In the Courts of the Crimson Kings (Lords of Creation Series #2)
Search in google:
In the parallel world first introduced in S. M. Stirling’s The Sky People, aliens terraformed Mars (and Venus) 200 million years ago, seeding them with life-forms from Earth. Humans didn’t suspect this until the twentieth century, but when the first probes landed on our sister worlds and found life---intelligent life, at that---things changed with a vengeance. By the year 2000, America, Russia, and the other great powers of Earth were all contending for influence and power amid the newly discovered inhabitants of our sister planets.Venus is a primitive world. But on Mars, early hominids evolved civilization earlier than their earthly cousins, driven by the needs of a harsh world growing still harsher as the initial terraforming ran down. Without coal, oil, or uranium, their technology was forced onto different paths, and the genetic wizardry of the Crimson Dynasty united a world for more than 20,000 years.Now, in a new stand-alone adventure set in this world’s...Publishers WeeklyStirling's charming second pastiche of 1930s planetary romances (after 2006's The Sky People) moves from Venus to Mars, where different Terran factions vie to pick up the pieces of the Tollamune emperor's shattered realm. Archeologist Jeremy Wainman, sent by the U.S. Aerospace Force to explore the lost city of Rema-Dza, promptly falls in love with Martian mercenary Teyud za-Zhalt; no surprise that she turns out to be heir to the long-vanished Crimson Dynasty, or that they rush off to thwart an attempt to usurp the Ruby Throne. Soon they find themselves fighting a pack of feral airship engines and questing after the invisible crown of the first emperor. Stirling successfully creates a truly alien environment ("Rugs crawled to envelop the feet"), and his flair for the dramatic and obvious affection for the Mars of Burroughs, Brackett and Bradbury almost make up for his inclusion of pirates with eye patches, heavily armored guards riding "fat-tired, self-propelled unicycles" and other moments of near-parody. (Mar.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Household "friends" and icons : Friends1Raising the heat on "Raymond" : Everybody loves Raymond13Will power, grace under pressure : Will & Grace27One ring to rule, several ways to cast : The lord of the rings43Kids ruled "school" : School of rock63Challenging "curves" ahead : Real women have curves81"Princess" seeks gorgeous goofball : The princess diaries93"CSI" assembly required : CSI105A dream team on a wishful "wing" : The west wing115Defying gravity on "Alias" : Alias133Who wants to face reality?145Casting directions : the state of the art153
