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secre's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was absolutely not what I thought it was when I bought it. Somehow I thought I was going to be reading a novel about time travel to pre-historic times and how those from the future could survive in the past. And I guess, if you hold it upside down and squint really hard, you might just about be able to say it's kind of that. It is more accurately described as a science fiction where humans go back in time only to find themselves enslaved by the alien race Tanu. And how a small group of time travellers may end up saving human kind from the ravages of alien enslavement. All in all, a very different novel to the one I thought I was getting.
That said, once I figured out what was actually going on, this is good. Very, very good. It's well written, multi-faceted and has a wide cast of individualistic and eclectic characters. There were a lot of characters to get to grips with to begin with, but May uses a series of vignettes to begin with to explore the various character backgrounds with and all of the characters are very memorable. I had occasional moments where I got names confused, but this was short-lived. Once you get past the initial vignettes, you are thrown into the alien run world of Earth's past along with the characters. Nothing is as it seems and both reader and character are thrown into the chaos of the past world with technologically advanced aliens.
It's also just great fun to read. It has some interesting and varied world-building, a cast of idiosyncratic characters who are all misfits in one way or another and a sprawling narrative that I suspect will only expand further as the sequels take it further. It's entertaining, well written and a genuinely good read.
That said, once I figured out what was actually going on, this is good. Very, very good. It's well written, multi-faceted and has a wide cast of individualistic and eclectic characters. There were a lot of characters to get to grips with to begin with, but May uses a series of vignettes to begin with to explore the various character backgrounds with and all of the characters are very memorable. I had occasional moments where I got names confused, but this was short-lived. Once you get past the initial vignettes, you are thrown into the alien run world of Earth's past along with the characters. Nothing is as it seems and both reader and character are thrown into the chaos of the past world with technologically advanced aliens.
It's also just great fun to read. It has some interesting and varied world-building, a cast of idiosyncratic characters who are all misfits in one way or another and a sprawling narrative that I suspect will only expand further as the sequels take it further. It's entertaining, well written and a genuinely good read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
abbymorris13's review
4.0
A good intro to the new series, a little slow in parts but a very good final 3rd and climax
billymac1962's review
4.0
A while ago I stopped into a used book store and was astounded to discover all four volumes of this series. I had had this recommended to me by a visitor to my site several years ago.
The story started off with a great premise: People who have become disenchanted with life in 2030 elect to start a new life in 6000 B.C., thanks to a newly discovered portal. Actually, the portal is built by
some scientist based on a newly discovered phenomenon of magnetic conduits through the earth's crust.
Or something like that.
So, you take a strange cross-section of characters from the near future, and throw them through a time portal (a one-way trip, that is), and to their surprise, Earth is inhabited and ruled by humaniod alien refugees.
Depending on the pioneers' characteristics, they are assigned to classes of life, be it slaves or concubines, or privileged members of society, of course under rule of the aliens.
Now as I write this, I'm wondering why I want to give up after the first book. But, I'm suspecting (by peeking at the outlines on the back covers) that the plot is going to stay where it is: a struggle
for the humans to free themselves from alien rule, with wars and battles, blah blah blah.
I don't know if three more books will hold my interest without more alien activity/developments or time paradoxes (I'm led to believe there are none). So for now, I don't think I'll continue.
Unless I get some serious prodding from you people out there.
The story started off with a great premise: People who have become disenchanted with life in 2030 elect to start a new life in 6000 B.C., thanks to a newly discovered portal. Actually, the portal is built by
some scientist based on a newly discovered phenomenon of magnetic conduits through the earth's crust.
Or something like that.
So, you take a strange cross-section of characters from the near future, and throw them through a time portal (a one-way trip, that is), and to their surprise, Earth is inhabited and ruled by humaniod alien refugees.
Depending on the pioneers' characteristics, they are assigned to classes of life, be it slaves or concubines, or privileged members of society, of course under rule of the aliens.
Now as I write this, I'm wondering why I want to give up after the first book. But, I'm suspecting (by peeking at the outlines on the back covers) that the plot is going to stay where it is: a struggle
for the humans to free themselves from alien rule, with wars and battles, blah blah blah.
I don't know if three more books will hold my interest without more alien activity/developments or time paradoxes (I'm led to believe there are none). So for now, I don't think I'll continue.
Unless I get some serious prodding from you people out there.
kmmcdono's review
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
hank's review
2.0
A table of boys in a 9th grade English class have an assignment to create an idea for a sci-fi novel and it goes something like this....
Boy 1: "I liked Serenity, we should do something like that, spaceships+old west"
Boy 2: "Yeah! And dinosaurs, it should have dinosaurs!"
Boy 3: "Dinosaurs?! That's stupid, sci-fi does NOT have dinosaurs"
Boy 2: "It could...if we had time travel, yeah! All sci-fi has time travel we should do that!"
Boy 4: "Idiots! You need aliens if it s going to be sci-fi"
Boy 2: "Yeah! Aliens with mind control we NEED those!"
Boy 1: "But the aliens need to be able to fly or somebody needs to be able to fly"
Boy 2: "What about girls, we need girls in the book, like we need some sort of sporty chick"
Boy 3: "I think we need some girls to help us out with this idea"
Boy 1: "Ok, space ships, old west, sentient dinosaurs, aliens, time travel, a sporty chick, we good?"
Boy 2: "What kind of dinosaurs? I just want smart ones"
Boy 4: "All of our characters need something wrong with them so we can make them better or grow or whatever our teacher keeps saying"
Boy 1: "Ok, space ships, old west, merely smart dinosaurs, aliens, time travel, sporty chick and everyone has something wrong with them?"
Boy 2: "This is going to be the best novel EVER!"
Boy 3: "Is it lunch yet..."
Boom! And the novel was made.
Boy 1: "I liked Serenity, we should do something like that, spaceships+old west"
Boy 2: "Yeah! And dinosaurs, it should have dinosaurs!"
Boy 3: "Dinosaurs?! That's stupid, sci-fi does NOT have dinosaurs"
Boy 2: "It could...if we had time travel, yeah! All sci-fi has time travel we should do that!"
Boy 4: "Idiots! You need aliens if it s going to be sci-fi"
Boy 2: "Yeah! Aliens with mind control we NEED those!"
Boy 1: "But the aliens need to be able to fly or somebody needs to be able to fly"
Boy 2: "What about girls, we need girls in the book, like we need some sort of sporty chick"
Boy 3: "I think we need some girls to help us out with this idea"
Boy 1: "Ok, space ships, old west, sentient dinosaurs, aliens, time travel, a sporty chick, we good?"
Boy 2: "What kind of dinosaurs? I just want smart ones"
Boy 4: "All of our characters need something wrong with them so we can make them better or grow or whatever our teacher keeps saying"
Boy 1: "Ok, space ships, old west, merely smart dinosaurs, aliens, time travel, sporty chick and everyone has something wrong with them?"
Boy 2: "This is going to be the best novel EVER!"
Boy 3: "Is it lunch yet..."
Boom! And the novel was made.
scheu's review against another edition
4.0
The Saga of Pliocene Exile isn't so much science fiction as it is an adventure story - a very, VERY slow-paced adventure story, albeit with good characters, a well-researched setting, and occasionally implausible dialogue. I definitely prefer May's later books, but it's interesting to revisit how she built up her world and her ideas.
mormor_haxa's review
3.0
This was a re-read of an old favorite and - wow - have some bits not aged well at all. Specifically, the handling and treatment of race is problematic (and that’s being generous). There’s some other weird gender-essentialist and patriarchal nonsense at play, specifically around the men’s attitudes about women, sex, etc. It strikes me as really strange that May couldn’t imagine a world where society hadn’t straightened that out, especially given the rise of psychic healing, alien contact, etc.
But then, reading this during the Trump era, it got a little too close to home. Perhaps it’s just these particular men - men who would opt to flee to the Pliocene rather than stay in an enlightened culture - but I find the lack of textual commentary off-putting.
That being said, the world building is excellent. It’s folkloric roots are well researched, and I’m a sucker for alien/elvish parallels.
So I still intend to re-read the entire series, but with breaks to read something that - hopefully - won’t be inducing so much cringe every few pages.
But then, reading this during the Trump era, it got a little too close to home. Perhaps it’s just these particular men - men who would opt to flee to the Pliocene rather than stay in an enlightened culture - but I find the lack of textual commentary off-putting.
That being said, the world building is excellent. It’s folkloric roots are well researched, and I’m a sucker for alien/elvish parallels.
So I still intend to re-read the entire series, but with breaks to read something that - hopefully - won’t be inducing so much cringe every few pages.
branch_c's review against another edition
5.0
I was impressed the first time I read this series, in the eighties I guess, and it remains one of my all time favorites; I've been inspired to reread them several times since.
Still hugely enjoyable - even in this first book of the Pliocene Exile, the groundwork for the Galactic Milieu portion is being set up, but it works here as an extensively in-depth backstory and the main plot is as fun an adventure as an SF reader could ask for. Looking forward to continuing the series reread.
Still hugely enjoyable - even in this first book of the Pliocene Exile, the groundwork for the Galactic Milieu portion is being set up, but it works here as an extensively in-depth backstory and the main plot is as fun an adventure as an SF reader could ask for. Looking forward to continuing the series reread.