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Another year in mankind's war for survival against the insects. God is still on holiday, the Emperor still leads and his cadre of immortals are still quarreling amongst themselves.It is known that the insects are reaching the Fourlands from the Shift but now mankind just has to do something about it. And in the meantime attention shifts to new lands and a naval expedition is launched. And Jant, the Emperor's drug-addicted winged messanger is expected to join it. Just perfect for a man terrified of ships and the sea.Steph Swainston's trilogy is building to be a landmark of modern fantasy. This is a wildly imaginative, witty yet profound fantasy, peopled with bizarre yet real characters.
'NO PRESENT LIKE TIME is a welcome return to the world Swainston put on paper so delectably first time round. Whereas THE YEAR OF OUR WAR centred on - you guessed it - a war, NO PRESENT LIKE TIME has more of a political edge, embossed with flawless, deep characterization. (This is) an extremely unusual, familiar yet at the same time extraordinarily original novel. There's joy to discover on every page, even if that page does involve some poor fool getting his read ripped off'
Jayne Dearsley
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