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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BLOWS MY MIND, September 21, 2004
This review is from: Adversary (Mass Market Paperback)
My Dad has had the first three books in The Saga of the Exiles hanging around for as long as I can remember and I finally got around to reading them about 2 weeks ago. And I ate them up, hoo boy. The first three were a literary feast and by the time I finished The Non-Born King I NEEDED to read The Adversary and I finally found it in the library at my university. And let me tell you, folks, this book is the crowning glory on the best achievement in sci-fi writing to date. What an amazing culmination of all May's talents- her wonderful, evocative prose, the flawless creation of her characters, the twisting, thrilling plot, to name a few.
The Adversary details the lead up to the Grand Tourney, Aiken Drum's substitute for the Grand Combat, the contest itself and its repercussions. And what repercussions. I'm not gonna tell you, you'll have to read the book ;). Such a short summary is hardly worthy of the novel itself, but to go into more detail would be to ruin May's carefully crafted work- and by the time you finish the last page, you'll be astounded by the depth and breadth of her vision.
Before I read The Saga of the Exiles, my favourite fantasy/sci-fi series was Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun- but I found Julian May's Saga infinitely more gripping, confronting and so much more entertaining. I've heard criticisms of the series, none of which I agree with, the two foremost that 1. it's difficult to understand a lot of her language without a dictionary by your side, but to this I say: even if it's so for you, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T BE PUT OFF. You'll never find a series more rewarding than this one.
The second criticism I've heard was 2. that it's clear cut good vs. evil. I've never heard anything sillier in my life. One of the main things I loved about the Saga was its ambiguity in terms of where the reader's loyalty can lie- I wanted EVERYONE to win at some point, `elfin' Tanu, `demonic' Firvulag, Lowlife humans; and I've heard a lot of people express their love for Marc Remillard, the infamous Adversary himself.
All I can leave you with is this: wow. What a beautiful series. The Adversary- what a BRILLIANT bloody ending. So satisfying. Oh. God. I think I'm going to go start The Many-Coloured Land again and read the whole series a second time. How fabulous. Oh. Wow.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SIX STARS-- holy **** May is brilliant., October 9, 2003
This review is from: Adversary (Mass Market Paperback)
The breathtaking conclusion to the Saga of Pliocene Exile, we are confronted by three principals-- King Aiken Drum, former misfit; Elizabeth Orme, former psychic, now ohmbudsperson of the Many Colored Land; and Marc Remillard, felled leader of a Rebellion against a 22nd century galaxtic civilizatio. I cannot emphasize my admiration for May's writing. Her style is vivid, smooth, alive. In this book, Remillard takes center stage, the most provocative character in sci-fi. He is Milton's fallen Lucifer-- brilliant, driven, obsessed to the point of cruelty-- ultimately noble, self-sacrificing-- in this way he is reborn But don't think that May ignores her other characters. They continue to evolve, gaining substance, soul. I never found myself saying "No, that doesn't fit"-- she makes this incredibly complex work while remaining true to the personalities of her characters and the scenario she has created. The tension in this book is less about epic battles with armies of thousands (although there is that here), as in Nonborn King, and more about a war of wills, manipulations of chess pieces on a board by the principals. Somehow, the story gets still deeper, then comes to a satisfying, appropriate conclusion. IMO, the best sci-fi series ever written.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Armageddon - Pliocene style, January 8, 2001
This review is from: Adversary (Mass Market Paperback)
The end is nigh, Night is about to Fall. The ogreish Firvulag plot amongst themselves, eager to fight the Final Battle and defeat their Foe once and for all. The elfin Tanu, finally united under their new Golden King, are rapidly changing traditions that have stood for millenia. The scattered Lowlives, once renegade humans hiding in the woods, are forming a third power block, using technology smuggled from the future and the deadly bloodmetal, fatal to the alien races. And high above them all, in her self imposed isolation, reluctant planetary guardian Elizabeth Orm bears the burdens of three races on her tired shoulders. The signs are all around, the portents fulfilled, the NightFall war is coming, and with it, the Adversary - Marc Remillard, Paramount Grand Master Psychic. Rebel. Monster. He was one of the most powerful minds in the future, before he turned against everyone he loved, and led thousands in a war against the peaceful Galactic Milleu. His actions caused the deaths of millions, and he fled through the time gate, hoping to restart his plans with a six million year head start. The Tanu and Firvulag call him The Adversary, but his own people know him as Abaddon - the Angel of the Abyss. His dreams for humanities future led him into its past, and know he stands on the brink of the abyss, torn between his humanity and his destiny mistaken about both.
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