At the eve of the new millennium, teenager Alice Fell is alone on the streets of a strange city, friendless and without a pound to her name. She is not sure whether she's losing her mind, or whether she is called by inescapable visions to some special destiny. Along with a strange man named Stillman Waters, a retired occultist and spy - or so he claims - she finds herself pursued by strange creatures, and driven to steal the priceless "vanishing gem" that may contain the answers to the mysteries that plague her.
A century earlier, consulting detective Sandford Blank, accompanied by his companion Roxanne Bonaventure, is called upon to solve a string of brutal murders on the eve of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The police believe that Jack the Ripper is back on the streets, but Blank believes that this is a new killer, one whose motive is not violence or mayhem, but the discovery of the Holy Grail itself. And what of the corpse-white Huntsman and his unearthly hounds, who stalks the gaslit streets of London?
And in the sixth century, Galaad, a young man driven by strange dreams of a lady in white and a tower of glass, travels to the court of the high king Artor in Londinium, abandoned stronghold of the Roman Empire in Britain. With Galaad's bizarre dreams as their only guide, Artor and his loyal captains journey west to the Summerlands, there to face a threat that could spell the end of the new-forged kingdom of Britain.
These three adventures-Dark Ages fantasy, gaslit mystery, and modern-day jewel heist-alternate until the barriers between the different times begin to break down, and our heroes confront the secrets that connect the Grail, the Glass Tower, and the vanishing gem. And lurking behind it all, the entity known only as Omega.
Industry Reviews
"A World Fantasy Award finalist and winner of the Sideways Award for Best Alternate History Short Form, Roberson ultimately delivers a superior multi-linear novel worthy of the authors to whom he dedicated End of Century." --San Antonio Current, January 7, 2009 "It's difficult to juggle three story lines successfully, but Roberson is an accomplished author, and pulls the feat off quite successfully. Still, the novel, as a whole, while also being long - at over 480 pages - is one I'd recommend to anyone who likes their science fiction to involve time travel, action, numerous bloody casualties, and a Dr, Who type of ambience. It's worth checking out for the cool references, alone, though who (no pun intended) can go wrong getting three books (figuratively speaking!) for the price of one?" -- BookSpot Central, February 18, 2009 "Roberson's imagination is in full force, and the results are magical, although a tad too epic. He deserves praise for being able to keep each section true to its genre without having the novel feel schizophrenic. Roberson is an underrated name in the field of fantasy and science fiction; this effort was no easy undertaking, but it's ingenious and spirited, and he pulls through with his head held high." -- Bookgasm, March 27, 2009 "suffice to say that if this is your first experience of Roberson, I guarantee it won't be the last. Challenging the stability of the often-thin line between fantasy and sci-fi, End of the Century is a unique experience that latches on from the first page and doesn't let go." -- Total Sci-Fi, March 30, 2009 (formerly Dreamwatch magazine) "With a story line that is fascinating but paradoxically not fast-paced, set aside plenty of time to read this engaging multifaceted thriller." -- The Baryon Review 111, Harriet Klausner, Vol. 34, No.1, Spring 2009. "Roberson has his own unique strengths as a writer and he is developing a literary cosmology well worth further exploration. If he sometimes resorts to bald explication of the scientific/philosophical underpinnings that govern his multiverse, its a forgivable lapse in the face of so much invention and clever storytelling." -- SFGate.com, San Francisco Chronicle, May 31, 2009 "Roberson does a nice job of tap dancing here, deftly moving the narrative throughout various time periods without allowing any of them to become stale. Roberson understands that a genuine villain calls for genuine heroes to meet in combat, and in End of the Century, he gives readers a memorable cast of characters." -- Starlog, May 29, 2009 "All in all, End of the Century is a fine addition to Roberson's expanding Bonaventure-Carmody stories and it's a darn fine read in it's own right. Anyone looking to mix a little SF with their King Arthur ought to pick this book up." -- SF Signal, June 4, 2009 "I figured End of the Century would make a good reading. I was wrong. End of the Century is EXCELLENT reading." -- Fantasy Book Critic January 26, 2009
