Quintessence

December 17, 2012
At the edge of the flat Earth is the island known as Horizon; here be not dragons, but intelligent entities called tamarins that communicate telepathically, animals that can pass through walls and transform their bodies, and pools of water that change stone and flesh to gold. Alchemist Christopher Sinclair, doctor Stephen Parris, and Parris’s spirited daughter, Catherine, lead an expedition to this island, fleeing turmoil after the death of Edward VI of England. But the new paradise is full of dangers from the land, hostile tamarins, and within the expedition itself—and despite the explorers’ physical distance from England, its unrest haunts them. Walton (Terminal Mind) reinvents the age of exploration with imaginative detail and a rich bestiary of magical creatures (though, too conveniently, there are no indigenous humans to protest the invasion). Despite some slack pacing at the start and a rushed denouement, the heart of the adventure is consistently entertaining. Agent: Eleanor Wood, Spectrum Literary Agency.

January 15, 2013
A serious 16th-century alternate-world history set on a flat Earth where alchemy works, from the author of the award-winning Terminal Mind (2008). King Edward VI of England, Henry VIII's young, sickly son, continues his father's Protestant reforms. The king's physic, Stephen Parris, dissects corpses (in secret, lest he be accused of witchcraft) in an effort to learn how the body works. Alchemist Christopher Sinclair, who seeks the Philosopher's Stone, or quintessence (the three essential alchemical elements are salt, sulfur and mercury--so what's the fourth?), believing such a substance would grant him the ability to raise the dead. Sinclair learns of Parris' activities and blackmails him into sponsoring a voyage to the edge of the world, where the ocean plunges off into the abyss--and where he believes he will find quintessence. Adding to the pressure on Parris, the king is dying and will be succeeded by Mary Tudor, a fierce Catholic (known to history as Bloody Mary) determined to restore the primacy of Rome. As a Protestant and diabolist, Parris would not survive Mary's reign, so he agrees to flee with Sinclair, taking along his intelligent and adaptable daughter Catherine against the wishes of his Catholic wife, Joan. Eventually, they reach an island on the brink and find that quintessence abounds: Its powers are all that Sinclair dreamed of, and more. But then a Spanish galleon sails into the harbor, guided by Joan in search of Catherine; Mary is now Queen of England, and aboard the galleon is Diego de Tavera, envoy to King Philip of Spain--and a sadistic, ruthless Inquisitor. Against this intricate backdrop, the characters experiment, explore, debate ethics, philosophy and religion, and try to coexist with intelligent nonhumans. The big drawback, however, is Walton's willingness to ascribe all the messy and inconvenient but unavoidable details of the world's structure to the will of God, a pretext that should rightly be regarded as a cop-out. Still, the action builds to a thrilling and memorable finale. Flawed, then, but impressive and often brilliant.

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January 1, 2013

Alchemist Christopher Sinclair seeks the priceless element that can grant both immortality and magical powers--quintessence. To acquire it, he sets sail for the Edge of the World, the place where sky touches sea. Traveling with him are Stephen Parris, a physician pursued by the Inquisition for heretical practices, and his daughter, Catherine, whose attempt to bond with one of the magical creatures found at the edge of the world has left her in a deep coma that can only be cured through the use of quintessence. Set in an alternate flat Earth during the Age of Exploration, this novel captures the era's heady atmosphere of discovery, exploration, and imagination. The story's conclusion leaves room for at least one, if not more, sequels. VERDICT Differing greatly from Walton's sf debut, Terminal Mind, which won the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award, this alternate historical fantasy exhibits the maturation of an exciting new voice in the genre.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
Quintessence is an alt-history with a strong hook. A ship of explorers led by Lord Chelsey has returned to London, and the few survivors babble about a cargo of diamonds and gold while they die. Stephen Parris is a doctor who is so dedicated to his work that he risks execution for the crime of dissecting a human cadaver, and one of his suppliers provides a body from Chelsey's ship. Imagine his surprise when the body is laced with dust and salt, as though the man had been eating dirt and drinking sea water. Enter Christopher Sinclair, an alchemist of dubious moral stability but possessed of a very good mind. He coerces Parris to join him on an expedition to the West, where he expects to discover the secret of immortality. They're also hoping to leave behind England's politics, as the Catholic Mary is in line to inherit the throne after the king dies. The characters are a little too single-minded and stilted on occasion, but the chance to explore a new world where immortality is possible pulls the story along at a fair clip regardless.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)