Customer Reviews

Return to Eden

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved the first volume of this trilogy, got bogged down in the second, and then absolutely loved this third volume. In this one, Harrison devlops his themes of clashing specie-civilizations, which are evolving in new directions as the events unfold. The plot development is brisk, many of the ideas are new, and subtle conclusions are reached.

One of the great faults of sci-fi is that authors get too ambitious. Afterall, they are telling us what the future of mankind might hold, so they tend to megalomania. Due to his conceptual and storytelling talents, Harrison, like Octavia Butler, pulls it off brilliantly and believably. His creation of an alternative intelligence - the social dinosaurs - is one of the most subtle and intriguing creations in all of sci-fi. I have recently read these books over and found them just as interesting and complex as the first go. If you like this kind of ambitious sci-fi, you simply can't do better than these books.

While my partners through the years have laughingly dismissed my love of sci-fi as comic book kitch - and they were usually right! - I must say that there is an occasional book that really has characters worthy enough to enter literature. In my opinion, the characters in this book are that good. They grow, they learn, and they struggle. Their fates and choices are not at all predictable. It is even moving.

Highest recemmendation.

Harry Harrison didn't exactly crank these books out at the speed of some other authors. In fact, by my calculation there was about a 7 year wait between editions. He didn't rush to market. He took his time and wrote one outstanding book after another. After having read the first two, I was eagerly looking forward to this one. It didn't disappoint in the slightest. By the end of the book you are still in awe of the world he created. I think my favorite thing about this book was at the end. I mean when I had put it down and thought about all that had happened to Kerrick, Vainte and all the characters. These books are for people who think deeply. It is not a light read. If you haven't read the first two books, you could read this one alone, but I wouldn't recommend it. The implications of many of the events can only be truly appreciated after having read the two previous books. I think my biggest regret is that it is over. It is like saying goodbye to someone with whom you have travelled for some time. I will warn readers that you are tempted to skip ahead as you read. The book is written in a series of stories that tie up at the end. I was VERY tempted to skip ahead to see what would happen to this or that group. Don't do it! The surprises are worth the wait. Thank you very much Mr. Harrison for all the delightful entertainment. I treasured these stories and highly recommend them to everyone!!

Mr. Harrison was able to appropriately bring his Eden trilogy to a satisfying conclusion...quite a task for a trilogy of such broad scope. Surprizingly tender in the inevitability of the 2 races (Yilante and Tanu) situations.

This is the third book in the Eden trilogy and arguably the best. I loved all the resolutions of the various plots, the complex relationships among dinosaurs and people and the final Kumbaya conclusion. I only wish that Harrison had written more series like this.

West of Eden was one of the most interesting and thought-provoking books I've ever read. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Unfortunately, Return to Eden (and to a similar extent, Winter in Eden) isn't anywhere near as interesting a book. The story, while well written, just doesn't go anywhere. It seems to me as if Kerrick and the other humans do a lot of wandering around around the continent, and the Yilane spend a lot of time talking rudely to one another. Though the prose is excellent, the content reads like C-Span.

This is the third book in the Eden trilogy and arguably the best. I loved all the resolutions of the various plots, the complex relationships among dinosaurs and people and the final Kumbaya conclusion. I only wish that Harrison had written more series like this.

This third volume of the Eden trilogy brings everything to a satisfactory but predictable closure. There is enough left open to hope for a possible "Back to Eden" in the future.

The relationships between the Yilane(dinosaur) and Tanu (human)are almost as good as the Lizard/Human relations in Harry Turtledoves' World War series. The story is much richer simply because there are not as many story lines as Turtledove keeps going.

A really good read but I think only available in pricey trade paperback. I was able to easily find all 3 in used shops with very little trouble.

Maybe I'm being unfair to Harrison, but I can't help but feel that he would have been better off leaving the Eden series at one book. West of Eden is such an incredible read that anything following it must, of necessity, fall short by comparison.

Return to Eden is by no means a bad book. It is, like every Harrison work, an enjoyable read that holds the attention well. Unfortunately, it accomplishes almost nothing. When the book ends, all is pretty much the same as it was at the end of Winter in Eden. Humans and Yilane continue to live separate lives, trying to avoid each other as much as possible. There are hints early on in the book that we might be about to see a revolution in Yilane society, with the Daughters of Life on the verge of making a philosophical breakthrough and proselytizing male as well as female young (why else spend so much time showing how a male Yilane can develop into a mature individual if freed from the harem?). But nothing comes of it, nor does anything of significance come from Kerrick's resolution to break with his Yilane past. Return to Eden is a pleasant read, but anyone looking to experience the magic of West of Eden will be disappointed.

The bueauty of Harrison's Eden series is how much he draws you in to the point that the entire world seems as if it could really exist somewhere. Think 'Lord of the Rings' without all the UNNECESSARY details, and a story that moves muvch quicker.