Product Description

In the far future, Earth is just one planet inhabited by humanity, the capital of a long-abandoned interstellar empire. The people of Earth have built a new society and slowly the planet is recovering from millennia of selfish exploitation and the destruction of wars. Suddenly, a former colony's fleet of twelve warships built of nearly indestructible adiamante appears in orbit and tries to intimidate the people of Earth into submission. The people of Earth will not surrender, but their principles also don't allow them to take defensive measures until the fleet actually attacks. Ecktor deJanes is the newly appointed planetary coordinator and has the terrible responsibility of protecting the lives of all the Earth's inhabitants. Somehow he must maintain his society's principles while preventing the fleet from turning the planet into a lifeless ball of rock.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #414902 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 316 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though L.E. Modesitt's greatest success is the ongoing Recluce fantasy series, his first novels were SF- -to which he returns in Adiamante. Far in the future, Earth is still scarred by old wars and pollutants, and infested with deadly new predators. Nevertheless it's a low-key, appropriate-technology Utopia, thanks to a genetically enforced social code known as the Construct which prohibits distrust, threats or pre-emptive violence. No such rules apply to the 12 giant invader ships from the computer-happy colony world Gates, sent to punish Earth for exiling their ancestors after a conflict so ancient that it's become folklore. Our planet's hastily appointed co-ordinator Ecktor has the job of steering through the crisis without violating the Construct, while the visitors hope to provoke some incident that'll give them the excuse to lose their terrible weapons. Earth's mind- linked elite have a secret defence of their own, but a painful and expensive one. Physically unable to lie to or threaten the grim visitors, Ecktor offers diplomatic hints and parables: for example, their ships are armoured in utterly unbreakable adiamante, the toughest substance known to science, shattered fragments of which are strewn through the world's topsoil ... It's a tense, thoughtful story, as pressure piles up and the situation escalates towards disaster. --David Langford

Review
'Modesitt creates a deeper and more intricate world with each volume' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY; 'An intriguing fantasy in a fascinating world' - Robert Jordan on THE MAGIC OF RECLUCE; 'Modesitt follows the very real concerns for food, latrines, shelter, medicine, and the struggle for power within the group, while tracing the lives of gifted men and women in the process of becoming legends ' - LOCUS on FALL OF ANGELS

Robert Jordan on THE MAGIC OF RECLUCE
`An intriguing fantasy in a fascinating world'

Customer Reviews

Haunting Idealogy
The true litmus test is whether a book is remembered or forgotten, and this book is not easily forgotten. I read this over 5 months ago, and I still find myself mulling over the demi ideology. I love the idea that if you want to have power in society, you must pay society for the privilege.

A flat out excellent book
I was on my way to Switzerland in the airport and found myself caught with nothing to read. I went into a nearby book store looked in science fiction and found this as the only book. It didn't look like a crowd pleaser, no #1 bestseller or anything, but I bought it anyways. On the plane I was quickly wrapped up in one of the most entertaining books I had ever read, after page 80 or so I couldn't stop, I just had to go on, what was going to happen, how come the cybs were so stupid, why didn't the demi's kick their butts, I had all these questions pounding my brain when I put it down that I had to pick it back up, if you are looking to be thoroughly entertained, buy this book. The only downside to it are some of the beliefs, they are extremest, true, but in a time and place of this sort maybe extremism is need. I don't know, but the book captured my attention and towords the last pages I was filled with emotion. I thouroughly enjoyed this book and encourage anyone th! at has the chance, to read it.

worth the effort........
1st things first..... I found this book hard to read, at times almost painfully slow because if you have read any Moddesitt you will know he loves his details.... this book has them all in more detail, but by about half way throu I was well and truely hooked..... this is a book that makes you think about the world we live in and the political systems we use... It shows a different world one wrecked by us and offers a solution... ALL politicians should be made to read this and then discuss it the world over...