Reviews
“The swashbuckling space settlers of Schroeder’s fantastical novel inhabit warring nation-states inside a planet-sized balloon called Virga. This adventure-filled tale of sword fights and naval battles stars young Hayden Griffin of the nation of Aerie, orphaned by an attack on the artificial sun that his parents tried to build. Schroeder layers in scientific rationales for his air-filled, gravity-poor world-with its spinning cylinder towns and miles-long icebergs-but the real fun of this coming-of-age tale includes a pirate treasure hunt and grand scale naval invasions set in the cold, far reaches of space.” —Publishers Weekly
“Outrageously brilliant and absolutely not to be missed.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“We already knew that Karl Schroeder could do Kubrick. Now it turns out he can do Dumas as well. And more: not since Middle Earth have I encountered such an intense and palpable evocation of an alien world. Sun of Suns puts the world-building exercises of classic Niven to shame.” —Peter Watts
“Mix in one part thrilling action, one part screaming-cool steampunk tech, and one part worldbuilding and you’ve got Sun of Suns. And oh, what worldbuilding! Schroeder is a master.” —Cory Doctorow
“Karl Schroeder’s Sun of Suns not only creates an even more unusual and evocative setting than his previous work, but is replete with adventures and turns, and characters that are anything but one-dimensional.” —L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
“I loved it. It never slowed down. The background is fascinating and the characters held my attention. It reminded me a little of The Integral Trees, with technology a little more advanced.” —Larry Niven on Sun of Suns
“Over the years, science-fiction has provided us with awesome environments, the best ones based on careful logic. There was Hal Clement’s Mission of Gravity and Robert Forward’s Dragon’s Egg. Karl Schroeder’s new novel is in a class with these masterpieces. The longer one ponders Sun of Suns, the less paradoxical–and the more intricately sensible–it comes to be.” —Vernor Vinge
“Sun of Suns is a rip-roaring story full of marvelous images and cutting-edge ideas. Schroeder has the rare and invaluable ability to develop wholly new concepts and turn them into compelling narratives.” —Stephen Baxter
“Karl has managed to have his cake and eat it [too]. . . .It’s a satisfying story in itself, but raises enough questions for me to want to buy the next in the series.” —Neal Asher