Customer Reviews

Many-coloured Land (Saga of the exiles)

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

 

 

Ms. May (b. 1931) started her writer career in the early `50s writing two sci-fi short stories. Immediately she changed to writing scientific articles, YA and children literature.

In 1981 she made a dramatic return to sci-fi genre with this book, starting the Pliocene Exile Saga, earning the Locus Award.

The author greatly profit from her scientific background. The descriptions of Pliocene fauna, flora and geography are minutely accurate. Whatever technical subject is used into the story is consistently and believably described: mining, sailing, astronomical orientation, weapon making or hunting.

Does this make the novel boring? By no means! Julian is a wonderful writer and introduces all this stuff with a colorful prose giving substance and deepness to the story.

As to start the tale with sure hand, Ms. May set up every character depicting its entourage, rising, motivations, draw-backs and virtues. Then, with all this neatly tied, she launches the whole bunch into a non-stop adventure in the Pliocene.

You'll be really delighted by this mixture of strange landscape & fauna with alien dimorphic species: Tanu & Firvulag. You'll find people with extraordinary meta-functions active or latent, allying or fending with aliens & kin.

The narration is very straightforward, interesting and never let you down.

In this first volume of the quartet the author close the story very neatly but at the same time leaves enough loose threads as to keep you wanting for more.

Fortunately there IS more to come!

Reviewed by Max

Julian May's scifi novels are among my favorites. Very heady stuff, with a wealth of characters, and rich in detail. It makes you want to live in her world. I credit her with getting me interested in reading again. I've bought the same books several times, as I have stored older copies, and it just becomes easier to buy the books, rather than tear the house apart, trying to find them. I am about to reread her Galactic Milieu series for the 3rd time.

This is what I like to call PsyFi. It's very cerebral, and so enjoyable.