false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172524429m/185117.jpg 185117 3 Tobias S. Buckell has gained a following for his acclaimed science fiction short stories. Crystal Rain is the much- anticipated debut novel by this exciting new talent. Long ago the old-fathers came to Nanagada through a worms hole in the sky, looking for a new world to call their own. But that was many generations ago, and what was once known has long been lost. Steamboats and gas-filled blimps now traverse the planet, where people once looked up to see great silver cities in the sky. Like his world, John deBrun has forgotten more than he remembers. Twenty-seven years ago, he washed up onto the shore with no memory of his past. These mysteries take on new urgency when the fearsome Azteca storm over the mountains, in search of fresh blood and hearts to feed their cruel inhuman gods. Nanagada's only hope lies in a mythical artifact said to be hidden in the frozen north. And only John deBrun knows the device's secrets, even if he can't remember why or how! "A cracking adventure yarn from an exciting new writer." - Cory Doctorow, author of Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town "There's a nova in the skies: Tobias S. Buckell is a dazzling new voice, and Crystal Rain is an explosive debut." - Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-Winning Author of Hominids 1122886 2006 Crystal Rain total:194|5:19|4:95|3:57|2:14|1:9| 194 683 352 51 4 5 false false Tue Jun 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 26 07:48:02 -0700 2008 Wed Jun 11 16:45:10 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 07:06:27 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 07:13:40 -0700 2009
It's difficult to reveal much plot, because the author does such a nice job of slowly unveiling the history of his characters and world thro...more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 16 23:18:06 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 02 12:14:36 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon May 04 19:07:13 -0700 2009 Mon May 04 19:07:13 -0700 2009 Full Review at Grasping for the Wind[return][return]Crystal Rain is a strong debut. Tobias Buckell has taken the lost civilization genre of science fiction and created a wonderful story. The characters are mysterious and compelling, and John deBrun cuts a dashing and heroic figure whose own personal...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Sep 26 17:43:32 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 25 13:04:34 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 08:09:05 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 20 21:38:09 -0700 2008 Ragamuffin was the sequel to this one, but it quickly became obvious to me. It wasn't too much of a problem; they're both capable of standing on their own. It was a bit odd to know the eventual fate of the characters, though.

In contrast with Ragamuffin, the chara...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 22 11:29:53 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 03 07:32:16 -0700 2008 Crystal Rain is really an introduction to a broader series. It's a solid story on its own, but you get the sense that Buckell is only scratching the surface of the world (universe?) that he's imagined.

The story focuses on John deBrun, a man lacking hand and memory who lives in a place t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 04 18:22:55 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 09 20:35:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 true false Sun May 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 08 01:23:09 -0700 2008 Sun May 11 09:06:44 -0700 2008
Nanagada is a peaceful country/continent inhabited mainly by fishermen and farmers. John DeBrun washed up the tropical shores of the cont...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Apr 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 28 14:45:12 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 28 14:55:20 -0700 2008 The b...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 25 15:51:10 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 10:19:27 -0700 2008
Overall, I found the idea intriguing and the science of it all fascinating. On the other hand, the suppos...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Mar 26 05:32:55 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 05:33:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Mar 26 10:02:01 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 19 14:51:27 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 10:01:18 -0700 2008
The main character is John DeBrun and he's multidimensional, and interestin...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 10 15:54:40 -0800 2008 Wed Sep 02 22:35:35 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jul 03 19:40:00 -0700 2007 Tue Feb 05 12:29:04 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 11:59:42 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 09:24:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 07:15:16 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 30 10:14:46 -0700 2008 1 Crystal Rain was an enjoyable book with an interesting spin on an old idea. Humanity has been chased to a far off planet, and been cut off from home, and lost a lot of their tech base. The new spin comes from the depth of the "fall" and the roots from which the society sprang. Instead o...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 12:53:35 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 22:16:48 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 29 15:40:41 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 15:40:41 -0700 2009 3 0 false true Sat Apr 05 23:09:09 -0700 2008 Fri Nov 14 20:45:03 -0800 2008 Colonists from a space-faring, but sub jugated, Earth landed on a distant
planet and got caught up in a war between two “local” alien species over who
gets to dominate the planet. The humans used a super-EMP to trap the existing
...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=185117