The Price of Eternity

Summoned across the galactic Fold to help avert interplanetary war, Raincloud Windclan has brought her family to Elysium--a pristine city of technological wonders that floats peacefully on the surface of the water world Shora. It is knowledge, however, that has attracted Raincloud's husband Blackbear--and a fervent desire to share with his own people the Elysians' greatest accomplishment: immortality.

But the foreigner Windclans can sense an internal corruption that threatens to destroy the eternal society. For centuries of greed and complacency have bred contempt among the ageless Elysians--for the true masters of their planet... and for a dangerous community of vengeful nano-sentient "servants" empowered by the words "I am."

Daughter of Elysium was Joan Slonczewski's fourth novel, set in the same universe as A Door Into Ocean. It was published by William Morrow in hardcover in 1993, reprinted by AvoNova in paperback in 1994, and reprinted by PhoenixPick in trade paperback in 2009.

Reviews

"A masterful story of contrasting cultures... A novel that happily blends science, intrigue and social conscience."
--Library Journal

"The world-building is magnificently detailed; the characters are done with deftness and wit."
--Chicago Sun-Times

"A marvelous array of cultures presented in astonishing depth: an enormously impressive achievement."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A major feat... A gifted author telling an absorbing story."
--Booklist

"A thoughtful, well-crafted novel... Slonczewski's setting and alien cultures are rich and detailed, her characters memorable and often extremely endearing. Even against such intricate plot and exotic backgrounds, her depictions of relationships, especially family life, are touchingly real."
--Publishers Weekly

"Daughter of Elysium stands as one of the best examples of thoughtful science fiction, and its uniqueness, even as a sequel, makes one believe in an exciting future for the genre.... Slonczewski creates many stunning ideas and moments in this book."
--James Schellenberg, on the Challenging Destiny web site (the entire review is here)

"Daughter of Elysium is a thought-provoking book -- worth reading for that reason, and well written besides."
--Dani Zweig, on the Linköping Science Fiction & Fantasy Archive web site

Last modified: May 11, 2010

Return to The Science Fiction of Joan Slonczewski.