Freedom and Necessity

Posted on 17 July 2017 by Steven Brust

It is 1849 Across Europe, the high tide of revolution has crested, leaving recrimination and betrayal in its wake From the high councils of Prussia to the corridors of Parliament, the powers that be breathe sighs of relief But the powers that be are hardly unified among themselves Far from itOn the south coast of England, London man about town James Cobham comes to himself in a country inn, with no idea how he got there Corresponding with his cousin, he discovers himself to have been presumed drowned in a boating accident Together they decide that he should stay put for the moment, while they investigate what may have transpired For James Cobham is a wanted man wanted by conspiring factions of the government and the Chartists alike, and also the target of a magical conspiracy inside his own family.And so the adventure beginsleading the reader through every corner of mid nineteenth century Britain, from the parlors of the elite to the dens of the underclass Not since Wilkie Collins or Conan Doyle has there been such a profusion of guns, swordfights, family intrigues, women disguised as men, occult societies, philosophical discussions, and, of course, passionate romance.Nor could any writing team but Steven Brust and Emma Bull make it quite so much fun New Download [ Freedom and Necessity ] by [ Steven Brust ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr Summerside, Prince Edward Island29th August 2010Dear Steven and Emma,Thank you for the dazzling joy of Freedom Necessity This book went toe to toe with Cormac McCarthy s Blood Meridian and won the battle for my attention and that s saying something I don t know how you did it, but I am so glad you did THIS was one of the best reading experiences of my life Where do I begin I want to begin with the form you chose But I am going to hold off on that and talk about Hegel, Engels and Mar Summerside, Prince Edward Island29th August 2010Dear Steven and Emma,Thank you for the dazzling joy of Freedom Necessity This book went toe to toe with Cormac McCarthy s Blood Meridian and won the battle for my attention and that s saying something I don t know how you did it, but I am so glad you did THIS was one of the best reading experiences of my life Where do I begin I want to begin with the form you chose But I am going to hold off on that and talk about Hegel, Engels and Marx Hegel, your unifying thread, was used in a way that I am sure he would approve of he was the natural connection between your boys Richard and James sparring over the Science of Logic while their lives are at their most uncertain was pure genius Then y...Adventure Daring do Intrigue Romance Suspense Hegel What s not to love It doesn t seem possible to say anything about the storyline without immediate spoilers, but I loved this book It is wonderfully written, has excellent character development, and demands the reader s attention I only didn t give it 5 stars because of some dissatisfaction with the ending I highly recommend it, but be warned that the authors expect you to pay attention to details, hints, and a rather complicated plot Adventure Daring do Intrigue Romance Suspense H...This is a book to read for the sheer joy of the language and imaginations of the authors who have recreated a magical England with panache to rival Susanna Clarke s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Set in the mid nineteenth century, the story begins and is told through letters and journal entries with James Cobham, presumed dead and just recovering from amnesia What follows is an intricately plotted, ingeniously paced novel of intrigue, passion, betrayal, and philosophy Superb from start to This is a book to read for the sheer joy of the language and imaginations of the authors who have recreated a magical England with panache to rival Susanna Clarke s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Set in the mid nineteenth century, the story b...It got me immediately when the characters started discussing Hegel and then it was getting better and better main characters I love, revolutionary underground, mystery and intrigue, Engels actually as a character in the action ,Hegel with Kant and Hume, and the lovely XIX century epistolary style The genre is impossible to define it is not fantasy, not really a historical fiction or a philosophy textbook But then, probably all really good book defy the strict genre definitions.Re It got me immediately when the characters started discussing Hegel and then it was getting better and better main characters I love, revolutionary underground, mystery and intrigue, Engels actually as a character in the action ,Hegel with Kant and Hume, and the lovely XIX century epistolary style The genre is impossible to define it...This was a clever book, and had much to recommend it It was well written and historically interesting, largely about the aftermath to the failed revolutions of 1848 The characters were good, and there was some very interesting reflection in it Not the Hegelian stuff, which was kind of boring, but there was, for example, a letter quite near the end by James, talking about the nature of love, which I found affecting I thought, however, the novel was far too long it certainly lost a star just This was a clever book, and had much to recommend it It was...Freedom and Necessity is one of those novels with such a fun mash up premise historical Chartist movement English socialism meets Victorian spiritualism and ancient aristocratic blood cults that if nothing else I congratulate Stephen Brust and Emma Bull for their audacity That the end result is actually readable is something worth applause.Set in 1849, Freedom and Necessity begins with the mysterious reappearance of the English aristo James Cobham after his presumed drowning How and why some Freedom and Necessity is one of those novels with such a fun mash up premise historical Chartist movement English socialism meets Victorian spiritualism and ancient aristocratic blood cults that if nothing else I congratulate Stephen Brust and Emma Bull for their audacity That the end result is actually readable is something worth applause.Set in 1849, Freedom and Necessity begins with the mysterious reappearance of the English ari...A very enjoyable historical novel set in England in 1849 It s billed as fantasy, but there are only a few scenes with vaguely mystical elements that could easily be otherwise explained, so the book felt like straight historical fiction.I can hardly describe the plot without giving away spoilers, but it begins with a man who surfaces a couple of months after his family thought he was dead There s a mystery behind his disappearance, and behind much of what he s been doing the last ten years.This A very enjoyable historical novel set in England in 1849 It s billed as fantasy, but there are only a few scenes with vaguely mystical elements that could easily be otherwise explained, so the book felt like straight historical fiction.I can hardly describe the plot without giving away spoilers, but it begins with a man who surfaces a couple of months a...This is an epistolary novel, told in letters and journal entries One of the main characters, James Cobham, is a political reformer active in the Chartist movement, wanted by the government for treason Someone tries to drown him, but he turns up later with no memory of how he survived Eventually his memory returns, but he still has quite a few enemies in the government, some elements of the Chartist movement, and in an occult society connected with his own family The other major characters This is an epistolary novel, told in letters and journal entries One of the main characters, James Cobham, is a political reformer active in the Chartist movement, wanted by the government for treason Someone tries to drown him, but he turns up later with no memory of how he survived Eventually his memory returns, but he still has quite a few enemies in the government, some elements of the Chartist movement, and in an occult society connected with his own family The other major characters are James s brother Richard and his second cousin Susan.I thought this was going to be a fantasy book since the two authors, Steven Brust and Emma Bull, are both known a...It sdifficult than usual to evaluate this book, because I was so manifestly not in the right frame of mind for it Even though War s Unwomanly Face was deeply upsetting, it was the right thing to read when the main emotion I m feeling is grief Freedom and Necessity isn t really compatible with grief, at least not as I experience it It s an epistolary mystery set in 1849 amid Chartist agitation The four main characters, two women and two men, get up to exciting and dangerous adventures It sdifficult than usual to evaluate this book, because I was so manifestly not in the right frame of mind for it Even though War s Unwomanly Face was deeply upsetting, it was the right thing...It s 1849, the place is England, and James Cobham is dead He was seen to drown, although his body was never recovered Except that two months later, his cousin Richard receives a letter from James, who s working as an hostler at an inn and doesn t remember the past two months The story unfolds in the letters and journal entries of Richard, James, Kitty, Susan, and assorted other connections, further enlivened...

English
17 July 2017

Steven Brust