Tides [Hardcover]

Scott MacKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2005

"Tides" tells the tale of the rise of two intelligent species on the same planet, at a time in their history when they first encounter each other. Paras and Ortok are the only two continents on this planet, the homes to these two different species, and are separated by thousands of miles of ocean. Paras is lush and hospitable, a place where no one ever knows want. It has produced a culture of kindness and honesty. Ortok is bleak and volcanic, where the inhabitants survive at a subsistence level. It has given rise to a culture of cruelty and deceit. But, will the citizens of Paras forever remain honest? And, will the sentient species on Ortok finally cast out deceit? Hab, a Parassian mariner, follows a cloud of volcanic ash twenty thousand leagues across the world-spanning ocean, battling iced-over seas, the decimation of his crew, and, worst of all, the killer tides - tides that because of two close moons are monstrous in size and are virtually unnavigable in any but the most ingeniously designed ships. Watch cultures collide in this brilliant new novel by the award-winning author of "Omnifix" and "Orbis".

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

On a world covered by oceans whose massive waves thwart remote seafaring voyages, Hab Miquay is a whaling ship's captain who secretly hungers to venture beyond the confines of his close-knit community. As far as his fellow citizens are concerned, Hab's homeland of Paras is the only civilized continent on the planet. Yet a chance encounter with notorious scientist Esten Pepteri uncovers evidence of another, distant, volcanically active landmass, and in short order Hab sets off with Esten in specially designed ships to locate the new continent. After a harrowing voyage, Hab and Esten set foot on Ortok, a bleak and rocky land where, in contrast to Paras'-compassion-centered society, the inhabitants practice deceit to survive. When the two are captured, Hab must forge an uneasy alliance with his increasingly inquisitive captors and conceal Paras'all-too-tempting charms from Ortok's invasion-minded warriors. Blending deft, inventive characterizations into a masterfully lucid, action-centered narrative, Mackay's latest should appeal strongly to fans of military and alien-world-based sf. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Scott Mackay is the award-winning author of eight novels and over forty short stories. He has been interviewed in print, web, TV, and radio media. His short story, Last Inning, won the 1998 Arthur Ellis Award for best short mystery fiction. Another story, Reasons Unknown, won the Okanagan Award for best Literary Short Fiction. His first Barry Gilbert Mystery, Cold Comfort, was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for best mystery novel, and his SF novel, The Meek, was a finalist for the prestigious U.S. John Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel of 2001. His novels have been published in five languages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (November 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023343
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023340
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,699,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written story of first-contact, January 11, 2006

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tides (Hardcover)

Hab burns with the urge to explore, to learn more about the world he lives in. When a scientist discovers that a volcano is errupting somewhere distant, Hab resolves to find this new land--despite the legends that hold that there is only one land. He is so driven, he breaks every rule that his civilization has set in order to construct first a fleet of ships, then a trio of submarines, to explore. Exploration isn't easy. Huge 'Tides,' moon-driven waves, swamp any ship that attempts to cross the open spaces in the deep sea. Still, Hab is a problem solver and inventor. If anyone can get around natural goals, he is the man for it.

Hab, along with the survivors from his venture, reach a strange continent. Unlike his own continent, where nature was bountiful, the new land is harsh and hungry. But it is inhabited by intelligent creatures--creatures with violent warlike habits, but also intelligent creatures who just might hold clues to the great mystery of Hab's own civilization--a message in undecyphered text that has challenged his people for tens of thousands of years. Hab turns his problem-solving to helping the alien species. With agriculture, they might be better able to survive the harsh conditions of their continent.

Author Scott Mackay tells an interesting story of a meeting between species. Neither the alien species nor Hab's people can begin to understand each other--their lives and fundamental beliefs are completely at odds. The huge tides have kept them apart throughout history, but Hab's inventions mean that continued contact is likely. What form that contact will take is something that Hab will need to influence.

Hab makes an interesting and complex character. His attempts to justify his lying, embezzlement, and violence as serving a higher truth are clearly just justifications, but Hab never seems to recognize this. I think Mackay missed a chance when he failed to consider how integrating 'liars' into the culture would create stresses rather than merely opportunities. Finally, the climactic scene where Hab finally learns the truth about the great message seems a bit obvious to me. Still, Mackay's strong writing and the basic alien-first-contact plot line definitely kept me reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the Hoppers..., December 21, 2005

By 

doughenderson "Doug Henderson" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tides (Hardcover)

Tides tells the story of Hab, a sailor who lives in Paras, a lush, fertile continent. He is plagued by curiosity and an inventive drive, so much that he is willing to go against the Parassian philosophy of honesty. When he stumbles upon a scientist who has found proof of a continent other than Paras on the other side of the world, he is bested by his own nature. He embezzles his family fortune and builds state of the art ships to help him avoid the monster tides. He finds a rocky, bleak continent infested with hoppers, an amphibian race of warriors. I loved the way Hab had to go against the honesty religion and how he discovered that he was being lied to by the hoppers, how he was being tricked. The voyage parts were good, and not too drawn out. All the little details make it an excellent read.

4.0 out of 5 stars Tides is an Inventive and Intriguing novel!, June 7, 2006

By 

Apollo Reader (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tides (Hardcover)

I've never read this author before, but the excellent cover art caught my attention here at Amazon.com. Also the synopsis sounded different, so I gave it a try.

And mostly, it was a success. Tides is a nice mix of sci-fi and fantasy, blending very well here in a saga of first discovery. I liked the hoppers, an evil alien species that were a delight to read about. Scott MacKay's world-building and character development are impressive here. The writer did a solid job of throwing me into the story automatically.

I love novels of the sea. And when you toss in alien creatures and create a novel well with sci-fi and fantasy almost seamlessly, then I'm there. If you like well written adventure novels with a blending of both genres, then this one is definately for you.

I look forward to reading another MacKay novel.