Customer Reviews

Voice of the Planet

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

 

 

First, I should explain that I hold a masters degree in geology and Earth science, so in a sense, this book was written FOR me. However, I don't think that an advanced degree is a requirement to enjoy this book, any more than a degree in meteorology would be required to enjoy the movie "The Day After Tomorrow".
The book is based on the idea that our planet is a living organism with a soul, rather than a ball of rock which happens to have things living on it. This idea is an extension of "The Gaia Hypothesis" which may turn out to be the 20th century's most important contribution to understanding who we are and our place in the Universe, just as Darwin's work was the most important work of the 19th century.
The story revolves around a scientist who receives some messages which lead him to a monestary in Tibet, where he learns he is actually speaking with the soul of the planet. Without repeating what other reviewers have written, I'll just say that I enjoyed this book immensely, and read it at every opportunity until I was finished, and would very much like to see the TBS miniseries.
Do you enjoy shows on PBS which deal with science, such as Nova? Did you enjoy the book or the movie "Contact", by Carl Sagan? Do you consider yourself environmentally conscious? Tastes vary, obviously, but if you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then you are probably a good candidate to enjoy this book.

Or, at least the most important. It is difficult to over-embellish when the future of the world and its occupants are at stake. I could not stop reading this book. Also, the humor is fantastic!

Voice of the Planet is full of information relevant to any human being who is interested in continuing to use the resources of the Earth. The statistical and scientific information opens the readers eyes to the destruction and rape of the natural world. Each fact strikes at the heart of the reader. This book evokes such strong reactions from its reader than anyone reading it will be empowered to join an environmental cause. This book is an enjoyable and worthwhile read.

I stumbled on this book in a second hand store and so enjoyed it; glad it is listed so cheaply here so my friends can have it as a gift! Like many others, I'm looking for a copy of the TBS 10 hour (Fall of 1990) series in which the two primary characters are played by William Shatner and Faye Dunaway...

I read this Bantam Books Bestseller after seeing the ten-hour dramatic miniseries -starring William Shatner and Faye Dunaway on Turner Broadcasting. I was hooked from the first two minutes. This novel, which I understand sold hundreds of thousands of copies - is awesome, and fortunately still in print. I was sorry that the science fiction chapter on another planet did not make it into the television series, but everything else, amazingly -did!

It was great to see the author (Tobias) also write, direct and produce the entire ten-hour television series, because rarely has a novel been so perfectly translated into film. This epic is outrageous and so far far ahead of its time in terms of nearly every ecological and philosophical topic of importance that one comes away from the experience with a very clear point of view: Michael Charles Tobias is one of those very rare individuals is both an artist, literary genius, and scientific prophet. I have written letters to him, but they never get past his agent. I have no idea how to reach him so hopefully my reviews will be somehow gotten to him. He is indeed an elusive soul. I can somewhat understand it, having read more than 30 of his books: he is among the most prolific artists of the 21st century.

For those who have not yet had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Tobias' works (which form their very own genre, I think), VOICE OF THE PLANET is a perfect way to get "initiated".

First, I should explain that I hold a masters degree in geology and Earth science, so in a sense, this book was written FOR me. However, I don't think that an advanced degree is a requirement to enjoy this book, any more than a degree in meteorology would be required to enjoy the movie "The Day After Tomorrow".
The book is based on the idea that our planet is a living organism with a soul, rather than a ball of rock which happens to have things living on it. This idea is an extension of "The Gaia Hypothesis" which may turn out to be the 20th century's most important contribution to understanding who we are and our place in the Universe, just as Darwin's work was the most important work of the 19th century.
The story revolves around a scientist who receives some messages which lead him to a monestary in Tibet, where he learns he is actually speaking with the soul of the planet. Without repeating what other reviewers have written, I'll just say that I enjoyed this book immensely, and read it at every opportunity until I was finished, and would very much like to see the TBS miniseries.
Do you enjoy shows on PBS which deal with science, such as Nova? Did you enjoy the book or the movie "Contact", by Carl Sagan? Do you consider yourself environmentally conscious? Tastes vary, obviously, but if you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then you are probably a good candidate to enjoy this book.

I came across "Voice of the Planet" sometime in the mid nineties, a few years after it came out. I have re-read it several times since and am in the middle of reading it again right now. Never have I picked up a novel that went so deep under my skin and evoked such a range of emotions. This is a book that you either love or you don't. It is a science fiction/fantasy novel and a lot of it is bizarre and out-there. If you like bizarre and out-there, you will appreciate this book. But this novel is much more than entertainment. Lessons in geology, chemistry, biology, ecology and natural history are cleverly wrapped up in a story of adventure, fun and human drama. The science is informative but not deep enough to be intimidating. It helps to be somewhat familiar with the basic principles of the Gaia Hypothesis, also called Earth-System Science. But basically the book is easy to read and understand by anybody.
Unfortunately I missed the TV miniseries and I've been waiting for over ten years for it to be repeated.

First I have to apologize, I have not read the book. But I will, AND, I did see the mini-series: Voice of the Planet. I was disturbed by two opinions written about this story. I've never written a review before. But I enjoyed this story so much that I must at least write something positive about it for the record. In the mini series, William Shatner played the only roll, of the ecologist drawn to the Monestary. My husband and I were completely taken in with the excitement of this story. Sure it's science fiction, but we felt there was a big message behind the story. I'm sorry some of the other readers did not like it. The mini series aired in 1991 and through the years we had forgotten the title, but always remembered Shatner played the single role. Tonight we saw Shatner being interviewed on TV and so I thought I'd research this story, I'd forgotten the name and the year we viewed the mini series. But I was able to research the story on Shatner's website, and one thing led to another. All I can say to future readers of this story is, give it a chance. I'm gong to read the book myself now. Perhaps the written word doesn't get the point across as well as the movie did. Anyway we loved the story and it made a terrific impression on us.

Perhaps because I attempted to read the book roughly 16 years after it was written (and many of the ideas set forth herein have been floating about for at least as many years) or perhaps because I simply approached the book as a (potential) good read, I found myself so disappointed by it that I could not read further than page 30. Should the novel improve astronomically past that point, let me proffer my apologies to all who might be concerned, but I would be surprised if it did.
A novel is not the place to go looking for science or (in most cases) ethics: hence, I offer no critique of the substance of what Tobias wishes to convey. Instead, I simply recommend staying away from the book because as a novel it is simply terrible. The prose is ludicrously inept, there is no characterization and, at least in the opening thirty pages, the author demonstrates no understanding of or experience with, for example, the academic world, mountain climbing, or computers.
The book is a complete waste of time. I would call it a complete waste of paper as well, but I gave it to my gerbils to chew on. They liked it.

If you believe that man's primate ancestors never should have left the trees and stopped being food for predators, this book is for you.

If you believe the day that man discovered fire and the wheel was the worst thing to happen to Earth, this book is for you.

If you believe that the human race should have gone extinct at the last Ice Age, just to keep some superstitious "Mother Earth" diety happy, this book is for you.

If however, you feel that humankind is a magnificent creature, capable of good as well as evil, and has the capacity to make use of it's intelligence (whether you regard such a thing as the result of evolution or creation, the fact remains that humans are the most intelligent species on the planet and have adapted to nearly anything that "Gia" could throw at them), then this book is a blathering screed of anti-human bile. The most extreme portions of "politically correct" philosophy are to be found in this treasure chest of tripe. To hear the author go on and on about it, the human race is a disease on the planet and should just go shiver in a cave somewhere and die off to make amends to his interpretation of the Voice of the Planet", "Giaia". The "Giaia" in Tobias' global Utopia seems to be more Mommy Dearest than Mother Nature. If the "Giaia" of Tobias' imagination were an actual person, I would strongly recommend immediate psychiatric intervention for her sake and for the safety of others. Perhaps all "Giaia" needs is some Lithium or Prozac.

When I see insane dribblings such as this in book form, it's no wonder people are so put off by the "PC" mindset that they are even willing to vote for whatever Republican conservative candidates that come along. I'm a liberal Democrat myself, and yet even I would prefer to endure a nation under the iron rule of the GOP just to make sure that militant human-haters like Michael Tobias and his ilk do not get their way.

The fact that William Shatner starred in the made-for-tv version was a true sign that this once-popular man's career was definately on the way down, and for Ted Turner to endorse this insane novel into a feature format was also a turning point in the career of himself and his Turner Broadcasting empire, for the worse.

I only give this bizarre book one star because it's the minimum rating allowed. If I was able to render my true rating for this thing, I would not only refuse to give it any stars, but render it with 5 black holes instead. Yes, this "book" IS that dreadful.