Nor Crystal Tears [Hardcover]

Alan Dean Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

Recounts the history of the relationship between humans and the insect-like Thranx, as seen through the eyes of a young agricultural expert--and a Thranx--named Ryo. Originally in paperback.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Before Man and insectlike Thranx had become allies, when the reptilian AAnn were just occasional raiders of Thranx colony worlds, one young Thranx agricultural expert lived a life of quiet desperation.
A dreamer in a world of sensible, stable beings, Ryo buried himself in his work -- reclaiming marshland from a tenacious jungle -- until he came across a letter describing a relative's encounter with horrid, two-legged, soft-skinned space-going beasts . . . --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Alan Dean Foster work to date includes excursions into hard science-fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous non-fiction articles on film, science, and scuba diving, as well as having produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as Star Wars, the first three Alien films, Alien Nation, and The Chronicles of Riddick. Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, computer games, and the story for the first Star Trek movie. His novel Shadowkeep was the first ever book adapation of an original computer game. In addition to publication in English his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science-fiction ever to do so.

Foster's sometimes humorous, occasionally poignant, but always entertaining short fiction has appeared in all the major SF magazines as well as in original anthologies and several "Best of the Year" compendiums. His published oeurve includes more than 100 books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727845640
• ISBN-13: 978-0727845641
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,838,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Dean Foster's work to date includes excursions into hard science-fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous non-fiction articles on film, science, and scuba diving, as well as having produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as "Star Wars", the first three "Alien" films, "Alien Nation", and "The Chronicles of Riddick". Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, computer games, and the story for the first "Star Trek" movie. His novel "Shadowkeep" was the first ever book adapation of an original computer game. In addition to publication in English his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel "Cyber Way" won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science-fiction ever to do so.

Foster's sometimes humorous, occasionally poignant, but always entertaining short fiction has appeared in all the major SF magazines as well as in original anthologies and several "Best of the Year" compendiums. His published oeuvre includes more than 100 books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Alan Dean Foster I read... still a favorite, August 4, 2001

By 

Zed - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nor Crystal Tears (Paperback)

I read this when it first came out... ages ago. It was my first Alan Dean Foster novel and got me hooked. I still have the book, and while the cover is a bit tattered, I still read it every few years.

The main character in this novel is an alien and we get to learn and experience his world through his eyes. It's only later in the book do we get to encounter the real aliens, humans, and what transpires when these two very different races meet and try to understand each other. A great read, with great perspective and characters.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Meeting of Man and Thranx, February 21, 2010

By 

Jeff Van Gastel (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

"Nor Crystal Tears" is the prequel in the Commonwealth series by Alan Dean Foster. It was not the first book written in the series, but is the starting point for reading about the Commonwealth Universe.

This novel is about the first contact between Man and Thranx, a grasshopper insect like creature. The story is told from the point of view of the alien Thranx, with Ryozenzuzex (Ryo for short) narrating. Ryo hears of a rumor describing a first contact between his Thranx and an alien species. The first part of the book deals with his adventures in making his way through the Thranx world to find these "aliens". Ryo meets up with an older Thranx philosopher, Wu, and involves him in his adventure. Eventually, the wind up at a military base and discover the aliens who "wear their insides on the outside of their body".

The second half of the book details the relationships between Ryo and the humans he helps escape from his Thranx world, which eventually leads to his capture by Humans on an orbiting space station.

I enjoyed the viewpoint with which Foster takes in this book. It was interesting to see how Humans are viewed in the Thranx's eyes. How scary we are to different alien races, and how are minds are so different and illogical compared to aliens. This was my first book I read in the Commonwealth series, and I hope the rest are as well-written as this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good first contact and a good place to start., March 6, 2005

By 

Hunter Guillory "Tasrill" (Starkville, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nor Crystal Tears (Mass Market Paperback)

More than ten years after first reading it and having read many other first contact books this one is still my favorite. While doing first contact from an aliens view has been done more realisticly, such as the The Chanur Saga, none has done it quite as fun. Foster has an ability to capture both seriousness and fun in his writing and this book in no exception. This book is a good jumping off point for potential Fosterites and a great book for long time fans.