certain term meant. As I said, many will find that this adds to the story. Don't let this scare you away from this book...it is a journey worth taking!(less)

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Dec 06, 2010 Hali Sowle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, space-travel

I really wanted to enjoy this book, I really enjoyed Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld growing up and many of the reviews of this book compared it favorably to that. Maybe it's been the 25 years between reading Riverworld and reading this but I didn't see much to favorably compare the two. To start with the main character in the book Titus Quinn is an unlikeable, curmudgeonly man who apparently can't get anything done unless he acts like a mule and digs his feet in or by being ornery. I realize th...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Kate added it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This is the story of a broken man. Two years ago, Titus Quinn disappeared - then reappeared on a planet he couldn't possibly have reached. He claimed to have entered another world, a separate dimension - and though he's lost all memory of his time there, Quinn knows that both his wife and daughter were somehow left behind. Unfortunately, nobody believes him until the opening of this book, when a space station is destroyed by a runaway AI contemplating a simple mathematical question. That questio...more This is the story of a broken man. Two years ago, Titus Quinn disappeared - then reappeared on a planet he couldn't possibly have reached. He claimed to have entered another world, a separate dimension - and though he's lost all memory of his time there, Quinn knows that both his wife and daughter were somehow left behind. Unfortunately, nobody believes him until the opening of this book, when a space station is destroyed by a runaway AI contemplating a simple mathematical question. That question leads the greatest minds to believe that maybe, just maybe, Quinn wasn't so crazy after all. And though it takes a few chapters to get there, those great minds decide to send Quinn back to this mysterious place in the hopes of finding a way to quickly traverse space in our own universe. Quinn, of course, has other goals, mainly finding out what has happened to his family and bringing them home.

The first chapter of this book hooked me, 100%. There was a sense of urgency, a feel of the new and wild, a true vision of a whole world created by the author. I loved the concept of this living AI (Machine Sapients), an entity capable of going rogue, or of being controlled and tame, the way we today would use a horse or other beast of burden... but to control an entire space station. The concept really makes me giddy. I really wish I could have seen more of this idea before the book moved on (it does pop up here and there, but it's a puzzle you're glancing at from across the room, and only when someone goes "I think this piece goes here...").

As I continued through the book, there are things I love and things that... just don't grab me. They aren't bad, but they aren't great. Kay is a fantastic world builder, and this is the way to my heart. But the writing style, both in dialogue and description, feels a bit stiff and stilted occasionally (I did get more used to this as the book went on). It makes it difficult for me to really sink into the book, on some level... even so, I'm really enjoying the story itself, following Quinn as he tries to piece together his forgotten past. I also wish that more had been done with the body modifications Quinn was sent to the Entire with (improved sense of smell). It popped up here and there and was well used, but it felt largely ignored for some reason. Maybe just because I read this book a bit more slowly than normal for me.

My biggest gripe had to do with the sci part of the sci-fi. Overall, the meat of the story is fairly light on the sci-fi which, in and of itself is fine. But some of the science was a bit broken. Later in the book, stars start dying in our dimension - Helice, one of the early characters, stares up at the sky and the dark spaces where stars once shone. She wonders if these dying stars have something to do with the fact that they've just sent Quinn over to the other side. I read this and instantly twitched - yes, the speed of light is fast, but not that fast. Every night when we look up at the sky, we see the light of stars long dead. They still shine in our sky, even though they no longer exist. I mean, after the sun, the next closest star is 4.3 light years away.

I know, I'm being nitpicky... but I just have trouble when the science is bad in a sci-fi book. Overall this was fantastic, but this one little detail drove me crazy. (less)

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Sep 14, 2009 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-sf-fantasy, science-fiction

This was an interesting book with some really cool worldbuilding, but it is the first of a trilogy, and the loose ends aren't tied up as much as they could be.

In a somewhat dystopic vision of a future Earth, a powerful company learns of an alternate universe called the Entire. They want to use the Entire as a shortcut to distant stars. So, they seek out the one person who has been there before--Titus Quinn, an embittered ex-pilot whose last foray into the Entire resulted in him returning withou...more

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Apr 05, 2013 B. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Disclosure: A couple of years ago, I read an ebook by a female author about transdimensional travel associated with a big, bad Company. I thought it was well written, but not quite my thing. When I saw this book, by a female author, about transdimensional travel associated with a big, bad Company, I thought it was the same writer, and figured "Hey, I'll give her another try." Turns out, not the same person. The names aren't even all that similar. But I didn't know that until, halfway through the...more Disclosure: A couple of years ago, I read an ebook by a female author about transdimensional travel associated with a big, bad Company. I thought it was well written, but not quite my thing. When I saw this book, by a female author, about transdimensional travel associated with a big, bad Company, I thought it was the same writer, and figured "Hey, I'll give her another try." Turns out, not the same person. The names aren't even all that similar. But I didn't know that until, halfway through the book, I checked on my supposition that this was the author's first book. Why did I do that? Because, even with as little as I remembered of the first author, I was surprised by the sudden drop in writing quality. Had I realized the error earlier, I might have given up on the book.

Bright of the Sky starts weak. The concept itself is okay, and the plot starts with something of a bang. Titus Quinn is an ex-pilot who once crossed over into an alternate world, where he left his wife, child, and much of his memory. The Company didn't believe him, mistreated him, but now wants him to go back. He does, and gradually recovers his memory.

If plot is adequate, the writing is distinctly disappointing. The human world is nicely described, and comes across distinctly, as a very urban, stratified society. The alternate world is much less clear, both physically and culturally, though the alien Tarig are clearly in charge. The intrigues and substories are interesting on the cultural level, but on the character level they're sketchy. For example, once Titus has crossed over, he spends a lot of time with Anzi, who's just dying to know what Earth (the Rose) is like. But she never asks him any questions. I don't buy it - as if here's your chance to find out everything you ever wanted to know about fairyland, and instead, you talk about the local bus schedule and how to get to the mall.

While the worldbuilding is generally good, there are a few careless details - e.g., an airship that's reluctant to take passengers, but appears to have no other reason for being. More troubling to me were the character issues. There are some key episodes of unexplained, irrational behaviour - the way key character Sydney treats sycophant Akay Wat, or the key-plot-driver crime committed by Titus toward the end. I didn't find the actions well enough supported. In addition, Titus' returning memory is far too often used as a magic ex machina wand to provide information or escape.

All in all, it's an adequate story with successful worldbuilding, but characters that need work. It won't hurt you to read it, but it won't leave much impression. I won't be going on to the sequels.(less)

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Dec 24, 2010 Holly rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, e-reader-challenge

I was just glad to have it finished, which is probably not a good sign.

Interesting premise, plot was decent, some very good alien creature and world building, but I simply could not relate to the characters. There was a lot of telling the reader how the characters felt (particularly toward each other), but not a lot of showing. Actions speak louder than words, right? I often found myself thinking, "What?? Where did THAT come from?" Having not seen the emotion between characters develop over tim...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Kae Cheatham rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spec-fiction

I downloaded this eBook after reading a blurb about it in Kindle Nations (I think).

I liked the writing, the concept and the characterizations. The beginning was a bit slow, with the introduction of characters that weren't even necessary to the true story. The point of view shifted a lot, and it took me many pages before I realized who was the main protagonist. Once I got to that point, I found the action very dynamic; it kept me "turning" the pages and wondering what would happen next.

Why isn't...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Kerith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I spent most of this book wondering if I liked it or not. It strongly reminded me of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (which I loved) though I'm not sure why. The Entire is a whole world that tunnels through our own (known as the Rose) unbeknownst to us, and is home to many strange beings, some wonderful, some cruel. I did enjoy her world-building, very much, as well as her word-crafting. The story itself I found vaguely depressing. Our world, the Rose, is portrayed as a dystopia with each pers...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Scott Marlowe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon is the first book in The Entire and the Rose trilogy. Other novels in the series include A World Too Near and City Without End. Bright of the Sky was (and still is) a free Kindle giveaway, which is how I obtained this gem. Free is always easy; you didn't pay anything for it, so if it doesn't live up to expectations, no big loss. Fortunately, Bright of the Rose did not disappoint.

The novel is a blend of science fiction and fantasy, the latter coming into play becau...more Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon is the first book in The Entire and the Rose trilogy. Other novels in the series include A World Too Near and City Without End. Bright of the Sky was (and still is) a free Kindle giveaway, which is how I obtained this gem. Free is always easy; you didn't pay anything for it, so if it doesn't live up to expectations, no big loss. Fortunately, Bright of the Rose did not disappoint.

The novel is a blend of science fiction and fantasy, the latter coming into play because the technology is so far advanced that it might as well be magic. The setting is reminiscent of such series as The Chronicles of Narnia or the Thomas Covenant Chronicles, both of which feature characters who travel from our world into one that is both wonderful and strange. What Kenyon does, however, borders on brilliant: instead of journeying with the main character into this other world for the very first time, we quickly learn that our main character, Titus Quinn, has already been there. This sets things up in an entirely different way than if he's just come into the Entire (the name for this otherworldly dimension). The catch is that he doesn't remember much about his previous stay, and only once he's back and immersed in the Entire's strange culture do bits and pieces return to him. As readers, everything is new. But with Titus as our guide, we're able to skip over some of the minutia and get right into the good stuff. That's the brilliance of Kenyon's approach.

The only thing that Titus does remember for sure is that he didn't enter the Entire alone: with him were his wife and daughter. They did not return with him, though, and so Titus spends much of his time trying to convince others back in his own world that he isn't crazy, that there is another world or dimension that he somehow traveled to, and that his wife and daughter are still there. The opportunity to return final presents itself when your somewhat atypical greedy corporation steps in offering to send Titus back in exchange for his performing some reconnaissance for them. It seems space-time works differently in the Entire, and they think it can be used to speed up interstellar travel. Titus agrees, and off he goes.

The Entire is an odd place based loosely on feudal Chinese society. Ruled by the Mantis Lords, or Tarig, there are humans and many others races there, but all are kept in a sort of subjugation by the Tarig, who are the creators of the Bright, an energy source that makes the Entire possible. Our world is called the Rose, because while those of the Entire view it as a thing of beauty, they also have seen its thorns. Interaction with the Rose is forbidden, and punishable by death, as is aiding someone like Titus who's come from there. Titus does find allies, though, those who are tired of the Tarig yoke. HIs journey becomes one of deception and subterfuge as he avoids detection at all costs while trying to determine the fate of his wife and daughter.

Titus comes across initially as a bit of a bitter kook. He was ridiculed and discredited upon his return, so he chooses to live a life of solitude until given the chance to return to the Entire. He is ruled by guilt over leaving his family behind, though, and so he desperately wants to return. This desperation sets him up ultimately as a sympathetic character whom I wanted to succeed. As the story unfolds and Titus's memories return to him, the fate of his family is both sad and bittersweet. Ultimately, what begins as a sort of rescue mission for Titus becomes something else entirely as old enemies emerge and secrets are revealed. Suffice to say that Kenyon resolves some threads while leaving others spinning on the loom for the next two books in the series.

This review at http://www.scottmarlowe.com/post/Book...(less)

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Oct 17, 2012 Samy Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good concept, middling to fair follow-through but I also couldn't get through the book. I started it about 5 times. Finally got going on it. (I have the Kindle version. It was free so I decided to try it.) I am about on page 10,000 and plodding along. Too much talk about the neatness of the world, the oddities, no action - just discovery of memories of what has happened and what may happen. Very little is happening NOW. Most of the story is about what has already happened. I may be half-way or m...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Valerie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about Bright of the Sky.

On one hand, the extra-dimensional world created by Kenyon and I thought she created some characters that drew my interest. At the same time, the book sometimes became so caught up in laying out that other world that at times the story would drag.

Also, for every character that had depth and appeal, there were several more that were very one dimensional. Not that it was always a bad thing....sometimes you need some characters that lack depth to guide...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Lila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book once I got used to the style. Kenyon combines lo-tech and very high tech to effectively create an alien world. The "humans" of this world are mostly human, relatable and real, but with enough oddness to truly be alien. And the actual aliens are very alien and make excellent powerful villains.

I liked the way Kenyon added bits and pieces of the story from minor and secondary viewpoints, though I was a bit bored with the bits back on Earth while the protagonist was in th...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Kathy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Disappointing,

I've never heard of this author prior to my download. However, I decided to give her a chance because this is a free download on Kindle and the product description was intriguing.

The book started off slow, there were many parts of this book that felt like the story was just crawling along and the world-building depiction was over done and cumbersome.

I stuck with this book solely because the concept of another universe outside of our own fascinated me. This book was so slow it took...more

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May 22, 2011 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Bright of the Sky is the story of two different universes, the Bright and the Rose and Titus Quinn who can survive in both worlds. I found myself wishing for more story about Titus' daughter, Sydney. I found the story to be interesting but a little longer than it needed to be because of the descriptions of characters who you still really didn't care about and wondered why they were included, such as Helise and his father's old friend, Lamar. The description of the Bright was repetitive - how man...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, ebooks, science-fiction, galactic-civilizations, alien-cultures, 2006-2010

3.5 stars. Excellent world building highlight this first installment. Will defintely read the second book in the series.

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Bright of the Sky (Entire and the Rose #1)

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