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Roads of Heaven #1
Five-Twelfths of Heaven
In a space-faring civilization where a single woman is increasingly disenfranchised, the star pilot Silence Leigh is defrauded from her inheritance by a greedy competitor. Forced to ally with two men, Silence is dragged into a deadly political struggle, and is tantalized by the hints of the legendary Earth, as well as the dread and the glory of Magi's power. Her dreams of having her own ship and of escape from the Hegemony's oppressions take on new direction and focus when she joins the crew of 'The Sun-Treader'.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
22 people are currently reading
790 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Scott
100 books447 followersScott studied history at Harvard College and Brandeis University, and earned her PhD. in comparative history. She published her first novel in 1984, and has since written some two dozen science fiction and fantasy works, including three co-authored with her partner, Lisa A. Barnett.
Scott's work is known for the elaborate and well-constructed settings. While many of her protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, this is perfectly integrated into the rest of the story and is rarely a major focus of the story. Shadow Man, alone among Scott's works, focuses explicitly on issues of sexuality and gender.
She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1986, and has won several Lambda Literary Awards.
In addition to writing, Scott also teaches writing, offering classes via her website and publishing a writing guide.
Scott lived with her partner, author Lisa A. Barnett, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for 27 years, until the latter's death of breast cancer on May 2, 2006.
Scott's work is known for the elaborate and well-constructed settings. While many of her protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, this is perfectly integrated into the rest of the story and is rarely a major focus of the story. Shadow Man, alone among Scott's works, focuses explicitly on issues of sexuality and gender.
She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1986, and has won several Lambda Literary Awards.
In addition to writing, Scott also teaches writing, offering classes via her website and publishing a writing guide.
Scott lived with her partner, author Lisa A. Barnett, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for 27 years, until the latter's death of breast cancer on May 2, 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 26, 2024
Just the old-school sci fi I needed. Not quite unputdownable but close. Action-packed - if you’re not loving the plot development in one chapter, all you have to do is keep reading bc the plot will have totally shifted by the next chapter. At the beginning I was worried it was going to be a lesser Sheri Tepper, but once I got into it I realized that while this book does not have particularly nuanced or original ~themes~, what it does have is enough plot to *churn* through. And I loved that!
There’s really minimal uh characterization or backstory, and for a book where the premise is “she has to marry two dudes she doesn’t know, she just has to” there is basically no romance genre stuff in here. It’s sci fi all the way (and not in a Becky Chambers sense either!).
I extremely am not a fan of SF that’s like “what if women are horribly oppressed *in space*, would that be interesting?” It would not. I almost DNFed this in the first chapter bc of that - but the beauty of the way piloting/“purgatory” are described did a lot to balance out the bleak depressing stuff, and the plot just kept moving.
And it ended in a way that made me feel like I *need* to read the sequel! Like what’s the deal with the Rose stuff??
One side note - the version of this I read in Libby had very obviously not been spellchecked after it was ported into this format. There were your standard “l” instead of “!”, but I also really enjoyed how sometimes the book would refer to “coine”, the common space language, as “come”. So close, and yet…..
There’s really minimal uh characterization or backstory, and for a book where the premise is “she has to marry two dudes she doesn’t know, she just has to” there is basically no romance genre stuff in here. It’s sci fi all the way (and not in a Becky Chambers sense either!).
I extremely am not a fan of SF that’s like “what if women are horribly oppressed *in space*, would that be interesting?” It would not. I almost DNFed this in the first chapter bc of that - but the beauty of the way piloting/“purgatory” are described did a lot to balance out the bleak depressing stuff, and the plot just kept moving.
And it ended in a way that made me feel like I *need* to read the sequel! Like what’s the deal with the Rose stuff??
One side note - the version of this I read in Libby had very obviously not been spellchecked after it was ported into this format. There were your standard “l” instead of “!”, but I also really enjoyed how sometimes the book would refer to “coine”, the common space language, as “come”. So close, and yet…..
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September 4, 2018My review is now online on tor.com: https://www.tor.com/2018/08/29/quiltb...
Magical spacefliiiiiiiiiiiight!
Source of the book: Bought with my own money
Magical spacefliiiiiiiiiiiight!
Source of the book: Bought with my own money
November 19, 2018
I have so many mixed feelings on this novel.
So... context first. I picked it at random off the shelves, and decided to read it because I liked the title. If you look at the cover, note that it shows a blond woman and two men, a ship in the background--that and the blurb make it sounds like a classic space opera type story.
The cover is bullshit. This is a science fantasy space-opera about a religious mageocracy who rule space travel through magic and enforce a highly unequal society, particularly against women (many of them wear veils, and there is a blatant Jewish/Muslim feel to much of the setting.) The title comes from their unique terms for space travel; subspace, or its equivalent, is called "Purgatory" and looks like literal rivers of fire. Maguses draw their power from "hell" and when ships travel via FTL, their speed is measured in increments of "heaven" so "5/12ths of heaven" is the speed that the Sun-Treader ship travels at. (Presumably, getting to 12/12ths of heaven means you're dead, though this was never explicitly confirmed.)
PRetty cool, huh? Not conveyed on the cover.
Also not conveyed on the cover: The woman, Silence Leigh, is explicitly described as very pale with black hair. That, and the setting, makes me think of her as somewhat Asian. But she's been whitewashed, or perhaps just blond-washed, for the cover purposes. It's doubly annoying since her colouring is relevant to the book's cultures (indicative of caste/class). But no, some twat had to make her blonde. God forbid anyone find brunettes attractive *grumble grumble*
Annnyways. Main plot: Silence Leigh is a crack pilot who has been disenfranchised and lost her inheritance, essentially because she is a woman (this is what it boils down to). She comes to an arrangement with two guys; they're gonna sign up for a threeway marriage so they can all get citizenship in this empire they're in. (The empire has a 0 immigration policy, you only get citizenship through marriage or birth; one of the men is a citizen but the other isn't, and a M/M marriage doesn't confer that citizenship but apparently a MMF one does.)
I mean... on the whole, it's really a pretty progressive book in some ways. There's a little bit of internalised misogyny here and there, and some outdated stuff on gender. But this novel was also published in 1986 (I wasn't even born, lol) so *for its time* it was pretty darn good on that front, imo.
One of the more interesting things is that although Silence agrees to this marriage for cynical and monetary reasons, she does actually develop deep, platonic affection for both men. It's not quite a marriage, and for anyone hopeful of a NK Jemisin style 3 way sex scene, you'll be disappointed--no sex in the book--but it's still reasonably well done and enjoyable.
And yet, despite the ideas, ambition, and surprises, I only mark it at three stars >.>
Structurally, the story drags in places. The pacing is odd, the plots meander or else everything happens at once; the novel lacks focus. "Earth was their destiny" says the tagline, but the subject of Earth isn't raised till almost the end. And yes, this is an older book where, I guess, people were happier to accept cliffhanger endings, but I was still frustrated that the novel felt unfinished, as if it cut off right when it was starting to go somewhere. Presumably the sequel is a direct follow-on, though whether I can find it in this house is anyone's guess.
Silence herself is a bit... exasperating. She feels less like a character and more like a lens with which to showcase the ideas and worldbuilding. Her reactions are inconsistent and she behaves in ways which further the plot or stall the plot as required. I found her hard to to relate to. Again, the rules have changed for modern SFF, but ideas alone are not enough to sell me on a book.
For all that it was engaging, and had a kind of refreshing vigour (and I do appreciate space opera written by women, particularly). I am interested enough in those ideas that I'll be keeping an eye out for other books in the series, if I can find them.
So... context first. I picked it at random off the shelves, and decided to read it because I liked the title. If you look at the cover, note that it shows a blond woman and two men, a ship in the background--that and the blurb make it sounds like a classic space opera type story.
The cover is bullshit. This is a science fantasy space-opera about a religious mageocracy who rule space travel through magic and enforce a highly unequal society, particularly against women (many of them wear veils, and there is a blatant Jewish/Muslim feel to much of the setting.) The title comes from their unique terms for space travel; subspace, or its equivalent, is called "Purgatory" and looks like literal rivers of fire. Maguses draw their power from "hell" and when ships travel via FTL, their speed is measured in increments of "heaven" so "5/12ths of heaven" is the speed that the Sun-Treader ship travels at. (Presumably, getting to 12/12ths of heaven means you're dead, though this was never explicitly confirmed.)
PRetty cool, huh? Not conveyed on the cover.
Also not conveyed on the cover: The woman, Silence Leigh, is explicitly described as very pale with black hair. That, and the setting, makes me think of her as somewhat Asian. But she's been whitewashed, or perhaps just blond-washed, for the cover purposes. It's doubly annoying since her colouring is relevant to the book's cultures (indicative of caste/class). But no, some twat had to make her blonde. God forbid anyone find brunettes attractive *grumble grumble*
Annnyways. Main plot: Silence Leigh is a crack pilot who has been disenfranchised and lost her inheritance, essentially because she is a woman (this is what it boils down to). She comes to an arrangement with two guys; they're gonna sign up for a threeway marriage so they can all get citizenship in this empire they're in. (The empire has a 0 immigration policy, you only get citizenship through marriage or birth; one of the men is a citizen but the other isn't, and a M/M marriage doesn't confer that citizenship but apparently a MMF one does.)
I mean... on the whole, it's really a pretty progressive book in some ways. There's a little bit of internalised misogyny here and there, and some outdated stuff on gender. But this novel was also published in 1986 (I wasn't even born, lol) so *for its time* it was pretty darn good on that front, imo.
One of the more interesting things is that although Silence agrees to this marriage for cynical and monetary reasons, she does actually develop deep, platonic affection for both men. It's not quite a marriage, and for anyone hopeful of a NK Jemisin style 3 way sex scene, you'll be disappointed--no sex in the book--but it's still reasonably well done and enjoyable.
And yet, despite the ideas, ambition, and surprises, I only mark it at three stars >.>
Structurally, the story drags in places. The pacing is odd, the plots meander or else everything happens at once; the novel lacks focus. "Earth was their destiny" says the tagline, but the subject of Earth isn't raised till almost the end. And yes, this is an older book where, I guess, people were happier to accept cliffhanger endings, but I was still frustrated that the novel felt unfinished, as if it cut off right when it was starting to go somewhere. Presumably the sequel is a direct follow-on, though whether I can find it in this house is anyone's guess.
Silence herself is a bit... exasperating. She feels less like a character and more like a lens with which to showcase the ideas and worldbuilding. Her reactions are inconsistent and she behaves in ways which further the plot or stall the plot as required. I found her hard to to relate to. Again, the rules have changed for modern SFF, but ideas alone are not enough to sell me on a book.
For all that it was engaging, and had a kind of refreshing vigour (and I do appreciate space opera written by women, particularly). I am interested enough in those ideas that I'll be keeping an eye out for other books in the series, if I can find them.
August 3, 2011
Jo Walton called this "polyamorous alchemical space opera", and she nailed it, though the three-way love story isn't even part of the story, just a casual plot element.
I really love space opera that just flows, and this nails it. Never even a paragraph of plodding exposition or clumsy "As you know, Captain..." monologue. I'm never a fan of worldbuilding without story, so this world gets a doube thumbs up because it is creative and essential to the story. Spaceships travel faster than light through purgatory using the music of the spheres. Ah, you've heard that one before, I'm sure.
Plotwise, there is a slow start where plot possibilities open up, but not happen, are not even foreshadowed, then things start happening, including the Hegemon's elite space marines. Dig it. I could do with more characterization on the rest of the cast, but Silence Leigh is wonderful. No superwoman, just a woman in a man's job (space pilot) marooned in a society where women have no rights. She is no superwoman, just a person.
And the best part? There are two more books.
This isn't in print, but you can find used copies or borrow mine.
I really love space opera that just flows, and this nails it. Never even a paragraph of plodding exposition or clumsy "As you know, Captain..." monologue. I'm never a fan of worldbuilding without story, so this world gets a doube thumbs up because it is creative and essential to the story. Spaceships travel faster than light through purgatory using the music of the spheres. Ah, you've heard that one before, I'm sure.
Plotwise, there is a slow start where plot possibilities open up, but not happen, are not even foreshadowed, then things start happening, including the Hegemon's elite space marines. Dig it. I could do with more characterization on the rest of the cast, but Silence Leigh is wonderful. No superwoman, just a woman in a man's job (space pilot) marooned in a society where women have no rights. She is no superwoman, just a person.
And the best part? There are two more books.
This isn't in print, but you can find used copies or borrow mine.
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September 24, 2015Really one of the most original methods of space travel I've ever read, where pilots reach worlds by visualising symbols in a kind of musical alchemical phase shift.
I always find Melissa Scott very readable - I'm just interested in what happens next, although a lot of this story is just the protagonist, Silence, reacting to circumstance. She lives in a very woman-unfriendly part of the galaxy. Most of it has been conquered by the Hegemony, which strips most of the rights from women. Even outside the Hegemony, women seem thoroughly second class - confined to certain roles and never being interesting things like pilots or mages (except on Planet Matriarchy, though I'm not sure what has led Planet Matriarchy to not be conquered by the Hegemony).
But even in less than ideal circumstances Silence's family managed to finagle a pilot certification for her, which works fine so long as her father is alive, but leaves her in a bad place once she no longer has a male guardian willing to look out for her interests.
I didn't precisely like Silence - I didn't like her tendency to tell her companions to shut up when she wanted to think, and I definitely disliked her decision to 'walk to port' - but I remain interested in what happens to her and will most likely continue with this series.
I always find Melissa Scott very readable - I'm just interested in what happens next, although a lot of this story is just the protagonist, Silence, reacting to circumstance. She lives in a very woman-unfriendly part of the galaxy. Most of it has been conquered by the Hegemony, which strips most of the rights from women. Even outside the Hegemony, women seem thoroughly second class - confined to certain roles and never being interesting things like pilots or mages (except on Planet Matriarchy, though I'm not sure what has led Planet Matriarchy to not be conquered by the Hegemony).
But even in less than ideal circumstances Silence's family managed to finagle a pilot certification for her, which works fine so long as her father is alive, but leaves her in a bad place once she no longer has a male guardian willing to look out for her interests.
I didn't precisely like Silence - I didn't like her tendency to tell her companions to shut up when she wanted to think, and I definitely disliked her decision to 'walk to port' - but I remain interested in what happens to her and will most likely continue with this series.
September 19, 2018
Interesting and enjoyable science fantasy. I find Melissa Scott's writing style, characters, and world-building compelling, and I love the role of music in the magical technology of this universe. The very unusual method spaceflight reminds me a little of the Ninefox Gambit series, in that the authors pretty much throw out most of our current science and take a highly creative and colorful approach to the subject instead, which I heartily approve of. The ships in the story run basically on alchemy and music, and it's awesome.
Much of the universe this story takes in is very hostile and oppressive to women, but none of the three central characters need to be convinced that this is wrong, which I appreciated. There are several interesting female characters, including the heroine, Silence. Although she moves from a marriage of convenience to affection for her two husbands by the end of the book, this story is not particularly a romance. I do hope all three of these characters and their relationship get more development in the next two books.
Much of the universe this story takes in is very hostile and oppressive to women, but none of the three central characters need to be convinced that this is wrong, which I appreciated. There are several interesting female characters, including the heroine, Silence. Although she moves from a marriage of convenience to affection for her two husbands by the end of the book, this story is not particularly a romance. I do hope all three of these characters and their relationship get more development in the next two books.
October 2, 2024
Very quirky and original premise involving the use of music and tonal alignment to achieve spaceflight. In addition, this work uniquely foregrounds a tripartite "marriage of convenience" that Bogi Takács and others interpret as "demisexual" representation. Perhaps. I was first inclined to interpret the story as yet another example of the kinds of "mediation" so common to romance novels, the extenuating circumstances of the plot allowing characters and readers alike to disavow any positive interest in such an arrangement.
January 26, 2020
This wasn't a bad book at all, but I think I maybe should have started with a different book by this author.
The magic/science/flight system is very unique and interesting. The plot is about as you'd expect from a book like this, but I mostly enjoyed it.
However, I felt disconnected from the characters. Also, and this is maybe unfair on my part since the book was published in 1985, but I'm really tired of the female lead suffering All Oppressive Sexism which forces her into the main plot, and then spending the entire book having everyone say What?? But she is Female, how can she be _____? Basically, some of the heroine's strengths/knowledge is made "Special" because she is the only woman doing it. I think I personally have a low tolerance for super patriarchal books that use the sexism as a plot device and to make the main character more special.
Anyway, I did like the book and almost gave it 4 stars, and I'll try something else by this author.
The magic/science/flight system is very unique and interesting. The plot is about as you'd expect from a book like this, but I mostly enjoyed it.
However, I felt disconnected from the characters. Also, and this is maybe unfair on my part since the book was published in 1985, but I'm really tired of the female lead suffering All Oppressive Sexism which forces her into the main plot, and then spending the entire book having everyone say What?? But she is Female, how can she be _____? Basically, some of the heroine's strengths/knowledge is made "Special" because she is the only woman doing it. I think I personally have a low tolerance for super patriarchal books that use the sexism as a plot device and to make the main character more special.
Anyway, I did like the book and almost gave it 4 stars, and I'll try something else by this author.
April 15, 2019
I originally read this some time around when it came out in paperback (which was in 1985). For this reread, I'm going with the Kindle edition, updated by the author and published in 2012.
Back at the end of last year, I wrote myself a list of 19 books to read in 2019. Mostly, they were ones I have had sitting waiting to be read for much too long (plus one where I put off starting it because I loved the first in the series so much I don't think the second can possible hold up). This was one of the ones I've been getting around to rereading for a very long time.
It's now the middle of April, so I'm delighted to have finally finished on of those 19. (Hopefully I'll go a bit faster now, as I'll have to do if I'm going to get to them all.)
Reading this, things took a little while to get started, but then everything really kicked off and I really, really enjoyed the book. Beyond the very beginning, I didn't really remember any of the story, so it was new and interesting even though this was a reread. Of course, I first read it around when it came out, which was in 1985, so at least 30 years ago. Even without my bad memory, I'm allowed to have forgotten after that
Back at the end of last year, I wrote myself a list of 19 books to read in 2019. Mostly, they were ones I have had sitting waiting to be read for much too long (plus one where I put off starting it because I loved the first in the series so much I don't think the second can possible hold up). This was one of the ones I've been getting around to rereading for a very long time.
It's now the middle of April, so I'm delighted to have finally finished on of those 19. (Hopefully I'll go a bit faster now, as I'll have to do if I'm going to get to them all.)
Reading this, things took a little while to get started, but then everything really kicked off and I really, really enjoyed the book. Beyond the very beginning, I didn't really remember any of the story, so it was new and interesting even though this was a reread. Of course, I first read it around when it came out, which was in 1985, so at least 30 years ago. Even without my bad memory, I'm allowed to have forgotten after that
May 20, 2021
2021 bk 95: As a female pilot, Silence has learned to deal with the prejudices of her universe, the variations between the rules for women as they change from planet to planet. When the extreme oppression of the planet where her grandfather passes away and sly cunning of her uncle leave her with no options, she grasps the one option that suddenly appears. Marriage to two men, triple marriage is not unknown on Delios, but is unusual enough to bring attention. Melissa Scott's space opera is well thought out and well written. What sticks in my librarian's mind is the visit to a museum where Silence is appalled at the amount of data one use to get at a library - before the magi's sequestered knowledge, assigning different aspects to the different guilds. An intriguing book.
July 8, 2020
Another wonderful read by Melissa Scott, Five-Twelfths Of Heaven does a fantastic job of building it's own unique and interesting universe that I wish could be explored for a thousand more books. Like many of Melissa Scott's books, we see complex social hierarchies and independent social issues, many which mirror problems we face in modern society but ones that are actively examined as part of the text, not just glossed over.
If you love scifi with a dash of space opera this is a great tale for you.
If you love scifi with a dash of space opera this is a great tale for you.
January 27, 2019
Science Fantasy where FTL travel is powered by alchemy, tarot cards, and a musical instrument that can be tuned to the music of the spheres. I couldn't help but imagine all the spaceships sort of looking like guitars, cellos, violins, etc.
December 2, 2021
The traveling through purgatory was a neat concept, and luckily there was a lot of it.
Some annoying gender essentialism, but all in all cool enough that I'm interested in the sequel to see where it goes.
Some annoying gender essentialism, but all in all cool enough that I'm interested in the sequel to see where it goes.
December 6, 2016
My favorite part was how the people in the story relate to their technology metaphorically as magic, but you can totes tell it's science.
My least favorite part (and that almost cost the review a star) was how it started to feel like... magic.
I want to read a sequel and I want it to categorically state that you aren't 'born' a magus in this world, you study to become one, and the study involves physics.
Still, it's a "lost colonies" world and I love those, and I love "geas" whenever it gets used, I don't even care if it's an overused trope, this time they do it nice and complicatedly. The book had a feeling of medievalism about it with FTL drives and a lost Earth and star maps and a woman with two husbands, so I'm giving it four stars.
My least favorite part (and that almost cost the review a star) was how it started to feel like... magic.
I want to read a sequel and I want it to categorically state that you aren't 'born' a magus in this world, you study to become one, and the study involves physics.
Still, it's a "lost colonies" world and I love those, and I love "geas" whenever it gets used, I don't even care if it's an overused trope, this time they do it nice and complicatedly. The book had a feeling of medievalism about it with FTL drives and a lost Earth and star maps and a woman with two husbands, so I'm giving it four stars.
June 24, 2025
Written in the 1980s, I found my used, out of print copy on the $1 shelf at the local secondhand bookstore. A female pilot in a poly relationship, who is fighting for her own agency and pushing boundaries? Yes please! Great pacing, no unnecessary exposition, winning characters (although I do want to know more about Julie). I'm still a bit confused about what the magi DO, but I do love the novel concept of space travel powered by celestial harmonies. I really like the imagery involved in describing the roads through purgatory.
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May 9, 2021This book is fantastic. Certainly a lost SFF gem (to me at least, that found this almost by accident). How detailed the workings of space travel are in this story. Even though is a completely "magical" system, we fell thrilled, tense, as to the dramas and hardships required for those machines to "fly".
Also really glad that there is an easily available kindle edition on amazon.
Can't wait to read the other books in the series.
Also really glad that there is an easily available kindle edition on amazon.
Can't wait to read the other books in the series.
April 3, 2015
In this universe, Space Magic(TM) is - quite literally - space magic. Engineers are musicians, pilots are mystics and just about everyone else is a complete dickhead. Also, dubstep is a weapon of mass destruction, which is weird since the book was first published in 1985 and Skrillex and his ilk weren't even embryos then.
April 4, 2018
I’ve read this whole series at least 3 times. Scott has created a very ‘real’ world and the characters are well constructed. I like the way ‘unconventional’ relationships (in ‘modern’ Western eyes) are written as straightforward. It is really classy science fiction with strong human stories. Great
February 27, 2023
The main attraction of this novel is Scott’s technico-magical system, best represented by her original and inventive method of hyperspace travel. If any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, then why not go further and replace said technology with actual magic? That’s effectively what Scott has done, creating a method of interstellar travel that takes its inspiration from alchemy rather than physics. Destinations are represented by Tarot (or similar) symbols, rather than coordinates: the title refers to the point at which a ship has escaped sufficiently far from the mortal plane for superluminal travel. In hindsight, it seems almost obvious that the unscientific nature of such travel makes it ripe for an injection of magic, but Scott has to get credit for thinking of it, and for constructing a hybrid system that hangs together well. The rest of the book is not as inventive, but does more than well enough to hold the reader’s interest. The lost Earth, expanding interstellar empire, and handful of free planets are not new but work fine. Our protagonist — named, for some reason, Silence — is a woman in a man’s galaxy, increasingly literally so thanks to the empire’s sternly patriarchal structure: this was probably a more original theme when the book was published in 1985 than it is today, but it’s hardly out of date. And the main characters, Silence and her two husbands, are all sympathetic enough to keep you interested as they go bouncing around the galaxy, having adventures and escaping from perils. The alchemy also enlivens said adventures, and Scott keeps the story moving despite the fact that there isn’t really an overarching plot: plus, she writes the action well. A fun read, and I look forward to the rest of the series.
July 31, 2020
I used to read a lot of Sci-Fi and Fantasy when I was in my teens and early twenties (the 1970s and 1980s) but my tastes changed and I only dip in occasionally now. Looking back, as I got older, I think I started to find all the fantasy names a bit silly. On the other hand, after hundreds of Michael Moorcock novels, other Sci-Fi probably seemed a bit too much like hard work.
Starting Five-Twelfths of Heaven, I was reminded of the hard work required to become immersed in a Sci-Fi novel. The authors use their incredible imaginations to create new worlds and all their workings and characters, and then the readers have to get to grips with it all. This story took a while to get going and along with the bewildering surroundings it was almost enough for me to give up.
However, I persevered and as a story emerged I began to warm to the characters and gain a loose understanding of things. I never really got to grips with a lot of the mechanics of space travel but I was enjoying the tale enough not to bother. Silence Leigh is robbed of her inheritance and throws her lot in with a couple of dubious characters in return for being their pilot. Together they embark on a series of entertaining adventures. Nothing that blew me away, but enough to make me continue the series.
Starting Five-Twelfths of Heaven, I was reminded of the hard work required to become immersed in a Sci-Fi novel. The authors use their incredible imaginations to create new worlds and all their workings and characters, and then the readers have to get to grips with it all. This story took a while to get going and along with the bewildering surroundings it was almost enough for me to give up.
However, I persevered and as a story emerged I began to warm to the characters and gain a loose understanding of things. I never really got to grips with a lot of the mechanics of space travel but I was enjoying the tale enough not to bother. Silence Leigh is robbed of her inheritance and throws her lot in with a couple of dubious characters in return for being their pilot. Together they embark on a series of entertaining adventures. Nothing that blew me away, but enough to make me continue the series.
July 30, 2022
The aesthetic of this book - space travel by literal magic patterned after medieval and Renaissance magic and Aristotelian philosophy - has so much promise. Unfortunately, Scott doesn't do anything with it beyond the aesthetic. We could sub out the magi and Philosopher's Tincture for traditional engineers and dilithium without changing any of the plot. "Purgatory" is nothing more than a hyperspace (because, you see, humans can't safely travel through "Heaven"), not an afterlife; none of its connotations are followed up.
On top of this, the large plot arcs about medieval-aesthetic sexism (against our female protagonist) are presented in a very modernist way. The cultures' sexism seems designed just so we'll see it as offensive, rather than being part of an in-universe culture. I saw little reminiscent of actual medieval attitudes, and even no "benevolent sexism" - it's all designed as offensive.
I'm sure a really good story could have been told with these aesthetics, component parts, and premise. But this isn't even close to it. I have no urge to check out the two sequels.
On top of this, the large plot arcs about medieval-aesthetic sexism (against our female protagonist) are presented in a very modernist way. The cultures' sexism seems designed just so we'll see it as offensive, rather than being part of an in-universe culture. I saw little reminiscent of actual medieval attitudes, and even no "benevolent sexism" - it's all designed as offensive.
I'm sure a really good story could have been told with these aesthetics, component parts, and premise. But this isn't even close to it. I have no urge to check out the two sequels.
February 8, 2022
This science fiction novel has a truly radical approach to faster than light travel: it is all done by magic — literally. The pilot goes into a trance and visualizes “purgatory” as a series of alchemical symbols to navigate around. Silence, a rare female pilot, is unexpectedly stranded in a misogynist regime where women can’t own property. To avoid being cheated of her grandfather’s ship, her only inheritance, she marries two total strangers (a gay couple whose marriage is not legal where they live, but a triad marriage is legal) and takes a piloting job for a smuggler. Bad goes to worse and soon pirates, military thugs, and hostile mages appear. Can Silence navigate her way out of a mess? Note: this novel is the first in a trilogy, the trilogy being called The Roads to Heaven. I don’t have reviews for the other two but I remember the second being less exciting and the third picking up the pace again. The trilogy is worth reading just for the unique FTL method.
April 14, 2021
Five-Twelfths of Heaven is a story set in a universe that is very difficult to wrap your head around. Part science, mostly magic, ships travel according to a harmonic scale, ascending towards Heaven, completing journeys across the stars in a matter of minutes. The main characters are in a polyamorous “relationship” - really, a marriage of convenience, and the romance is very very minor, almost nonexistent save for a tiny spark towards the end.
What I appreciate the most is that the worldbuilding isn’t fed to us in a heavy handed way. We are plunged right into this universe, pushed to unravel and understand the complexity of this strange way of space traveling. Even after finishing the book, I’m still left scratching my head and piecing together how it works.
What I appreciate the most is that the worldbuilding isn’t fed to us in a heavy handed way. We are plunged right into this universe, pushed to unravel and understand the complexity of this strange way of space traveling. Even after finishing the book, I’m still left scratching my head and piecing together how it works.
July 3, 2025
3.5 stars rounding down because it feels more right than rounding up would.
Fun, fast paced, feels very '90s (oh, it's actually '80s!), space opera that leans more space fantasy than science fiction. I'd say the patriarchal nature of the Hegemony feels too blatant but... sigh.
The triad marriage of convenience part is probably the most interesting part. I could easily see it staying a marriage in name only while the heroine does other things and then a real love interest comes along near the end of their contract period, or... maybe they make it poly for real! They're all friendly enough. In case it's not clear, all the romantic tones are so under they're almost buried.
Fun, fast paced, feels very '90s (oh, it's actually '80s!), space opera that leans more space fantasy than science fiction. I'd say the patriarchal nature of the Hegemony feels too blatant but... sigh.
The triad marriage of convenience part is probably the most interesting part. I could easily see it staying a marriage in name only while the heroine does other things and then a real love interest comes along near the end of their contract period, or... maybe they make it poly for real! They're all friendly enough. In case it's not clear, all the romantic tones are so under they're almost buried.
January 23, 2023
Science fantasy space opera with a truly awful cover for the mass market paperback (but that's '80's Baen Books for ya). The space flight is magic based. There's an evil Hegemony that's trying to control the whole universe. The Road to Earth is unknown, and it's unclear exactly what our MC, Silence Leigh, really is and what she can become. This book appears to be mostly setup for the other two books in the series, and, as they are short, I will continue with the next one right away.
(r/Fantasy 2022 Bingo squares: Set in Space (HM); Family Matter (HM).)
(r/Fantasy 2022 Bingo squares: Set in Space (HM); Family Matter (HM).)
December 2, 2018
I don't know what to say about this book. I read it because it was written by Melissa Scott and also it intrigued me when Tor.com wrote an article on it. But overall it was a disappointment, and I think mostly because Silence wasn't a fully formed character more a lense and the really interesting parts the marriage between Silence and her two husbands wasn't explored much.
Overall I have the second book but I'm not sure I will persist with the series.
Overall I have the second book but I'm not sure I will persist with the series.
April 17, 2020
3.5 stars
A very interesting sci-fi novel, using the concepts of music, purgatory, heaven, and hell for space travel, and also magic. A woman pilot, stranded in a fundamentalist culture, accepts the help of a stranger captain, pilots him and his ship out, and then agrees to a multiple marriage of convenience in order to get his friend citizenship— but along the way they ge involve in a way and the search for earth, long lost.
A very interesting sci-fi novel, using the concepts of music, purgatory, heaven, and hell for space travel, and also magic. A woman pilot, stranded in a fundamentalist culture, accepts the help of a stranger captain, pilots him and his ship out, and then agrees to a multiple marriage of convenience in order to get his friend citizenship— but along the way they ge involve in a way and the search for earth, long lost.
November 1, 2024
Melissa Scott's Finders series was originally my favourite of her works, but Five Twelfths of Heaven is my new favourite.
The world building is complex, but accessible, and you don't feel like you've been dropped in a world without any clue as to what is going on. The characters are well thought out, and their relationships to the rest of this world is interesting.
Looking forward to the next book in the trilogy
The world building is complex, but accessible, and you don't feel like you've been dropped in a world without any clue as to what is going on. The characters are well thought out, and their relationships to the rest of this world is interesting.
Looking forward to the next book in the trilogy
January 13, 2019
I liked the idea of magic-fueled sci fi and it's a truly unique system of space travel that the author has come up with. However, there's no in-depth story. It's more like a sketch of a story with the plot and characters outlined, but never filled in. Kept on hoping it'd get better, but at the 58% mark, I've decided to give up.
June 23, 2018
Fun twist on genre fiction with magic mixed with sci fi. World felt a little lightly built out at times but overall the plot moved along well and the characters are fairly well realized. I liked the way pilots memorize space routes like wizard memorizing spells.
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