England, May 1645: The civil war that has torn England apart between King Charles I and Parliament is nearing its bloody conclusion — and in the English countryside, a stranger seeks his old love and finds there is a son whom he has never seen…
You would be excused, perhaps, for thinking that this is the introduction to a thrilling historical novel. And you’d be dead right. Yet this is not the history you know, for the world has turned on to a new and deadly path.
With breathtaking imagination, Ben Jeapes has wrenched the familiar flow of English history out of its course and made it into something else, something entirely other. There is a third force, an entirely alien force — the Holekhor — who have martial powers of their own, their own religious leaders who command mysterious and strange forces, and who bring with them technology that should not have been seen in England for another three hundred years…
Prepare to be astounded. History will never be the same again.
Reviews
John Whitbourn, Author of The Royal Changeling“Without doubt the best science fiction book of the year. Give it a go.”
The Month, Sunday Times, 28 November 2004“Ben Jeapes is another writer with a wholly original take on fantasy.”
TES, 17 December 2004“Plenty in there for all ages to get their teeth into. The religious discord between the Holekhor and the extremely God-fearing English of that time is handled with aplomb, the technological and militaristic change wrought on the land is all mapped out convincingly and the book’s dark moments are robust enough to send shivers down your spine.”
SF Crowsnest“A cracking adventure with a controlled acceleration of action that produces a terrific ending.”
Bertram Books“Jeapes initially sets the story during the English civil war, but interweaves the facts with additional stories and wildly imaginative possibilities. The author’s lively characterisation and the quality of his writing results in an exhilarating, utterly convincing novel – original, ambitious, yet accessible.”
Sunday Herald
The Alien Online“The author also adds rich subplots, folds in enough fictive and historical backstory to give every major player here genuine presence, and springs several satisfying surprises toward the end. An outstanding, thought-provoking page turner.”
Kirkus Reviews“Jeapes has written a number of excellent YA novels and The New World Order is his best yet.”
Vector“The riveting story has enough twists and turns, battles and bloodshed to intrigue even hardcore sf fans.”
American Library Association“Ben Jeapes’s new book, The New World Order, is one of those rousing, entertaining science fiction romps that also manages to make some intriguing philosophical points along the way.”
Blogcritics.org“Jeapes’s novel is an admirable achievement on a technical and imaginative level.”
Publishers Weekly
“The New World Order is one of the best alternate history/science fiction tales that I’ve read in some time.”
sfreader.com