Synopses & Reviews
Five hundred years ago, in an alternate Age of Exploration, the earth is flat. Alchemy is a true science, sea monsters menace the oceans, and Europe is embroiled in religious controversy. At the edge of the world, where the stars reach down close to the Earth, wonders abound. This drives the bravest explorers to the beckoning Western Ocean.
Christopher Sinclair is an alchemist who cares only about one thing: quintessence, a substance he believes will grant magical powers and immortality. And he has a ship.
Fleeing an inquisition, physician Stephen Parris follows Sinclair to an island that perches upon the farthest horizon, bringing his daughter Catherine with him. The island teems with fantastical animals and alluring mysteries...and may even harbor the most coveted secret of all ... in this novel by David Walton.
Review
Praise for Quintessesnce and David Walton:
“Quintessence is an utterly stunning work of imagination, a slipstream counterhistory set in a fourteenth century that is as audaciously imagined as any work of science fiction.”
—Rosemary Edghill, coauthor of The Shadow of Albion
“With Quintessence David Walton proves that winning the Philip K. Dick Award was not a fluke, but a harbinger of things to come.”
—Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Oracle Trilogy
“Terminal Mind is high-intensity human drama set in a thoroughly imagined and highly plausible future.”
—Orson Scott Cards InterGalactic Medicine Show
“Terminal Mind is a fast-paced SF-thriller with a very human heart.”
—Elaine Isaak, author of The Eunuchs Heir
“[Walton's] characters are firmly grounded in a social context. In Terminal Mind, the family and interpersonal conflicts are just as intriguing as the threat to society, with outcomes that are just as uncertain.”
—Nancy Fulda, assistant editor, Baens Universe
Synopsis
Imagine an Age of Exploration full of alchemy, human dissection, sea monsters, betrayal, torture, religious controversy, and magic. In Europe, the magic is thin, but at the edge of the world, where the stars reach down close to the Earth, wonders abound. This drives the bravest explorers to the alluring Western Ocean. Christopher Sinclair is an alchemist who cares only about one thing: quintessence, a substance he believes will grant magical powers and immortality. And he has a ship.
About the Author
DAVID WALTON won the 2008 Philip K. Dick Award for his debut novel, Terminal Mind. He lives near Philadelphia. davidwaltonfiction.wordpress.com