Vellum (novel)
Vellum first edition cover.
|
|
| Author | Hal Duncan |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Chris Shamwana and Neil Lang |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Book of all Hours |
| Genre | Speculative fiction |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
|
Publication date
|
2005 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 480 pp |
| ISBN | |
| Followed by | Ink |
Vellum: The Book of All Hours is a speculative fiction novel by Hal Duncan.
It is Duncan's first novel. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Pan Macmillan in August 2005 and then, in April 2006, in the USA by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House.
The Vellum is a reality of which Earth is only a small part. It can be reprogrammed using something called the Cant, and this is what some deities from ancient myths, called the Unkin, have done. One group of Unkin see themselves as Angels, and have set up a Covenant promising to reject any ancient deity looking to regain his or her past glory; they are at the time of the narration getting ready for a final war. A group of newly born Unkin (one can become an Unkin through certain unspecified events in his or her life) who refuse to take part in such war are the main characters: Seamus Finnan, an Irish angel hiding out in the desert; Phreedom Messenger, a trailer park biker trying to avoid conscription; Thomas Messenger, her gay brother who’s trying to disappear into the Vellum where he’ll never be found; Jack Carter, a Covenant spear-carrier sent to kill Thomas but in love with him. Next to them are Joey Pechorin and Don MacChuill (who will gain more importance in Ink, the sequel to Vellum).
The main characters' story is framed within the story of the Book of All Hours, a tome in which Metatron, the scribe of the Covenant, has inscribed the destiny of the whole Vellum; the book has been stolen by Guy Reynard, who uses it to travel through the Vellum. This frame story appears in short sections called Errata, at the end of each chapter.
...
Wikipedia