Rating: 
Summary: Wordy Romance
Review: A young man leaves his small-town home for London, where he learns about doomed love, revolution and aether.The Light Ages is more of an alternate-history romance with a dash of fantasy. The primary fantastical element is aether, a magical substance mined from the earth, and the pillar supporting all industry. Those who have it live in opulence, those who don't suffer poverty. The first 20% had me hooked. While watching a young workingman's son grow up, we learn all about aether: where it comes from, what it does, and its wondrously creepy dark side. Loved it. But then young Robert Burrows goes to London, and all fantasy elements jump to the backseat. 80% of the remaining pages are given to a dozen years passing against the backdrop of a social revolution. It was then I began to notice MacLeod's lengthy descriptions becoming tedious; years crawling by as the revolution builds. There's a love story in there somewhere, buried under a heap of social events. It took an effort to stay involved. Towards the end the pace picks up somewhat, but events fall into place all too conveniently, something that always stretches credibility. If slightly fantastical historical romances are your thing, and you don't mind lots of description, then The Light Ages should hit the spot.
Rating:
Summary: Wordy Romance
Review: A young man leaves his small-town home for London, where he learns about doomed love, revolution and aether. The Light Ages is more of an alternate-history romance with a dash of fantasy. The primary fantastical element is aether, a magical substance mined from the earth, and the pillar supporting all industry. Those who have it live in opulence, those who don't suffer poverty. The first 20% had me hooked. While watching a young workingman's son grow up, we learn all about aether: where it comes from, what it does, and its wondrously creepy dark side. Loved it. But then young Robert Burrows goes to London, and all fantasy elements jump to the backseat. 80% of the remaining pages are given to a dozen years passing against the backdrop of a social revolution. It was then I began to notice MacLeod's lengthy descriptions becoming tedious; years crawling by as the revolution builds. There's a love story in there somewhere, buried under a heap of social events. It took an effort to stay involved. Towards the end the pace picks up somewhat, but events fall into place all too conveniently, something that always stretches credibility. If slightly fantastical historical romances are your thing, and you don't mind lots of description, then The Light Ages should hit the spot.
Rating: 
Summary: The Light Ages makes for some heavy reading
Review: Ian R. MacLeod is most definitely a talented writer capable of making his words dance across the written page, but I have to admit I found The Light Ages a slow, sometimes frustrating read. The actual events and experiences driving the story are disjointed, and while the highly literate prose ebbs and flows at times like a beauty of nature, it proves incapable of assembling the whole into something completely intelligible. This is fantasy of a high order that many readers will surely enjoy more than I did, and any question of MacLeod's talent can be easily swept aside by noting the World Fantasy Award he won for his novella The Summer Isles. As this is MacLeod's first novel, though, I personally cannot help but wonder if he tried too hard to reach a lofty pinnacle of success. The words, as beautiful and carefully crafted as they are, just seem to get in the way of the story at times. There are several quite compelling scenes, but these inevitably fall away into a sort of miasma not unlike the alternative London MacLeod constructed for his novel. The primary backdrop of The Light Ages is a future London wherein a Dickensian sort of social order has prevailed for a full three centuries, fueled by the discovery of aether, a magical substance that is mined from the earth. Industrialization failed to progress, to a large degree, because aether and the spells guarded zealously by the guilds could magically make inferior items, including those making up the industrial infrastructure of society, perfectly workable. On their own, such structures as the low-quality train tracks and flimsily-constructed buildings could never stand, but aether kept everything in working order. Thus, industry stagnated, and society, through the course of three century-long Ages, also stagnated into a tightly compartmentalized world of guilds. Social mobility was all but unheard of; the son of a toolmaker would grow up to be a toolmaker because there was no other option. A few individuals, though, seemed to possess magic inside themselves, and these creatures were rooted out and ostracized as trolls (i.e., changelings). Robert Barrows was born into this world, growing up in the town of Bracebridge, the most important aether mining town in England. One special day during his childhood, his mother took him to a home outside of town, where he met an extraordinary young girl named Annalise, and soon thereafter his mother began to change horribly. With her death, he chose to flee his world and seek his destiny in London. It is here that he becomes a social revolutionary, working to usher in the light of a brand new Age, one in which society is not stratified by wealth, status, or birth. Oddly enough, he also sometimes walks in the world of the guildmasters, the very persons he is trying to overthrow, and it is here where he meets Annalise again. The rest of the novel is a meandering tale of discovery and loss, mixing in a remarkable cast of characters, as Robert strives to discover the secret of his home town of Bracebridge, a secret that unites him and Annalise in the most fundamental, albeit mysterious, of manners. One problem I have with the book is the fact that some of the most important events and transitions take place between sections. We see Robert hop a train to escape to London, and the next thing we know he is working for a socialist newspaper five years later. Since MacLeod's main emphasis in this novel, at least as it appeared to me, was a careful and close critique of man and society, Robert's transformation would seem to have offered the author a perfect means of pursuing his loftier goals for the story. There were moments when MacLeod succeeded in demonstrating the common humanity of the wealthy guildmen and unguilded marts such as Robert, yet no individual's real self seemed to emerge from these pages; thus, the motivations of different characters at different times were difficult to understand, and the whole point of the novel is, in one sense, seemingly challenged by the ending. The Light Ages is not a cheerful, inspirational story, but I don't think it tries to be; personally, I'm not entirely sure what the novel was intended to be, and that is the source of my own dissatisfaction of sorts with what could have potentially been a truly insightful, socioeconomically challenging novel.
Rating:
Summary: The Light Ages makes for some heavy reading
Review: Ian R. MacLeod is most definitely a talented writer capable of making his words dance across the written page, but I have to admit I found The Light Ages a slow, sometimes frustrating read. The actual events and experiences driving the story are disjointed, and while the highly literate prose ebbs and flows at times like a beauty of nature, it proves incapable of assembling the whole into something completely intelligible. This is fantasy of a high order that many readers will surely enjoy more than I did, and any question of MacLeod's talent can be easily swept aside by noting the World Fantasy Award he won for his novella The Summer Isles. As this is MacLeod's first novel, though, I personally cannot help but wonder if he tried too hard to reach a lofty pinnacle of success. The words, as beautiful and carefully crafted as they are, just seem to get in the way of the story at times. There are several quite compelling scenes, but these inevitably fall away into a sort of miasma not unlike the alternative London MacLeod constructed for his novel. The primary backdrop of The Light Ages is a future London wherein a Dickensian sort of social order has prevailed for a full three centuries, fueled by the discovery of aether, a magical substance that is mined from the earth. Industrialization failed to progress, to a large degree, because aether and the spells guarded zealously by the guilds could magically make inferior items, including those making up the industrial infrastructure of society, perfectly workable. On their own, such structures as the low-quality train tracks and flimsily-constructed buildings could never stand, but aether kept everything in working order. Thus, industry stagnated, and society, through the course of three century-long Ages, also stagnated into a tightly compartmentalized world of guilds. Social mobility was all but unheard of; the son of a toolmaker would grow up to be a toolmaker because there was no other option. A few individuals, though, seemed to possess magic inside themselves, and these creatures were rooted out and ostracized as trolls (i.e., changelings). Robert Barrows was born into this world, growing up in the town of Bracebridge, the most important aether mining town in England. One special day during his childhood, his mother took him to a home outside of town, where he met an extraordinary young girl named Annalise, and soon thereafter his mother began to change horribly. With her death, he chose to flee his world and seek his destiny in London. It is here that he becomes a social revolutionary, working to usher in the light of a brand new Age, one in which society is not stratified by wealth, status, or birth. Oddly enough, he also sometimes walks in the world of the guildmasters, the very persons he is trying to overthrow, and it is here where he meets Annalise again. The rest of the novel is a meandering tale of discovery and loss, mixing in a remarkable cast of characters, as Robert strives to discover the secret of his home town of Bracebridge, a secret that unites him and Annalise in the most fundamental, albeit mysterious, of manners. One problem I have with the book is the fact that some of the most important events and transitions take place between sections. We see Robert hop a train to escape to London, and the next thing we know he is working for a socialist newspaper five years later. Since MacLeod's main emphasis in this novel, at least as it appeared to me, was a careful and close critique of man and society, Robert's transformation would seem to have offered the author a perfect means of pursuing his loftier goals for the story. There were moments when MacLeod succeeded in demonstrating the common humanity of the wealthy guildmen and unguilded marts such as Robert, yet no individual's real self seemed to emerge from these pages; thus, the motivations of different characters at different times were difficult to understand, and the whole point of the novel is, in one sense, seemingly challenged by the ending. The Light Ages is not a cheerful, inspirational story, but I don't think it tries to be; personally, I'm not entirely sure what the novel was intended to be, and that is the source of my own dissatisfaction of sorts with what could have potentially been a truly insightful, socioeconomically challenging novel.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing - Sound and Fury Signifying Very Little
Review: Ian R. MacLeod's The Light Ages is fantastically well-written, with believable, flawed characters. This fantasy-cum-alternate history eschews standard adventure plots and presents a contemplation of a society on the cusp of change. MacLeod deals with the affects technology has on society, the reactions people have to social change, and the way in which society mutates and evolves. Unfortunately, MacLeod has very little that's new to say on any of these subjects. Although he tries to write in the steampunk, science-fantasy tradition, he seems to have forgotten that at the core of these sub-genres there must exist strangeness, newness, and wonder. The story he tells is remarkably mundane. Were it not for a few fantastic touches, such as the strange mutations that take place after too much exposure to aether (the novel's magical McGuffin), The Light Ages might just as easily have been a general fiction novel set in the turn of the last century. The Light Ages describes a tumultuous period - with society on the cusp of ruin, a group of disgruntled have-nots are in the process of orchestrating a people's revolution. The narrator, Robert Borrows, exists on the fringes of this group, and although their struggle is interesting, it is also off-putting. Most of us who have read a few history books know that revolutions, no matter in who's name, will inevitably turn bloody and cruel. We've know that revolutionary leaders who talk about equality, giving power to the people, and an end to ownership will almost certainly end up hoarding rights, power and property. That MacLeod expects us to be shocked or saddened when these very things happen is almost insulting. In a possible attempt to humanize this struggle, MacLeod weaves in the story of Robert's life as he struggles to understand a tragic event that has colored his life, the life of his family and his home town, and eventually makes a discovery that alters the course of history. Both of these plots move slowly, and their revelations are thin and obvious, unlikely to surprise even the most inexperienced reader. MacLeod attempts to artificially inflate his story by bookending it in a conversation Robert has with a "changeling" - one of the aforementioned mutants. Her identity is supposed to be a big surprise, but it ends up being meaningless. I gave The Light Ages three stars for the power of its prose and for being a fine attempt at thinking outside the fantasy box. Unfortunately, MacLeod was unequal to the task at hand, and I wouldn't recommend this book at all.
Rating: 
Summary: strong gothic fantasy
Review: In the England where Robert Borrows lives, there is no parliament or monarchy only the guilds who are the aristocracy. English civilization is based on the element aether, which is mined deep below ground in such places as Bracebridge in West Yorkshire. Without the use of aether, structures, buildings and bridges would crumble and life would be infinitely harder. Too much exposure to aether alters humans into changelings who are taken away to certain institutions where they can be cared for even if they are able to live a normal life. Instead of joining his father's Toolmaker's Guild as he is supposed to, Robert travels to London where he learns the difference between the haves and the have-nots. He joins an organization whose goal is to overthrow the existing order, a Herculean feat since the guildmakers are so entrenched. While in London, he meets Anna, a changeling passing herself off as human, who is linked to Robert and Bracebridge in a very special way. When they discover the secrets that Bracebridge is hiding, they will usher in a new age, one that will change the world as they know it. THE LIGHT AGE is a gothic fantasy that takes place in an England reminiscent of this world's early age. The underpinning of magic to hold society and civilization together means maintaining the status quo, something the protagonist is totally against because no progress is made towards discovering new knowledge. Nothing in his England has changed for three centuries since the discovery of aether. Ian R. MacLeod has written a fascinating work that brings something unique and refreshing to the genre. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: strong gothic fantasy
Review: In the England where Robert Borrows lives, there is no parliament or monarchy only the guilds who are the aristocracy. English civilization is based on the element aether, which is mined deep below ground in such places as Bracebridge in West Yorkshire. Without the use of aether, structures, buildings and bridges would crumble and life would be infinitely harder. Too much exposure to aether alters humans into changelings who are taken away to certain institutions where they can be cared for even if they are able to live a normal life. Instead of joining his father's Toolmaker's Guild as he is supposed to, Robert travels to London where he learns the difference between the haves and the have-nots. He joins an organization whose goal is to overthrow the existing order, a Herculean feat since the guildmakers are so entrenched. While in London, he meets Anna, a changeling passing herself off as human, who is linked to Robert and Bracebridge in a very special way. When they discover the secrets that Bracebridge is hiding, they will usher in a new age, one that will change the world as they know it. THE LIGHT AGE is a gothic fantasy that takes place in an England reminiscent of this world's early age. The underpinning of magic to hold society and civilization together means maintaining the status quo, something the protagonist is totally against because no progress is made towards discovering new knowledge. Nothing in his England has changed for three centuries since the discovery of aether. Ian R. MacLeod has written a fascinating work that brings something unique and refreshing to the genre. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: an atmospheric fantasy
Review: Light Ages is far from light reading. Anyone wanting a quick read or the typical multi-book fantasy focusing on a questing band of travelers beset by evil should look elsewhere. Instead Macleod gives us a land more evoked than described, beautiful at times poetic prose, three-dimensional characters (including the "evil" ones), questions that aren't always neatly answered, and a pace that would be described as slow by many but which I found perfectly suited to the nature of the novel. There is rebellion, both personal and societal; corruption, both personal and societal; and finally, frustratingly and (realistically) only after fits and starts, change both personal and societal. What there is not is a lot of magic or spell-casting or simplistic conflict. The magical aether which is the center of the Dickensian society and which has caused industrial stagnation (why progress industrially if magic can do a worse but still adequate job?), though at the core of much of the societal action and the more personal "mystery", serves more as a backdrop to what is after all a character-driven story of change and discovery. MacLeod does not stint his secondary characters, all of whom are drawn with the same level of detail and interest as his main ones. The plot will tug (though not drag) you along, but it will be the characters and the evocative descriptions of situations and settings that will keep you reading.
Rating:
Summary: an atmospheric fantasy
Review: Light Ages is far from light reading. Anyone wanting a quick read or the typical multi-book fantasy focusing on a questing band of travelers beset by evil should look elsewhere. Instead Macleod gives us a land more evoked than described, beautiful at times poetic prose, three-dimensional characters (including the "evil" ones), questions that aren't always neatly answered, and a pace that would be described as slow by many but which I found perfectly suited to the nature of the novel. There is rebellion, both personal and societal; corruption, both personal and societal; and finally, frustratingly and (realistically) only after fits and starts, change both personal and societal. What there is not is a lot of magic or spell-casting or simplistic conflict. The magical aether which is the center of the Dickensian society and which has caused industrial stagnation (why progress industrially if magic can do a worse but still adequate job?), though at the core of much of the societal action and the more personal "mystery", serves more as a backdrop to what is after all a character-driven story of change and discovery. MacLeod does not stint his secondary characters, all of whom are drawn with the same level of detail and interest as his main ones. The plot will tug (though not drag) you along, but it will be the characters and the evocative descriptions of situations and settings that will keep you reading.
Rating:
Summary: Things are not as they seem
Review: Plot Summary: The world is run by aether, a mysterious, magical substance mined from the ground in the small towns around London. One such town is Bracebridge, one of the leading producers and home to one Robert Borrows, the protagonist of the story. Robert is a young man about to join his fathers guild and work at the local plant. He meets an exotic grandmaster who shows him some things in his spare time that awaken Robert to deeper roots in the town. Specifically to a woman and child his mother introduced him to a few years earlier and to an event that is not much mentioned, the day the aether engines stopped their SHOOM BOOM rhythm. These events drive Robert, after his mother dies of exposure to the aether in some past event, to search in London for his answers. He becomes a revolutionary in the process, striving to end the current age and replace it with a newer one. It has been almost a hundred years anyway, so the age is ripe for ending.
Opinion: The story seemed a bit weak. The only thing in the story that I wanted to know was how the day the engines stopped related to everything or anything else. This seemed like a main driving force for Robbert's actions yet was only mentioned a few times, as if it wasn't so important. It was hard to tell until near the end. The other characters were well drawn and interesting in and of themselves, but did not seem to advance the plot too much. The descriptions in the book were great, I could see every setting and scene pretty clearly. The writing was also excellent and never particularly dull. In fact I liked everything about this book except the fact that the plot did not engage me. Many of the cover blurbs compare this book to works of China Mieville. I would say that this book is much more accessable to the average reader since it is more a an alternate history type fantasy with very little of the created species and wording of Perdido Street Station, for example.
Recommendation: I don't know if I should recommend this book. I will definately be happy to try more books by MacLeod though as this one was very good. Perhaps I was swayed too much by some massive hype and had too high of expectations. Several people really love this story, I just could not get into it. I rate this overall as a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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