Fata Morgana
 Doomed
Paradise
The ancient tales of European Man, carefully recorded by
pious monks and hedge wizards alike, are insistent about the Western
Isles. One of the tales of Doubting Thomas, the apostle, has it that he
Christianized these islands and stayed there until the end of his days.
The Arthurian legends clearly state that Arthur's father, Uther, came
from the Western Isles.
Ancient and Medieval maps agree in showing them as being
off the Western Coast of France. Lyonnesse was a part of the Western
Islands, as was the City of Ys, Avalon, and the Land of Dahout.
Up until the time of the First Crusade, there are
records of pilgrims visiting the Holy sites of the Western Islands. The
remains of mercantile records of those days hint of trade with the
islands of the west. Irish records and legends, which are generally
regarded as reliable back to preChristian times, have many references to
great floating islands being pushed by ocean currents and winds alike
past the Emerald Isle, and sometimes becoming snagged there for a time.
The Icelandic Eddas make similar references.
Modern sailors and travelers sometimes sight great, many
tiered cities near the ocean's horizon, but these people are rarely
believed. It is easier for modern, technocentric man to believe in an
optical illusion, the Fata Morgana.
This book is about two modern, hardheaded engineers who
find the Western Islands.
"When I teach science fiction, I use
Frankowski's books as an example of how to do it right."
—Gene Wolfe
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leo Frankowski is widely known for the extremely popular
"Cross-Time Engineer" series, which has gone through six
novels to date, with translated editions in Italy, Spain, and Poland. He
is also the author of Copernick's Rebellion, a novel of a
future based on a revolution in the biological sciences, of which The
SF Site writes, "I have never read anything as original as Copernick's
Rebellion . . . [it's] on my top 10 list." His most recent
novel is A Boy and His Tank (Baen). Frankowski was nominated
for the John W. Campbell award for best new writer. He has held more
than a hundred different positions, ranging from scientist in an
electro-optical research lab to chief engineer to company president. His
work in chemical and optical instrumentation has earned him several
patents. Currently a writer and consulting engineer, he lives in
Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Illustration by Gary Ruddell.
Cover design by Carol Russo Design.
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