Adiamante

By L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Book Overview

Earth, the peaceful capital of a long-fallen interstellar empire, is confronted by deadly violence when the warships of a former colony attack, and it is up to planetary coordinator Ecktor deJanes to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812545583
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

An excellent book.

This is one of the best books I've read recently. Modesitt makes you think. What is power? Who deserves it? What prices will the powerful have to pay? How do you define "right" and "wrong"? These are questions he addresses in most of his fiction, but this is his best examination to date. I'm already on the waiting list for his third volume in the Spellsong series, and wish I could learn more about the history of Ector's earth. I'm a fan since someone at the bookstore pointed out "The Magic of Recluce" and hope that his publishers plan to re-cycle those volumes of the Ecologic series I've been unable to obtain.

Haunting Idealogy

The true litmus test is whether a book is remembered or forgotten, and this book is not easily forgotten. I read this over 5 months ago, and I still find myself mulling over the demi ideology. I love the idea that if you want to have power in society, you must pay society for the privilege.

A flat out excellent book

I was on my way to Switzerland in the airport and found myself caught with nothing to read. I went into a nearby book store looked in science fiction and found this as the only book. It didn't look like a crowd pleaser, no #1 bestseller or anything, but I bought it anyways. On the plane I was quickly wrapped up in one of the most entertaining books I had ever read, after page 80 or so I couldn't stop, I just had to go on, what was going to happen, how come the cybs were so stupid, why didn't the demi's kick their butts, I had all these questions pounding my brain when I put it down that I had to pick it back up, if you are looking to be thoroughly entertained, buy this book. The only downside to it are some of the beliefs, they are extremest, true, but in a time and place of this sort maybe extremism is need. I don't know, but the book captured my attention and towords the last pages I was filled with emotion. I thouroughly enjoyed this book and encourage anyone th! at has the chance, to read it.

Fascinating reading

In this novel, Modesitt has managed to convey the feeling that, if we would just be honest with ourselves about our very human motivations and faults, we could have a society that works for the benefit of the overwhelming majority of its citizens. While I don't agree with all the premises of the political situation in the novel, I found myself agreeing with him that all power, political , military, or otherwise, should have a price attached. Beyond the philisophical implications, it's an excellent book. Read it, and come to your own conclusions about whether Modesitt's right or wrong.

Mature and thoughtful fiction

How would you run a planet if you were truly Grown Up? Having set up a society you like, how would you defend it without losing your soul? I'm careful about what I read these days. Don't have time for adolescent knock-over-the-empire stuff any more. This is the kind of fiction that you read SF for when you get past that stage. Modesitt does a fabulous job with this. He posits an Earth struggling to clean up the toxic residues of old societies and old wars. Some residues are left in place as reminders. The inhabitants understand, but the people from Gates just don't get it. The blurb on the back cover from the New York Times is dead on: "morally persuasive and emotionally wrenching." Read this book.