15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Time Searchers, June 5, 2004
This review is from: Timediver's Dawn (Timegod) (Mass Market Paperback)
Timediver's Dawn is the first novel in the Timegod duology according to internal chronological sequence. Westron is an imperialistic power with the strongest technological base on Query. The only remaining opposition to total dominance of the world is Eastron, where a non-technological approach is building around the "witches", who can travel thousands of miles in an eyeblink. Since Eastron cannot directly withstand Westron's military forces, however, many young "witches" are scattered throughout Westron society to pass on their genetic heritage.
In this novel, several generations after Westron has conquered Eastron, Sammis Arloff Olon is born among the gentry in Westron society, with a father who is a middle level government official and a mother who is exceptionally well-educated, well-connected, and an Eastron witch. However, Sammis is orphaned in early adolescence by an attack of the Frost Giants, energy eaters who can timedive. When the Frost Giants first appeared on Mithrada, the next inward planet, the Westron military attacked and destroyed several of them. The Frost Giants responded with such massive retaliation that it destroyed the political and energy infrastructure of the home planet, leaving the Queryans leaderless, in the dark, and cold.
Sammis is at school when the power fails and the snow starts to fall. After a short while, the students are released and Sammis starts walking home. Luckily, a neighbor drives by and give him a ride. Since his parents are not home, the neighbor takes Sammis to her house. As they drive by the driveway to the Olon home, they see Confed marines on the grounds.
After warming up some and eating a little, Sammis sneaks down to his own house by the back way and finds the Confeds burning it. He watches them for a few moments, but leaves when an explosion within the house distracts the marines. He returns to the neighbors for the night and leaves early the next day with a few supplies. As he passes his own driveway, Sammis is ambushed by a Confed patrol and instinctively makes his first timedive to escape.
Sammis heads east, avoiding other Confed troops, and soon ends up in the swamps. He becomes a damper, learning how to find food and shelter in the wild. However, he eventually has to leave the swamps and is picked up by a patrol from another Confed unit looking for recruits. He is trained as a trooper and gains a place in the unit commanded by Colonel-General Odin Thor. After his swamp experiences, Sammis is content to have adequate food, clothing and shelter with only his military superiors to hassle him.
In the changed world, gentry are hated and stability is provided only by military might. His ability to timedive is still feared and despised as witchcraft by the common folk, including some of the other troopers. However, after his unit occupies an old installation near the former site of Inequital, Sammis finds that such abilities are appreciated by his superiors.
Dr. Wryan Relorn has been studying timediving for some time. Although the Frost Giants had destroyed her former support structure, Odin Thor took over the project for its potential to provide a weapon against the Enemy. The timedivers in the project had already found paths to societies in the past and present of several nearby stars. However, the divers are limited in their collecting of useful items by the amount they can carry on their own.
As Sammis fits into the routine of research and military life, he keeps being asked to do things that kill people. Although there are always good reasons for such actions, he wonders if there is not another way to respond to external threats. He gradually decides that he has to do something!
Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of young people struggling to understand their society and do the right thing while attempting to survive in a harsh environment.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nordic Myths - Fantasy - Science-Fiction - Ethical Questions, May 2, 2005
This review is from: Timediver's Dawn (Timegod) (Mass Market Paperback)
"Timediver's Dawn" is the first Part of L. E. Modesitt's Jr. Science-Fiction/Mystic-Novel about the planet Query, a fantasyworld, where energy, food and other raw materials are in short supply. Steamengines are used for people's locomotion and transporting commodities. By assaults of timetravelling eneryrobbers, called "Frost Giants" the complete infrastructure and political system finally collapses. Starving, superstition, hate and other depths of the soul release violence and anarchy. Remaining armed forces and other bandits are responsible for arson, looting, and murder all over.......
.....nevertheless with "Timediver's Dawn" the daybreak of a new age has already begun. After Dr. Wryan Relorn has recognized, that juvenile nobleman Sammis Arloft Olon possesses ancient the ablity of travelling in space and time, she sends him and further timedivers out on search for technologies and raw materials. While Dr. Relorn intention is the rebuilding of their destroyed homeplanet, Colonel-General Odin-Thor is rather interested in gaining weapons for etablishing his dictatorship.....
The first part of L. E. Modesitts Jr. Timediver-Duology is a delightful mixture of Nordic Myths and Science-Fiction, with elements of Fantasy and Hightech, in an atmosphere with comic-noises (for example: "cree akkk", "terwitt", "cirriiittt" pp.). But on the one hand the novell also shows the uprising of it's young protagonist. On the other hand the story is a warning against ideas of revenge hate an other destructive emotions, that cause only an escalation of violence. Finally it raises the question, whether ethical limits are also set to own surviving.
Most recommendable to all fans of Science-Fiction and Fantasy-Literature, the novel arouses interest for it's sequel "The Timegod" and deserves 5 Amazonstars.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This one is worth keeping, June 2, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Timediver's Dawn (Timegod) (Mass Market Paperback)
L.E. Modesitt's book, 'Timediver's Dawn' is one well worth keeping. I found it in a small, hole in the wall bookstore and bought it on a whim. Although it is the only one of Modesitt's books that I have ever bought, it's also the most read book that I own. I have read this book eleven times at least, and I intend to read it again. It is extreemly enjoyable because Sammis is strikeingly human, not the tipical hero, who never makes mistakes, and is invulnerable in all things. If there was another book out there about him, I'd go for it.
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