Customer Reviews

BEOWULF'S CHILDREN.

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The trio of authors involved in this have to be commended for not basically rewriting the first book with different characters, which I think is what a lot of people expected/hoped for considering the hostile reviews this (and "The Gripping Hand" another sequel in the same vein) have garnered. Of course they can't capture the magic of the first book because that was all about the shock of the new . . . but they gamely try here and almost succeed. If you haven't figured it out yet, reading this book is absolutely useless without first having at least a passing knowledge of the Legacy of Heorot, this expands the story twenty years beyond the end of that book (one of the problems is that there was no pressing need for a sequel, the first book wrapped itself up fairly well and neatly) and follows new and old characters as a new generation grows up on the planet of Avalon and gets ready to grab the torch and settle the planet. The Grendel Wars of twenty years ago are long forgotten and the generation gap is in full force here with the "Earthborn" and "Starborn" undergoing quite a bit of friction with each other. This book is highly entertaining and you'll find yourself devouring large chunks of it in a sitting, it's not a weighty philosophical book, mostly adventure with a bunch of science thrown in to dazzle the readers. Part of the problem is it tries to be everything at once and winds up being gigantic without really satisfying any of those parts. It's a scientific exploration of Avalon, delving into the flora and fauna with typical Niven zeal, and I have to admit his ideas are dazzling, the place feels both alien and familiar at the same time. But it's also a vague attempt at social commentary, with the more conversation adults warring with the far more liberal values of their children . . . however there's also a big focus on sex for no apparent reason. They handle the large cast well and while it's hard to get a feel for the newer group, a lot of the older characters are deepened by this treatment, especially Cadmann, who while being the hero was very one note at times. Lastly it's a tense adventure thriller but the tension never really develops until the end and while it is rewarding, you spend a lot of time wondering where this is all eventually going. The resolution is a tad fuzzy, especially when it comes to motivations but those are all just quibbles. The book may not win any awards but it's well crafted and enjoyable for all its bulk and a welcome revisiting of a fascinating planet. Those wanting to go beyond The Legacy may want to look here but don't expect a carbon copy.

I picked up The Legacy of Heorot the predecessor to this book a few months ago and read it thinking that it was a standalone piece. While browsing for books I found this sequel and grabbed it up having enjoyed the first book. Obviously, if you haven't read the first book go check out the reviews for it before reading any further.

The second book picks up about twenty years give or take after the events of the first. The next generation has grown into their own and are faced with the fact that their parents are much too cautious in exploring their adopted homeworld. Their parents, the characters from the first book, have built up their own system for making decisions. This takes into consideration their experiences with Grendals in the first book and the fact that most to varying degree were affected by their trip to the planet in hibernation. In the words of their children they have ice on their minds.

The new generation of children includes some that were embryos brought from earth born from artificial wombs. These children were raised among the colonists without a strict mother and father. The standout among these now grown bottle babies is Aaron Tragon. His leadership of the new generation is what sends them out to explore the unknown main continent.

Cadmann Weyland and the original group of colonists struggle to deal with the differing attitudes of this new generation which leads to conflict. The hostile nature of the planet itself comes into play as well giving this book a tense edge as after having seen the events of the first book the reader is left wondering what other dangers lurk on the main continent. When those dangers come to the fore they make for exciting and fascinating moments.

Overall the book is well thought out and a very good continuation of the previous storyline. Niven always seems to do his best work partnered with others, Pournelle and Barnes being the two that he has worked with the most. This book is no exception to this, although the focus on the hedonism of the younger generation doesn't seem to have much of a point and doesn't really go anywhere except to possibly outline the cultural differences between the Earthborn and Starborn. Other than that the book is tight and well crafted. I actually found it to be better than the first one overall.

The book's central conflict is resolved well, but there seems to be room for another sequel. Hopefully we will see that soon.

I'd probably give the book 4.5 stars as the original would get 4 and this one is slightly better.

The sequel to Legacy of Heorot(LOH), takes you back to Avalon 25 years after the Grendel Wars. The community is split between the orginal settlers and the "Star Born". This rift is evident during the novel, and only gets larger. The colonists finally take a step to settle the mainland, in which they meet a deadly new "Avalon Surprise". Unfortunately, this book lacks the raw intensity and power of LOH. The book plays more on social structures and issues. On the positive side, the book does create an intersting new threat found on Avalon, and makes you wonder if there will be a sequel.

We all knew that "Legacy" is an extremely difficult act to follow. Unfortunately, the pressure that the authors were under shows on Beowulf. It is strained and patchy. May be the society that evolved on Avalon is too futuristic to make sense to us but trying to sound outlandish just by strange sexual rituals feels a bit naive.

Not that there are some good efforts at trying to come up with good ideas. I liked the parts from grendel's viewpoint best. And there is even an attempt at the explanation of how intelligence might have come about (at least for grendels): disease.

Unfortunately, the suspense is lacking. The mysterious killers that are repelled by (I won't say what it is for people who may read the book) .... are no surprise, really. Although the ecology of Avalon is explained in detail I still had to push myself hard to imagine the planet. I didn't have that problem with Legacy. The telling was so graphic, I felt immersed in the first novel of the series.

The characters are vaguely defined. I usually develop strong feelings such as "like and hate" for the main characters in any book I read. With Beowulf, this was very difficult. I couldn't even visualize them. They are too thinly spread, in my opinion.

Still, for any lover of the Legacy, this is a must read. Just don't raise your expectation too high or you will be as dissapointed as me. IF there is another book to come (and I must say I hope there isn't because I don't see how they will be able to recover after losing so many critical characters and not being able to create any new ones with real substance) I hope they do a better job of it.

One final remark: the edition that I read was horrible. There were several mistakes. It was sloppy work and this added to the disappointment I felt.

The 3 stars I am giving may even be too much, but I'm doing it out of my respect for Larry Niven who happens to be one of my favourite authors along with David Brin. I I hope your next one is better Mr. Niven.

A very large disappointment both as a sequel to "Legacy" and being written by Niven and Pournelle. The description of inheritance of aquired traits among the colonists surprised me as you can generally count on Niven and Pournelle to keep the science at least not obviously wrong. The book describes raising children from frozen ova in a manner would have resulted in a collection of sociopaths making the book totally unbelivable. Weird for the sake of weird is no substitute for a plot. In "Destiny Road" Niven wrote about contact being lost with the Avalon colony. I took that as an apology for what he knew to be an appallingly bad book.

I count myself as a big Niven fan, having read most of his major solo books and several of his collaborations.

Like most Niven fare, this one has very solid scientific extrapolation, which makes the setting of the story, an Earth-like world called Avalon, absolutely believable. However, whereas "Legacy of Heorot" was a fast-paced and horrifically engaging monster thriller, its sequel is a gentler, more meandering story that focuses primarily on the conflicts and ambitions of the human colonists of Avalon, with the Grendels and the other dangerous Avalonian lifeforms taking something of a back seat.

Yes, we're still treated to a great many Creature Features, with unlucky/unwary human characters falling prey to this or that Avalonian beastie. The answer to the book's basic question, "What eats Grendels?", is actually given in the opening chapters, and is not too hard to figure out if you think a little outside the box. Ultimately, the writers attempt to fuse two climaxes into one--humans versus nature and humans versus humans--with mixed results.

I found the fate of the main human antagonist to be particularly disappointing and unbelievable, but all in all, having read "Heorot" beforehand, I think "Beowulf's Children" was a nice return safari through the wilds of an alien world that is as well designed and as interestingly executed as any in science fiction. The book also asks some pointed questions about human sociology and generational conflict in a community that has been utterly cut off from the world which originally spawned it.

This continuance of the excellent story of The Legacy of Heorot is a huge disappointment, full of editing errors and downright sloppy writing. I was amazed that I considered not finishing a book with Niven's name on the cover, but after the zillionth dredging up of sexual mores among the colonists and useless paragraphs devoted to coffee (which contained glaring factual errors), I was almost fed up. I don't believe Niven nor Pournelle had much to do with this project and that their names appear solely to command $4 per word from the publisher. Their respective writing styles are absent except for some obvious cut and paste operations, and the book is a dismal failure. Barnes is written all over this book and it shows

This is the sequel to the former Legacy of Heorot novel, also called the Dragons of Heorot, I think, and unfortunately it is not as interesting.

The older generation begin to have health problems from all that they have endured, so a serious generation gap develops between those born locally, and those not.

So, the book mostly is about the difference in cultural attitudes between the two, and the new kids wanting to go their own way.

if you loved the legacy of heorot, you should only be mildly dissapointed by this sequel, which is pretty good, just not jaw droppingly good like the first one. i'll give it 4 stars because i have a soft spot for this kind of thing. grendel guns, minerva landers, indeed.

I loved Legacy of Heorot. I was sadly disappointed in the sequel. The major plot line is promising enough. The children of the original characters believe it is time to move off the colonized island and make their own colony on the mainland.

I still like all the original characters. The children, who by the way are one and all superintelligent, are less likeable. And nobody has noticed the the most superintelligent of them all is socialpathic. He is also extremely handsome, a karate expert, a computer expert, an expert marksman and the absolute best at anything that anyone can do.

The best part of the original book was the grendel monster. In this book they are just routine, barely a threat to anyone who pays attention. The new threat is unseen, after an entrance early in the book it remains just a mystery to be solved.

The big attack doesn't happen till page 466 and by page 489 everyone lives happily ever after.

I feel bad giving Larry and Jerry a bad review, but this sequel, like the Gripping Hand, is not worthy of the original.