Overview
Since the Day of Wonder, when all the electric lights stopped working, there have been rumors of unrest in the neighboring domains—and no one has seen any of the Elite, the ruthless technocrat class that have ruled Urba for centuries. What most of the inhabitants don't realize is that their world of Urba is actually a giant spacecraft, an ark built more than a thousand years ago to save as much of the Earth's population as possible before the sun went nova. The Elite were originally the ship's crew, but as the centuries passed, they became decadent, corrupt, and cruel, and the truth about Urba became hidden. And now Jad and the courageous Prince are about to find out what happened to the Elite—and what's happening to the people of Urba.
Synopsis
Since the Day of Wonder, when all the electric lights stopped working, there have been rumors of unrest in the neighboring domains—and no one has seen any of the Elite, the ruthless technocrat class that have ruled Urba for centuries. What most of the inhabitants don't realize is that their world of Urba is actually a giant spacecraft, an ark built more than a thousand years ago to save as much of the Earth's population as possible before the sun went nova. The Elite were originally the ship's crew, but as the centuries passed, they became decadent, corrupt, and cruel, and the truth about Urba became hidden. And now Jad and the courageous Prince are about to find out what happened to the Elite—and what's happening to the people of Urba.
Library Journal
Raised aboard the Mothership Urba, launched hundreds of years before to escape a dying Earth, the inhabitants of the space ark have forgotten their origins and believe that the ship is their homeworld. When a calamity later termed the "Day of Wonder" causes the ruling Elite to lose their quasimagical powers, the population rises up against them, and society is thrown into turmoil. Amid this tumult, two young men, Prince Kender and his childhood friend Jad, the court jester, strike out to unknown lands to find out why the Elite have fallen. Brosnan's (the "Sky Lord" trilogy) latest novel is both a coming-of-age story featuring two likable if somewhat gullible heroes and a quest into the unknown. Along the way, the author injects a hefty amount of humor and a hint of youthful romance. A good choice for most adult or YA sf collections. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.