Customer Reviews

Far-seer

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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So long as priests are granted the monopoly of declaring what is moral and what is not, the war of science and religion will never cease. Robert Sawyer here shows how that conflict not only crosses cultural lines, but species ones, as well. Merging the lives of Earth's Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton into one dinosauroid individual, he recapitulates three centuries of striving to understand Nature's secrets. Each worked in fear of the church's displeasure, addressing the absolute monopoly with various levels of success. Sawyer presents Afsan as one determined to reveal truth at whatever cost. Afsan uses the first telescope to examine the heavens, challenging the established tradition of the role of priests and their dogmas. The discoveries are too important to allow the priests to quell them. Afsan knows the future of his race is at stake.

Although Sawyer must compress many people and events into one modestly heroic character, it doesn't detract from the quality of this book. Making dinosaurs into near humans takes a special skill, but Sawyer manages it with little falsity. He exhibits a vivid imagination, but doesn't let it run away with his presentation. While the portrait of a race still using claws for emotional expression and hunting while building a civilization of stone, metal and ships may give the purist pause, Sawyer's story-telling abilities overcomes these doubts. The book remains an entertaining and clever interpretation. For the fullest enjoyment, of course, the next two volumes become mandatory reading.

To borrow a phrase from an earlier review of Far-Seer, Robert Sawyer is the "master of biological speculation." After reading five of this author's books, I'll add my spin on that statement by saying he is the sci fi master, period. Far-Seer is a parable without equal.

Afsan is a simple country saurian, chosen as apprentice to Master Astrologer Tak-Saleed. Afsan enjoys the tranquility and peace of the night sky, entertains solitary thoughts of mysteries, and faces life with gentle humor despite his hunter's instincts. Afsan's world is one of landquakes and erupting volcanoes. His species is Quintaglio - meat eating dinosaurs. Afsan's destiny is set long before his birth.

If you believe it's impossible to sympathize with a dinosaur, think again. You'll be drawn into Afsan's life as I was, experiencing each rite of Quintaglio passage: the thrill of the hunt; his first ocean voyage to see the Face of God; his first encounter with a female. And you'll share his wonder while examining the heavens through a far-seer (telescope); his joy at proving the earth round; his horror when all signs point to the destruction of the world Quintaglios call home.

Robert Sawyer makes it all so real. This is a touching story, personable and intimate and thrilling. The saurian characters are believable as they struggle with the hypocrisies and territorial instincts of civilization. I can scarcely wait to read Books Two and Three.

This is quite simply one of my all-time favorite books. A parable of the conflict between science and religion, Sawyer managed to create a world of such startling believabilty (and familiarity) that there is no need for the suspension-of-belief that most SF/Fantasy novels require a reader to make. You simply step into this world of sentient dinosaurs as naturally as you step out of your door each morning. Within the pages of this book I found myself reliving many of the struggles I have gone through as I sought to understand the world around me. The process of discovery that leads Afsan to conclude that much of what he was taught about the world is wrong (even dangerously so) unfolds over the course of a rip-roaring, high adventure tale. How many other books take you on a thrilling Sauropod hunt and then a few pages later force you to ponder gripping questions of existence, faith and ultimate meaning? The first and easily the best of the "Quintaglio Trilogy," no one interested in dinosaurs, evolution, philosophy and religion should miss this. Do what it takes to get it!At the risk of overstatment I have to conclude by saying that "Far-Seer" is in my opinion one of the finest dino-themed adventures EVER! May it be back in print soon!

Far Seer is the first volume of what became a trilogy of novels that takes place in a world inhabited by saurian beings. This stage is set with the idea of drawing some paralell lines with relevant personnages of our history, but also developing fully independent trains of action. Thus, Far-Seer deals with a character akin to Galileo. In the next two volumes Sawyer will mirror the lives of Darwin and Freud.

Rarely enough, the whole trilogy was been out of print for a while, a fact which is unfortunate. Indeed, I can consider Far-Seer one of my favorite books by Robert Sawyer. Although short, this is a well crafted story with engaging prose and characters. Sawyer manages to create credible and attractive landscapes and consistent cultural traits. Even after considering the fact that the author is mirroring the story of Galileo the imagined situations are good enough to maintain the attention. Although being fully independent, Far-Seer still leaves a thread that is to be followed in the next two installments: Fossil Hunter and Foreigner.
Rating: 3.5

Back in the 1600s, we knew nothing of the heavens and how they truly worked. The Ptolemaic model - that of an earth-centered universe - and the concept that God created everything and maintained an active role in the universe - were accepted unconditionally as the truth. Then Galileo observed for himself the planets, their shapes and phases, and their motions. He challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church, resulting in his trial before the Inquisition and subsequent house arrest for refusing to recant.

"Far Seer" is a Galilean allegory. And Newtonian, and Copernican, and Keplerian.

It uses an intriguing blend of fiction and fact to draw the reader in. Retold here, in painstakingly accurate detail, is the process by which Galileo first turned telescope to the heavens and developed his own model of a heliocentric - sun-centered - solar system. Here we read of the wonder of the Renaissance scientist and his struggle against the church of his day. The story's fictional protagonist struggles against the incumbent religion of his world to the point of threat of death. He is able to bring around a shift in world-view only after suffering personal injury , valuing the truth above his own life.

We realize the suffering the real Galileo must have endured. But here, too, is the unwavering logic that is modern astronomy. The shifting phases of the planets; the rings of Saturn; the tidal forces that give rise to those rings; the earth-shattering (pun intended) consequences for moons of large planets. It's all here, explained in a way that the layperson can understand.

After reading this book, I gained a new insight into the lives of astronomy's pioneering minds. My lifetime interest in the topic, due to the nature of available materials, rarely ventures into the scientist's private life. This is a book I can recommend not just to the dedicated SF fan or dinosaur lover, but to those who want to know how astronomy developed from its astrologic beginnings to the inexact but beautiful science it is today.

Robert Sawyer excels at creating alternate worlds that go beyond the mere description and set consistent, functional even logical in their own context societies and sentient beeing relations (I was about to say human relations but their mostly non human). In this book the dinosaurs society with all the impact of ther genetic legacy and evolved cosmology is so credible that one wonders how come we haven't found them yet. I agree with one of the previous reviewers in that if a weak point must be named it should be the main character specially when it goses from Galileo to a mixture of Jesus and Cesar. For another (and IMHO even better) alternate world from Sawyer I strongly recomend you try the Neanderthal trilogy (Hominid-Human-Hybrid)

There are so few books out there that when you read them you never want to put it down. Robert Sawywer's Far-Seer is one such book, The story is highly emotional, exciting and riviting of the clash of science and religion. I highly recommend this trilogy. Robert Sawyer does a perfect job wiriting of Afsan an aspiring astromer his discoveries and his ultimate dilemma he faces when he must convince and help his people.

Great book, told entirely from the point of view of a world of intelligent dinosaurs. No human beings in it at all (heck, no MAMMALS at all!). But the characters Sawyer draws are as real as any you've ever read, and the book is loads of fun. Should appeal to adults and to the YA crowd as well. Enjoy!

Far-seer (1992) is the first SF novel in the Quintaglio Ascension series. Although not mentioned in the novel itself, the back cover states that aliens transplanted dinosaurs (and other species) from Earth to another world over sixty-five million years ago. Now one type of dinosaur has achieved intelligence and the beginnings of the scientific method.

The new world has only one known continent in the middle of a global ocean. Most Quintaglios believe that this continent is floating in a huge River among the stars. The prophet Larsk has discovered that sailing upstream -- east -- in the River will bring one to a position where the Face of God can be seen.

In this volume, Asfan is an apprentice astrologer. His master is Tak-Saleed, the Royal Astrologer, a very contrary and overbearing Quintaglio. But he has done some brilliant work.

Asfan has wanted to be an astrologer since he discovered the night sky. He has been an apprentice to Saleed longer than any of the previous six. Yet sometimes he just has to get away from his master and be alone. On those occasions, he goes to a hillside outside the Capitol on an even night (when almost everyone is sleeping) to watch the stars and other celestial objects pass overhead.

Returning from one such escape, Asfan finds his master arguing with a former crechemate. After commenting on his (usual) tardiness, Saleed introduces Asfan to Captain Var-Keenir, a legendary shipmaster. Asfan is very impressed, for everybody has heard about Keenir and his ship, the Dasheter.

After Keenir leaves, Saleed mentions the device that they had been arguing about: a tube with lens at both ends that makes distant objects appear closer. Saleed dismisses this so-called "far-seer" as unnecessary to a practicing astrologer; everything he would need to know is recorded in the works of the ancients.

When Asfan grows enthusiastic at the thought of using the far-seer for a closer look at the moons and the Face of God, Saleed accuses him of blasphemy and sends him to the Hall of Worship to make penance. There Det-Yebalb, the High Priest, talks to him about taking his pilgrimage to observe the Face of God and suggests that he attend his first Hunt before he takes the pilgrimage.

On the Hunt, Asfan performs an extraordinary feat to bring down a thunderbeast, a vegetarian dinosaur with a huge body, long neck and small head. The story is circulating in the Capitol before he regains consciousness. After he recovers, it soon is time to leave on the Dasheter for his pilgrimage.

He is accompanied by Prince Dybo, a close friend. Yet Asfan has an audience with the Empress in which she explains that Dybo can go, but Asfan had better make sure that Dybo returns alive and well. Asfan is very impressed by the intensity of the Empress.

In this story, Asfan and Dybo sail east -- upstream -- across the River toward the Face of God. The journey outbound is long -- 130 days -- before they reach a position under the enormous Face. Asfan is kept busy doing ship chores, but Keenir also allows him to use the far-seer. Asfan spends most of his free time looking at the objects in the night sky or examining the Face of God.

Asfan's observations lead him to certain conclusions that he believes will destroy the current religion. Later, he meets Wab-Novoto, maker of the far-seer, and learns even more. When Asfan returns to the Capitol, the Empress has died in an accident and Dybo is now Emperor.

Asfan discovers that Saleed is not within his office, but is home sick. Although Asfan doesn't want to admit it, Saleed is old and dying. They have one more conversation and Asfan becomes determined to tell his new truths at all costs. Even when he is accused of being a demon and imprisoned in a makeshift cell, Asfan refuses to waver.

Since this is a trilogy, this story reveals the backstory and sets the hook for the sequels. The historical impacts of both Copernicus and Magellan are compressed into a single voyage. Great things should continue to occur in the coming volumes.

The concept of intelligent dinosaurs is not unique to this author. Harry Harrison used the same idea in his Eden series, an alternate history where dinosaurs became a sapient species and mankind never developed. However, the Quintaglio Ascension series sets up an unusual motivation for technological development.

Highly recommended for Sawyer fans and for anyone else who has missed this tale of astronomical discovery and church politics.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Back in 1992, Robert J. Sawyer altered how science fiction was perceived, with a very unknown novel about sentient dinosaurs as an allegory not only to Galileo, but also to the Catholic Church. There were very few speculative works that used science, religion and cleverly designed non-human characters to build an entire world, and after the publication of Sawyer's '92 novel, he continued the line into a trilogy, now known as the Quintaglio Ascension, with each book taking another stance on religion and using a main character who anthropomorphizes the work of important scientific figures (Darwin and Freud).

_Far-Seer_ is now back in print, in a larger format with a better layout and cover design; even the Map has been updated. The story is the same as the original mass-market paperback, but if you have not picked up this series from Hugo- and Nebula-Award winning novelist, it's time to start.

Afsan, an apprentice astronomer, ventures out as part of his step into adulthood to gaze fully upon The Face of God, the large heavenly body that is on the opposite side of their world from their homeland. His quest for knowledge has Afsan viewing the different smaller bodies that revolve around The Face of God, and soon he determines that the Quintaglio history of God, their home being the center of the universe, and their entire existence, does not match with his observations.

Afsan must now determine whether this information should be shared, and save his kind from destruction, or kept to himself in fear of retaliation of disrupting years of religious doctrine. The only help he has is the Emperor Dybo, a dear friend of his, his master Saleed, and his far-seer, which helped him in determining the composition of the heavens.

_Far-Seer_ is a departure from formulaic and mainstream science fiction, and it's wonderful that this series is now back in print. With _Fossil Hunter_ and _Foreigner_ due out before the end of 2005, readers can collect these remarkable books, the first trilogy from the author of the Hugo-Award winning _Hominids_ (part of the Neanderthal Parallax with _Humans_ and _Hybrids_).

A definite must-have!