Pavane
Pavane is an alternate history 1st published by Hart-Davis Ltd. Most of the stories appeared in Science Fantasy, "The White Boat" added later. It comprises a story cycle set in Dorset, depicting a 1968 in which the Church retains supremacy. In its timeline, Protestantism was destroyed during wars after the assassination of Elizabeth I in 1588.
Without Protestant England, S...more
Without Protestant England, S...more
Paperback, 191 pages
Published
1970
by Panther
(first published 1968)
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ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Pavane, by Keith Roberts, is a beautiful collection of six connected stories written in an alternate England where Queen Elizabeth was assassinated and Philip II won the throne of England. The Protestant Reformation never occurred and Europe, as well as the New World, fell under the control of the Pope. Now it’s 1968 and because the Roman Catholic Church has held back technological advances from the people, the English still live in a feudal society comple...more
Pavane, by Keith Roberts, is a beautiful collection of six connected stories written in an alternate England where Queen Elizabeth was assassinated and Philip II won the throne of England. The Protestant Reformation never occurred and Europe, as well as the New World, fell under the control of the Pope. Now it’s 1968 and because the Roman Catholic Church has held back technological advances from the people, the English still live in a feudal society comple...more
Queen Elizabeth is assassinated, the Spanish armada invades England, and Catholics rule Europe, keeping sciences at a relative standstill. Set in a 20th century England of this time line ruled by superstition, wild animals, bandits, smugglers, and inquisitions. Technology is frozen at steam trains, telegraphs (semaphore being the main communication device), a mix of medieval and 18th century weaponry, some cars, and simple radios. Rather than dwell on the “what if” of this scenario Roberts divid...more
Possibly one of the first Alternate History novels I read and have reread several times since. History fascinates me and so to does the question of "What If?". Set in the 1960s (it was written in '68) but the 60s of a very different Britain. In 1588 the Spanish assassination of Elizabeth I was successful, bringing with it the Armada's conquest of England, and the resurgence of the Catholic Church.
Pavane is a collection of short stories, each a little further along in the history than the last. V...more
Pavane is a collection of short stories, each a little further along in the history than the last. V...more
This was highly recommended by several important people - latest China Mieville on his list of SF books a Socialist should read.
And... I did not like it at all. This has some spoilers
It starts with an interesting premise - Queen Elizabeth is murdered, this makes for wide scale anti-catholic purges in England, Spain invades England instead of going again to Flanders, conquers it, then all Protestant countries get the same treatment.
And from there we get to a world in which the Pope, for some reas...more
And... I did not like it at all. This has some spoilers
It starts with an interesting premise - Queen Elizabeth is murdered, this makes for wide scale anti-catholic purges in England, Spain invades England instead of going again to Flanders, conquers it, then all Protestant countries get the same treatment.
And from there we get to a world in which the Pope, for some reas...more
Jan 25, 2013
Will Davidson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-sci-fi
This was a strange book. The concept attracted me, being interested in both the more mainstream alternative history stories like Fatherland by Robert Harris, and also being an avid reader of fantasy and sci-fi. I thought the setting and alternate historical details were really well realised, and quickly found myself getting immersed in the world that the author created.
I had not, for whatever reason, realised that it was (effectively) a set of short stories, which would only be linked together v...more
I had not, for whatever reason, realised that it was (effectively) a set of short stories, which would only be linked together v...more
Seminal alternative history. Consists of several related short stories set in a radically different 20th Century England (and world) under the thumb of the all powerful Roman Catholic Church. The setup was good, as was the first story, but my attention wavered from there. The stories were rather uneven, and in the midst of the interesting allohistorical details, Roberts keeps weaving "the faeries" and "the old ones" into the tales. To an extent, this is understandable given the poor education an...more
I am often surprised in looking back at now-vintage SF in just how...well, strange it can be. Experimental. Literary. Not all at once...not always successful...but writers were pushing at the form and laying the groundwork for folks like Mieville and Stephenson and Gibson. I'd put Keith Roberts in that category. This is a book of loosely connected stories set in an England (and a world) that never experienced the Reformation. Roberts does not feel compelled to tell us EVERYTHING about this world...more
Imagine a world in which Queen Elizabeth I was assassinated in 1588, in which the Spanish Armada defeated the English, and in which in the 20th century the Catholic Church controls all of Europe and the New World, suppressing all technology beyond the level of the steam locomotive.
This is the world of Pavane, a book of six more-or-less connected short stories (called "measures", in the dance metaphor of the title) followed by an epilogue, or "coda". Pavane is remarkable not for the carefully wo...more
This is the world of Pavane, a book of six more-or-less connected short stories (called "measures", in the dance metaphor of the title) followed by an epilogue, or "coda". Pavane is remarkable not for the carefully wo...more
The cover blurb on my copy includes "A Rare and Beautiful Novel" - Brian Aldiss. He was right! Back when I was young I regarded this a the definitive 'alternative history' story. The Spanish Armada turned out different, and the Catholic Church (Inquisition style!) dominates England in the early/mid 20th century. Technology has almost stopped, with a mixture of steam powered traction engines (from the 19th Century), simple cannon from the late eighteenth century, and the first primitive internal...more
Pavane is a very interesting book. It contains six short stories and a coda with a general linking theme. The stories are set on an alternative Earth that is actually the nineteen sixties, but seems more like the eighteen sixties. This is due to the fact that the Spanish Armada was victorious after Queen Elizabeth was assassinated a week before the Armada sailed. By the late nineteen sixties (when the book is set) England is still under the thumb of the Church and very little has changed since t...more
May 08, 2013
Troy Rodgers
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
steampunk
This is an older novel and reads like one, but that's certainly no turn-off. What's a bit jarring is the format and presentation. A Pavane is a style of music, and the format was presented in here in literary form as 6 movements and a coda. The basic idea is that this is an alternate history where Queen Elizabeth I was assassinated, and in the mid-20th century, the Roman Catholic Church is still in supreme dominance as a result of having killed the Reformation. It's a steampunk styled world rule...more
Dec 25, 2012
Dora
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
alternate-history,
fantasy
A dark, moody, brilliant collection of stories from an alternate England: an oppressed, miserable little province of the Pope-ruled Roman Empire, where the use of electricity and modern medicine is forbidden by the Church, and a feudal society is constantly threatened by famine.
The scene is set very slowly, through several stories each focusing very much on the inner life of a single character. There's a driver of a steam-powered truck dealing with loneliness and grief, a young country boy dream...more
The scene is set very slowly, through several stories each focusing very much on the inner life of a single character. There's a driver of a steam-powered truck dealing with loneliness and grief, a young country boy dream...more
My Review (spoiler-free):
Pavane offers an alternate history of the world after the imagined assassination of Elizabeth I. With England without a powerful Protestant leader, the Spanish Armada is successful and Spain - and the Catholic Church - are unchecked. Centuries of minimal progress pass, and the book picks up in the 1900s.
I initially read about Pavane on io9. The author of the post offered some great insight into the novel and made me want to explore this alternate timeline on my own. Un...more
Pavane offers an alternate history of the world after the imagined assassination of Elizabeth I. With England without a powerful Protestant leader, the Spanish Armada is successful and Spain - and the Catholic Church - are unchecked. Centuries of minimal progress pass, and the book picks up in the 1900s.
I initially read about Pavane on io9. The author of the post offered some great insight into the novel and made me want to explore this alternate timeline on my own. Un...more
In Short
A well crafted alternative history. The religious wars of the 16th Century were decisively won by the Catholic Church who then went on to increase their stranglehold over all aspects of society. We have a 20th Century inhabited by people who feel historical.
Things to Like
The detail is carefully built up to make the world very believable. Each chapter is a self contained story centred on a character from a different level of society. The most striking thing (to us) about this world is the...more
A well crafted alternative history. The religious wars of the 16th Century were decisively won by the Catholic Church who then went on to increase their stranglehold over all aspects of society. We have a 20th Century inhabited by people who feel historical.
Things to Like
The detail is carefully built up to make the world very believable. Each chapter is a self contained story centred on a character from a different level of society. The most striking thing (to us) about this world is the...more
This book is the real deal. It contains 6 (and a half) beautifully-written stories, each about a genuine, interesting character living in the present day. However, the present day of the book comes from an alternate history in which all scientific development has been stifled. It ends up looking a lot like the early renaissance, but with the added complexity that comes from 300 years of refining the same ideas.
The stories are not directly related, but they do hold deep connections with one anoth...more
The stories are not directly related, but they do hold deep connections with one anoth...more
An elegantly drawn history of an Industrial Age that never was. It's interesting that most reviewers describe it as alternate history. Technically it certainly is that. But to me it has a strong whiff of proto-steampunk about it. And the back cover copy 'what if the Spanish won?' descriptions don't do it justice. This is a rich, subtle, resonant book. It is not a big book physically, but it is so full of big ideas, and so subtle in how it weaves them into the intertwined stories, that it takes a...more
In reading about Keith Roberts, I'm a little surprised to discover he had such a long history as a science fiction writer. In reading Pavane, the book struck me as a genre book written by someone from the more lofty and "properly literary" side of things. Which is to say, a science fiction novel full of beautiful writing and ideas but which still feels somewhat off. (See also: The Sparrow)
A word to the wise: Skip the coda. It seems tacked on, unnecessary and leaves a jarring final note that con...more
A word to the wise: Skip the coda. It seems tacked on, unnecessary and leaves a jarring final note that con...more
Despite an interesting premise, this book was ultimately disappointing. I feel as if the author has painted 6 detailed pictures of his imagined world, but forgotten that books work by having a story which links characters together*. Whilst the individual tales were well written, that was all they were. I also found some of his ideas about women rather distasteful and the violence unpalatable. If this is one of the best examples of alternate history novels, I won't be reading any more.
* if it is...more
* if it is...more
Apr 28, 2013
Chris
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
President Obama
Shelves:
contemp-fiction,
favorites
I read this book when it came out in the late 60s and reread it when I heard it was being honored w a new edition.
I've always remembered the descriptions of travelling by steam engine in the dead of winter -- still very good.
The rest of the story I'd forgotten, and enjoyed it very much the second time around.
It's the first Steampunk novel! Maybe...
That great cover by Leo & Diane Dillon will also be featured on the reissue. I think they did all the covers for the original Ace SF Specials. Leo...more
I've always remembered the descriptions of travelling by steam engine in the dead of winter -- still very good.
The rest of the story I'd forgotten, and enjoyed it very much the second time around.
It's the first Steampunk novel! Maybe...
That great cover by Leo & Diane Dillon will also be featured on the reissue. I think they did all the covers for the original Ace SF Specials. Leo...more
I think that sometimes writers with less skill do better when writing a series of short stories rather than a full-length novel. In a short story they allow their imaginations to run wild and don’t risk belaboring an interesting idea until it’s been squeezed dry. This book reminded me of a similar book that I love, Dangerous Laughter by Steven Millhauser. Both books are a series of short stories that introduce their premise and characters quickly, have a major scene or two, and then move on.
Th...more
Th...more
Entirely admirable, beautifully written and imagined. The world of the novel comes very much alive. One thing, though. The author makes a rather startling claim about the Catholic Church at the end of the novel (basically, that the Church readily gave up total power when it realized its time was past, and all the technology and wisdom it had been hoarding for so long) which seems utterly implausible, considering the world of the novel that has been so carefully maintained, and also considering t...more
Aug 03, 2011
Jordi Balcells
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
xxx-abandoned,
multiple-stories
Abandonado en la página 205/279, a falta de un último relato y el epílogo. Como he leído más de la mitad y no pienso acabarlo, lo marco como leído y arreglado.
El libro prometía, es un "¿Y si...?" y las historias alternativas suelen tener su gracia. En este caso, ¿Y si... la Armada Invencible española se hubiera adelantado a la tempestad y hubiera derrotado a los ingleses? El catolicismo (y el Papa) vuelven a mandar en Gran Bretaña. Más religión, más represión, menos ciencia. A mediados del siglo...more
El libro prometía, es un "¿Y si...?" y las historias alternativas suelen tener su gracia. En este caso, ¿Y si... la Armada Invencible española se hubiera adelantado a la tempestad y hubiera derrotado a los ingleses? El catolicismo (y el Papa) vuelven a mandar en Gran Bretaña. Más religión, más represión, menos ciencia. A mediados del siglo...more
A group of somewhat vaguely connected stories set in contemporary Dorset, only not as we know it because England is a mere vassel state of Rome (along with the rest of the world). Dominated and repressed by the Catholic church, many freedoms restricted, scientific progress retarded, linguistically and culturally more fragmented, people go on living their everyday lives although some dream of freedom...
With a dense rich prose, alluding to supernatural themes, this reads more like fantasy than SF....more
With a dense rich prose, alluding to supernatural themes, this reads more like fantasy than SF....more
An absolutely stunning book that I read straight through without putting down. Oh well, so the laundry gets done tomorrow. This one I VERY highly recommend, and I know I'll read it again. If you like alternative/alternate history, this is a must-read. The writing is superb.
brief peek:
A Pavane is a dance "something stately and pointless, with all its steps set out. With a beginning and an end..." (247. It was a courtly dance, moving very slow, where the dancers threaded in and out. The notion of...more
brief peek:
A Pavane is a dance "something stately and pointless, with all its steps set out. With a beginning and an end..." (247. It was a courtly dance, moving very slow, where the dancers threaded in and out. The notion of...more
This book is alternate history, asking the question "What if Elizabeth II had been assassinated and England had become a Catholic country?" It's technically a collection of short stories somewhat linked together, but they flow beautifully in the story of an alternate world where technology is forbidden, the Inquisition is alive and well, and the Pope rules with an iron fist. The language is gorgeous and as the title suggests (a pavane is a slow, courtly dance), I recommend reading this book slow...more
A book that really does take the reader into another world. The premise is that one of the many plots against Elizabeth I succeeds and, from that point on, the history of England takes a different path. Steam engines exist - but trains don't run on tracks but along the roads. Cars and telephones don't exist - but a network of signalling stations, like windmills, carries communications across the country. Well written, engrossing and believable - a beautiful book.
I wish science fiction were still this interesting! Truly, this was a golden age of the genre. Save for a mind-blowingly dumb ending this would get the full five. (view spoiler)
I'm one story away from finishing . . . and I don't really have any interest. I'm stealing from other reviews here, but I'd agree that while the writing is excellent, the world believable, the premise interesting, it just doesn't engage. Everything feels very lonely and disconnected. And with so many characters to pick from, you'd think at least one of them was involved socially.
I struggled with this book. I only finished it because I was sure it was going to get better. Alternative world history book that just drags. I'm not being defensive about the whole Church thing (full disclosure: I'm a cradle catholic); it was actually fun to have the evil character be such an absent concept. The plot was like an iceberg in pace and in disclosure (surely, more was going on below the surface). And the ending, so unlikely - one generation to undo 500 years of tyrant rule of the ch...more
Strahan mentions it in the latest Coode St podcast as a magnificent 'fix-up' novel, and the review in the Washington Post. Alternate history?
http://www.jonathanstrahan.com.au/wp/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta...
http://www.jonathanstrahan.com.au/wp/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta...
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Used These Alternate Names: Alistair Bevan , John Kingston , David Stringer
Keith John Kingston Roberts (20 September 1935 – 5 October 2000), was a British science fiction author. He began publishing with two stories in the September 1964 issue of Science Fantasy magazine, "Anita" (the first of a series of stories featuring a teenage modern witch and her eccentric granny) and "Escapism.
Several of...more
More about Keith Roberts...
Keith John Kingston Roberts (20 September 1935 – 5 October 2000), was a British science fiction author. He began publishing with two stories in the September 1964 issue of Science Fantasy magazine, "Anita" (the first of a series of stories featuring a teenage modern witch and her eccentric granny) and "Escapism.
Several of...more
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