A Miracle of Rare Design: A Tragedy of Transcendence [Paperback]

Mike Resnick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

Visiting the planet Medina to satiate his fascination with the golden-skinned natives, Xavier William Lennox is captured and tortured for his curiosity and vows to learn what it is that the aliens are so desperate to hide. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Resnick's Kirinyaga saga polarized readers, who generally found the author's obsessions with African cultures either racist or fascinating. By contrast, this new novel, disappointing despite its clever main conceit, likely will leave most readers indifferent as Resnick moves his focus away from an identifiable subtechnological culture and toward a series of alien worlds. When, in order to observe a forbidden temple ritual, Xavier William Lennox disguises himself as a "Firefly" (a member of an alien species that, though vaguely humanoid, has wings and skin that takes on a nocturnal glow), he is discovered, hideously mutilated and swiftly handed back to his own society. Since Lennox is an "exceptionally willful, stubborn, self-centered man," however, when he is offered the opportunity to undergo painful surgery that will reconstruct his body in the image of a Firefly's, in order to become an ambassador to and spy against the aliens, he returns to their planet of Medina. But the conclusion of this particular mission finds Lennox suffering from severe depression, so he allows his body to be reshaped for further missions in increasingly outlandish ways until he gradually sheds his humanity along with his appendages. Resnick's greatest strength has always been his ability to create vivid and imaginative cultures, but here he spends so little time in each of his worlds that they, like his alien Fireflies, seem to flicker only momentarily before fading away.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

As a scholar/adventurer obsessed with immersing himself in alien cultures, Xavier William Lennox seems ideal for a "first contact" mission designed to acquire valuable mineral rights from the natives of the planet Medina. Biologically altered to mimic a firefly-similar in appearance to this world's indigenous inhabitants-Lennox succeeds a little too well in his mission as he becomes addicted to the thrill of acquiring supra-human perceptions and abilities. Although opening up alien worlds to human exploitation is a recurring theme in Resnick's novels (e.g., Inferno, LJ 10/15/93), seldom does he focus so intently on the personal cost to the individuals involved. At once a compelling sf adventure and a study of humanity's greed for knowledge, this title is recommended for most sf collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Assoc Llc (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812524241
• ISBN-13: 978-0812524246
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,652,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good writing, too short, March 14, 2006

By 

Spencer Drager (Pottstown, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Miracle of Rare Design: A Tragedy of Transcendence (Paperback)

Resnick's ability to create alien species and cultures is well developed and written, but he seemed to skip over time rapidly, sometimes leaving out details I felt would've made the book much more interesting. Also, the amount written about each species the main character becomes less and less. This is dissapointing because each species is as unique as the one before it.

Firefly - 60 pages
Hawkhorns - 17 pages
Wheeler - 11 pages
Singer - 8 pages

This book should've been twice its length to cover all of the species more thoroughly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Search For Self In An Alien Environment, May 18, 2004

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Miracle of Rare Design: A Tragedy of Transcendence (Paperback)

One of Mike Resnick's better paperback releases is A MIRACLE OF RARE DESIGN. The strength of Resnick's work makes that quite a compliment. Fans of Resnick's science fiction will really enjoy this book.

Xavier William Lennox is a writer specializing in exposes of alien cultures. On Medina, he went too far to observe a sacred ritual and is brutally tortured to the edge of death. While recuperating, the Office of Alien Affairs tells him he has a chance to go back. They can surgically transform him into a Medinan. He goes. Now he can study Medina more closely than any culture he has seen before.

Being a Medinan does not give full understanding however. Lennox leaves but is fascinated with his alien body. Now continuing to work for the Office of Alien Affairs, lennox is given new bodies. Each one has its strong and weak points. And each one takes Lennox further from his humanity. Each change is less satisfying, but returning to human would be unbearable. Lennox continues to sink lower until he finally finds a place for himself. This book is aptly subtitled A Tragedy of Trancendance. And a tragedy it is, but a fascinating tragedy. I strongly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reminded me of the commonwealth, June 25, 2001

By 

David Brown (VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Miracle of Rare Design: A Tragedy of Transcendence (Paperback)

Does a good job of making you feel like part of an expanding galactic empire. Reminded me of Alan Dean Foster. Does a good job of describing 4 different aliens. Gets into a couple of their cultures. Describes different ways of sensing the world, and the resulting impact. We see our hero's changing personality as he comes back transformed to interact with humanity again. Thought provoking and still a fast paced read.