Buy new:

$14.95

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Monday, April 3 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Thursday, March 30. Order within 13 hrs 46 mins

In Stock

[{"displayPrice":"$14.95","priceAmount":14.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"09yi06mDDhT9i52TWX698wZVox1pb2EAOYylFGlTcEWgMip8Se3up0purTFMCmLovW1AH1i7rQeu%2BCOA841ZTo3b9fTI9rYAF70K6QppPWsHlemMfTIspZD3wlvidrz6MTRbLz4tfT7nQUi31UIR9Q%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]

$$14.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Payment

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Details

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Robert J. Sawyer

Far-Seer Paperback – August 23, 2022

by Robert J. Sawyer (Author)

184 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Quintaglio Ascension

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$4.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$29.95

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$14.95

—

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$6.37

—

$2.49

MP3 CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$9.99

$8.48

—

Kindle
$4.99 Read with Our Free App
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Hardcover
$29.95

1 New from $29.95
Paperback
$14.95

1 New from $14.95
Mass Market Paperback
$6.37

23 Used from $2.49 7 Collectible from $13.50
MP3 CD
$9.99

8 New from $8.48

Enhance your purchase

Sixty-five million years ago, aliens transplanted Earth’s dinosaurs to another world. Now, intelligent saurians — the Quintaglios — have emerged. Afsan, the Quintaglio counterpart of Galileo, must convince his people of the truth about their place in the universe before astronomical forces rip the dinosaurs’ new home apart.

The Toronto Star: “Without question, Far-Seer will be remembered as one of the year’s outstanding SF books.”

S. M. Stirling: “A brilliant parable of the nature of scientific investigation, and its relation to art and faith.”

Quill & Quire: Canada’s Magazine of Book News and Reviews (starred review “indicating a book of exceptional merit”): “Riveting; compelling; thrilling — a real treat. The science in Far-Seer is impeccable, the storyline is refreshingly original, and the world Sawyer’s constructed is audacious.”

Robert J. Sawyer has won the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial, Seiun, and Aurora Awards, all for best science fiction novel of the year. Sawyer’s 25 novels include the #1 Locus bestsellers The Oppenheimer Alternative, Quantum Night, Triggers, and Calculating God, plus FlashForward, basis for the ABC TV series of the same name. The first person ever to be inducted into The Order of Canada — his government’s highest honor — for work in the science-fiction field and Guest of Honor at the 2023 World Science Fiction Convention (the Worldcon), Rob is also past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Book 1 of 3

The Quintaglio Ascension
Print length

279 pages
Language

English
Publication date

August 23, 2022
Dimensions

6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1988415349
ISBN-13

978-1988415345
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Choose items to buy together.

by Robert J. Sawyer Paperback
$14.95
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 3
by Robert J. Sawyer Paperback
$14.95
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 3
by Robert J. Sawyer Hardcover
$29.95
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Robert J. Sawyer
120
Hardcover
1 offer from $29.95
Robert J. Sawyer
135
Mass Market Paperback
16 offers from $2.22
Robert J. Sawyer
204
Paperback
30 offers from $1.49
Robin Hobb
21,313
Hardcover
63 offers from $17.24

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ SFWRITER.COM Inc. (August 23, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 279 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1988415349
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1988415345
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.08 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,440,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,564 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #23,086 in Science Fiction Adventures

Customer Reviews:
184 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Robert J. Sawyer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He has also won the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award, and the Hal Clement Memorial Award; the top SF awards in China, Japan, France, and Spain; and a record-setting sixteen Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”).

Rob’s novel FlashForward was the basis for the ABC TV series of the same name, and he was a scriptwriter for that program. He also scripted the two-part finale for the popular web series Star Trek Continues.

He is a Member of the Order of Canada, the highest honor bestowed by the Canadian government, as well as the Order of Ontario, the highest honor given by his home province; he was also one of the initial inductees into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Rob lives just outside Toronto.His website and blog are at sfwriter.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon he’s RobertJSawyer.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

184 global ratings

5 star		54%
4 star		32%
3 star		10%
2 star		1%
1 star		3%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Critic's Corner

Greatly Crafted World with a Nod to Galileo!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 3, 2012

Verified Purchase

I have enjoyed several of Robert J. Sawyer's science fiction novels, but "Far-Seer" is the first fantasy sci-fi I've read of this author.

The back of the book of this particular paperback has spoilers, information on the characters of the book that are not revealed (apparently) until the later books in the trilogy, and I was disappointed by that. Of course I won't reveal that!

Plots:

This is Book One of the Quintaglio Ascension. A "Quintaglio" is a species of intelligent dinosaur, genetically related to Tyrannosaurus Rex, that are on a moon orbiting a gas giant.

The gas giant has religious significance on this moon. The people there believe the world is flat, going down a river and that the gas giant is The Face of God. Asfan, apprentice astrologer, makes discoveries of his universe that fly in the face (sorry for the pun) of the scholars and religionists of the day.

Asfan realizes that if he claims there is no God, that the Face of God is just a planet, that he will crash and burn the religion which has kept his kind civilized for many hundreds of years. On the other hand, he needs to if he wants to have an honest heart and tell the truth.

He discovers the truth with the "Far-Seer" (a telescope), notes the movements of the planets and makes his discoveries. Asfan is also a very skilled killer and some of the more gory aspects of the book make for some intense reading.

The truth has costs, however. A faction that considers him "The One" (holy Matrix!) wants to believe Asfan has been prophesized for the final coming of the world. Asfan on the other hand just wants to help people get off the planet!

Bottom Line: We get to know the Quintaglio society, its language, swear words and even partake of some dinosaur sex. The parallels to our own Galileo is purposeful and enjoyable to say the least. The author really blasts adherence to dogma rather than having an open mind, which should open the door to discussion of these topics, especially with young adult readers.

Not sure if I will continue with this trilogy, but this book is a great start. Just don't read the back of the book! Recommended.

Recommended Reading:

Fossil Hunter: Book Two of The Quintaglio Ascension (Quintaglio Trilogy)Foreigner: Book Three of the Quintaglio Ascension QUINTAGLIO ASCENSION - Book (1) One: Far-Seer; Book (2) Two: Fossil Hunter; Book (3) Three: Foreigner

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

W. V. Buckley

A scaly allegory of science in conflict with faith

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 12, 2010

Verified Purchase

Despite being a fan of Robert Sawyer's thought-provoking sci-fi, I wasn't anxious to read Far-Seer, the first book of the Quintaglio Ascension trilogy. It's not that I have anything against dinosaurs ... even the ones who talk and are capable of figuring out the complexities of their solar system without so much as a pocket calculator.

My reluctance had more to do with having read and enjoyed Harry Harrison's alternative history in which dinosaurs evolved intelligence in the trilogy that began with West of Eden. That series was such a stupendous feat of world building that I was afraid any book with a similar premise would pale in comparison.

As it turns out I needn't have worried. Harrison's books remain a monumental achievement in designing a completely logical world around the question of what if dinosaurs had never died off. Sawyer, on the other hand, turns his tale into an allegory of one of his favorite topics: the conflict between science and faith.

Apprentice astrologer Afsan, our reptilian stand-in for Galileo, Copernicus and a host of other great minds, makes a startling discovery while on a pilgrimage. Like Galileo, Afsan discovers that his world is not the center of the universe. He also discovers that his home world is becoming unstable and won't last long before it's pulled apart by the planet it orbits. Rather than earning fame with his discovery, Afsan finds infamy. His discovery puts him at odds with the unyielding doctrine of the church. His findings are labeled heresy and Afsan is called a "demon."

OK, so it's a little unrealistic to have a single character make all the scientific observations and conclusions that Afsan makes in a single boat voyage, but Sawyer's book is more a parable than an effort to develop a completely realized world down to an atomic level. I was able to set back and let the Great River of the dinosaurs' world take me where it would, safe in the knowledge that I was in the hands of a master storyteller.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Old Steve the Magician

Buy it, but buy it cheap.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a good read, a nice light yarn, but not a great book. And in the end, that does not matter. It's a book you can read on the bus or the train. It's a book you can read in the bath tub. It'll get you turning the pages. Just don't expect too much from it.

Far-seer starts with an extraordinary premise, that tyrannosaurs could have developed a civilization akin to human medieval civilization. There are even parallels with the ways that science and religion can interact. However, rather too much time is spent by the author in "lizard-talk", endlessly alluding to the territorial problems of personal space and the instinctual unsheathing of claws, and rather too little time describing how their society got to where it was, how their technology developed, and how they managed to achieve what they did despite their physical form. In a way, this is a missed opportunity, the kind of opportunity that could have made this book great.

The plot is also linear and predictable. A narrator is almost always looking over the main character's shoulder. There is no interweaving of sub-plots. It is easy to see where it is going next and what plot devices will be used to get there. It is easy to predict what will happen with the progression of scientific observation, hypothesis and conclusion - though I guess I have the advantage of a scientific background with a childhood interest in astronomy. On the other hand, the journey for the reader is undemanding and compelling and still worth a read.

So would I recommend it? Yes, provided you can get it at a bargain price, probably used, At full price, no. It is the first book of a trilogy, so - having read it - will I go and purchase the other two books? Yes. And I have. But only because I could buy them at bargain prices!

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

quirkius

Amazing concept, great read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

It's a really interesting concept. The story flows well and it's an easy read. Can't wait to read the others in the series

MR RJ Vipers

Pretty good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 1, 2018

Verified Purchase

Not as thought provoking as some of his other titles. But an entertaining read, just bought the next one in the series looking forward to what happens next.

One person found this helpful

Zsuzsanna

Surprise

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 21, 2010

Verified Purchase

I was a bit suspicious about another dino adventure, but the book became quite an obsession, by the end I could hardly put it down. Nice idea well written and has a certain childlike simplicity in it. The main point here again is not that it is dinos or people the point is the plot and the meaning which is well expressed. If you can take a few pages slow motion then it is worth while reading.

One person found this helpful

Jeff Terrell

Great read, really creative. Fascinating.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

Fantastic. I really enjoyed this book and find impatience as I write this... I can't wait to get to the second book in this series.
I felt this perfectly captured some of the religious fervour we've seen far too often and for far too long in our own world. If you like talking dinosaurs, warriors, hunting, mystics and real science... Stop ready my words and get some of Sawyers well crafted words of wisdom in your face!

One person found this helpful

Peter Eerden

A great read and a fitting start to the series

Reviewed in Australia 🇦🇺 on December 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

To create worlds and sentient beings that bear no resemblance to humans is no easy task and did not sit comfortably with me as I started this read. The author though is well versed in capturing the attention of his reading audience and I was no exception. The world of the Quintaglio is a great place to start a journey and I cannot wait to continue it with the release of book two of the series.

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account

Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Amazon Fresh Groceries & More Right To Your Door	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Experienced Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Ignite Sell your original Digital Educational Resources	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics	DPReview Digital Photography	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Great Deals on Quality Used Products	Whole Foods Market America’s Healthiest Grocery Store	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing	Ring Smart Home Security Systems

eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Blink Smart Security for Every Home	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Amazon Subscription Boxes Top subscription boxes – right to your door	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust

Buy new: $14.95

Follow the Author

Far-Seer Paperback – August 23, 2022

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product details

Videos

About the author

Robert J. Sawyer

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$14.95