What a great read. I read this many years ago and had forgotton what a great journey it takes you on.I am now tempted to re-read the Count of Monte Cristo too

This has to be one of the best books I have read in a long time, I would award it six stars if I could!! I can certainly see why it made the short list of the Arthur C Clarke Award, a pity it didn't win, I'll have to read the winner to see if I agree with the decision.Spirit is full of life, the lives of Honesty and Nightingale, the lives of Ch'ro and Dy'ffd, of Cho, Drez and Aswad, of General Yu, Pepper Lily, Amal and Vale; of Francois and Lady Nef, but most of all of Bibi herself, the Princess...

Didn't finish it. Got bored.

Free download from the author's website.Can see the The Count of Monte Cristo vibes in this :)An interesting premise - and as I've read Monte Cristo, once I'd spotted the comparisons it became quite obvious what was going to happen in places. The writing style was a bit dry and I felt that less in the "build up" and more in the "revenge" senario would have helped a bit. (view spoiler)[ Especially as I never got how she forgave Mahmood so easily. (hide spoiler)] The world building was pretty cool...

Wah, I really loved this! I bought it ages ago at BookXCess (or however it's spelt) and then it hung around in my room for ages until it became a bit of an obligation book -- I had to read it the way one has to eat broccoli. But then I read it and it was not broccoli, it was cheesecake!MILDLY SPOILERY REVIEW FOLLOWS. Not terribly spoilery if you know the plot of The Count of Monte Cristo.I've reread Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo several times and still think the original was better than the anim...

Spirit: The Princess Du Bois Dormant by Gwyneth Jones is a standalone novel in her Aleutinian universe of the White Queen trilogy and several stories.I liked this one so much that I ordered the original trilogy and I intend to read those books when I get them.In the Diaspora universe of Humanoid Bipeds - of which the "Blues" - humans of Earth/Blue Planet are one race, the serial immortals Aleutinians are another, and the vampire bat-like Sigurtians yet another with several more around, the spac

An enjoyable and highly imaginative science fiction romp with many good qualities but, in style, it is structured as if it were three novella strung together. The first two fifths is about life on an imperial earth of the future, one with strong Chinese characteristics but partly re-feudalised and with some highly ambiguous class relations. This is by far the best part of the book and it is a fine achievement that stands up with the best of modern science fiction. This first section closes and e...

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3013925.htmlI have somewhat bounced off Jones' prose before - I really enjoyed the novalla "Bold As Love", but then struggled with the book-length version and the first two Aleutian books. I am glad therefore to report that I got on rather well with Spirit, perhaps because it takes a few leads from The Count of Monte Cristo, familiar ground for me. Having said that, it's not as slavish a copy as, say, Stephen Fry's The Star's Tennis Balls; Bibi (the future Princess...

Extraordinary!! Truly wonderful!! Love it! The author had created a whole new world that is so rich in detail and information that it is bursting with it. This book is so complex that half the time I have no idea what the author is writing but I roughly get what the story is. It started with the story of a girl and continues with her life journeys and amazing experiences throughout the book. I love this kind of story where it tells a tale about a normal girl became a great person. There are a fe...

Taking The Count of Monte Cristo as her inspiration, in Spirit Gwyneth Jones writes a novel of betrayal and revenge. The novel follows the story of Gwibiwr, known as Bibi - daughter of one of the rebel chieftains of White Rocks - as she is offered the choice to either become a concubine or a servant within the household of Lady Nef. The first half of the novel deals with the political machinations and plotting of General Yu and Lady Nef, as they head on a delicate mission to Sigurt's World, and

I read this when I was quite young and was very confused and found it super complicated. Gave it another go a few years later and while it was still a bit complicated, you know just find it's a very complicated and intricate world. I love recommending it to anyone who wants a challenging read.

What did I just read...No for me. Hit with a freight train of SA and never ending misfortunes would not recommend. Resilience is not something shown by abusing your female charater.

I must admit to being disappointed with this novel. The setting was extremely original and unusual -this was not a novel that merely aspired to mere 'fluff' status. Rather, the author was aspiring to write true literature, which is something I both respect and admire. Good points: This was one of the most original novels I've ever read. It truly is utterly unlike anything else out there (IMHO). Also, the notion of reshaping the 'Count of Monte-Cristo' story of betrayal and revenge within a futur...

While I enjoyed this book, it was a bit of a letdown after the Bold As Love cycle, which was 5 stars all the way.At close to 500 pages, I was not really interested until pg 100 or so. It became quite gripping around p150 and held my interest thereafter. Note also reading the back cover will give away the plot of about 2/3 of the book.Be warned, Jones requires a bit of focus and an open mind from her readers. It may also be the case that this book will be more interesting after reading the White

Originally published on my blog here.There are a few writers who seem to be able to create a world which is instantly memorable, colourful and atmospheric, and it is a valuable skill to have in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Michael Moorcock and China Miéville can do it, and now Gwyneth Jones shows herself to be another member of the club.The story opens as the central character, a girl named Bibi, survives the massacre of the community into which she was born, by accepting the offer ma...

I started reading this for a try a chapter video, see the link below for my full thoughts:https://youtu.be/dC2-FoGLzFI

This is my introduction to a very imaginative British sci-fi fantasy author. Recommendation of a friend who is into sci-fi and transhumanism, this is a space saga that will have you gripped in not one but several worlds. Divided into several parts with 'intermissions' in between, the book explores time travel, 'Traditionalist' polygamy vs liberal options, virtual reality, immortality and the transference of consciousness, social versus personal realities and other issues each of which might be s...

This book was OK, but did not really hit me. Part of the problem is that I think to some degree the book assumes you are already somewhat familiar with the universe in which the book takes place. Being as this is the first Gwyneth Jones book I have read, that certainly was not the case for me.The book has a slow pace and seems to spend a lot of time setting up the story, which would be great if that setup actually developed the characters in a way that made me care about them, but this book fail...

This is real quality. It is also unfortunately extremely difficult to describe.The blurb on the back claims it is a "high octane retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo" which is correct as far as it goes - the basic elements of the story are there. However, the baroque setting, the dreamlike quality of the narrative and the fantastic nature of the characters makes this quite a different proposition.Highly recommended.

I thought this book gave the reader a very vivid insight into the lives the aliens in the story were living, trying to handle and cope with intrigue, betrayal, love and friendship. The descriptions of the planets, habitats that were visited in the book by the characters in the book was VERY GOOD INDEED! The descriptions were so good I felt I was on the page with them in the story because in my minds eye I felt as if I was actually there. Everything about the story-line fell into place just at th...