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The Light Ages

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The Light Ages
First edition (US)
AuthorIan R. MacLeod
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy fiction, Steampunk, Alternative history
PublisherEarthlight (UK)
Ace Books (US)
Publication date
May 2003
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages464
ISBN0743462424
Followed byThe House of Storms 

The Light Ages is a steampunk and alternate history fantasy novel by Ian R. MacLeod. The novel is set in an alternate Victorian England during an Industrial Revolution fueled by a dangerous magical substance known as aether.

Plot

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The Light Ages takes place in an industrializing England that relies on the mining of aether, a magical fifth element. Society is structured by a rigid labor caste system of guilds. The narrator and protagonist of the novel, Robert Borrows, belongs to a lowly guild in a Yorkshire mining village. He eventually journeys to London, where he joins a group of thieves, pickpockets, and revolutionaries who seek to overthrow the caste system.

Publication history

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Literary significance and reception

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The novel was received favorably. Jon Courtenay Grimwood, writing in The Guardian, described it as "[a] quiet, understated monster of a novel".[1] Publishers Weekly noted the novel's strong character development and "gritty, alternate London" and recommended it to readers "who love the more sophisticated fantasy of Michael Swanwick, John Crowley or even China Miéville."[2]

The novel won nominated for a World Fantasy Award in 2004. Because of its favorable reviews and broader publishing promotion, it has been described by critics as MacLeod's "breakthrough" work.[3] [4]

References

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  1. ^ Grimwood, Jon Courtenay (5 July 2003). "Nikes, Orcs, monks and more". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  2. ^ "The Light Ages (review)". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Ian R. MacLeod Interview with Iain Emsley". SFRevu. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  4. ^ "The Light Ages (review)". The SF Site. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
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