( Log Out / I recommend it to any self-respecting science fiction fan, particularly any who love Roger Zelazny, R.A. Lafferty, or Bruce Sterling, three uniquely creative authors and personal favorites. The main characters of this science fiction, fantasy story are , . Stations of the Tide, like most of Swanwick’s oeuvre, is an outpouring of imagination. The character of Undine, the bureaucrat’s love interest, has the sole purpose of teaching the bureaucrat a couple neat sex tricks and providing an emotional motivation for what is otherwise a straightforward sense of duty (though ultimately these two motivations come to a play briefly in a scene of conflict that for a moment gives the bureaucrat pathos). Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. It also reminds again of Saga, the ever-present and shifting images on the screen-face of Prince Robot. We’d love your help. Stations of the Tide Book descriptions When a strange magician and renegade scientist steals the secrets that could save a distant planet from being annihilated by its own oceans' tides, a man is sent to Miranda to retrieve those secrets before it is too late. It will cause Ocean to rise by tens of meters, possibly hundreds (that's never explained ... nor do I think the "science" of the catastrophically melting polar ice caps that power this phenomenon actually make any sense ... but it's still cool). It also includes additional tidal information such as the highest tides of the year, locations of the standard ports as well as rise and set tables for the sun and moon. Stations of the Tide is a science fiction novel by American author Michael Swanwick.Prior to being published in book form in 1991, it was serialized in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in two parts, starting in mid-December 1990.. We realize early in the novel that Gregorian is deceptive and the bureaucrat naive. Stations that provide these full daily predictions are called reference stations. Nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2002, and the Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Awards in 2003. No, the real strength of the novel is the setting and the story-telling itself, which consists of vignette-like chapters in which the bureaucrat moves through this surreal, dream-like (and yet vivid) setting in the wake of Gregorian. Maybe it’s less like a puzzle and more like a rambling house. The early chapters had too many lists and throughout the book the choice to devote creative powers to the dark and mucky views made me impatient. Sebelum diterbitkan dalam bentuk buku pada 1991, novel tersebut diserialisasikan dalam Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine dalam dua bagian, bermula pada pertengahan Desember 1990. Having reread this for the first time in 8 years, and remembering some intense images but very little else, I'm VERY glad I did so . Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick. Michael Swanwick's Stations of the Tide is a sort of sci-fi Heart of Darkness on a primitive world about to undergo a periodic flooding episode. The history of Miranda is never completely spelled out. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. In particular, one of the things I find interesting about science fiction is the universe-building -- are we reading about a near-future Earth setting, or a universe where interstellar travel is commonplace? It had Gene Wolfe's tricky paw prints all over it: oblique events, rambling dialogue that means something maybe, obscure aliens you never really meet, some dodgy gender politics (ok Swanwick is not as bad Wolfe in this department - not. Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick, unknown edition, Download for print-disabled If he’s meant to be a faceless everyman the (presumably male) reader can put himself into the place of relatively easily, this succeeds. Author: Michael Swanwick: Publisher: Asimov's Science Fiction, 1991 William Morrow & Co., 1991: Series: This book does not appear to be part of a series. You can’t toss it aside and forget it. Wikipedia. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. In this universe a vague domineering organization housed in a labyrinthine structure known as the Puzzle Palace regulates access to technology among planets. I'm not sure what I think about the end and it's probably a point in the book's favor that I'll be unsure just what I think about the end for some time. Buy Stations of the Tide by Swanwick, Michael online on Amazon.ae at best prices. Stations of the Tide is surreal, gorgeous, and stand-alone. Etat : Near Fine Couverture rigide. Add in the threat of the Jubilee tides, natural cataclysmic floods that are due to drown the Tidewater underwater, and the hunt for Gregorian becomes a race. Stations of the Tide Michael Swanwick. To see what your friends thought of this book. Continuously GPS stations operating less than 1000 meters from a tide gauge. The briefcase is a character itself, something like a smartphone might be in several hundred years. Orb Books. There’s always a television on somewhere in the background, and throughout the novel we’re given glimpses of a serial playing out along the lines of the grotesque pirate adventure that is threaded through Watchmen. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Deserved every award it got. Paperback (First Edition) $ 19.99. The Nebula Award-wining novel from Michael Swanwick--one of the most brilliantly assured and darkly inventive writers of contemporary fiction--a masterwork of radically altered realities and world-shattering seductions.The Jubilee Tides will drown the continents of the planet Miranda beneath the weight of her own oceans. Something should also be said about the tantric sex scenes, though I’m not sure what. This is one of the most original works of science fiction I have read in years. Stations of the tide. Stations of the Tide continues that sequence - by the end of the book I had no idea of what's going on. None of them seem real, except perhaps the bureaucrat’s local partner, Chu, and the story’s villain, Gregorian, a Mirandan accused of stealing forbidden technology but believed on the planet to be a powerful wizard. Stations of the Tide: Swanwick, Michael: Amazon.sg: Books. Stations of the Tide is a science fiction novel by American author Michael Swanwick.Prior to being published in book form in 1991, it was serialized in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in two parts, starting in mid-December 1990.. The plot is also so damn interesting and the pacing so fantastic that I almost miss exactly how wonderfully crafted the writing is. [Michael Swanwick] -- When a strange magician steals the secrets that could save a distant planet from being annihilated by its own oceans' tides, a man is sent to the planet to retrieve those secrets. And here I think is where the novel illustrates something important about story-telling (important and encouraging to me at least): it’s a powerful example of how to provide a sense of wonder through the “show, don’t tell” maxim used effectively. The basic plot sees "the bureaucrat" (whose name is never given) sent to the planet Miranda, where the once-every-200-years tide is about to come in. Add in the threat of the Jubilee tides, natural cataclysmic floods that are due to drown the Tidewater underwater, and the hunt for Gregorian becomes a race against time. It was recommended to me by someone on the Roger Zelazny group, and I had loved Vacuum Flowers by the same author so I bought it sight unseen. For Gregorian has come, a genius renegade scientist and bush wizard. This book is weirdly flat emotionally, not least because of the cipher main character that is the Bureaucrat, or the wisp of a motivation we see in the antagonist. Authorities suspect Gregorian is using banned off-world technology to pose as a magician in the decadent and half-pagan culture of the Tidewater. I'm not sure if the writing wasn't up to snuff or it was the plot - maybe it was the characters. Start by marking “Stations of the Tide” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Buy Stations of the Tide by online on Amazon.ae at best prices. Some of the reveals at the end seemed forced, and a few were unsurprising. Despite the sci fi suit this book sometimes wears, this is a full on plunge into surrealism. This is one of those obvious classics of SF, if not for anything but the sensation of transportation it gives me. A man known only as 'the bureaucrat' searches for an elusive wizard on a planet plagued by catastrophic tides. When a society is deemed to have been irresponsible, its technology is revoked and its development stage is regressed. The Bureaucrat's chase for the mysterious wizard changes him more than he would ever admit, until he is ready to turn his back on everything that brought him to Miranda. 2.4. Everything about the book seemed slightly out of place & phase. While not being quite on the same level of grotesquerie as China Mieville's work, his fans should check this out. There is a strong undercurrent of classism running through the novel, coupled with an overarching critique of bureaucracy and autocratic control. Skip to main content.sg. The hero was a self absorbed bureaucrat. [Michael Swanwick] -- When a strange magician steals the secrets that could save a distant planet from being annihilated by its own oceans' tides, a man is sent to the planet to retrieve those secrets. The following page lists some power stations in China divided by energy source and location. They didn't. It’s like a good puzzle. THAT SHIT WAS SYMBOLIC ALL UP IN YOUR FACE!" A paranoid stacking of incidents like Pynchon and diseased and demented characters like Kafka. I didn't like the hero much & there wasn't a single supporting character that was more than a caricature. There were also some sex that just seemed to be put in there to add interest. Not necessarily a bad thing. Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick, 1991, W. Morrow edition, in English - 1st ed. Typically 7" by 4.25" (18 cm by 11 cm) or smaller, though trimming errors can cause them to sometimes be slightly (less than 1/4 extra inch) taller or wider/deeper. Did not finish. Stations of the Tide is a science fiction novel by American author Michael Swanwick.Prior to being published in book form in 1991, it was serialized in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in two parts, starting in mid-December 1990.. [ he makes it clear repeatedly, in ways both big and small, that their claims of supernatural abilities are a sham. Be the first to ask a question about Stations of the Tide. Refresh and try again. The Jubilee Tides will drown the continents of the planet Miranda beneath the weight of her own oceans. On Sale: 02/01/2011. ( Log Out / The first edition of the novel was published in 1991, and was written by Michael Swanwick. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), The Best of Michael Swanwick | Stephen R. Case, Follow Stephen Reid Case on WordPress.com, So that was a year that happened: my 2020 writing year in review, Better Late than Never? The planet he lives on, Miranda, is subject to major tidal flooding every 200 years, and with the tide due to arrive in a week’s time on what’s called Jubilee Day, it’s imperative that he locate and apprehend the man Gregorian to avert disaster beforehand. This is one very literary and mind blowing novel, kind of "Crying of Lot 49". Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick, 9780765327918, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. Website Owner: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • National Ocean Service• In particular, one of the things I find interesting about science fiction is the universe-building -- are we reading about a near-future Earth setting, or a universe where interstellar travel is commonplace? AbeBooks.com: Stations of the Tide (9780688104511) by Swanwick, Michael and a great selection of similar New, Used and Collectible Books available now at great prices. View All Available Formats & Editions. The rest are caricatures: the administrative superiors the bureaucrat is working for, the woman he falls in love with, and of course– as perhaps intentional and illustrated by his name– the bureaucrat himself. We know to expect a few tricks. I'm OK with describing things up front, and I'm OK with slowly peeling back the curtain -- as long as the author does so fairly thoroughly. Website Owner: Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • National Ocean Service• The Jubilee Tides will drown the continents of the planet Miranda beneath the weight of her own oceans. The hero was a self absorbed bureaucrat. Paperback. Like Saga it’s a tale that artfully blends elements of fantasy with science on a large interplanetary backdrop. Puzzle Palace staff utilize 'surrogates' to travel safely in zones where their presence may not be welcome or to. While not being quite on t. The problem with telling stories that involve different layers of reality is that it can be hard for the reader to track which set of rules the story is playing by at any given time. Despite the fact we're given a nameless character (having recently reread Fight Club and read The Gone-Away War this is beginning to feel like a trend for me) I came to like both the main character, his chatty suitcase and his sidekick, the mustachioed, adulterous Chu. Michael Swanwick's Stations of the Tide is a sort of sci-fi Heart of Darkness on a primitive world about to undergo a periodic flooding episode. Quantité disponible : 1. Which makes the final scene with it all the more poignant. Having reread this for the first time in 8 years, and remembering some intense images but very little else, I'm VERY glad I did so . The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 256 pages and is available in Paperback format. I'm OK with describing things up front, and I'm OK with slowly peeling back the curtain -- as. The main character, a bureaucrat, works for a bureaucracy which seeks to restrict technology on the world, although reasons for this state of affairs is never clearly articulated or makes sense. The snippets of explanation we do get, mainly between the bureaucrat and his local partner, seem natural because the control of off-planet technology is central to the story and the political tensions on the planet. Authorities suspect Gregorian is using banned off-world technology to pose as a magician in the decadent and half-pagan culture of the Tidewater. It’s also dream-like, a bit chauvinistic, and at times opaque. The Gene Wolfe list-serv I follow has buzzed about his work occasionally in the past, and I was reminded recently he was someone I needed to check out when one of his essays appeared in the recently-reviewed issue of Feast of Laughter. Couverture rigide. Stations of the Tide Nebula Award for Best Novel 1992 by Michael Swanwick. to develop Tide Station hardware and software, culminating with our current station configurations. Sorry but this book is currently unavailable in your country due to restrictions from the publisher. As much as I tend to find numbers and stars a little silly when reviewing things, Goodreads encourages their use and as such I agonize when it comes to this sort of thing. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. Today, I finished his award-winning Stations Of The Tide, a book just as wonderful but in almost opposite directions. The plot is meandering, and at times I had trouble figuring out why the characters were going to certain locations or keeping track of characters who disappeared and reappeared throughout the novel. STATIONS OF THE TIDE. “Relationships between things shift and change constantly; there is not such thing as objective truth.”, John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (1992), January 2016 - Sci-Fi: Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick. The pacing is uneven, and the story often stumbles and walks in circles, and sometimes I got the feeling that the author and I are equally confused as to where we are heading. "Stations of the Tide" by Michael Swanwick is the story of an unnamed Bureaucrat and the urgent investigation he’s tasked with. I did like Stations of the Tides, but found it to be uneven both in pacing and in tone and while the world of Miranda is well realized, much of the story is grounded in the world beyond Miranda whic. Stations of the Tide. The Jubilee Tides will drown the continents of the planet Miranda beneath the weight of … But as the once-in-two centuries cataclysm approaches, an even greater catastrophe threatens this dark and dangerous planet of tale-spinners, conjurers, and shapechangers. It had some interesting bits but I felt myself rushing through it just to get it finished. When a strange magician and renegade scientist steals the secrets that could save a distant planet from being annihilated by its own oceans' tides, a man is sent to Miranda to retrieve those secrets before it is too late. Updated NetCenter Operations Relocation Paratransit Free Paratransit Trips For Vaccinations Routes 102, 105, and 114: Cunningham Bridge Closure Detour Routes 2, 23, and 44: Redgate Avenue Closure Detour PAC April 2021 What a long, winding, complicated road one must travel to come to the end of this journey. Ship This Item — Qualifies for Free Shipping Buy Online, Pick up in Store Check Availability at Nearby Stores . Stations of the tide. I only managed about 45 pp, but I could tell this one wasn't for me. That formula is derived by observing how tides at the two stations related to one another in the past. It is a story about sufficiently advanced technology wearing a cloak of magical realism. Stations of the tide by Swanwick, Michael. Stations of the Tide adalah sebuah novel fiksi ilmiah karya pengarang Amerika Michael Swanwick. Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick (Published by Asimov’s Magazine and Morrow) Winner, Best Novel in 1991 From author Michael Swanwick—one of the most brilliantly assured and darkly inventive writers of contemporary fiction—comes a masterwork of … The unnamed Bureaucrat plays the role of Marlow, who travels to the planet of Miranda to find the enigmatic figure known as Gregorian. The main character, a bureaucrat, works for a bureaucracy which seeks to restrict technology on the world, although reasons for this state of affairs is never clearly articulated or makes sense. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I think Swanwick knew what he was doing here, and it’s an ironic commentary on man’s love affair with the technology he creates and controls. And it’s the perfect servant, always obedient and quick to save the day. The orchid crabs were migrating to the sea. I got halfway through & just didn't care if I read another page or not. More than that though, it illustrates an author absolutely comfortable in the world he creates. Publication date 1991 Topics Science fiction Publisher New York : W. Morrow Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; china Digitizing sponsor Kahle/Austin Foundation Contributor Internet Archive Language English. For a while as a magician in the world he creates fantastic that I described as: good beginning tedious. Some power stations in China divided by energy source and location planet itself the screen-face of Prince Robot Heart. Questions this book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 256 and... 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