Diuturnity's Dawn: Book Three of the Founding of the Commonwealth [Hardcover]

Alan Dean Foster (Author)

Book Description

Series: Founding of the Commonwealth | Publication Date: February 26, 2002

In nearly two dozen novels about the Humanx Commonwealth, Alan Dean Foster has fascinated readers with his brilliantly imagined interstellar realm–where humans, thranx, AAnn, and other species strive to work together to put the common good above selfish ends. But renewed efforts at cooperation prove that familiarity breeds contempt. Diuturnity’s Dawn is the third thrilling novel in The Founding of the Commonwealth, a spectacular space adventure that traces the perilous early years of this remarkable universe.

From the beginning, while sharing the Orion Arm of the galaxy, contact between humankind and the thranx has been tenuous at best. Yet nearly a century after first contact, the likelihood of closer human/thranx relations is as far away as ever. Humans still find these insectlike beings physically repulsive, a distaste the thranx return in kind. At times the cordial veneer barely conceals the suspicion and distrust boiling just below the surface.

Yet idealists on both sides refuse to surrender their dreams of achieving a thranx/human alliance. Among the most dedicated are a minor diplomat named Fanielle Anjou and her thranx counterpart. Others intend to make sure such a liaison never comes to pass . . . by any means necessary.

For these xenophobes, the upcoming Humanx Inter-Cultural Fair, the first wholly cross-species event, is a hideous confirmation of their worst fears. Zealots on both sides vow it will be the last of its kind, no matter how many must die. In the coming conflagration Fanielle holds the key to triumph but only if she can outwit those desperate to silence her forever.

Meanwhile, on a faraway planet, the duplicitous AAnn watch intently as archaeologists labor to discover what happened to an advanced human race that perished thousands of years ago. For the answers contain grave consequences for human, thranx, and AAnn alike . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If the idea of big bugs (the thranx) and human-sized snakes (the AAnn) makes you squirm, you'll have fun with bestseller Foster's latest installment (after 2000's Dirge) in his saga of interspecies conflict set in the far reaches of the galaxy. The fanatic Elkanah Skettle, a human, together with his evil thranx associate, Beskodnebwyl, plan to terrorize a huge fair on the planet Dawn, as tensions on another planet build perilously close to war. After some pointless perambulations, two amiable preachers of different species manage to intervene, handily and unconvincingly putting a halt to the nefarious schemes of Skettle and his insectoid partner. Eminently readable the narrative may be, but it rambles on, more concerned with describing body parts (both alien and human) and the various species' responses to each other than with dramatizing the tale through incident and adventure. The action really picks up only when some scientists who have been examining enigmatic sculptures above ground uncover beneath the surface a colossal chamber containing millions of unknown individuals within pods. The bright and winsome heroine, Fanielle Anjou, is a plus, though those fond of the traditional BEMs who lust after human females will lament the failure of the thranx and AAnn to express any sexual interest whatsoever in Fanielle. Younger readers should be particularly enthralled. (Mar. 1)Star Wars, the first three Alien films and Alien Nation.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The conclusion to the Founding of the Commonwealth trilogy cements the affinity of humans and the insectlike Thranx. At first, the Thranx's delicious natural perfume captivated humans; thereafter, people discovered the aliens' dry sense of humor and love of poetry and art. Mutual appreciation for the finer things by the Thranx and at least some humans is the driving force behind the intercultural fair held on the planet Dawn. Meanwhile, on the frontier world Comagrave, an uneasy archaeological alliance of Thranx, humans, and Aan explores the well-kept secrets of the lost civilization of the Saun. After a series of accidents that occur where the Aan are convenient for helping an injured or stranded human, the chief Thranx scientist starts suspecting an anti-Thranx conspiracy. Back on Dawn, such a conspiracy seems to be up and running, for terrorists there plan vicious destruction to crush the infant commonwealth. Unexpected players in this engrossing drama are the brothers, human and Thranx, of the anything but dogmatic United Church, which ministers to both species with laughter and sensitivity. Roberta Johnson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345418654
• ISBN-13: 978-0345418654
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,277,379 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Founding: Book Three, October 14, 2002

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diuturnity's Dawn: Book Three of the Founding of the Commonwealth (Hardcover)

Long after coming to learn that they have more in common than outward appearances would hint at, as well as having joined together to fight a common foe (the Pitar), the Human/Thranx now must fight the most dangerous of enemy. Themselves.

Xenophobe Isolationist Extremists, both Thranx and Human, join together (the irony is not overlooked) to try and destroy the tightening bonds of the growing Commonwealth movement. Meanwhile, on a recently settled planet, unwitting humans are under attack from the devious AAnn. The Terrorist threats eventually dovetail, but sadly to do not come together as well as might have.

ADF's final book in his Founding Trilogy is funny and entertaining, but lacks an energetic spark. His fans should enjoy it, but the tale could have been more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid Foster, but not as good as predecessors, January 9, 2009

By 

Todd Guthrie (Houston, Tx) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Diuturnity's Dawn (The Founding of the Commonwealth, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this book (it is the third book of a trilogy with Phylogenesis and Dirge as the first two), but I found it the weak sister of the group. Foster is certainly prolific, and I enjoy almost all of his work, but I get the impression that he has done so many Pip/Flinx and Humanx Commonwealth books by now he could (and sometimes does) write them in his sleep. I enjoyed some of the prequel tie-ins written into this series (the Tse-Mallory/Zenzuzex linkage introduced in his early book Tar-Aiym Krang is explicated in this series), and the book is written in Foster's usual light but quickly flowing style, but there isn't much new here. Go back to the earlier Flinx and Commonwealth novels for Foster at this best.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars diuturnity's Dawn: Book three of the founding of the commonwealth, January 15, 2007

By 

Robert Hutcheson (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Diuturnity's Dawn : Book Three of the Founding of the Commonwealth (Founding of the Commonwealth, Bk 3) (Hardcover)

Very well written book. Builds on the other two books in the series. Also helps in understanding the series the commonwealth. helps to read the other two books in series but can be understood without reading them.