Humans have domesticated animals for thousands of years; in this novel, a spacefaring race descends on Earth to domesticate humankind. The Lindauzi came to Earth at the turn of the millennium with a mission to breed humans to become their emotional symbionts. Technically superior, within a generation the Lindauzi dominate the Earth, running a breeding program designed to produce humans capable of full emotional symbiosis. This is the story of Ilox, a human raised by the Lindauzi, his banishment and adoption by a tribe of wild humans, and his eventual reunion with his Lindauzi bond-mate, Phlarx. While alien invasion is a common plot in science fiction, this fresh voice breathes new life into such a story, focusing on the theme of what it means to be human.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This literary first novel from Rochelle, who's published short fiction and poetry in Aboriginal Science Fiction and other genre journals, updates a classic SF plot: aliens conquer Earth because they have a use for humans. On their home planet, the Lindauzi require a symbiotic emotional relationship with the intelligent, dog-like Iani to remain sane and sapient. When the Iani all die in a plague, the Lindauzi invade Earth in the hope of breeding humans as acceptable substitutes. Ilox, a human bred to be a companion, forms a bond with Phlarx, but it is not complete enough to prevent Ilox from also bonding with other humans, i.e., women. When his Lindauzi masters discover this flaw, Ilox must fend for himself. Within a comparatively short compass, the author skillfully and effectively uses multiple viewpoints, including those of Ilox, Caleb (the son of Ilox by a "wild" woman), Phlarx and various other Lindauzi. Some may find the premise hard to swallow, but once past the initial suspension of disbelief, most readers will find the story absorbing. Those seeking contemporary significance in the animal-rights subtext will be disappointed, since Rochelle has produced what amounts to a solid alien-invasion novel of the sort not common in SF since the 1950s and '60s. He deserves kudos for not bloating his narrative to limits beyond what the plot and characters can support. (Sept.)Rhetoric Myth in the Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The alien Lindauzi land on Earth with one goal in mind to domesticate humans as empathetically symbiotic pets. When a human "dog" named Ilox angers his masters and is banished to the wilderness, he meets a group of untamed humans and discovers the truth of his and Earth's past. Rochelle's first novel explores the bonds of love, loyalty, and friendship while telling a story of alien conquest and human resistance. A good choice for most sf collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly Enjoyable Debut,
By Fosky Bob "human" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wild Boy (Hardcover)
The esteemed Golden Gryphon press makes a solid breakthrough into the novel field with Warren Rochelle's compelling debut novel _The Wild Boy_. Golden Gryphon is a publisher that's renowned for its line of excellent short story collections, nearly every one of which I highly recommend. Here Warren Rochelle makes a marvelous debut with his story of alien invasion that harks back to SF's early wild-and-wooly adventure stories.But don't confuse this novel with Andre Norton's interplanetary space operas or L. Ron Hubbard's _Battlefield: Earth_, to which this novel is quite similar. _The Wild Boy_ is an engaging and exciting book with novel characters and intriguing alien/human interaction. The story is simple enough. Aliens search for an ancient race which are similar to humans. They unleash a plague on humanity and enslave the majority of the survivors in an attempt to mold us into the lost race. Humans are kept as pets and called 'dogs'. Their breeding is curtailed. The alien experiment begins to bear fruit when a 'dog' and his alien master form a mental bond. This book receives the highest praise I can give a book; it kept me up past my bedtime. It's thrilling, compelling and literate. Critics may claim that the aliens aren't alien enough. There may be some truth to that but it wasn't an impediment to my enjoyment of the novel. A sparkling debut novel. Recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very different, involving presentation,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wild Boy (Hardcover)
Warren Rocheele's The Wild Boy is more surreal and less straightforward, with a healthy dose of complexity spicing the story of a human raised and owned by Lindauzi aliens. It's sometimes difficult to discern who is the animal and whom the intelligence in this intriguing story of a boy who learns a strange fact about his race's past. A very different, involving presentation worthy of attention and commendation.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
none,
By Gary S. Potter (Mount Pleasant, SC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wild Boy (Hardcover)
The Wild Boy is a daring first SF novel and a social commentary on par with Pierre Boulle's "Planet of the Apes" and Orwell's "Animal Farm". Dark and disturbing, alien, with a touch of intrigue and compassion, and what it means to be human, and then some... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet
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