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Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54 Format: Bargain Price Label: Tor Books Manufacturer: Tor Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 352 Publication Date: February 07, 2006 Publisher: Tor Books Release Date: February 07, 2006 Studio: Tor Books Related Items: Alternate Versions: Click to Display Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: Long ago, so the stories say, the old-fathers came to Nanagada through a worm’s hole in the sky. Looking for a new world to call their own, they brought with them a rich mélange of cultures, religions, and dialects from a far-off planet called Earth. Mighty were the old-fathers, with the power to shape the world to their liking---but that was many generations ago, and what was once known has long been lost. Steamboats and gas-filled blimps now traverse the planet, where people once looked up to see great silver cities in the sky. Like his world, John deBrun has forgotten more than he remembers. Twenty-seven years ago, he washed up onto the shore of Nanagada with no memory of his past. Although he has made a new life for himself among the peaceful islanders, his soul remains haunted by unanswered questions about his own identity. These mysteries take on new urgency when the fearsome Azteca storm over the Wicked High Mountains in search of fresh blood and hearts to feed their cruel, inhuman gods. Nanagada’s only hope lies in a mythical artifact, the Ma Wi Jung, said to be hidden somewhere in the frozen north. And only John deBrun knows the device’s secrets, even if he can’t remember why or how! Crystal Rain is the much-anticipated debut novel by one of science fiction’s newest and most promising talents. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Incoherent mish-mashI waited nearly a year to get this book because of all the good things I read about it online, however I am very disappointed. First the dialect spoken by most characters in the book was very grating and difficult to read. The author should have either used proper English or committed himself to using real Caribbean patois. The dialect he invented is just a mixture of bad verb arrangement and ignorance of the verb "to be". It is very annoying, maybe more so because I am from Jamaica and I know reading ... Read More Rating:  - Original and funCrystal Rain is a strong debut. Tobias Buckell has taken the lost civilization genre of science fiction and created a wonderful story. The characters are mysterious and compelling, and John deBrun cuts a dashing and heroic figure whose own personal worries give the reader and emotional connection. But the characters are not deeply emotional. There is some philosophical discussion, but it is mostly surface level. Mostly, this story is an adventure story, with a mystery of space and time providing cohesion ... Read More Rating: - Good BookGreat book with original setting. This book started out good, then it got better. It finished in its third act with a great vast revelation of an even greater reality. I liked the ending as well. Buckell left some dangling threads (although not integral to the plot) at the end, so that readers can leave some things to their imagination, and to the possibilities of sequels. I will be reading the next book in this series, entitled Ragamuffin. Reading some of the negative reviews, I can say that ... Read More Rating:  - Culture ClashAs a first novel, this book shows promise. There is quite a bit of originality in the author's choice of cultures to highlight: those of the Caribbean islands and that of the Aztecs. Creating a world where these two cultures would logically co-exist is no small feat. Even better is his characterization of some of the natives of these two cultures, as most readers would have great difficulty even imagining the mindset of a Aztec warrior and his calm acceptance of ritual sacrifice, or a person who would normally ... Read More Rating: - Yes it Rains, but Crystal clear it is notCrystal Rain is one of those books that really makes me wish for half stars. For me it is on the cusp between a two and three star book, as some of it I liked quite a bit and other parts annoyed me no end. I err on the side of three stars because I didn't actually stop reading the book and my biggest problem with the book might just be me. The saving grace of the book is the pacing and tension. The vast majority of the book keeps you rooted into the story and afraid of the consequences. Unfortunately ... Read More 
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