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Empire of Bones
From Liz Williams comes a bold and provocative novel of the future in which the vast Indian subcontinent, home to thousands of gods, is visited by all-powerful alien beings from a distant world of controlled, sterile perfection. But what is their to free humanity–or to enslave it?
EMPIRE OF BONES
Millions of years ago alien beings seeded Earth with their genetic strands to create a new outpost of intelligent life. Now their descendants have returned to Earth’s skies, drawn by their detection of a Receiver, a human with the genetic ability to tap into alien communications. It is the signal that Earth is ready to be absorbed into a vast galactic empire.
Jaya Nihalani has been a prophet, a crusader, and a terrorist, fighting for the rights of her despised Untouchable caste. Now she lies in an Indian hospital, dying of a hideous disease. Her head is filled with voices and visions; her body is aging rapidly, inexplicably. But the voices and visions are no disease. Jaya is the Receiver whom the aliens intend to heal, enlighten...and use.
Soon the subcontinent erupts in riots and chaos as powerful forces attempt to co-opt the enigmatic alien emissaries, and a shocked world awaits its fate. Jaya must somehow discover the plans of her perfect and powerful “friends.” Have they come to end human suffering, or to make it worse? Should she help them–or lead the impossible fight against them?
EMPIRE OF BONES
Millions of years ago alien beings seeded Earth with their genetic strands to create a new outpost of intelligent life. Now their descendants have returned to Earth’s skies, drawn by their detection of a Receiver, a human with the genetic ability to tap into alien communications. It is the signal that Earth is ready to be absorbed into a vast galactic empire.
Jaya Nihalani has been a prophet, a crusader, and a terrorist, fighting for the rights of her despised Untouchable caste. Now she lies in an Indian hospital, dying of a hideous disease. Her head is filled with voices and visions; her body is aging rapidly, inexplicably. But the voices and visions are no disease. Jaya is the Receiver whom the aliens intend to heal, enlighten...and use.
Soon the subcontinent erupts in riots and chaos as powerful forces attempt to co-opt the enigmatic alien emissaries, and a shocked world awaits its fate. Jaya must somehow discover the plans of her perfect and powerful “friends.” Have they come to end human suffering, or to make it worse? Should she help them–or lead the impossible fight against them?
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 26, 2002
3 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Liz Williams
146 books268 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. Her first novel, The Ghost Sister was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones (2002) were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.[1] She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.
She is the daughter of a stage magician and a Gothic novelist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge. She has had short stories published in Asimov's, Interzone, The Third Alternative and Visionary Tongue. From the mid-nineties until 2000, she lived and worked in Kazakhstan.[2] Her experiences there are reflected in her 2003 novel Nine Layers of Sky. Her novels have been published in the US and the UK, while her third novel The Poison Master (2003) has been translated into Dutch.
Series:
* Detective Inspector Chen
* Darkland
Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. Her first novel, The Ghost Sister was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones (2002) were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.[1] She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.
She is the daughter of a stage magician and a Gothic novelist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge. She has had short stories published in Asimov's, Interzone, The Third Alternative and Visionary Tongue. From the mid-nineties until 2000, she lived and worked in Kazakhstan.[2] Her experiences there are reflected in her 2003 novel Nine Layers of Sky. Her novels have been published in the US and the UK, while her third novel The Poison Master (2003) has been translated into Dutch.
Series:
* Detective Inspector Chen
* Darkland
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 17, 2012
Very entertaining with a interesting futuristic twist on Chariots of the gods theory. A good book to clear the mind before going on to something more serious or complex.
December 10, 2009
A Star Trek plot - humans are the result of genes scattered on Earth by aliens. One human finally evolves enough to communicate with the monitoring ship and the next steps are taken to incorporate humans into the empire. The human is an Indian woman, fighting against a reinstated caste system; the aliens also have a strict and intricate caste system, reinforced by implanted suppressants. What will be the humans' role in the galactic empire? Not as big as they might think. This seems like it should be part of a series - the ending has a sort of hopeful grim note. Floof.
December 9, 2013
Lots of nice weird aliens and communications problems, and a juxtaposition with the conditions on Earth. It I have a problem, it's the number of loose ends left at the end.
July 27, 2013
Although I found aspects of the story grotesque and would have enjoyed some deeper character development and relationships (it was satisfying as an intellectual exploration but lacking in the emotional arena - I can't put my finger on what but certainly something kept me from becoming attached to any of the characters), Liz Williams accomplished something with this novel that good SF often does - she made the familiar strange and created aliens that were satisfyingly Other. Futuristic disease-warfare, an examination of the limitation of castes, terrorists, and a tongue-in-cheek laugh at the Western world's incomprehension that aliens choose India as their world contact; the aliens have their own problems with castes and biological suppressants that make them short on critical thinking and free will. The story hangs a little at the end with the promise of change and revolution - sequel?
June 13, 2010
I picked this up because it seemed a little different to your standard first contact speculative fiction, in that the main human characters are not American or European, but from the Indian subcontinent. Liz Williams is apparently British, so she isn't a part of the system she writes about, and it doesn't feel at all unfamiliar or different to me... Still very British in some ways, I think. Still, the setting is different and interesting for that.
The story itself isn't all that surprising, and the semi-hopeful end is very open, like there's a potential for a sequel. If there were, though, I wouldn't read it. I didn't feel passionately about the characters or their causes, and though some of the ideas were interesting and the aliens not just humans with blue skin or something, that wouldn't be enough of a draw.
The story itself isn't all that surprising, and the semi-hopeful end is very open, like there's a potential for a sequel. If there were, though, I wouldn't read it. I didn't feel passionately about the characters or their causes, and though some of the ideas were interesting and the aliens not just humans with blue skin or something, that wouldn't be enough of a draw.
December 2, 2008
An early take on alien first contact over the backdrop of feminism and terrorism in India by Liz Williams - whom I notice tends to be an ambitious writer with a somewhat shaky execution. (At least her earlier books, which seem to improve with subsequent volumes, so... she's at least interesting and not static.)
Empire was well-written and pretty interesting/exciting. But like many of her early books, the ending was fitting but felt too convenient - which made worse by the way it felt as if there is a desperate need for a sequel.
I found it to be more entertaining than 'Banner of Souls', but not as good as her Snake Agent series.
Empire was well-written and pretty interesting/exciting. But like many of her early books, the ending was fitting but felt too convenient - which made worse by the way it felt as if there is a desperate need for a sequel.
I found it to be more entertaining than 'Banner of Souls', but not as good as her Snake Agent series.
April 9, 2011
Power hierarchies and politics run through every page of this novel. Even the alien oppressors are victims. Yet reasons for optimism shine through. Touching lead characters and a driving storyline. (Increasingly so as the novel progresses.)
In the last few pages I was starting to worry - is Liz Williams actually going to tie-up all the loose ends or leave me hanging so I need to buy the next book in the series? (An unfortunate practice that too many authors use.) No worries, though, Williams pulls in all the threads with aplomb and a few surprises.
Flavours:
* India and the caste system
* Forms of oppression
* Futuristic bio-technology
* The Sex War
In the last few pages I was starting to worry - is Liz Williams actually going to tie-up all the loose ends or leave me hanging so I need to buy the next book in the series? (An unfortunate practice that too many authors use.) No worries, though, Williams pulls in all the threads with aplomb and a few surprises.
Flavours:
* India and the caste system
* Forms of oppression
* Futuristic bio-technology
* The Sex War
June 3, 2015
It's always amusing to read a book from the era when people considered the Web and the Net such special things that they needed to be carefully noted as distinct from other kinds of media. I recall several times the mention of news as specifically Web news. Nowadays, of course, the Internet is so integrated into our daily lives it's just a delivery platform like radio or newspaper, just the next obvious phase in our technological evolution. News is news, web page or otherwise. I wonder what things twenty years from now will be implicit and assumed that specifically mentioning them is as jarring as the Web prefix here.
December 28, 2007
I picked this book up because I really liked The Snake Agent (part of the Inspector Chen series). The writing and story were weaker, though still enjoyable. Mostly I think I wanted more depth for the plot and all the characters, human and alien. I felt like she just skimmed the surface, and there were so many interesting ideas she could have explored - how biology dictates our behavior, the idea of a caste system being 'natural', free will versus biological imperatives, etc. The book was entertaining, but I don't think it's one I'll read again.
January 17, 2008
Williams develops an interesting take on the "contact" theme in this story. She also sets the story in India, rather than the usual Western locale. Mixed in with some mystery and adventure are meditations on sexuality and caste-based society - and all of this in one book that is half the length of contemporary efforts. I'm glad I discovered Williams, and recommend her to anyone who enjoys good fiction.
April 18, 2015
An ambitious and intelligently constructed book. I predict great things from this writer.
February 7, 2013
Genre: sci-fi
Rating: 4 stars
I read a hardcopy.
Great book with intriguing ideas!
Rating: 4 stars
I read a hardcopy.
Great book with intriguing ideas!
June 15, 2014
3.5. While I generally prefer Ms Williams with more haunt-tech, this is still an engaging romp of a read
February 9, 2016
Superb. A bleak future centred in India with the caste system restored in law. Our heroine, Jaya, is a Dalit resistance leader. Enter the aliens, also from a caste-ruled society! Enthralling!
August 14, 2019
This is definitely an underappreciated book. Especially since it touches on themes of Hindu nationalism that have become more prominent under the leadership of the BJP, this is a book that has gained, not lost, relevance over time.
This is an intriguing and disquieting colonialist take on the typical first contact narrative in science fiction. Other reviewers have complained that the almost unfinished feel of the book unnerved them, but colonialism, even when the colonizers supoosedly have "good intentions", is unnerving. That's precisely the point. Not all of the conflicts and contradictions inherent in the set-up in the beginning are resolved in the end, and I actually don't have a problem with that.
The book dives into myriad axes of oppression and coercion, communication issues, and more. The writing is engaging and the wordplay ingenious. The vast majority of the main characters are compelling, and even if you don't empathize with them at all, you understand what moves them. One of the most intriguing characters was the secondary antagonist of the Earth portion of the story, for example.
I have a few complaints. First, while a colonialism-oriented first contact novel is interesting, I would prefer to read one by someone from a nation who has been colonized, not from a nation that did the colonizing. Moreover, segments of the action on Rasasatra seem unreal. It's a difficult task, making alien worlds feel as if they could exist, but I feel as if Liz Williams could have done better there. The lag in the plot at certain points might be related to that.
Still, it's an underestimated book with much to recommend it. It is at turns beautiful, disturbing, and full of fire. If you're looking for science fiction that's more than a space romp and engages in serious ideas, be sure to check this out.
This is an intriguing and disquieting colonialist take on the typical first contact narrative in science fiction. Other reviewers have complained that the almost unfinished feel of the book unnerved them, but colonialism, even when the colonizers supoosedly have "good intentions", is unnerving. That's precisely the point. Not all of the conflicts and contradictions inherent in the set-up in the beginning are resolved in the end, and I actually don't have a problem with that.
The book dives into myriad axes of oppression and coercion, communication issues, and more. The writing is engaging and the wordplay ingenious. The vast majority of the main characters are compelling, and even if you don't empathize with them at all, you understand what moves them. One of the most intriguing characters was the secondary antagonist of the Earth portion of the story, for example.
I have a few complaints. First, while a colonialism-oriented first contact novel is interesting, I would prefer to read one by someone from a nation who has been colonized, not from a nation that did the colonizing. Moreover, segments of the action on Rasasatra seem unreal. It's a difficult task, making alien worlds feel as if they could exist, but I feel as if Liz Williams could have done better there. The lag in the plot at certain points might be related to that.
Still, it's an underestimated book with much to recommend it. It is at turns beautiful, disturbing, and full of fire. If you're looking for science fiction that's more than a space romp and engages in serious ideas, be sure to check this out.
April 2, 2018
Liz Williams' Empire of Bones was a random Oxfam bookshop purchase a while ago, as part of my effort to read more SFF by women, and more female SFF writers. It's a first contact story, centred around Jaya Nihalani, former leader of a failed revolution in a near-future India where a conservative government has reintroduced strict caste differentiation, and also the first human being to have evolved to a level where she can communicate with the alien ship which has been hidden on the fringes of the solar system ever since it seeded the Earth with genetic material millions of years earlier. The Earth is now ready to become a part of the galactic empire, and emissaries are sent to make contact with the population.
The Indian setting allows Williams to produce an interesting postcolonial take on a fairly standard SF story, and her alien society has a rigid caste structure which parallels the reinstated caste system in India. However, although I really enjoyed the setup and worldbuilding I felt that the resolution of the plot was rather rushed, with a lot of events happening "offstage" and being reported and one major conflict resolved in an almost incidental way, and a lot of threads seemed to be left dangling, particularly about the alien society and the political conflicts which form the background to the first contact mission.
The Indian setting allows Williams to produce an interesting postcolonial take on a fairly standard SF story, and her alien society has a rigid caste structure which parallels the reinstated caste system in India. However, although I really enjoyed the setup and worldbuilding I felt that the resolution of the plot was rather rushed, with a lot of events happening "offstage" and being reported and one major conflict resolved in an almost incidental way, and a lot of threads seemed to be left dangling, particularly about the alien society and the political conflicts which form the background to the first contact mission.
April 10, 2010
Intriguing concepts, but a little emotionally distant from all the characters, human and alien alike.
Human beings are actually just the seeded colony of a vast, distant alien society, and we've finally come online enough to communicate with this society. Except, hey, unlike the vast majority of these stories, the first person to be able to communicate with Our Alien Overlords is not white, male, or from Europe/North America; it's a young woman who is a former revolutionary from the lowest (reinstated) caste in India.
Lots of metaphor about caste in India and caste in the alien race, interesting perspective of the various people in Varansai literally at each other's throats to kill each other but united in their "oh god, don't let the Americans come in and take over" sentiment. Interesting world building, a little shallow on the character development.
Mostly, though, I'm a little vexed at how easily the human race, via Our Heroine, capitulates to Our Alien Overlords. Mostly this is done a) to keep from being entirely exterminated as the result of power plays by the various aliens, but the decision-making to actually relinquish human autonomy (such as it is) happens almost entirely offscreen. I realize that that's not actually what this story is about, but I find relegating the whole "humans are now flunkies to the vast alien society" decision to window dressing a little offputting.
Human beings are actually just the seeded colony of a vast, distant alien society, and we've finally come online enough to communicate with this society. Except, hey, unlike the vast majority of these stories, the first person to be able to communicate with Our Alien Overlords is not white, male, or from Europe/North America; it's a young woman who is a former revolutionary from the lowest (reinstated) caste in India.
Lots of metaphor about caste in India and caste in the alien race, interesting perspective of the various people in Varansai literally at each other's throats to kill each other but united in their "oh god, don't let the Americans come in and take over" sentiment. Interesting world building, a little shallow on the character development.
Mostly, though, I'm a little vexed at how easily the human race, via Our Heroine, capitulates to Our Alien Overlords. Mostly this is done a) to keep from being entirely exterminated as the result of power plays by the various aliens, but the decision-making to actually relinquish human autonomy (such as it is) happens almost entirely offscreen. I realize that that's not actually what this story is about, but I find relegating the whole "humans are now flunkies to the vast alien society" decision to window dressing a little offputting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2011
Liz Williams can create really smooth prose, and she can do incluing (teaching the reader about the setting without huge infodumps) pretty well, and I was really loving this book until about 100 pages in, when suddenly she dumped all of her narrative tension by putting in a short scene from a completely new POV in which several of the big secrets I'd been enjoying trying to piece together were Revealed.
After that it was very hard to care. I couldn't even get excited about the remaining secrets, because I knew there was a chance that I'd suddenly be told the answers.
After that it was very hard to care. I couldn't even get excited about the remaining secrets, because I knew there was a chance that I'd suddenly be told the answers.
July 4, 2015
I gave up on it months ago, always thinking I'd come back to it. No, I need to learn that if I put it down, repeatedly, and would rather read Greek tragedy and Roman comedy and academic histories instead, then I need to just quit on that particular book. What turned me off? A lack of depth both of place and character. It had a certain puerile understanding of India that I found more boring than insulting tho' may disagree about that. Other that, it simply didn't grab me. What can I say? Aeschylus was a better read.
August 9, 2016
I was not impressed with this book. Another spin on alien encounter, but galactic politics, stone waling and subterfuge or involved. Its hard to believe that the antagonists would want to destroy in entire planet on a whim that could easily become part of their empire, which is what they are supposed to do, colonize new planets such as Earth. I did not like this book.
Read
January 26, 2011I like Williams' dedication to not doing an all American, all Western European future earth, but to be honest I remember nothing about this book except that it takes place in India, there's an alien contact, and it didn't seem to be exoticizing or finger-pointing unduly at the caste system.
August 28, 2008
Very cool adventure.
September 18, 2009
..barely
March 29, 2021
Jaya Nihalani, a young Hindu Untouchable revolutionary, becomes a conduit to aliens determining Earth’s fate. Dying, she discovers she bears an internal link to the invading alien species.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews