The Tropic of Eternity

The sequel to the critically acclaimed and ambitious literary space opera debut The Promise of the Child.

It is the 147th century.

The mighty era of Homo Sapiens is at an end.

In the Westerly Provinces of the Old World, the hunt is on for the young queen Arabis, and the vile creature that holds her captive.

In the brutal hominid Investiture, revolution has come. The warlord Cunctus, having seized the Vulgar worlds, invites every Prism to pick a side.

In the Firmament, once the kingdom of the Immortal Amaranthine, all ships converge on the foundry of Gliese. The grandest battle in the history of mammalian kind has begun.

Perception, ancient machine spirit, must take back its mortal remains in a contest for the Firmament itself.

Ghaldezuel, now the Grand Marshal of Cunctus’ new empire, must travel to the deepest lagoon in the Investiture, a place where monsters dwell.

Captain Maril, lost amongst the Hedron Stars, finds himself caught between colossal powers the likes of which he'd never dreamt.

But for Aaron the Long-Life, he who has waited so very, very long for his revenge, things are only getting started . . .

Tom Toner was born in Somerset, England, in 1986. After graduating with a degree in fine art from Loughborough University and the FHSH in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, he spent some time in Australia teaching life drawing and working in an art gallery near Melbourne. The Tropic of Antiquity is the third volume in Toner’s debut trilogy, following The Promise of the Child and The Weight of the World. Toner currently lives in London.

Praise for The Tropic of Eternity

“Fans of the first two books will find plenty to love in the return to many familiar settings and characters.”—Publishers Weekly

“Book three, The Tropic of Eternity, pulls out all the stops, with enormous battles, surreal journeys, and resolutions to most of the character arcs . . . Toner’s Amaranthine Spectrum delivers a new flavor of space opera that is bound to dazzle and delight.” —Paul di Filippo, Locus

Praise for The Weight of the World:

"This extensive story of the 147th century is filled with spectacular ideas and adventure across the solar system and beyond. . . . a tour de force of universe building and characterization . . . splendid, outrageous and brilliant speculations . . . affording careful readers a complex tale of a possible far future."—Shelf Awareness, reviewed by Rob LeFebvre

"Deeply imagined, deliberately paced, and brain-breakingly opaque (in the best way) . . . while much remains a mystery, Toner's confident style—and the forceful impact on the reader when pieces do fall into place—give the sequel a heft and power that goes beyond the plot twists."—B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog, "B&N Bookseller's Picks: The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of January 2017"

“I was hooked from the very beginning . . . Tom Toner paints his characters and worlds beautifully, even when they’re at their ugliest. This is a clever, ambitious, inventive, wondrous series, brilliantly executed, that leaves me wanting more and soon. It might be only February but this is the science fiction novel to beat this year and it most certainly won’t be easy.”—For Winter Nights

Praise for The Promise of the Child:

“To call The Promise of the Child one of the most accomplished debuts of 2015 so far is to understate its weight—instead, let me moot that is among the most significant works of science fiction released in recent years.”
—Tor.com

“One of the most ambitious and epic-scale pieces of worldbuilding I’ve read. Reading The Promise of the Child, you feel you’re in the presence of an author at the height of his powers. If this is what Toner is like when he’s just getting started, I think we can expect great things from him. Utterly absorbing; a tremendous adventure.”
—Karl Schroeder, author of Lockstep and Sun of Suns

“Bold and intense from start to finish, The Promise of the Child is a master-class in innovative, evocative world-building. The entire book buzzes with imagination.”
—Michael J. Martinez, author of The Daedalus Incident

“An amazing debut—a colorful space opera in the post-human tradition of Iain M. Banks, combined with the razor-sharp plotting of Alastair Reynolds. It left me feverish with delight.”
—Loren Rhoads, author of The Dangerous Type

“Humming with energy, this is space opera like you've never seen it before. Absolutely brilliant.”
—Adam Roberts, author of Salt and Jack Glass

“A dizzying mash-up of science fiction and fantasy themes that are both mystifying and entertaining. . .will appeal to readers who enjoy the offbeat end of far-future sf. This is the kind of novel that could develop a cult following.”
—Booklist Reviews

“Ambitious. . .The several 147th-century cultures on display are fascinating. . .The pace picks up as the tale moves toward its end, but this is the kind of book that will most appeal to cerebral readers who can appreciate its characters’ many verbal interactions.”
—Publisher's Weekly

“This is the purest example of space opera we’ve seen in some time. . . .The book is challenging, ambitious, and rewarding, and it’s impossible not to admire Toner’s wild imagination and carefully constructed world. This thing is bonkers, no question. It’s also one helluva debut.”
—Barnes & Noble, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

“Marvelous. . .a space opera of surpassing gracefulness, depth, complexity, and well, all-round weirdness.”
—Paul Di Filippo, Locus

“First rate. . .a clever and interesting world, with something new always coming across the horizon, more wonders as yet unreached. I ate it up with a spoon.”
—Paul Weimer, SFSignal