Maori [Paperback]

Alan Dean Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1988

One man . . . on the journey of a lifetime. Ship captain and adventurer, his name was Robert Coffin. The native Maori called him Iron Hair. His women called him by other names. In the raw wilderness of New Zealand he had come to forge a nation at the end of the known world . . . only to encounter triumph and tragedy beyond his wildest dreams . . .

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (February 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441519253
• ISBN-13: 978-0441519255
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,810,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Dean Foster's work to date includes excursions into hard science-fiction, fantasy, horror, detective, western, historical, and contemporary fiction. He has also written numerous non-fiction articles on film, science, and scuba diving, as well as having produced the novel versions of many films, including such well-known productions as "Star Wars", the first three "Alien" films, "Alien Nation", and "The Chronicles of Riddick". Other works include scripts for talking records, radio, computer games, and the story for the first "Star Trek" movie. His novel "Shadowkeep" was the first ever book adapation of an original computer game. In addition to publication in English his work has been translated into more than fifty languages and has won awards in Spain and Russia. His novel "Cyber Way" won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990, the first work of science-fiction ever to do so.

Foster's sometimes humorous, occasionally poignant, but always entertaining short fiction has appeared in all the major SF magazines as well as in original anthologies and several "Best of the Year" compendiums. His published oeuvre includes more than 100 books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Epic Historical NOVEL, February 18, 2003

By 

Pam Hanna "wind star" (Thoreau, New Mexico United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Maori (Paperback)

Ever since I saw the movie "The Piano", I've been curious about the Maori of New Zealand. It is assumed that they are descendents of Polynesians, but their culture and character are unique. They are a most intelligent and beautiful people. When the English moved in to colonize, they were much quicker to learn the language and customs of the intruders than the British, Irish, Australians and Germas were to learn about them. So they had a distinct advantage. They had heard what happened to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Australia, Africa and Asia when European Imperialists took over, enslaving and killing the natives and appropriating their land. Inevitably, the same thing happened to the Maoris too but not to such an extent. Forewarned is forearmed.

The story starts in 1839 and spans more than 50 years. It concerns an English sea captain of his times (who nevertheless learned the Maori language), and his sons by his English wife, his Irish mistress and the Maori love of his life.

What bothers me about *Maori* is that it's called an "epic historical fantasy." This is a misnomer since the fantastic elements in it are a matter of historical record. After his epilogue, the author states that,

"Although real and fictional personages mix freely in this tale, the sighting of the death canoe by two separate parties of travelers and the entombment and subsequent rescue and death of the 104-year-old Maori, Tohunga [a shaman] known as Tuhoto, are a matter of historical record."

As is the eruption in 1886 of the volcano Tarawera and the burying of the "eighth wonder of the world", the pink and white limestone terraces that drew sight-seers from all over the 19th century world.

Alan Dean Foster is known primarily as a science fiction writer, so his publishers probably assumed it had to be "historical fantasy." It's an historical novel. Period. I'm amazed that it has received no other Amazon reviews because it's quite simply the best historical novel I've ever read.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical novel, March 13, 2009

By 

C. Brown (Sacramento CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maori (Paperback)

One of Foster's best. It is a great story and I feel that I learned a lot of history.