Polystom: Two Universes, One Reality

In his fourth novel, the critically acclaimed author Adam Roberts once again produces an innovative, rewardingly different SF tale, full of extraordinary ideas.
In Adam's universe, a breathable atmosphere extends between planets, aristocrats cruise insterstellar space in biplanes, and skywhals make mysterious distant orbits. The hero, Polystom, the fiftieth steward of Enting, has always lived in a world of certainties: certain that his new wife will love him, certain that his servants respect him, certain that war will bring him the glory he seeks. Then his uncle Cleonicles--the inventor of the Computational Device, the greatest work of man, the summation of human knowledge, the explanation of the
stars--dies.
And that is only the first shock to Polystom's comfortable view of life...

Library Journal

Polystom, the Steward of the forested world of Enting, has everything he could possibly want-a famous uncle who cares for him, a fragile new wife, and a nearly perfect life. When first his wife and then his uncle die, Polystom finds his comfortable life irrevocably changed, involving him in a dismal war on a distant planet and leading him to question his former values. The author of Salt and Stone has fashioned a world in which breathable air exists among the planets, skywhals (flying creatures similar to whales) travel through space, and an eternal war keeps secure the balance of power. The hero's passage from na ve acceptance of the status quo to thoughtful consideration of the differences between right and wrong makes this elegantly written tale of self-discovery a good choice for most sf collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.