Customer Reviews

Orn

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

 

 

A book to provoke a number of theories,none of which are in agreement with Darwin`s theory of evolution.Trully, a book to require a new train of thought,and to inspire the reader to consider the possibility of what is now an acceptable belief, of alien intervention in the natural order of things.An interesting fictional hypothesis, that could rival the age old proverb. "Truth is stranger than fiction."An incredibly inspiring read for those with inquiring minds,who also love science fiction.As dictated to me,by my mother,who read this book in 1976,and asked me to write this review in the year 2000. Sincerely, Shanan Price

This is the middle book of the Viscous Circle of Man and Manta set. The first book in the set, Omnivore, introduces both the three main human characters, Cal, Veg, and Aquilon, and a set of rather unique beings, the mantas, who are intelligent, single footed, one-eyed, and members of the fungoid family. Reading the first book of this set prior to this one is not totally required, though it would help with the beginning of this book, which is a direct continuation from the end of Omnivore.

Cal, Veg, Aquilon, and four of the mantas are sent on a mission to a newly discovered world (via a transfer mechanism whose operation is not yet completely understood) to determine the world's suitability for human habitation. Cal quickly determines that this world is not 'new', but is rather our Earth of some sixty-five million years ago, the Paleocene age, just after the age of dinosaurs and the beginning of the age of mammals. But within this world there is also something that doesn't quite fit that age: a large, intelligent, flightless bird, Orn.

Orn is definitely the best part of this book, as he doesn't think like we do, but rather navigates his world via 'racial memory' - built into his genes are those experiences of all his ancestors that have happened frequently enough to be so imprinted. This is an idea that most biologists think is very unlikely, but it certainly makes for a very different life form whose actions and 'thoughts' are nevertheless very understandable.

There is an inevitable meeting between Orn and the humans, occurring in a physically isolated enclave where some of the dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous have managed to survive. The interactions between all of these beings is properly driven by each being's character, from Veg as a confirmed vegetarian to Cal's emphasis on logic and survival of the fittest, and only near the end of the book does it take on larger aspects as the Earth authorities try to exert control over the group.

Thematically, this book is a further investigation, which was started in Omnivore, into the morality of killing others to ensure your own survival, here looked at both from the point of view of evolutionary demands and on the individual level, from herbivore to omnivore. At times this book gets a little too bogged down in scientific details (such as the differences between various classes of mollusks), and the portrayed mind-set of the Earth authorities seems a little too harsh to be totally believable, but in general this is a good action-adventure set in environment where dinosaurs are not only believable but are properly portrayed in both their strengths and weaknesses.

Anthony closes the book with an appendix that defines his own thoughts on how and why the dinosaurs died out. Written before the confirmation of the iridium layer and the Yucatan crater, his ideas still make a good addendum to the catastrophic theory of their demise, even though he specifically denies 'catastrophe' as the primary cause.

This is probably the best of the three books of the triptych, greatly enlivened by the unique viewpoint that Orn brings to it, and is a far more serious effort than his Xanth books. Written very early in his career, it shows the kind of inventiveness and good understanding of human motivation that makes for enlightening reading.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

A great book (worth 5 stars easily) is totally ruined by the formatting mistakes (or rather, lack of formatting) and the amazing number of misspelled words in it (thus the one star rating). Apparently, it was done by someone who doesn't know how to read or how to format sentences or paragraphs. Extremely disappointing. I hope Piers lays into whoever did this.

The mantas are back along with our old friends and new agents! Better than Omnivore but the star rating only goes to 5.

Reviewed by Joe Graham for Reader Views (10/06)

Piers Anthony is a name that is known to the fans of science fiction, and Anthony has chosen to reprint his "Of Man and Manta" series that was originally printed in the late sixties and early seventies. "Orn" is Book Two in the series, but it certainly can stand alone and the reader can read and enjoy Book Two without reading Book One, but after being engaged by the characters in Book Two, they may find themselves compelled to read Book One and Book Three.

Three scientists, two men, Cal and Veg and one woman, Aquilon, have been sent to map the flora and fauna of an unknown planet. Along with them are several fungoid creatures called Mantas. When they arrive on the planet, they discover a world that is virtually identical to Earth, but the Earth of the Paleocene period which was the beginning of the advance of mammals and they begin to call the planet Paleo. At first, they believe they have experienced some kind of time travel, but they ultimately believe they are on a parallel planet that is an earlier stage of development.

The scientists find an enclave where some of dinosaurs have managed to survive and they also come in contact with a large wingless bird, Orn, which two of the humans develop a rapport with. The scientists quickly come in conflict with each other when they realize that their mission is to report back to Earth if the planet is habitable so the planet and its resources can be exploited by Earth. It was interesting to me that even though the book was initially written in 1968, it sounds like it could have been written today with the concerns we have today with what man is doing to our Planet Earth.

The woman Aquilon says "Colonization would destroy Paleo as it is, you know that. They'd decide the dinosaurs were a menace to tourists or navigation or something, and wipe them out." This sounds very similar to some of the debates going on in our society today as we try to protect some of our wild areas and species.

I enjoyed the book, the description of the animals and plants of the Paleocene era appealed to my biology teacher side teaching me things that I did not know, but the story of the struggle of the bird Orn to survive and breed and the struggle of the humans against the dinosaurs like T-Rex and then the struggle of Veg, Cal and Aquilion against the Earth government agents who want to exploit the planet made for a good read. The mantas were helpers for the three scientists and helped them in most of their struggles as sort of almost voiceless sidekicks.

Science fiction fans won't be disappointed by the book, but "Orn" should also appeal to those who don't like their science fiction too far out as the scientists grapple with what to do to save Paleo. "Orn" was a very good read; it teaches, tells a good story and raises issues that you continue to ponder long after you have closed the book.

Received book free of charge.

An interesting issue of who(or what) is the superior being arises in part 2 of this ongoing saga of humanities quest for an alternate earth.Read it and you will understand....

Its a fantasy thriller, when three people go to the past, adn find out it's earth