Dec 29, 2009

Pavane | Pavane

At a glance:

Author: John Kingston
First Published: 1968
Type of Work: Stories
Type of Plot: Science fiction—alternate history
Time of Work: 1968 and later in the twentieth century
Setting: Southern England
Genres: Short fiction, Science fiction, Alternate history
Subjects: 1960’s, Twentieth century, England or English people, Assassination, Catholics or Catholic Church, Spanish Armada
Locales: England

The Plot

Rearranging four centuries of history, Pavane postulates a successful invasion of England by the Spanish Armada and the subsequent suppression of social and technological change by the Catholic church. It is a beautifully haunting evocation of a quasi-medieval England preserved as well as transformed by this historical detour.

Pavane takes its title from a stately court dance of the sixteenth century; appropriately, the book is divided into six distinctive “measures” and a brief “coda.” In the opening section, “The Lady Margaret,” Jesse...

[The entire page is 1043 words long]

Pavane | Pavane

At a glance:

The Plot

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