Customer Reviews

The Eye of the Queen

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Set in the not-so-distant future, the earth has explored most of its neighboring star systems. A surprise comes when the earth is suddenly visited by the first extra terrestrial species that posesses superior technology. Marius Thorndyke and Tomas Mnaba, contact linguists from earth, travel to the planet of the super race and encounter answers to the ultimate questions of mankind. Very engaging, stunning visuals, imaginative dialogue and characters. Very well worth reading, if you can get a copy.

Having read and enjoyed "Wulfsyarn", I decided to try this one out. The two have a couple similarities. They each feature significant roles for aliens, and each is told in a calmly detached style. The dominant effect of "Wulfsyarn" was the unexpected emotional response it evoked, despite the detached telling of the story. This one doesn't pack the same punch in that regard. It aims for, and achieves, a consistent strangeness that creates a convincing portrait of what one possible alien culture could look like. The aliens are the stars here. They are fascinating throughout, and Mann managed to keep me interested and involved in their story. This despite the absence of anything familiar about them with which to connect. The story is executed with a sure hand and the writing is solid enough to overcome the necessary slowness of it. The pace is similar to "Wulfsyarn" and it shares, in part, a similar narration approach. This one is told by a friend and co-worker of the main character, who also shares journal entries of that character. We are told in the beginning that the friend, Marius Thorndyke, has died. The story reveals the events that culminate in that event.

Thorndyke and his friend, Tomas Mnaba, are earth-born contact linguists. Thorndyke, who is retired at the beginning, is considered the best there is. He is asked to respond to the planet Pe-Ellia, to study an unusually intelligent species there. He and Mnaba agree to go, without knowing the true purpose of their visit. They believe they are going to forge some understanding between humans and Pe-Ellians. The Pe-Ellians are stranger than they can imagine, and their motives are far more complex than the humans can know. The Pe-Ellians seem superior to humans in many ways. But they have important weaknesses, and the mission may ultimately determine the future of the two races. The story and the answers are complex, and there is nothing traditional about events that occur.

Here's an odd observation. The as-yet fictional idea of the existence of aliens, and human contact with them, has an authentic feel here. One can imagine the discovery of beings like these, if popular culture and hollywoood portraits can be set aside for awhile. I found that I was always grasping for something familiar to grab on to, or to relate to, as these aliens were developed. I believe that may have been Mann's point. Humans will, by nature and necessity, search for the familiar. Without it, they will manufacture it as a means to understand. These memorable aliens defy understanding, until the very end. Their interest, we learn, is very human indeed when all is said and done. The book ends, but the impressions for the reader last. Read this to be challenged, and entertained.

I picked up this book second hand without any particular expectation ands was really surprised how good it was. The picture that Phillip Mann portrayed had excellent depth and forethought. The story progressively revealed a coherent view into an alien way of existence that I have rarely encountered (and kept wanting to read more). It made me immediately want to look for other titles by this author. Well done Mr Mann.

I read a fair amount of science fiction and know how much trash is out there. This book really stands out for its good writing, interesting plotting, and imaginative speculation. This is one of the better realized alien cultures in this genre. I Enjoyed this book a lot and recommend it, also, if you can find it.

I had never heard of Phillip Man before reading Wulfsyarn but while reading it I was unexpectedly impressed with the level of humanistic writing Mann was capable of. His usage of the journal-like device was fascinating and I searched for his most acclaimed novel Eye of the Queen soon after.

Using a more pronounced device of the journal-like narrative, the style is captivating in its detail and chronological unfolding. The journal of Thorndyke chronicles his contact from beginning to end with the alien species Pe-Ellia, through the initial contact, the first awkward days on the new planet and the dismissal of his subordinate Tomas. The thirty-eight journal entries are often accompanied by Tomas's commentary on the specifics of each matter or historical background. This duo-layered journal device imbues the novel with rich detail spread out for the reader to mull over and consume.

The Pe-Ellia species are difficult to wrap your head around, seeming to be as alien as the title implies. Yet their commonality in their spiritual devotion and altruistic aura unveils a human-like base to touch. The Contact Linguists they both are, the road to understanding their alien counterparts must be lightly tread for risk of giving offense. The penultimate guide for this contact was established by Thorndyke but we witness him withdrawing from the very procedures he established. This alarms Tomas but, being the subordinate, he continues to chronicle the visit.

Mann seems to be able to create a humanistic character (like Wilberfoss in Wulfsyarn and here with Thorndyke) and allow the reader to sympathize with the self-styled human he has created in the pages. Certainly, these two characters are well developed but then they become a sort of empty husk, unsubstantiated by personal and external conflicts- the level of sympathy is always on the rise.

For fantastic insight and intimate detail, I can hardly look at any other author with the same passion Mann exudes in both Wulfsyard and Eye of the Queen. This is the pinnacle of humanistic science fiction along with Eric Brown's The Fall of Tartarus and J.G. Ballard's Vermilion Sands.