Customer Reviews

Nor Crystal Tears

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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.

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.

This is a very creative first contact story. Told from the alien point-of-view, it illustrates the dangers that prejudice and fear create when alien species first meet.

Foster does a good job of describing a insectoid civilization, and provides great insight into the traits of such a species. It is especially interesting to note the relative relationship of mammals on this world, and the attitudes towards them. This sets the stage for the potential conflict when contact with Earth's humans.

This book holds a mirror up to our own prejudices and attitudes and serves as a cautionary tale about making quick judgements when encountering new cultures. It is all too easy for misunderstandings to create enemies, when patience might lead to understanding and friendship.

After I had blazed my way through all the Flinx/Pip novels that I could find as a teenager (probably about 4-5 of them at that time), I was still hungry for more of the Humanx Commonwealth. What I found in this novel remains one of my favorite first contact stories ever. First contact is usually so intriguing because you view the aliens through human eyes for the very first time; there are often equal parts horror, wonder, excitement, and fear. What is so remarkable at this novel is the way in which you get all those emotions of a first contact, but are seeing it through the compound eyes of someone who is very unlike ourselves. The way this works so well is that you get to know the alien through whom we are seen throughout much of the novel beforehand, so by the time you get to the human contact section, you have already learned to love and trust Tru. It turns the usual first contact inside out.

As usual for Foster, the world building is simply wonderful--his knack at creating interesting, intriguing, believable cultural systems with a few broad brushstrokes is quite impressive. Tru is a wonderful character, somehow bringing this insectoid species into sharp but sympathetic relief, which is no small task.

This remains one of my favorite ADF novels, and I have been happy to recommend this to a lot of friends who are into sci-fi as an overlooked gem. If you enjoy Alan Dean Foster, this is definitely one to seek out. If you enjoy good and original first contact tales, this is also going to be one for you as well. Check it out. You'll be glad you did.

Like many of the other single book stories set in the Humanx universe, this is a great story from start to finish. I was very glad when the "founding of the commonwealth" series came out and knew that this book would really be the foundation of that series as it should be. Having just started the "foundation of the commonwealth" trilogy, I only went a few pages before realizing that I should read this book yet again (and like others here, I have read my first edition copy several times.)

I rate "Nor Crystal Tears" as Alan Dean Foster's best work, and as one of the best books I have ever read. It is a masterfully written story of first contact. With rarely a dull moment, it really is worth reading.

If you haven't read anything by Alan Dean Foster, this is a good place to start.

THIS BOOK WAS A BRILLIANT FIRST CONTACT NOVEL. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! TWO VERY DIFFERENT WORLDS MEET AND CROSS THE BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION. A GREAT BOOK ALL AROUND.

A very nice science fiction novel which explores first contact between two very different alien races and does it from the point of view of both species. The novel is compact and efficient, managing to capture the major political reactions without needing to make them overly byzantine or complex. Conspicuous villains are not on offer. Rather, Foster tackles the origins of prejudice and offers a possible model of moving forward. The book points out that contact between unlike peoples can also offer important opportunities for change within both affected cultures.

The resolution, like the rest of the book, is very gentle. At this point in science fiction and world history it may feel slightly dated or overly hopeful. On the other hand, perhaps a healthy dose of resolvable conflict is a welcome and necessary thing. You decide.

Nor Crystal Tears is a prequel to the extensive Humanx Commonwealth books by Foster. Tears chronicles the first meeting between human and Thranx, as it follows the exploits of an odd Thranx named Ryo. The first half is kinda dull, there is not anything too interesting about the Thranx, actually. The second half, after the humans are introduced (captured really), is marginally better, although a bit inconsistent and far-fetched. Actually, it is pretty easy to believe the alien settings, physiology and even psychology, but the humans were downright unbelievable. A childish (literally) little aside about how wonderful American Indians were and how evil "Cowboys" were, was a bit too much to stomach also.