The Green and the Gray (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "The play at the Miller Theater had been one of those modern psychological dramas, exactly the sort of thing Roger Whittier would expect from a..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Central Park, Detective Fierenzo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like its title, Zahn's urban drama of a New York City couple fighting to save both their beloved city and an odd child thrust into their care is understated yet compelling. What starts out for Roger and Caroline Whittier as another evening full of bickering and resentment turns into something otherworldly after they, not the criminal who tried to strangle her, take possession of mysterious 12-year-old Melantha Green. One strange event after another follows: the girl melts into the potted orange trees on the Whittiers' balcony; invisible men climb the sides of buildings; and everywhere he goes, Roger is accosted by various factions of "Greens" and "Grays." Each group claims that a civil war is brewing in the parks of Manhattan and that it will be averted only if Melantha is turned over to them. An NYPD detective—sent to investigate a double break-in at the Whittier's apartment—gets dragged into the action when he just can't let go of several inexplicable loose ends. One nice touch in this highly enjoyable hybrid of SF and mystery is that at no point does any one character know exactly what's going on. As the further mark of a mature writer, Zahn (Angelmass) portrays a realistic marriage in which it takes more than magic to resolve conflicts.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Mixes fantasy and contemporary adventure very well, creating something both entertaining and interesting. A very enjoyable read."

--Fantastica Daily on The Green and the Gray"Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement."
--Publishers Weekly on Dragon and Thief

"The direction Manta's Gift ultimately takes is inventive and unexpected . . . Zahn plays out his suspense as deftly as always, building a tense situation and ultimately defusing it in believable and pleasing ways."

--Locus on Manta's Gift

"YA readers looking for more than the usual SF action-adventure should be well pleased."
--Publishers Weekly on Manta's Gift:

"The author of Angelmass brings a new twist to a classic tale of human-alien encounter, combining fast-paced action and hard science with personal drama. A good choice for most sf collections."

--Library Journal on Manta's Gift:

"Another thoroughly literate sf yarn from Zahn."

--Booklist on Manta's Gift:

"Angelmass is thus a serious SF novel sneakily posing as an enormous golden-age thrill ride."

--Locus on Angelmass

"Zahn paints every futuristic detail with gleamy realism and mock scientific dialogue that streams with starship hardware and military trooper talk. Once underway, immensely appealing."

--Kirkus Reviews on Angelmass

"Through in-depth characterization, as well as toothsome scientific and political mysteries, Zahn unfold an intricate tale of adventure sure to please his many fans."
--Publishers Weekly on Angelmass

"The latest novel by the award-winning author of the first published Star Wars trilogy, this combines fast-paced action with believable characters to produce a first-rate sf space adventure that belongs in most libraries."

--Library Journal on Angelmass

"This very solid, very readable SF novel delivers the essential kick of the best work in the genre, and it would be encouraging if that larger audience picked this book up as well. It certainly delivers all the qualities of the best SF adventure writing. Recommended."
--Asimov's SF Magazine on Angelmass

"Mixes fantasy and contemporary adventure very well, creating something both entertaining and interesting. A very enjoyable read." (Fantastica Daily )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (September 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765346451
• ISBN-13: 978-0765346452
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #442,416 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zahn never fails to please, September 20, 2004

By	Malcolm C. Eckel (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Green and the Gray (Hardcover)

Granted, Zahn's books are a bit formulaic - the oncoming conflict that will destroy wherever the book is set or kill many innocents, the inability to stop it until the very end when a surprise twist occurs that fixes it all - but that doesn't mean it's bad. Most mystery stories follow much the same plot, but without the feeling of impending doom. The point is not that you already know how its going to end, the point is how he gets there.

And, in this case just as in all the others, it's one amazing ride. The two cultures and upwards of 30 main characters are all fascinating and vibrant, keeping the reading flowing through all 450-odd pages. The plot twists come with the usual Zahn rapidity, each being totally plausible and usually just as totally unexpected (though, in hindsight, you should have seen it coming). I buy every Zahn book as soon as I realize it's out, and I haven't once been dissappointed. It's not the deepest reading ever, but it's always fun, and it might make you think more than you expect.

Highly reccomended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good fun, March 19, 2005

By	Thomas (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green and the Gray (Hardcover)

The first fifty pages of The Green and the Gray knocked me flat. Zahn created a near-perfect picture of some ordinary folks (specifically an endlessly bickering married couple) tossed into an extraordinary situation (specifically a gang war between rival bands of extraterrestrials).

And then things fell apart a little. Over the next four hundred pages, the characters I felt like I knew so well became cliched, competent-man types. They were doing interesting things, but they weren't very interesting people any more. Add to this the fact that there are so many different members of these "gangs" with so many slightly varying viewpoints, and this carefully constructed character drama devolved into a novel where it was hard to even remember all the parties involved.

Which isn't to disparage The Green and the Gray too much. It's still a fun read, packed with Zahn's typically inventive action sequences... but I can't help feeling that it could have been more. If you're new to Zahn's work, you might want to check out Manta's Gift instead.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very exciting speculative fiction, September 1, 2004

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Green and the Gray (Hardcover)

In 1928, extraterrestrials that looked human went through Riker's Island to become citizens of their new home. The Greens were chased off their home world by the Grays in a war that started over a simple misunderstanding. The Greens did not know that the Grays, in order to escape the Others, followed the Greens to earth. For decades neither group knew of the other's existence until a boy from one group and a girl from the other became friends.

Their elders found out since both live in New York City; the Grays try to shove the Greens off the island until they agree to a truce if the Greens kill Melantha Green who can destroy the city with her mental powers. Innocent bystanders Roger and Caroline Whittier take Melantha try to hide her when someone from the group hands her to them but she disappears and they don't know which group got her. The Whittiers are determined to save Melantha and their city yet also somehow forge a truce between the opposing camps.

There are many aliens who live among us in science fiction stories such as the Men in Black, but Timothy Zahn has a unique and original way of taking a tribe plot and turning it into a fantastic storyline. This is an action oriented story where it is almost impossible to figure out the characters motives and nobody knows who is a friend or an enemy. This makes for a lot of suspense and the onus is on the reader to figure out who is friend or foe. There's a surprise twist at the end of the story that makes THE GREEN AND THE GRAY a very exciting work of speculative fiction.

Harriet Klausner