Tor, 2001
Ditmar Award Nominee, 2002
Aurealis Award Nominee, 2002
In this glittering, dynamic and exotic world two thousand years in the future, librarians fight duels to settle disputes, there is no electricity, fuelled engines are banned by every major religion in Australica, humanity has split into two species, and intelligent cetezoids rule the oceans. Against this chaotic backdrop, an American princess, a disgraced monk and a beautiful by psychotic Australican librarian must work together to hold their world together. Meantime the Dragon Librarians of Australica plan to abduct every numerat person on the continent to rebuild their human powered computer – the Calculor.
“A captivating conclusion to a brilliant series”
“… one of the best epics I’ve read.”
“Boisterously entertaining … the complexity of the books plot is marvellous, like soap opera and Shakespeare.”
“(The) characters are much larger than life, devious, courageous, lovelorn, of huge appetites, ever comically or tragically at odds, they make these books, already high in concepts and diction, utterly enthralling. In McMullen’s hands, the subgenre of medieval steampunk is a thriving, optimistic enterprise.”
