1588: Queen Elizabeth is felled by an assassin's bullet. Within the week, the Spanish Armada had set sail, and its victory changed the course of history. 1968: England is still dominated by the Church of Rome. There are no telephones, no television, no nuclear power. As Catholicism and the Inquisition tighten their grip, rebellion is growing.
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1588: Queen Elizabeth is felled by an assassin's bullet. Within the week, the Spanish Armada had set sail, and its victory changed the course of history. 1968: England is still dominated by the Church of Rome. There are no telephones, no television, no nuclear power. As Catholicism and the Inquisition tighten their grip, rebellion is growing.
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Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $7.66, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Central & Coastal VA rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Richmond, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by OLD EARTH BOOKS.
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $8.66, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by OLD EARTH BOOKS.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $8.99, very good condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by OLD EARTH BOOKS.
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Very Good condition book with a firm cover and clean pages. Shows normal use and some light wear or limited notes markings. A solid nice copy to enjoy.
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $8.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Del Rey.
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $8.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Del Rey.
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $8.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Del Rey.
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $8.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Del Rey.
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $9.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Del Rey.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $9.98, good condition, Sold by Pilkington & Sons rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Windber, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1976 by Berkley.
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Mass Market Paperback. Some surface and edge wear. Old price sticker on the front cover. Pages are in good condition. -Disclaimer: May have a different cover image than stock photos shows, as well as being a different edition/printing, unless otherwise stated. Please contact us if you're looking for one of these specifically. Your order will ship with FREE Delivery Confirmation (Tracking). We are a family business, and your satisfaction is our goal!
Add this copy of Pavane to cart. $10.00, good condition, Sold by King Crab Books LLC rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Saint Paul, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1968 by Ace.
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VG- 285 p. 1st paperback edition from Ace (#65430), 1968. VERY GOOD MINUS. Leo and Diane Dillon cover art. An Ace SF Special. PRINGLE: THE 100 BEST SF NOVELS.
In the long English literary tradition of invented worlds, from More's "Utopia" to Orwell's "1984", "Pavane" stands apart from novels such as "Brave New World" given that it is more a series of connected short stories rather than a novel per se. Instead of following principal characters through a narrative based on successive crises and their resolutions, we meet Jesse, driver of the steam traction engine "The Lady Margaret"; member of the Signallers' Guild Rafe Bigland; Brother John, the artist who sketches the excesses of the Inquistition and Lady Eleanor, who begins a revolution. "Pavane", therefore, stands or falls on the success with which Keith Roberts draws his characters.
Uniting them is the alternative history of an England as faithful daughter of the Catholic church following the death of Queen Elizabeth I from an assassin's bullet and the successful invasion of England by Spanish troops carried by the ships of the Armada. In a country where guilds maintain their medieval authority, the internal combustion engine is outlawed by Papal edict and the Inquisition crushes all dissent, the slow agrarian rhythm of life seems guaranteed. However, older forces are beginning to stir in the woods and forests. It is not the Protestant faith that will rise up against the power of the Church. Rather it is the spirits of the land, older than the Church and which Roberts appears to identify with a peculiarly English sense of liberty, that will inspire some of the characters mentioned above to question the Church's right to control their lives and the lives of their countrymen.
It is a testament to Roberts's talents as a writer that he manages to develop the narrative thrust of "Pavane" without losing the reader in either historical details, albeit alternative ones, or in the wide range of characters that fill the book. Each of the principal characters engages our interest and sympathy. We get to know them. We share their thoughts and feelings. Without them the story of woodland spirits taking on the might of a world empire would not have risen much above the standard fantasy novel. Revolutions thrive on ideologies, and the revolution described in "Pavane" seems singularly lacking in what it wishes it achieve once the authority of the Church is smashed. However, it would be unfair to dismiss "Pavane" with the faint praise that it is either a "praiseworthy effort" or "worth reading". The principal characters are far from being mere ciphers and their responses, varied as they themselves differ from each other, to a world that stifles the individual in its journey of self-fulfilment, will stay with the reader long after the book has been read.
