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The Pillars of Eternity

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The Pillars of Eternity
First edition
AuthorBarrington J. Bayley
Cover artistWayne D. Barlowe
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
PublisherDAW Books
Publication date
March 1982
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages159
ISBN978-0-87997-717-7

The Pillars of Eternity is the tenth novel by the science fiction author Barrington J. Bayley.

Background

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The protagonist is deformed space pilot Joachim Boaz, rescued from his homeworld by the Collonadist philosophers who replace his skeleton with a regenerating artificial endoskeleton and teach that all events are destined to repeat themselves throughout time. After suffering a major accident, kept alive by the endoskeleton, he has become confined to a spacesuit and seeks vengeance on the collonadists by attempting to alter the future, disproving their philosophy. His chance is granted when the Meirjain the Wanderer is rediscovered, a lost planet where gemstones capable of altering the flow of time can be found.

Literary significance and reception

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Rhys Hughes reviewed Star Winds and The Pillars of Eternity as "offbeat" but ultimately reworkings of earlier material.[1]

John Clute characterised Bayley's later novels as taking "an orrery joy in the galaxies," adding that though Bayley's fans were never great in number, they remained loyal throughout his career.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Annihilation Factotum: The work of Barrington J. Bayley". The Council for the Literature of the Fantastic. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Bayley, Barrington J.". SF Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition. Retrieved 15 November 2012.