century widespread mutterings were making themselves heard. Rebellion was once more in the air . . . The title alludes to the stately and melancholy dance, the pavane, the book being divided thematically into measures and a coda. After a brief prologue explaining the back-story, the stories are: "The Lady Margaret: a lonely steam haulier meets a friend from his past; "The Signaller": an apprentice semaphore operator is assigned to a remote station; "The White Boat" (not in all editions): a discontented fisher girl is obsessed with a mysterious yacht; "Brother John": a monk becomes disaffected by the practices of the Inquisition; "Lords and Ladies": a woman's bitter memories are evoked at the deathbed of the haulier from the first story, who is her uncle; "Corfe Gate": an aristocrat, the daughter of the central female character in "Lords and Ladies", is involved in a regional rebellion. The "Coda" is set some years after the events of the final stories, and centres on the son of the seneschal to the female aristocrat from "Corfe Gate". Reception Pavane soon found an important place in the alternative history subgenre of science fiction and the work's high reputation continues; The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction assesses it as "now credited as the finest of all 'alternative histories'". Algis Budrys found the novel to be "a tapestry of a book; a marvel of storytelling", and concluded that, despite an unnecessary Coda, it was "a truly wonderful work". See also Times Without Number Ruled Britannia References External links Pavane Infinity Plus review. Pavane Uchronia: The Alternate History List detailed summary and international bibliography. 1968 science fiction novels 1968 British novels British alternative history novels British science fiction novels Novels set in Dorset Religion in science fiction Rupert Hart-Davis books