Customer Reviews

Golden Torc (Saga of the Exiles, Book 2)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Following the fascinating first volume of the Saga of Pliocene Exile was probably a difficult affair, but May pulls it off with almost impossible ease. Somehow she manages to continue the story started in the first book while still having The Golden Torc stand mostly on its own as a separate novel. Of course, reading the first is required, but the continuity is not so dense that new readers can't figure out what's going on.

May keeps the action moving by shuffling all her plots around, and keeping tight rein on the huge cast of characters. Occassionally there are so many that you lose sight of some, but never enough so you lose the story. Julian May shows that none of her characters are safe, killing off some of the original cast, adding some more, and basically keeping the reader guessing to the end.

Better than a sequel, it's a continuation that leaves the reader satisified and at the same time wanting more. Good thing there's a volume three. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear it calling my name . . .

None of the Tanu are operant metapsychially, they all use the Golden Torc to utilise their powers, or even communicate if they have no powers. They realise they are becoming more and more reliant on human technologists, as their own offspring are becoming very hedonistic. The Tanu king commissions Bryan, the anthropologist of Group Green to do a study on the long term ramifications.

Meanwhile, Claude, Stein, Felice, Amerie and Richard are aligned with the human rebels and alien sympathisers.

Elizabeth Orme, an operant, comes to the attention of Brede, a mystical figure, and Aiken Drum sees opportunity for advancement through the upcoming Grand Combat, where the Tanu and their Firvulag alien opponents get to ritually slaughter each other at an annual sporting contest.

The rebels see this as an opportune time to strike.

I first read this series many years ago after a friend recommended it. Ever since, I've been searching in vain for more science fiction fantasy that captures me the way this one did.

The four Pliocene books are, in my opinion, May's best. The others in the Galactic Milieu series run a close second. Her other stuff is so-so, readable but not exceptional. I was struck initially by the story, and also by the quality of the writing. It's so different, and much better, than anything else I've read in the genre, and manages to largely avoid the usual time travel anachronistic and self-referential cliches.

I've recently finished reading the whole thing (including the other Milieu books) yet again, and I'm still amazed and moved by the experience, from the initial familiarity with the need of the misfits to leave, to the ultimate understanding of Atoning Unifex. Tremendous stuff.

Julian May's series are phenomenal, and this book is no exception. The Golden Torc neatly concludes the first half of the Pliocene Exile series, but will leave you wanting more. The characters are fleshed out, the plotlines are advanced.

This series is rich in content, incredibly so. It's delightfully complex, with hundreds of plot threads and references woven together into a compelling tapestry. It's emotionally powerful without being sappy. It's rich in philosophical, historical, cultural, and etymological allusions, and it's meticulously researched. You'll need to flex your brain muscles, but you'll be happy to do it. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll stretch your vocabulary.

Loved this whole series of books. There are lots of interesting personalities that are well-developed. One of the few series that don't have the black/white definitions of good/evil.

As I keep saying, Julian May is unmatched in sci-fi for prose
that is at once flowing and four-dimensional. She makes her worlds seem alive, ultra-real, and her characters are the deepest in the genre. How she somehow managed to create so many characters of such soul in so few pages for this series is beyond me.

I laughed with Aiken Drum, cried with Elizabeth Orme, sympathized with Bryan Grenfell, and trembled at Felice Landry's rage. Our heroes embark on escaping the servitude of the alien, psychically-powered Tanu. The plot thickens, the action escalates, the characters evolve-- some even die, sometimes fulfilled, sometimes not. This is space opera at its finest.

Even secondary characters-- certain alien Tanu that actually sympathize with enslaved human-- are touching. You understand something of their motivations, their soul.

All while reading in disbelief, wondering how May writes such effortless, vivid scenes. Her creativity is unmatched-- the world she sees must have color, sound, texture all magnified to the umpteenth degree.

Yes, you might need a dictionary to read some of her books. But what joy, to learn such new, colorful words, and savor how she uses them!

Rejoin the misfits of Group Green as they struggle to find a new home in the past. The peaceful Pliocene exile they were expecting has turned out very different. The Tanu, an elflike race of alien psychics and their goblinesque cousins the Firvulag battle for dominance in the Many Coloured Land of the distant past, and humanities rejects are caught in the middle. The subtle evolution of plot and character will have you glued to the page, cursing and bemoaning the fate of your favourite character, and we all have at least one!

They didn't fit into the future, what makes you think they'll do any better in the past?

One of the best books I have ever read! Everything in this book, from the ingenius subplots to the characters, is really exquisite! A must buy for all fantasy readers!

This is hands down the best book in the 9 book set. The characters and settings are richly detailed, and your carried through in humorous tones. The climax at the end of this book is by far the best ending out of all the series as well.

Continuing with one group of the characters from The Many-Colored Land, this volume in May's Pliocene Exile series introduces us to Tanu society in greater depth. Catch up with Aiken Drum and Co. as they gradually find their places within this new situation. Watch Elizabeth as she struggles with her destiny. Get the first glimpse of a new power which will make the next two volumes so stressful.

Never before have I read such a coherent and well-considered setting. Too much series fiction either consists of disparate works later retrofitted to a common universe or poorly-realized attempts to emulate Tolkien, etc. May has created a vigorous and exciting world that sucks the reader in and doesn't let go. Check it out!