Bitter Seeds (Milkweed Triptych, #1)

Nov 05, 2011 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, sff-operation-chaotica, world-war-the-sequel, audiobook, alternative-history, science-fiction, 2006-2010

While there’s a cranky little munchkin in the back of my head vetoing the decision to give this a full 4 stars (he’s a hardass), most of me thought this was a wonderful debut novel. Despite some minor gripes, I have mostly glowing, complimentary things to say about the book beginning with that I can’t wait for the sequel The Coldest War to come out. This is a series I intend to follow as I really enjoyed this.

Here’s a quick story rundown:

PLOT SUMMARY:

Taking place between 1939 and 1941, the stor...more

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Jul 11, 2010 Sparrow rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: WWII buffs, those who appreciate smartly structured phlebotinum

Recommended to Sparrow by: Ceridwen and Sock Puppet

Shelves: up-hill-both-ways-in-the-snow, reviewed, monsters

I’m sad to tell you that this book was not for me. I’m unabashedly fickle and self-centered with my star ratings, so I have to give this book only three stars, when objectively it’s probably a four-star book. Ian Tregillis is a GR author and friend of our beloved Ceridwen and Sock Puppet. Sock Puppet even designed Mr. Tregillis’s beautiful website. So what I’m telling you is that this book is objectively awesome, and you should read it, even though it’s not my personal bag of treats. Also, what...more

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May 10, 2010 Ceridwen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ceridwen by: Ian Tregillis

Shelves: alternate-history, fantasy, sci-fi, necrophilia, cthulhu, rule-britannia

In interests of full disclosure, I should say that I love Ian Tregillis with all my heart, even though that ~~bastard~~ awesome houseguest never sent me a galley or ARC or whatever they are called so I could read it before it came out for the general public. Okay, he send a digital copy to my husband, but I turned my nose up at it, because I hate reading serious stuff on computer screens because there is something unserious about them. So, you know, whatever.

Still, though, Ian, the non-writer Ian,...more

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Buck I haven't bothered to look this up either, because my memory is fabulous and totally impermeable, but I seem to recall that Eisenhower insisted on goi...more
May 12, 2010 03:37pm

Miriam Richard said And we shield our children because it will hurt them less once there's more time and space to mitigate the scale of the horror.

I wasn't...more
updated May 12, 2010 06:27pm

Jan 20, 2011 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kicked-my-ass, question-reality, not-for-kids, genre-bending, alternate-history

First allow me the indulgence of repeating what I said in one of my status updates on this book, as it still holds true and sums up quite well how much I enjoyed the book:

Okay, this book is AWESOME. It's got a kickin pace, cool ideas, and likable characters (even the "bad guys"). … it's a whole bucket o' fun.

If that tells you what you need to know, you can stop here. Now I'll say what I really want to say, which has very little (and very much) to do with the book at hand.

------------------------...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Brad rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: comic book fans

Recommended to Brad by: Ceridwen Tomato

Shelves: false-start, paused, audio-book, infuriating, goodreads-author, imaginary-history, listened-to, read-in-2012, sci-fantasy, wwii-era-lit

It's been a while since I've been so infuriated by a read. I am pissed this morning after finishing Bitter Seeds because the book is so fucking uneven. The highs are very high, but the lows tend to be abyssal. I considered giving it five stars at a couple of points, vowed to give it one star often, and finally decided that I had better split the difference.

Here goes for the Highs and Lows:

High #1 -- The conceit of Nazi engineered superheroes whose presence change the course of the war is a winn...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Joel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, 52-in-2010, sci-fi-fantasy, library-books, wwii

If you have to give the Nazis credit for anything (note: you do not have to give the Nazis credit for anything), it’s their thoroughness. In addition to fighting a massive war on several fronts and systematically eliminating large swaths of the population in Europe, they also managed to conduct enough bizarre experiments to launch a thousand works of speculative fiction that basically boil down to, wow, those guys were totally fucking crazy.

It’s a bit galling that stories of German mad scientist...more If you have to give the Nazis credit for anything (note: you do not have to give the Nazis credit for anything), it’s their thoroughness. In addition to fighting a massive war on several fronts and systematically eliminating large swaths of the population in Europe, they also managed to conduct enough bizarre experiments to launch a thousand works of speculative fiction that basically boil down to, wow, those guys were totally fucking crazy.

It’s a bit galling that stories of German mad scientists provide such nightmarishly fertile ground for writers, but there you have it. Bitter Seeds is an impressive example of this kind of comic book history, which exaggerate the literal horrors just enough (not nearly enough, really, and I don’t mean that as a criticism of the book) to produce a fascinating and compelling “what if?” What if Nazi eugenics experiments created a race of literal supermen, with X-Men-style powers of telekinesis, flight, teleportation and precognition? What if the only way to defeat such a menace involved British warlocks toying with forces greater and more terrible than anything created by man?

Ian Tregillis displays imagination to spare in his debut novel, and even if parts of it seem a little familiar, he assembles everything with flair. If you are drawn in by the premise alone, you’ll be delighted – the second half of the book features a number of thrilling, cinematic battles between the Nazi augments and British Special Forces. Never before have I really contemplated the logistics of fighting a dude who can turn himself transparent whenever he wants. I have concluded that it would not go well for me. Look deeper, and there’s more – commentary on the lengths a “civilized” nation will go to fighting a perceived evil, and the moral culpability we all share when our nation goes to war.

I’m not without complaints, though, which is why I’m giving this one 3.5 stars. It just wasn’t quite as good as I wanted it to be, mostly because the good guys are straight out of central casting, particularly the heroic point man Raybould (nice name), who doesn’t have much of a personality, which probably explains his relationship with his wife, who doesn’t have any personality, unless you count stoic handwringing. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal if so much of the book didn’t focus on Raybould’s love for his wife and daughter as motivating factors; it’s a lazy way to give him a depth of purpose beyond “this is what I am doing because this is the plot of the book.”

Those offenses are largely forgiven because so much else works. The prime antagonist, Gretel, is fascinating and, if anything, underused (probably because to use her more would threaten to derail the book entirely). The concept of someone with perfect precognition – the ability to know everything before it happens, and to see the future mutate and change as her actions create ripples on the water… It’s an unfathomable power, and I can’t imagine how such a person could ever be defeated. Which is probably why Tregillis needs two additional books to figure out how to do it.(less)

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Apr 05, 2010 Ninja Sock Puppet rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone and their brother.

Recommended to Ninja Sock Puppet by: Not Ian Tregillis

Shelves: authors-i-ve-met, authors-whose-websites-i-ve-done, steampunk, palencar-cover-art, shills-up-and-down-my-spine

I have to give this five stars. I was going to give it four because Ian is a really good friend of mine and I didn't want to seem biased, but then I figured, what the hell, might as well just go for it and take the heat.

See, if I hadn't put in this disclaimer to begin with, you'd suspect me of being biased and just a shill because I'm going on and on about this book that isn't even out yet so how could I have read it? So you'd assume I was a shill and that the book wasn't really worth five stars...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read, fantasy, sci-fi

This book was a little... odd. Tons of interesting ideas, but I think it could have been more polished and cohesive. While I mostly enjoyed it, it really just seemed like a Jordanian-length prologue for a better book.

Author kept alluding to unbeatable powers that Gretel has, but I wasn't really satisfied with the limited use of her character and power. No one particular character took the lead, which made it difficult for me to care about any of the characters.

And the part with the other being...more

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May 14, 2013 Gary Cohen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm trying to be judicious with my 4 and 5 star reviews and I really think this might be a 3 and a half. But I did stay up last night to finish it so it's hard to argue that I didn't really like it. Also, I woke this morning to find out that the library, dare I say the entire consortium does not have the second book in this trilogy and that makes me very angry. So fine, I really liked it.

It's historical fiction. The Germans have started a super soldier program and the English have enlisted the h...more I'm trying to be judicious with my 4 and 5 star reviews and I really think this might be a 3 and a half. But I did stay up last night to finish it so it's hard to argue that I didn't really like it. Also, I woke this morning to find out that the library, dare I say the entire consortium does not have the second book in this trilogy and that makes me very angry. So fine, I really liked it.

It's historical fiction. The Germans have started a super soldier program and the English have enlisted the help of demons. This is basically the blurb on the inside cover. So sorry if you think that's a spoiler. That actually becomes apparent pretty early in the book. It's not like I said the sled's named Rosebud.

It's really beautifully written with some really lovely language. It also has a strong historical underpinning mixing real people and real events with this science fiction/supernatural elements. And it has a really good mythos. I enjoy a story where the author has spent a lot of time deciding how magic and how technology are going to work within the confines of his story and then sticks to it. It really helps with the suspension of disbelief when the rules of the fantasy world are so consistent.

There are some "seeds" planted that don't get resolved in this book. this is one of those books that was always meant to be a part of a larger story. And I respect that but also a little disappointed to be left hanging. And fortunately IP'm reading this after the final book has been published so I wont be waiting 3 years for the conclusion. Although it remains to be seen how quickly I can get my hands on the second book.

I think the weakest part of the book is the characters. A lot of interesting characters but I sort of felt a little distant from all of them. None of them really pulled me in and made me care about them. And some of the characterization seemed a little rote. That the characters were character types and not real people. The romance felt a little shoehorned in, too.

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May 12, 2013 Ben rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, fantasy, audiobooks

A for effort, D for execution. There is a tremendous amount of effort that goes into writing a book, the author needs to know all they can down to the most trivial of details for their characters, settings and any plot devices used to create the vibrant, real characters and settings that readers can identify with. Tregillis has clearly put the effort in to know all he can about the world he is creating, but just as clearly doesn’t remove the details that the author needs to know as backstory but...more A for effort, D for execution. There is a tremendous amount of effort that goes into writing a book, the author needs to know all they can down to the most trivial of details for their characters, settings and any plot devices used to create the vibrant, real characters and settings that readers can identify with. Tregillis has clearly put the effort in to know all he can about the world he is creating, but just as clearly doesn’t remove the details that the author needs to know as backstory but that the reader doesn’t. The trivial too often obscured the important, rendering this as a bland story.

An example from about 3 hours 58 minutes in (transcribed from the audiobook, all spelling and punctuation errors are mine):

Marsh arrived home before sunrise, but for the chatter of songbirds ushering in the dawn the city was quiet in this hour when the distinction between night and morning lost its meaning. The blackout kept the streets dark. Though Liv had been sleeping fitfully in the past few weeks he didn’t want to ring the bell and risk waking her. He fumbled through his pockets seeking his house key. Several moments past during which he envisioned the key jostling out of his pocket during his motorcycle ride. Had that been just yesterday morning, his encounter with the girl, or during the bumpy channel crossing? He even started to wonder if the girl had picked his pocket, but then his fingers brushed the cold metal.

This entire section is extraneous. The false drama over a potentially lost key is solved almost immediately and all it does is set up an equally irrelevant false drama once he enters his house (one in which the reader already knows what happened), which sets up a conflict between two characters later on that feels forced. At best, and if needed, this should have been a simple sentence transitioning between the previous scene and the next scene (the “Had that been just yesterday morning” of the above section).

Beyond the irrelevance of the scene/transition, the detail was also excessive. Marsh’s hyper- sensitive paranoia appears throughout the book, no need to demonstrate this part of his character here. The same goes for the stream of consciousness part. Marsh’s concern/tenderness to his wife is also demonstrated throughout the book. The fact that the key is cold is irrelevant. The poetic descriptions don’t square with the tone the author is going for therefore are distracting. The facts of the blackout have already been established. I am using this passage as a synecdoche: the same issues occur throughout the whole novel.

Tregillis does create some scenes that were worth reading , and as this is just the first in a series it is possible that the subsequent volumes fix all that I have criticized here, but, at least for now, this reader has no interest in continuing on. Though I am curious what could be unearthed by a good, aggressive editor.
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Nov 15, 2012 Dana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting addition to the Stross and Powers books that have the spies + horror elements, whether contemporary or historical. Parts of the book, and overall, were exciting and affecting, with an interesting take on the story, and a reasonably well thought out scheme of blending the fantastic elements with reality.

The writing was uneven, with parts of the novel being unengaging, and the female characters seeming to be very much props or story elements rather than people - I noticed this particu...more Interesting addition to the Stross and Powers books that have the spies + horror elements, whether contemporary or historical. Parts of the book, and overall, were exciting and affecting, with an interesting take on the story, and a reasonably well thought out scheme of blending the fantastic elements with reality.

The writing was uneven, with parts of the novel being unengaging, and the female characters seeming to be very much props or story elements rather than people - I noticed this particularly early on when Marsh met his girlfriend, who entered the story with another woman. That woman went to the restroom and vanished from the entire scene unremarked.

The three main characters were interesting and complex, but the others were not. Of those three main characters, I most liked the warlock, Will, who sacrificed most of his sanity and virtue for his country; the other two were also interesting, Marsh who was naturally noble, and in most books would have been the hero, but not so much when he's under the intense stresses of a very dirty war - especially one where Lovecraftian creatures have taken special notice of him. And third, Klaus, experimental subject and determined super soldier, another conflicted and driven person, in this case on the other side of the war.

Though Klaus's sister and Marsh's wife become important players in the story, they never really become characters. Keeping Klaus's sister mysterious is clearly intentional because of her gifts, but she is also never really characterized beyond a sense of calculated self interest, a malevolent playfulness, topped with a bit of intellectual alienated whimsy.

The book gets off to a slow start as all three are recruited into their future roles as children. Yet this is an important point - they would not be who they are, had that not happened. The effect on more children is hinted at as the story proceeds. I'm not sure if I'll want to read the next book in the series (Coldest War), but if I do I expect the next generation plays some significant role.(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Brick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Other reviews are great, very insightful, reading them (after reading the book) adds to the enjoyment of reading the book, for me, giving a chance to think about the issues raised here. The "unnatural" techniques used by both sides of the war require suspension of disbelief, as is always the case with this genre, but the alternate history of WWII in light of this acceptance is very interesting, particularly with the twists and unintended consequences of the decisions made, using poorly controlle...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Procrastinador Diletante rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ultimamente ando numa fase de "Weird World War" e este livro pareceu-me exactamente o que o médico tinha recomendado - uma realidade alternativa com uma Segunda Guerra Mundial bastante diferente daquela que conhecemos. Após os Alemães começarem a usar uma equipa de soldados com poderes paranormais e aparentamente invencíveis, a Grã-Bretanha responde na mesma moeda, recorrendo à magia para impedir uma invasão. Mas qual o custo desta nova guerra? O que será necessário sacrificar para se ganhar? -...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Robert H rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's hard to decide whether to give this three or four stars, and unfortunately there is no option for a three and a half. Because it's not that I didn't enjoy this book, but that there was just something there which didn't quite "do" it for me.

The concept is an alternate history of WWII where the Nazis have been experimenting on children and created "supermen" with special abilities by experimenting with brain surgery, and use these abilities to influence the course of the war. In order to defe...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Matthew rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is peculiar. It's got a compelling high-concept basis, and a bestseller style, but an execution that is less -than-perfect. The ideas are great, the characters at least basically interesting, and a plot that could be brilliant. The execution just doesn't achieve the outcome of which the raw material is capable.

In essence, the Nazis have technological superheroes who are as much monster as supersoldier, and the British respond by exploiting their centuries-old hidden tradition of magic....more

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Aug 19, 2012 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dark, grim, and (yes) bitter WW2 fantasy: British warlocks versus Nazi superheroes. Nobody gets out clean.

The German experimental subjects are monsters, but also victims of the moral monsters that created them; there's plenty of superscience cruelty to ground the (equally real) metaphor of the monstrous Reich. And then, on the British side, we have blood magic; and a plausible rendition of where the "keep calm and carry on" spirit would take a nation facing a war far more bitter than the Blitz o...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Nigel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent first novel that makes World War II go kablooey. British secret agent Raybould Marsh returns from Civil War Spain with a burned reel of film which shows superhuman Nazis at work. Monstrous experiments on children have created soldiers who can fly, set things on fire and walk through walls, To comprehend and combat this new threat he recruits a college friend, trained since childhood to be a warlock, and who once, unwisely, allowed him to glimpse the reality of the Eidolons, vast, omnip...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Jacqie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

When I read the reviews listing the shortcomings of this book, I can understand the points. The characterization could have been sharper. And usually well-drawn characters are a big thing for me. Maybe it's because I just read a book where the framing device was storks, but I'm not a big fan of the "birds'-eye view to the ground to set the scene" type of intro.

However. This book had something that made me want to see what happened next. I haven't been sucked into a book like this for a long time...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Paul Genesse rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review of Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis

Bitter Seeds is a great novel. I was pulled in right away by the beautiful prose and the compelling storyline. I couldn’t put it down and read it in three days, wishing I had the time to read it in one. It’s an alternate history set during World War II with fascinating characters and gripping action. Here’s the blub:

* * * * *

“It’s 1939. The Nazis have supermen, the British have demons, and one perfectly normal man gets caught in between.

Raybould Marsh is a...more

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May 04, 2012 Richard rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: pearl-ruled

Rating: one annoyed star of five (p58)

I am on record around these parts as disliking books containing Majgicqk. I have caused a slight coolness to come between myself and certain of my friends around here with my barely restrained snorts of derision at Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman and their comic-book-superhero storytelling ilk. What I've said about actual comic books...oh, do pardon, graphic novels...would have led to all-out breach were the advocates of same not bound to my soul with hoops of st...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Jennifer Rinehart rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story starts out pretty great. I'd put it at the top of my imaginary list of the best first chapters I've read this year. But from the second chapter out it lags. I wanted to love this story. I got so excited when I read about this book on a favorite fantasy blog. I ran up to my husband with excited squeals of, well, excitement, 'there's a book coming out that has nazi super villains against British warlocks, yeahhh!' He gave me a bored look and quoted a list of comic book storylines similar...more The story starts out pretty great. I'd put it at the top of my imaginary list of the best first chapters I've read this year. But from the second chapter out it lags. I wanted to love this story. I got so excited when I read about this book on a favorite fantasy blog. I ran up to my husband with excited squeals of, well, excitement, 'there's a book coming out that has nazi super villains against British warlocks, yeahhh!' He gave me a bored look and quoted a list of comic book storylines similar to this, but I didn't care (and kinda didn't believe him) because the plot sounded so inspired and fun to me.

It isn't fun and all it inspired me to do was to reread The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Hobbit to minimize my disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, this is as fabulous a story as you will ever read, but actually following the story is terribly dull.

Let's start with the main characters; Marsh and Will.

Marsh, who is stereotypically stolid, brave and strong (also, a real hit with the ladies) has a romance with Olivia (which is skipped, of course). Romance being a no no in stories about WWII and other action-y stuff. I can accept that, but the long build up before Marsh actually does anything besides mention how mysterious things are, was boring. I have a low tolerance for the big B and wading through dull meetings between, Will and Marsh. Marsh and his contact at the War Office, Marsh and the dude who gave him a ride, was as blah as it sounds.

Now onto to Will. Will is a peer of the realm, (for some bizarro reason I kept thinking of Ashley from Gone With the Wind, but that's just me, I'm sure he was more manly than Scarlett's forbidden love). He's also pretty fly with the girls and has a family with a mysterious talent who he's had a falling out with for reasons that are hinted at until almost the middle of the book.

The story shows signs of nonsensical delays as you get hints about warlocks, but nothing definitive about what they are, what they can do and why the hell they haven't offered to help before now.

On the plus side, the super powered nazi kids are much better represented, I didn't have to stop and think to figure out who was who when the story flipped over to their part. I even felt bad for them, they had such an exploited and tortuous life. Their part of the story was much more interesting and dare I say, exciting?

Anyway, I guess you should read this book for yourself. My complaints are more of a stylistic nature than a content problem. I like a little more spice to my books and this just didn't do it for me.
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Feb 29, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though inspired by a friend’s review, I approached this book with some trepidation. After all, the premise sounds somewhat absurd: A historical fiction novel pitting Nazi ubermensch against a cabal of British warlocks.

I imagined a light, flawed read, filled with fare more suitable to comic book fans--myself included. Instead, I was surprised by the originality of Tregillis’ world. Though set in an alternate World War II, the differences between his world and ours aren’t necessarily profound—thi...more Though inspired by a friend’s review, I approached this book with some trepidation. After all, the premise sounds somewhat absurd: A historical fiction novel pitting Nazi ubermensch against a cabal of British warlocks.

I imagined a light, flawed read, filled with fare more suitable to comic book fans--myself included. Instead, I was surprised by the originality of Tregillis’ world. Though set in an alternate World War II, the differences between his world and ours aren’t necessarily profound—this isn’t a steampunky trek through alternate technologies, or a Turtledoveish reimagining with dragons or aliens. Tregillis’ triumph is in the subtlety of changes. The creation of supersoldiers—the Gotterelektrongruppe--is a natural extension of the Nazi war machine , just as the allure and mystery of Albion suit the Lovecraftian recourses of the beleaguered island nation opposing it.

The narrative switches between a handful of British and Nazi characters effectively, moving the action along effectively. Their agendas are not always clear, sustaining both suspense and mystery. Rather than painting the conflict in broad strokes of black and white, Tregillis elegantly works in shades of grey. The amorality of warfare is by turns poignant, invigorating, and disturbing.

Despite my enjoyment of the book, I did find the characterization strangely absent at times. The characters are interesting and seem authentic, but I never felt a connection with them. At times, Tregillis fast forwards during the novel (usually by weeks), and while the characters may have undergone severe changes, we’re shortchanged on actually experiencing their transition from A to B. Bypassing the internal dynamics may serve to move the plot faster, but ends up cheating readers like myself.

That aside, I found this a very stimulating debut novel. The ending was surprising, and while not a cliffhanger per se, was very effective at both closing the first and whetting the appetite for more. (less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Gaurav Sethi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis is a wonderful novel set in the turbulent times of World War II. The Nazis have been experimenting on humans - creating supermen. The British have been making deals with demons. Secret agents, pyrokinesis, blood sacrifices, - - why are you not reading this already?

It sounds kind of weird and crazy but the amazing thing about this work is that all of the “fantasy/speculative” elements of this work take a back seat to the war. Bitter Seeds is at it’s heart a story ab...more Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis is a wonderful novel set in the turbulent times of World War II. The Nazis have been experimenting on humans - creating supermen. The British have been making deals with demons. Secret agents, pyrokinesis, blood sacrifices, - - why are you not reading this already?

It sounds kind of weird and crazy but the amazing thing about this work is that all of the “fantasy/speculative” elements of this work take a back seat to the war. Bitter Seeds is at it’s heart a story about living during the war. The lives that are sacrificed, the hardships that the population must endure…these are the things that stay with you. Tregillis has a wonderful way of capturing this time period. It felt as if you had stepped back into time and were watching a wonderful drama play out in front of you.

This is the first in a trilogy. Unfortunately due to some rather odd publishing issues (which the author fully apologizes for here) it will be another year or so before the second novel, Coldest War reaches the public.

The only part of the novel I found disappointing was the way that this first book ended, a rather abrupt closing of certain threads of the story. I can see that this was necessary as this is only the first of a much larger and more complex story, but I felt that the ending could have been handled better. You get that big battle sequence that you expect, but afterwards you’re left with a sense of: “now what…”; I think it’s also because I wanted to keep reading and find out what happens.

The story is fast paced and one thing I loved about it is that the reader is given four or five P.O.V. and the story then cycles through them. I enjoy this style of writing quite a bit as it allows for variety and intrigue when it comes to “my side of the story”. I’m not saying that I can get on board with a Nazi, but it is interesting to look at the world through those eyes.

Well worth picking up, but if you’re one of those individuals who only likes to read book series that are finished, then you may have to wait another year or two for this series to close.

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Apr 11, 2011 Liz B rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternatehistory, ebook, paranormal, sciencefiction

This book was a strong 4 for me, and I will definitely be paying full price for the sequel when it comes out (currently scheduled for 2012, I believe).

Premise: Shortly after the end of WWI, a German scientist began experimenting on war orphans. His intent was to plumb the depths of human potential. In 1939, the results of his experimentation are young men and women with a variety of psychic powers. Like the Luftwaffe, they are testing their capabilities in Spain. Suspicions of this Nazi secret w...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Artur Coelho rated it 4 of 5 stars

Brilhantemente distópico, este primeiro de uma série de três livros mistura elementos de história alternativa, ficção científica e horror num enredo interessante, que agarra o leitor e o deixa com vontade de continuar a ler após a conclusão deste primeiro volume. Bitter Seeds é um recontar fantástico da II Guerra Mundial, com percursos diferentes.

A ameaça alemã é exacerbada por um grupo de soldados com poderes especiais, criados por violentas manipulações de grupos de crianças por um cientista a...more Brilhantemente distópico, este primeiro de uma série de três livros mistura elementos de história alternativa, ficção científica e horror num enredo interessante, que agarra o leitor e o deixa com vontade de continuar a ler após a conclusão deste primeiro volume. Bitter Seeds é um recontar fantástico da II Guerra Mundial, com percursos diferentes.

A ameaça alemã é exacerbada por um grupo de soldados com poderes especiais, criados por violentas manipulações de grupos de crianças por um cientista alemão que decide utilizar a genética para concretizar promessas do ocultismo. O resultado é um grupo muito especial, do qual se destaca uma precognitiva cuja capacidade de antever o futuro a leva a manipular os acontecimentos de acordo com objectivos que ficam sempre inexplicados. Em reacção, um departamento secreto inglês socorre-se de forças ocultas devastadoras para colmatar as inferioridades militares. Mas esse socorro tem um preço: as entidades denominadas de Eidolons exigem pagamentos de sangue para agir, o que leva o governo inglês a causar atrocidades sobre a sua própria população numa estratégia desesperada de sobrevivência.

A descida no negrume é espelhada pela evolução das personagens principais desta obra. Se Gretel, a precognitiva alemã, permanece sempre enigmática, os agentes ingleses vão mergulhando num desespero cada vez mais marcado quer por ódio pessoal, reconhecimento de necessidade de sobrevivência a todo o custo ou profundos remorsos pela violência provocada pelas acções tidas como necessárias.

O final deste primeiro volume traz-nos uma Alemanha em ruínas, um continente europeu assolado por um inverno rigorso causado pelos Eidolons, uma aliança inquieta entre britânicos e soviéticos, os soldados germânicos miraculosos nas mãos do exército vermelho e um desapiedado programa britânico de utilização de forças ocultas como forma de manter a superioridade imperial numa realidade em que as suas forças militares se encontram enfraquecidas. Um começo promissor.(less)

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Feb 14, 2011 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

First of all, the premise. It's WWII, and the Nazis have used their human testing to engineer a small group of people with superpowers. The British, who were already basically getting their asses kicked, are in real trouble now. So they do what they feel they have to do: They call on the powers of their warlocks, men who can summon demons and negotiate contracts to be paid in blood.

So it's kind of a crazy idea, I know, but the story is very well told. One storyline follows the superpowered Nazis...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Ryun rated it 5 of 5 stars

The alternate history subgenre has a lot of fluff to it, and frankly, I find most of it pretty dull, especially when it’s in the frame of “What if Gen. So-and-So turned left at Gettysburg and ended up at Second Manassas?”

BITTER SEEDS is indeed an alternate history, and it’s set amid World War II, but like how Kim Newman’s THE BLOODY RED BARON made World War I exciting by putting vampires into the mix, Ian Tregillis mashes up the bloody English magic of JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL with Naz...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Scribble Orca added it

Recommended to Scribble by: Ninja Sock Puppet

Shelves: unfinished, sci-fi, historical, fantasy

*****Edit*****
I'm even more of a slack skimmer than I thought. If I'd read more of the download, I'd never have added it at all :(. See the first two thread comments (spoiler alert).

****Edit end****

This book sounded like a truly fascinating read. I downloaded the extract, read several pages, and thought, 'hmmmm - has piqued my interest. I like the sound of this'.

When I first heard of the book, I checked a few of the 4-5 star reviews, and most spoke well of it, particularly the ideas it contained...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Alan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The kind of magician who expects to pay.

Recommended to Alan by: WJW, or GRRM

In most fantasy, magic seems like cheating. It's too easy—the wizards get results—money, a castle, the power of flight—without going through any of the tedious effort involved in science. All that testing and experimenting... why figure out how to build a bridge that won't fall down, when you can just wave a wand and waft your cargo across the stream?

But this isn't the Potterverse, people... in Ian Tregillis' novel Bitter Seeds, magic costs.

There have been a raft of alternate-universe stories ab...more In most fantasy, magic seems like cheating. It's too easy—the wizards get results—money, a castle, the power of flight—without going through any of the tedious effort involved in science. All that testing and experimenting... why figure out how to build a bridge that won't fall down, when you can just wave a wand and waft your cargo across the stream?

But this isn't the Potterverse, people... in Ian Tregillis' novel Bitter Seeds, magic costs.

There have been a raft of alternate-universe stories about World War II, some of them much better than the others (Jo Walton's Farthing trilogy, Robert Harris' Fatherland and Len Deighton's SS-GB among them). Tregillis' entry is solidly above the average, in my estimation; it starts off slowly—you have to give it a chance to get rolling—and ends abruptly (there's obviously intent for a sequel), but in between it's well worth reading.

This could be described as "The Greatest Generation, with warlocks in." The setting is England, during the run-up to World War II. It could almost be our own England, but fairly early on it becomes apparent that this is an alternative Britain, an Albion whose history is almost exactly like our own, just a little more... magical. There are two competing magical systems at work, in fact... without going into too much detail, I can tell you that they both have their price. As in the real world, nothing worthwhile is without its price.

Tregillis is a member of the New Mexico sf writers' group that also includes authors like Walter Jon Williams and George R.R. Martin whom I admire; Tregillis himself apparently cut his teeth writing Wild Cards stories. This means that even for a first novel Bitter Seeds seems polished and smooth; it's structured well and flows from scene to scene without any jarring awkwardnesses of language or tone. And it seems well-researched; I'm no WWII historian but I do think I would have noticed any glaring anachronisms that weren't critical to the plot—I did wonder how exactly lithium-ion batteries came to be invented by the Third Reich (don't worry; it's not that much of a spoiler) but that's the kind of thing you need to grant an author in order to get the tale told, I think.

Because everything has its price...(less)

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Aug 06, 2010 Brian Maicke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Somehow this got missed in my updating. Bitter Seeds is the debut novel by Ian Tregillis. The first in a trilogy, the story follows an alternate history of WWII in which the Nazis, through technological breakthroughs, have created a group of super-humans who, through the use of battery packs, can do things ranging from phasing through solid matter to predicting the future. The British, to counter the threat, has reached out to its own secret weapon, a group of warlocks who bargain with otherword...more

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