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Time's Tapestry #2
Conqueror
The second novel in a thrilling alternate-history series-from national bestselling author Stephen Baxter.
Three centuries have passed since Rome fell, as The Prophecy foretold. Now The Prophecy's scroll is in the hands of a young girl, the last surviving member of the family who received The Prophecy. She lives in tranquility, disguisd as a boy among the monks on the isle of Lindisfarne-until the Vikings come, deliberately destroying the final copies of the scroll. But it remains in her memory, and when William of Normandy, who history will call the Conqueror, rises to power, once more the fate of the land rests on actions inspired by those age-old words.
But as time passes, memory of The Prophecy dims--and the veiled girl struggles to understand her heritage before all knowledge of the future will be lost to the past.
Three centuries have passed since Rome fell, as The Prophecy foretold. Now The Prophecy's scroll is in the hands of a young girl, the last surviving member of the family who received The Prophecy. She lives in tranquility, disguisd as a boy among the monks on the isle of Lindisfarne-until the Vikings come, deliberately destroying the final copies of the scroll. But it remains in her memory, and when William of Normandy, who history will call the Conqueror, rises to power, once more the fate of the land rests on actions inspired by those age-old words.
But as time passes, memory of The Prophecy dims--and the veiled girl struggles to understand her heritage before all knowledge of the future will be lost to the past.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2007
14 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Baxter
402 books2,558 followersStephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 10, 2024
This was much better than the first in the series. It is basically four stories from the middle ages (including the Battle of Hastings), with a prophecy from the future forming the backdrop. The attention to detail in the battle scenes is great and you can almost smell the bloodlust.
I have no idea where the Weaver theme is going but a solid historical drama nonetheless.
I have no idea where the Weaver theme is going but a solid historical drama nonetheless.
January 11, 2023
Emperor-kirjasta alkanut Time’s Tapestry -sarja jatkaa Britannian historian läpikäymistä. Emperor käsitteli Britannian ja roomalaisten yhteistä historiaa. Nyt on vuorossa loput Britannian valloitusten ajoista. Avaintapahtumia kirjassa ovat roomalaisten brittien poistuminen Britanniasta, viikinkien hyökkäys Lindisfarnen luostariin, tanskalaisten saapuminen ja kuningas Alfredin taistelut sekä huipennuksena kirjalle nimensä antaneen Vilhelm Valloittajan hyökkäys vuonna 1066.
Kirja kuvaa episodeissaan Britanniaa valloittajien taistelukenttänä ja samalla havainnollistaa, miten monenlaisista palasista nykyinen Englanti on syntynyt: anglit, saksit, tanskalaiset, viikingit, normannit ja muut valloittajakansat ovat jättäneet oman osansa englantilaisten perimään.
Tämänkin tarinan taustalla on ennustus. Emperorin lopussa roomalaisten perilliset saivat pettyä, kun uusi ennustus lausuttiin latinan sijasta germaanien kielellä. Nyt valloittajat rymistelevät pitkin Englantia ennustuksen tahdissa, Halleyn komeetan näyttäessä tahtia. Juoni on sittenkin melko vaisu, enemmän kyse on historiallisten käänteiden seuraamisesta.
Yhtä kaikki kirja on mielenkiintoinen kuvaus yhdestä historiallisesta ajanjaksosta. Keskiaika ei ole aiheena yhtä vetoava kuin Rooman suuruus tai renessanssi ja muut myöhemmät aikakaudet, mutta kyllä Rooman valtakunnan tuhonkin jälkeen Euroopassa tapahtui kaikenlaista mielenkiintoista, vaikka monessa asiassa mentiinkin takapakkia.
Alfredin vaiheista kiinnostuneille Guy Gavriel Kayn The Last Light of the Sun kuvaa aikakautta fantasialinssin läpi. Suosittelen lämpimästi.
Seuraava osa, Navigator, hylkää sitten Englannin ja kääntää katseensa kohti uusia horisontteja. (23.8.2010)
Kirja kuvaa episodeissaan Britanniaa valloittajien taistelukenttänä ja samalla havainnollistaa, miten monenlaisista palasista nykyinen Englanti on syntynyt: anglit, saksit, tanskalaiset, viikingit, normannit ja muut valloittajakansat ovat jättäneet oman osansa englantilaisten perimään.
Tämänkin tarinan taustalla on ennustus. Emperorin lopussa roomalaisten perilliset saivat pettyä, kun uusi ennustus lausuttiin latinan sijasta germaanien kielellä. Nyt valloittajat rymistelevät pitkin Englantia ennustuksen tahdissa, Halleyn komeetan näyttäessä tahtia. Juoni on sittenkin melko vaisu, enemmän kyse on historiallisten käänteiden seuraamisesta.
Yhtä kaikki kirja on mielenkiintoinen kuvaus yhdestä historiallisesta ajanjaksosta. Keskiaika ei ole aiheena yhtä vetoava kuin Rooman suuruus tai renessanssi ja muut myöhemmät aikakaudet, mutta kyllä Rooman valtakunnan tuhonkin jälkeen Euroopassa tapahtui kaikenlaista mielenkiintoista, vaikka monessa asiassa mentiinkin takapakkia.
Alfredin vaiheista kiinnostuneille Guy Gavriel Kayn The Last Light of the Sun kuvaa aikakautta fantasialinssin läpi. Suosittelen lämpimästi.
Seuraava osa, Navigator, hylkää sitten Englannin ja kääntää katseensa kohti uusia horisontteja. (23.8.2010)
October 24, 2014
The first book of this series did not hold my attention well, as it seemed to be a series of disconnected historical events with a weak prophecy storyline attempting to tie them together.
With this second volume in the series, the prophecy storyline is starting to make a bit more sense, and the narrative is becoming more a battle through history by competing forces tying it together rather than a chain of isolated incidents.
The vignettes of history are well handled enough, for the brief time they are given but there's no main character and no real connection to any of the characters - even if you grow to like one or another, you know they will be centuries dead soon enough and you'll be in another story.
Still, the concept is growing on me and it was better handled in this book than the first, so I'm curious what happens in volume 3.
With this second volume in the series, the prophecy storyline is starting to make a bit more sense, and the narrative is becoming more a battle through history by competing forces tying it together rather than a chain of isolated incidents.
The vignettes of history are well handled enough, for the brief time they are given but there's no main character and no real connection to any of the characters - even if you grow to like one or another, you know they will be centuries dead soon enough and you'll be in another story.
Still, the concept is growing on me and it was better handled in this book than the first, so I'm curious what happens in volume 3.
July 13, 2018
While I started reading this series with a certain expectation, I started reading this book, the second in the series, with an entirely different set of expectations tempered by the first book, Emperor.
Emperor introduced the overarching mystery of "the Weaver," the style of barely-connected short stories spanning pivotal eras across the years, and convinced me that it would be foolish to invest myself in any set of characters' stories.
With that in mind, when I started Conqueror and immediately prepared myself for another huge cast of characters given that the timeline at the beginning of the book spans over 600 years. Just glancing over the timeline told me that we would be going into a period of English history that I'm not too familiar with. That also added another element of anticipation for me; while these books are by no means history texts, the first book was well-researched in era I'm comfortable with, so I was eager to learn more about this period for England.
However, as I glanced over the newest prophecy, I was a bit disappointed at the last stanza, particularly the line "Empire of Aryans / blood pure from the north."
"Aryan" is very much a loaded word and clued me into the idea of the Weaver and essentially spoiled the story for me. I was convinced at this point that the Weaver would be someone in some form of World War II, almost certainly on the Nazi side. This was disappointing for me because so many alternate history novels focus on World War II as a turning point.
If World War II was the home era of the Weaver, then all of these machinations would doubtless involve the Nazi regime attempting to turn things in their favor... which meant that, fastened to the railroad tracks of Baxter's story, I essentially wouldn't have anyone to root for since everyone would be doing the work of Nazis.
So, with that sour mood, I started the book and was pleasantly surprised -- Baxter immediately starts at the END of his stated era and states that the prophecy was not fulfilled. Clever! After setting up all of these expectations and dread in me, he's let me know that things are not necessarily stuck to the rails going over the edge of the cliff.
This book then has two primary mysteries:
1. Who is the Weaver? (We presumably know their purpose now)
2. Why did the prophecy go unfulfilled?
These mysteries, again, overshadowed a large part of the book for me. Most of the book seems to hinge on the reader either not understanding the menologium or wanting to see the events explicitly play out. While, to some extent, I wanted to see what was happening in clearer terms, the larger part of me just wanted a Cliff's Notes version of the book so I could go on to discover more about the two mysters.
Fortunately, the book solves the second mystery for us while not really adding any clues to the first other than reminding us that the characters believe in a "Weaver."
Lest my review become entirely complaints, it did do a few things well:
1. It gave me an appreciation for the sheer scope of time in this book and how difficult it was (and is!) to preserve knowledge
2. It gave me a real appreciation for the turmoil (cultural and racial) that was Britain and modern-day England for the first millenium.
While I was initially worried that I wouldn't be able to identify with or sympathize with any characters due to their essentially being pawns for a future Aryan regime, I rapidly forgot about that aspect and found myself drawn into their individual storylines and losses.
This is definitely the second book in a series; it continues the first and heads toward the fourth with absolutely no intention of being a good book in and of itself. Stripped of the Weaver/Tapestry mystery, I think this book would end up being a very mediocre two-star work of historical fiction.
As it is, for its place in the whole, I'm fine with giving this three stars -- it's very workmanlike, addresses some underlying meta questions about the nature of the prophecies and whether characters are obliged to follow them, and clues us in a bit more as to the nature of the Weaver.
Emperor introduced the overarching mystery of "the Weaver," the style of barely-connected short stories spanning pivotal eras across the years, and convinced me that it would be foolish to invest myself in any set of characters' stories.
With that in mind, when I started Conqueror and immediately prepared myself for another huge cast of characters given that the timeline at the beginning of the book spans over 600 years. Just glancing over the timeline told me that we would be going into a period of English history that I'm not too familiar with. That also added another element of anticipation for me; while these books are by no means history texts, the first book was well-researched in era I'm comfortable with, so I was eager to learn more about this period for England.
However, as I glanced over the newest prophecy, I was a bit disappointed at the last stanza, particularly the line "Empire of Aryans / blood pure from the north."
"Aryan" is very much a loaded word and clued me into the idea of the Weaver and essentially spoiled the story for me. I was convinced at this point that the Weaver would be someone in some form of World War II, almost certainly on the Nazi side. This was disappointing for me because so many alternate history novels focus on World War II as a turning point.
If World War II was the home era of the Weaver, then all of these machinations would doubtless involve the Nazi regime attempting to turn things in their favor... which meant that, fastened to the railroad tracks of Baxter's story, I essentially wouldn't have anyone to root for since everyone would be doing the work of Nazis.
So, with that sour mood, I started the book and was pleasantly surprised -- Baxter immediately starts at the END of his stated era and states that the prophecy was not fulfilled. Clever! After setting up all of these expectations and dread in me, he's let me know that things are not necessarily stuck to the rails going over the edge of the cliff.
This book then has two primary mysteries:
1. Who is the Weaver? (We presumably know their purpose now)
2. Why did the prophecy go unfulfilled?
These mysteries, again, overshadowed a large part of the book for me. Most of the book seems to hinge on the reader either not understanding the menologium or wanting to see the events explicitly play out. While, to some extent, I wanted to see what was happening in clearer terms, the larger part of me just wanted a Cliff's Notes version of the book so I could go on to discover more about the two mysters.
Fortunately, the book solves the second mystery for us while not really adding any clues to the first other than reminding us that the characters believe in a "Weaver."
Lest my review become entirely complaints, it did do a few things well:
1. It gave me an appreciation for the sheer scope of time in this book and how difficult it was (and is!) to preserve knowledge
2. It gave me a real appreciation for the turmoil (cultural and racial) that was Britain and modern-day England for the first millenium.
While I was initially worried that I wouldn't be able to identify with or sympathize with any characters due to their essentially being pawns for a future Aryan regime, I rapidly forgot about that aspect and found myself drawn into their individual storylines and losses.
This is definitely the second book in a series; it continues the first and heads toward the fourth with absolutely no intention of being a good book in and of itself. Stripped of the Weaver/Tapestry mystery, I think this book would end up being a very mediocre two-star work of historical fiction.
As it is, for its place in the whole, I'm fine with giving this three stars -- it's very workmanlike, addresses some underlying meta questions about the nature of the prophecies and whether characters are obliged to follow them, and clues us in a bit more as to the nature of the Weaver.
February 17, 2022
we still haven't quite reached the alternate history part of this story, we're very much in historical fiction/secret history territory here. More and more people are aware of the prophecy being handed down through generations (and we're getting a bad hint at who wants to change history and why) and there's question about free will vs what's written down, but events so far still unfold as they do in our world. The pacing and tight and the material easily accessible if you're not familiar with the settings. as there are four timeframes (including the Viking landing at Lindinsfarne, Alfred's Flight from Chippenham and the Battle of Hastings) there is some repetition. But I enjoyed it lots.
April 12, 2020
A bleak portrait of the Dark Ages in England. Four novellas bound together by the premise of a prophecy, a message from the future send by The Weaver.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
January 16, 2021
England in the dark ages. Does free will exist?
December 1, 2023
The whole book is very well written and I liked how the author managed to depict the individual historical periods.
February 19, 2025
Das Buch, welches ich als Teenager gelesen habe und mich sehr fasziniert hat. Kann ich sehr empfehlen.
March 13, 2017
In the second book of of Time's Tapestry, I'm starting to see what we're in for: it's a guided tour of English history. With that in mind, I think this book improves on the problems of Emperor, having more convincing dialogue.
December 1, 2014
"And this is what you have brought me, this doggerel?" - King Alfred re: Prophecy, 184.
That quote, in a nutshell, encapsulates the plot. While this book was significantly easier for the reader to read, in contrast to the first book of the series, the multi-generational stories can play tricks on the reader's mind if they do not remain vigilant in paying attention.
Baxter is clearly a proficient author, and this book is further proof that he is a master when it comes to creating a stage to play the long game. After all, this alternate history epic is the embodiment of Baxter's attempt to rewrite the history of modern Britain - if not flesh it out using his own research and creative talent.
If you like history, gritty details, and multi-generational tales filled with suspense, violence and sex, this book is for you. Yet I caution that the casual reader may find these waters to be overwhelming in the amount of detail provided, and this in itself may prove to be a disincentive for those considering reading other books in this series, or by Baxter in general.
That quote, in a nutshell, encapsulates the plot. While this book was significantly easier for the reader to read, in contrast to the first book of the series, the multi-generational stories can play tricks on the reader's mind if they do not remain vigilant in paying attention.
Baxter is clearly a proficient author, and this book is further proof that he is a master when it comes to creating a stage to play the long game. After all, this alternate history epic is the embodiment of Baxter's attempt to rewrite the history of modern Britain - if not flesh it out using his own research and creative talent.
If you like history, gritty details, and multi-generational tales filled with suspense, violence and sex, this book is for you. Yet I caution that the casual reader may find these waters to be overwhelming in the amount of detail provided, and this in itself may prove to be a disincentive for those considering reading other books in this series, or by Baxter in general.
July 29, 2011
I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series. The "Weaver" plot was explained a bit more and had a bit more presence in the narrative. We now have an idea what the Weaver is trying to accomplish, which was missing from the first book.
I also enjoyed the depiction of England as its population was invaded over and over again, and the slow changes in the population as a result of mixing with the Saxons, the Angles, the Danes, and the Norse. I was also impressed by the sense of history that exists in the landscape, something I have seen firsthand in Europe. Baxter is able to convey something of the simultaneous reverence and disregard with which early medieval Britons may have held the long-vanished Romans. It is humbling to realize that Roman buildings and roads were still in use hundreds of years after the Romans themselves and their society and left Britain.
I'm interested enough to see where the next book will go.
I also enjoyed the depiction of England as its population was invaded over and over again, and the slow changes in the population as a result of mixing with the Saxons, the Angles, the Danes, and the Norse. I was also impressed by the sense of history that exists in the landscape, something I have seen firsthand in Europe. Baxter is able to convey something of the simultaneous reverence and disregard with which early medieval Britons may have held the long-vanished Romans. It is humbling to realize that Roman buildings and roads were still in use hundreds of years after the Romans themselves and their society and left Britain.
I'm interested enough to see where the next book will go.
August 20, 2012
Good fictional book covering Anglo-Saxon England in several parts, each a few hundred years apart. Like the first book in the series, there is a 'prophesy' that traces the course of the book, with the theory that some future person has sent this prophesy back in time to control the past.
Like the first book, you get a gimpse into England at each step, and you can see how things have changed, from them calling themselves Saxons/Germans, to English. Likewise in each bit, it has characters musing about what could have happened if a certain battle/event had gone another way, which makes the reader think of possible alternative history stories.
Like the first book, you get a gimpse into England at each step, and you can see how things have changed, from them calling themselves Saxons/Germans, to English. Likewise in each bit, it has characters musing about what could have happened if a certain battle/event had gone another way, which makes the reader think of possible alternative history stories.
February 24, 2016
You really need to read Emperor first. History still pretty on track in this one, though the characters talk a lot about the Weaver who is behind the prophecies, presumably someone from the future trying to change things. I happen to like this period almost as much as the Romans: this has episodes covering the last surviving "Roman", the Viking raid on Lindisfarne, King Alfred in the marshes, and the Battle of Hastings. The Prophecy is one uttered by Isolde from the last chapter of Emperor: it revolves around Halley's comet's various comings. From peeks at reviews of the next book, I gather we'll hit alternative history itself there; it's as if Baxter wants to understand the "real" history as background for whatever is coming. Meanwhile, the episodes are vivid, the characters (however briefly they strut and fret) are engaging.
June 3, 2016
Druhý díl Baxterovy série začíná pádem římské Británie a saskou invazí a provádí nás přes vikinské nájezdy až k dobytí Anglie Vilémem Dobyvatelem. Čili stejně jako první díl musí obsáhnut velmi dlouhé období, nejde o příběh jednoho člověka.
Oproti prvnímu dílu ale jednotlivé části více drží pohromadě a daleko víc vyvstává na povrch spojovací linka v podobě proroctví o budoucnosti Británie a celého světa. Všechno to tak nějak začíná dávat větší smysl, zdá se, že se nám do děje začíná míchat sci-fi motiv cestování časem. Zdá se totiž, že se naši historii někdo snaží prostřednictví proroctví ovlivnit, a že takovýchto navzájem soupeřících "Tkalců" je snad i více...
Je to ale zatím všechno pouze v náznacích, snad bude víc ve třetím dílu :-)
Oproti prvnímu dílu ale jednotlivé části více drží pohromadě a daleko víc vyvstává na povrch spojovací linka v podobě proroctví o budoucnosti Británie a celého světa. Všechno to tak nějak začíná dávat větší smysl, zdá se, že se nám do děje začíná míchat sci-fi motiv cestování časem. Zdá se totiž, že se naši historii někdo snaží prostřednictví proroctví ovlivnit, a že takovýchto navzájem soupeřících "Tkalců" je snad i více...
Je to ale zatím všechno pouze v náznacích, snad bude víc ve třetím dílu :-)
January 23, 2016
I came across this historical novel by Stephen Baxter at local library. I would say it is a very good novel to learn a little bit about British history from the fall of Roman Empire in the end of the 5th century to Norman conquest of England in 11th century.
Nice thing about this novel is the fact that even though author's description of living conditions and brutality of dark ages are very vivid, he still managed to make it "easy" to read and digestible for modern readers. Stephen Baxter managed to write fiction without changing reality.
posted by David Usharauli
http://davidusharaulibookidealist.blo...
Nice thing about this novel is the fact that even though author's description of living conditions and brutality of dark ages are very vivid, he still managed to make it "easy" to read and digestible for modern readers. Stephen Baxter managed to write fiction without changing reality.
posted by David Usharauli
http://davidusharaulibookidealist.blo...
August 23, 2011
Another good historical novel, especially in the way it describes a fairly brutal period of the history of England, climaxing with the Battle of Hastings. (I especially enjoyed seeing the invention of "zero" come in!) The only problem with these longitudinal novels is that you have to connect to a whole new bunch of characters every time the novel jumps to a new time period. But the author does this fairly well. And now I am extremely suspicious about the mysterious "Weaver". Can't wait to find out who he (or they?) is (are?).
March 4, 2014
I didn't connect very much with any of the characters, but I still enjoy Baxter's writing, and I'm going to slog through this series because I really do want to find out who/what the Weaver is. I will be the first to admit that I would probably have enjoyed this more if I'd known more (or anything) about this time period.
One thing is for certain: the majority of Baxter's characters continue to die horrible, devastating deaths.
One thing is for certain: the majority of Baxter's characters continue to die horrible, devastating deaths.
October 18, 2008
Didja you know the NY Public Library has hundreds of copies of parts 1, 3 and 4, and NO copies of part 2. Weird. I had to track this down through the Brooklyn library. Even better than part 1, it takes place during the German and Scandinavian period in Britain (AD 600-1066), and concludes with the Battle of Hastings in which William the Conqueror might very well lose.
February 27, 2011
Asi nejslabší kniha, kterou jsem v posledních dnech četl - s kvalitou prvního dílu rozhodně srovnávat nedá. Nepopírám, že byl příběh napínavý. Byť ta doba nejspíše taková byla, je vše líčeno naturalisticky a brutálně. Samé vraždy, sekání údú, znásilňování a do toho tlupy násilnických opilců. Věřím, že by kniha měla po zfilmování obdobný úspěch jako Barbar Conan. Třetí díl by (snad) měl být lepší.
August 30, 2012
This is the second in the Weaver series.
The story starts with the death of the last Roman and concerns the arrival of the Vikings, Norsemen and Saxons into Britain and ends in 1066.
As with the previous book the story follows the descendants involved in the Prophesy, the second delivered at the end of the previous book.
I found it more compelling than the first book.
The story starts with the death of the last Roman and concerns the arrival of the Vikings, Norsemen and Saxons into Britain and ends in 1066.
As with the previous book the story follows the descendants involved in the Prophesy, the second delivered at the end of the previous book.
I found it more compelling than the first book.
September 17, 2014
Wasn't able too reach me. The idea is interesting. However the characters are introduced and once you know them a bit then Baxter jumps ahead in time to a point where the just introduced characters are dead. So he starts over again bringing in new personas. Because of that it is very difficult to connect with the plot and be intrigued by it. I will not go on reading this Time Tapestry series.
November 11, 2008
it was like watching the history channel computer animated reenactments. Entertaining but not high quality. Taught me some history, but more b/c it led me to look things up, not because it actually taught it.
August 5, 2009
Just having trouble working up the enthusiasm for this series; it has at least 2 more books to go, but, the mcguffin from the first 2 is now done, so I'm at least a little curious to see how the 3rd is linked in.
February 22, 2010
Another enjoyable episode from this historical trilogy. What I'm enjoying most about this series is the filling-in of some historical periods I've always been a big vague about. Good stuff, looking forward to the final instalment.
Read
August 1, 2011Slightly better than the first book in the series because Baxter stays a bit longer with each generation of characters before moving to the next. Still not the best Baxter, but kudos for trying something new. A British history junkie would love this series. 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
Read
August 1, 2011Slightly better than the first book in the series because Baxter stays a bit longer with each generation of characters before moving to the next. Still not the best Baxter, but kudos for trying something new. A British history junkie would love this series. 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
April 5, 2016
It was good. It gets a little samey toward the end. By the time you reach the Battle of Hastings you feel like you've done this before a few times, but it was good.
3/5 stars
Interested to see what the next book brings.
3/5 stars
Interested to see what the next book brings.
February 22, 2016
This was a bit of a slog as there was just so much going on over a very long period of time. I got a bit bored in some of the complexities but saying that I did still enjoy. I kind of like the cameos of character from across the ages but it can be a bit confusing crossing over time.
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