Now Available in trade paper

"Will keep readers on the edges of their seats." —STARRED Review, Publishers Weekly

"A brilliant SF setting." —Omnivoracious

"One of the most imaginative creations in recent science fiction history." — SFSite

One of five top science fiction books of 2008 – American Library Association

 

Summary

In this sequel to Bright of the Sky, Titus Quinn returns to the Entire with a new task: to enter and destroy the impregnable fortress of Ahnenhoon. The fortress, called the Repel, is replete with eons-long Tarig secrets and a most disturbing personal one for Quinn: a special prisoner resides there and will perish with the Repel.

To reach Ahnenhoon, Quinn journeys across the Entire and down the River Nigh in the company of a subversive godwoman, a renegade Tarig Lord, a mad navitar, and Anzi, a woman of the Chalin people, who guides him with her wit and a deepening love.

He is pursued by an assassin sent by his own daughter, Sydney, who now counts the Entire as her home. Formerly a slave, she now has at her command a transforming and revolutionary power. Not only that, but Sydney has a strange ally, a person from earth who has her own plans for the Entire, enabled by a powerful machine sapient.

Weighing into this dance of power are: A Tarig queen who once loved Quinn, the alien Paion, and a Hirrin servant of the Magisterium whose growing disaffection can bring down the whole house of cards.

Read an excerpt from A World Too Near: The Prisoner of Ahnenhoon

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More about the book

Hardcover, 978-1591026426, March, 2008
Paperback 978-1591026969, January, 2009

Published by Pyr, an imprint of Prometheus Books
For a review copy: publicity@prometheusbooks.com

Reviews

PAT'S FANTASY HOTLIST

by Patrick

"In Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon introduced readers to the world of the Entire, an exotic environment whose imagery is a cross between fantasy and science fiction. This unique hybrid was the backdrop for what appeared to be one of the most fascinating ongoing scifi series on the market today. Having thoroughly enjoyed the opening volume of The Entire and The Rose, I was eager to read its sequel, A World Too Near. . . .

One more, worldbuilding is the most enthralling aspect of this novel. The Entire is a milieu unlike anything you have ever read about, and it's fascinating to discover more of its secrets during Quinn's perilous journey. Revelations about the storm walls, the River Nigh, Ahnenhoon, the Paion intrusions, and more are ample evidence that Kenyon's creation resounds with even more depth than I thought. Add to that secrets about the Tarig Lords, and you have quite a few surprises in store for you. Rich in details, A World Too Near should have you clamoring for the third volume, City Without End."

Read the rest of this review at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

 

Realms of Fantasy

“…continues the promise shown in book one….The Entire is a marvelous parallel universe…[and] the details of [the main character’s] quest make for stunning adventure fiction, while the mysteries revealed about The Entire are completely mind-blowing….it is epic fantasy and world-building on a grand scale. It would be criminal if this novel didn’t make year’s best lists at the end of 2008.”

 

Omnivoracious

by Jeff VanderMeer

After the title, "Kay Kenyon's The Entire and the Rose: Part of a Modern Classic?" Jeff VanderMeer goes on to say: "Kay Kenyon's Bright of the Sky and just-released A World Too Near feature a brilliant SF setting that rivals Larry Niven's Ringworld and Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld series for sheer invention adventure, complexity, and sense of wonder."

» Read the rest of this review at Omnivoracious

 

SFSite

by Greg L. Johnson

"The Entire and The Rose is an on-going work, one that has already taken us to one of the most imaginative creations in recent science fiction history. A World Too Near immerses us in that creation, and pulls us even deeper in to the story of a man who wishes nothing more than to be re-united with his family. That combination of story and setting makes for a novel that races from one peril to the next, and leaves the reader eagerly waiting for the next installment in the series."

» Read the rest of this review at SF Site

 

Library Journal.com

"This volume by a strong storyteller with a fresh new approach to fantasy and sf belongs in most libraries."

» Read the rest of this review at Library Journal.com

 

SciFi.com

by Paul Di Filippo

Kay Kenyon continues to offer some neat adventures for her protagonists in this really alluring offbeat universe she's created. But I did feel that this second volume suffered from the dreaded "middle book of a trilogy" loss of newness and direction, which caused me to downgrade its ranking slightly fro the first book's stellar "A." Before carping, however, let's reaffirm what's being done brilliantly right. First off, all the characters continue to be fascinatingly complex . . . . Also, every minor character is endowed with exceptional depth and reality . . . . Secondly, the artificial universe known as the Entire remains a great conception and playground for adventure. Resonating with the work of Philip Jose Farmer, Robert Silverberg (the Majipoor books) and even Lord Dunsany, this subcreation seems inexhaustible."

» Read the rest of this review at SciFi.com

 

SFF World

by Rob H. Bedford

"I found myself unable to stop reading."

» Read the rest of this review at SFF World

 

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Reviewed January 1, 2008

The fate of two universes hangs in the balance in this intricately plotted sequel to Bright of the Sky (2007). To sustain the constructed universe called the Entire, the alien Tarig have built the engine of Ahnenhoon, designed to turn the Rose—Earth’s universe—into a power source. Earth’s survival depends on pilot Titus Quinn’s plan to destroy the engine, but ambitious scientist Helice Maki claims Titus may instead use the mission to seek his missing daughter, Sydney, lost somewhere in the Entire. Successfully scheming her way into accompanying Titus, Helice plots to steal his nanotech weaponry and grab power from the Tarig. Titus’s only hope may be his wife, Johanna, captured 10 years ago by the Tarig, who has slowly taught herself enough about the engine to have a chance of disabling it. Tangled motivations, complex characters and intriguing world-building will keep readers on the edges of their seats.