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sepptb's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
must be my tenth time through this series. Obviously I love it
corymojojojo's review against another edition
4.0
I was really excited to start this series, I’ve heard great things and I even ordered the whole set before starting, and while I was by no means disappointed, it wasn’t as great as I was anticipating. The main issue is that it didn’t suck me in very quickly. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but with so many characters to keep track of—every chapter feels like it introduces a new character for the first 60 pages—and May’s complex vocabulary, it was a slow start. At about the halfway point, though, things clicked and I got properly swept up into the epic story (and as it turns out this is really just an incomplete part 1 to a longer story, many characters introduced are not even addressed until book 2).
The Saga of the Pliocene Exile is arguably more fantasy than science fiction, especially considering I have a hard time categorizing anything focused on psychic abilities as sci-fi, but there is some excellent creativity at play here, involving time travel, ancient aliens, space ships, all set 6 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch during an epic war between two factions. Overall I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping, but it’s still got some great things going for it, and there’s a lot more story to read in the next three books. I’m looking forward to it.
The Saga of the Pliocene Exile is arguably more fantasy than science fiction, especially considering I have a hard time categorizing anything focused on psychic abilities as sci-fi, but there is some excellent creativity at play here, involving time travel, ancient aliens, space ships, all set 6 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch during an epic war between two factions. Overall I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping, but it’s still got some great things going for it, and there’s a lot more story to read in the next three books. I’m looking forward to it.
wazbar's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.5
My biggest worry about this was that it'd lean too hard on a veneer of "hard" science believability bit I needn't have; this is pure planetary romance on a level few can match. May brings the lower pliocene to life with evident delight and love. Truly, an incredible work of imagination.
Rough spots were primarily that the characterization depends overmuch on national stereotypes. A lot of time is spent establishing a large cast of characters, and then the back half of the book focuses narrowly on a few of them; this may set up the later books in the series but it did drag in places in this one.
Rough spots were primarily that the characterization depends overmuch on national stereotypes. A lot of time is spent establishing a large cast of characters, and then the back half of the book focuses narrowly on a few of them; this may set up the later books in the series but it did drag in places in this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Pregnancy
degroot_maartje's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
fantasticraccoon's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
barry_x's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
****MINOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW****
This was a really pleasant surprise. It's a book I didn't have high hopes for but in the end I really enjoyed.
'The Many-Colored Land' is set in the future where humans have colonised space and have relations with other intelligent alien life. Back on Earth, a scientist effectively invents one way time travel where people and objects can be sent back to the Pliocene era (2-5 million years ago) in the exact spot. What starts as a fancy for artists and other dreamers to go back in time soon becomes an industry as all kinds of people who want to escape their life in society volunteer to go back with no idea what they will face. Over time, tens of thousands go back so there is an assumption there is some kind of society but no one knows what. It turns out when the people go back, that humans are not the only intelligent life on Earth...
What we end up with is a brilliant blend of science fiction and fantasy set on a much younger Earth. May throws a lot of ideas at the book and they pretty much all land, so we do get quite a gonzo and pulpy novel (mind control, outdoor exploration, spacecrafts and riding prehistoric animals anyone). The difference is that this book plays it straight and is better for it. The very basic premise is humans are enslaved by an alien species called Tanu (with degrees of 'enslavement' and satisfaction amongst humans at the relationship). The Tanu have a relationship to another alien species called the Firvulag who they are in conflict with (one in seven Tanu births are a Firvulag). A small party of humans we are introduced to early in the novel manage to escape and change the dynamics on this Earth.
The pacing is good, once we get a slowish start introducing each individual character, the book rattles through the story and rarely lags. As a plot it is consistently engaging without one needing to think too much about it. I did appreciate the level of detail and research May must have undertaken for the novel, you can tell she loved doing it and how 'scientific' explanations are created for various events. All the characters are suitably different, although not to deep. I didn't care to much for them, but I didn't dislike them either, and none annoyed me. Certain things like characters falling in love quickly were a bit 'meh' but the characters are there to drive the story.
I did adore the nod to folklore and mythology and thought it was delightful that we have a possible source for much of European folklore in the book. I found it especially wonderful thinking both the humans and the alien species must die out, but the oral tradition of these people creates our folklore. If we except the premise of the story, then our elves and fairies are very old indeed!
My main criticism of the book is that as you near the end you think, 'this is book 1 of 2' (there ended up being nine books written in the setting). As a consequence of this I felt a little unfulfilled, there are a whole bunch of characters who are introduced at the start, have their own arc and then get dropped in the middle of book two. The end doesn't really feel like the end of the novel.
That criticism aside, I've probably read 'book 1' of lots of series and never picked up the next. If I get the opportunity I think I'd enjoy reading more of the series.
A final note, seeing as I am reading this as part of a speculative fiction LGBTQIA+ challenge. There are a couple of lesbian characters in the book but little is explored in terms of queer themes so I think this can be tagged under 'queer representation'.
Nothing to deep in this one, but a lot of fun with a clever world and story which I enjoyed a lot.
This was a really pleasant surprise. It's a book I didn't have high hopes for but in the end I really enjoyed.
'The Many-Colored Land' is set in the future where humans have colonised space and have relations with other intelligent alien life. Back on Earth, a scientist effectively invents one way time travel where people and objects can be sent back to the Pliocene era (2-5 million years ago) in the exact spot. What starts as a fancy for artists and other dreamers to go back in time soon becomes an industry as all kinds of people who want to escape their life in society volunteer to go back with no idea what they will face. Over time, tens of thousands go back so there is an assumption there is some kind of society but no one knows what. It turns out when the people go back, that humans are not the only intelligent life on Earth...
What we end up with is a brilliant blend of science fiction and fantasy set on a much younger Earth. May throws a lot of ideas at the book and they pretty much all land, so we do get quite a gonzo and pulpy novel (mind control, outdoor exploration, spacecrafts and riding prehistoric animals anyone). The difference is that this book plays it straight and is better for it. The very basic premise is humans are enslaved by an alien species called Tanu (with degrees of 'enslavement' and satisfaction amongst humans at the relationship). The Tanu have a relationship to another alien species called the Firvulag who they are in conflict with (one in seven Tanu births are a Firvulag). A small party of humans we are introduced to early in the novel manage to escape and change the dynamics on this Earth.
The pacing is good, once we get a slowish start introducing each individual character, the book rattles through the story and rarely lags. As a plot it is consistently engaging without one needing to think too much about it. I did appreciate the level of detail and research May must have undertaken for the novel, you can tell she loved doing it and how 'scientific' explanations are created for various events. All the characters are suitably different, although not to deep. I didn't care to much for them, but I didn't dislike them either, and none annoyed me. Certain things like characters falling in love quickly were a bit 'meh' but the characters are there to drive the story.
I did adore the nod to folklore and mythology and thought it was delightful that we have a possible source for much of European folklore in the book. I found it especially wonderful thinking both the humans and the alien species must die out, but the oral tradition of these people creates our folklore. If we except the premise of the story, then our elves and fairies are very old indeed!
My main criticism of the book is that as you near the end you think, 'this is book 1 of 2' (there ended up being nine books written in the setting). As a consequence of this I felt a little unfulfilled, there are a whole bunch of characters who are introduced at the start, have their own arc and then get dropped in the middle of book two. The end doesn't really feel like the end of the novel.
That criticism aside, I've probably read 'book 1' of lots of series and never picked up the next. If I get the opportunity I think I'd enjoy reading more of the series.
A final note, seeing as I am reading this as part of a speculative fiction LGBTQIA+ challenge. There are a couple of lesbian characters in the book but little is explored in terms of queer themes so I think this can be tagged under 'queer representation'.
Nothing to deep in this one, but a lot of fun with a clever world and story which I enjoyed a lot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Confinement, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
aleena123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
craftingrama's review
2.0
I don't know perhaps it was too colored LOL but between the book and the narrator it ended up being more white noise in the background then it was an interesting book to listen to. Matter of fact at one point when the internet hiccuped and shut off the audiobook I didn't really notice I wasn't listening to anything anymore. Half the time I was lost and at times it just didn't make sense and the lack with the narrator pretty much made this something to put a person to sleep. It might be better as an ebook but somehow I'm not so sure about that.
shai3d's review
3.0
I read this book when it first came out back in the eighties and loved it. So of course when I ran across in audio I just couldn't resist. I found that I very much enjoyed becoming reacquainted with the characters and the narrator did a fine job. I do wish that the narrator was one with the skill to give each character a different voice as it did get confusing at times.