Last Legends of Earth, The [Hardcover]

A.A. Attanasio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1989

"A grand and glorious visionary epic."-Robert Silverberg *** Set in the artificial planetary system of Chalco-Doror, which is no more and no less than a vast cosmic machine, The Last Legends of Earth is a love story, a gripping saga of struggle against alien control, and an examination of the machinery of creation and destruction. Above all, it is world-building of the highest and grandest order, on a scale rarely seen in science fiction since the great works of Olaf Stapledon.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest novel by Attanasio ( Radix ) partakes of elements of both fairy tale and high-tech science fiction. Billions of years in the future, long after the extinction of humankind and of the planet Earth, humans have been resurrected as pawns in a cosmic power struggle waged in a distant world. Tall and ungainly Chan-ti Beppu, who can expect only a spinster's life in her native land, travels by lynk (a portal joining even remote regions) to the beautiful city of N'ym, where she woos and wins Ned O'Tennis. A fighter pilot, he is one of the Aesirai, a human strain crafted from the genetic code of Earth's Vikings and unmolested by the lethal, spiderlike zotl who prey on all other humans. But when war heats up Ned is called away, and Chan-ti finally must seek her lover in the treacherous Overworld, where no humans are safe. Theirs is an epic love story, intricate, wildly imaginative and touching.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

An epic battle between two alien races spans thousands of years during which a re-constituted human race serves as bait and trap in a war they cannot hope to win. This conclusion to the Radix Tetrad ( Radix Morrow, 1981 ; In Other Worlds LJ 10/15/84 ; Arc of the Dream Bantam, 1986) explores the vast reaches of time from human and inhuman perspectives, and provides a perfect vehicle for the author's boundless imagination. Highly recommended.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 481 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (August 18, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385263929
• ISBN-13: 978-0385263924
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,703,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I love fantasy fiction. I love the courage of the human spirit to invest with real emotion experiences we know are entirely imaginary. And I love all of what 'fantasy' means to poetic thinkers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only the best. A genre all its own!, August 19, 2001

By 

James E. Donnell (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Legends of Earth, The (Hardcover)

This book is simply one of the best. Nothing I have ever read in all of the 500+ books I have consumed (at least half being sci-fi) has come close to the depth and entertainment of this book. Not only does it entertain, but this is one of those few books that truelly makes you think. The sheer scope of the epic is unbeleiveable. It goes through 2 very different primary species on Earth, a group of beings that literaly eat the pain of lower races, an aloof group of beings from another reality out for revenge, it goes on and on. Throughout it all, the central thread is humanity itself.

When you finish reading this book, you won't put it down and pick up another. For days at least, you will just sit back thinking about the book saying "wow that has heavy, but SO great". It is unparalleled at what it is, one of those small genre of Sci-fi books all by its self. The end of time/universe/etc book. Besides the central plot of the book, and all the many subplots, the story actually strives to tell something in its completness and complexity. The book shows the unstoppable power of the human spirit, and humanity as a race's unwillingness to give up or surrender. Infact, at several points thoughout the book, the Rimstalker actually handycaps humanity against the high tech Zolt, fearing that humans would prove too difficult of prey. That would cause the solarsystem sized trap to be unsucsessful.

In summary, simply a beatiful master peice, long neglected. Honestly, I have no idea why this book is not considered one of the great "must reads" of the science fiction world. If you ever see a copy, BUY IT because this great (and unfortunately rare) book is out of print. Enjoy it while you can. One for the ages.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowing Prose, April 14, 2004

By 

Avid Reader (Franklin, Tn) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Last Legends of Earth, The (Hardcover)

As a rule I will not touch Fantasy and this one had several elements of fantasy - the ridiculous, unpronouncable names, the wild beasts, castles, etc But it was packed with science fiction ideas - indeed, it was a mesmerizing, visionary work that seemed written in an exalted, transcendent state.

First of all, the premise was startling. To reassemble living creatures that had been dead for 2 billion years from traces of burned DNA was just so...original. And what made such an impact was how "human" our makers turned out to be and what literal devils the spider foes were. There has never been a more sinister enemy, none more horrifying (the slasher monsters look tame in comparison). For once, the author does not attempt to show understanding or concern or empathy for such evil creatures but treats them like the unimaginable horror they are.

The love affair was wonderful as was the story of the female explorer (the alien) who came to not only understand but empathize and finally side with humanity. The understated character of the story was the captured school teacher who alternated between moments of temporary memory and sorrow and excruciating torture. The novel was a grand experiment that succeeded mightily.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading this is like mainlining endorphines, March 4, 2003

By 

Jeremiah J. Timmins (Laconia, NH USA!) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Legends of Earth (Paperback)

I've just finished this book, and fireworks are still going off in my head. I've never been more swept up by a work of literature as I was by this. The author delivers a book that covers 7,000 years of history, billions of years after Earth's sun goes nova. This is the story of humanity's second chance, under the most unlikely and mind-blowing cause. It won't let you go, from beginning to end. Totally original and mind-blowing. Filled with philosphy about life, death, and time, this is one of the most uplifting sci-fi action adventures ever written.

-- JJ Timmins