I've seen this book and its sequels on the shelf for some time now, but I didn't think it would be my cup of tea - the front cover picture of a dinosaur hinted at fantasy which I tend to avoid.

A race of meat-eating, intelligent dinosaurs live on the only land surface on the entire planet. An apprentice astrologer discovers his worlds 'place' in their system and its likely future.

I'm looking forward to the sequels.

Excellent and highly recommended (10)
 

Author site www.sfwriter.com/
 

As in the first book, there is a lot of adventure and this time even a murder mystery. FOSSIL HUNTER is a worthy successor to FAR-SEER and I am once again looking forward to the next installment, FOREIGNER.

Very Good  (8)
 

This is the third and final book in the “Quintaglio Ascension”. It was, like the others, a pleasure to read and I finished it quite quickly. I’m only sorry this is the last.

Asfan is suffering from bad dreams and he is convinced to seek the assistance of Mokleb, a practitioner of the new study of psychology.

Novato, the mother of Asfan’s children is continuing her study of the alien craft discovered in FOSSIL HUNTER.

Asfan’s son, Toroca, is on a geological study that takes him to previously unexplored territories where he discovers another possible threat to Quintaglio existence.

The only gripe I have, and it’s a small one, is the abrupt conclusion. The story line covered in the last few pages could have been further explored in future novels. This is possibly selfishness on my part since I enjoyed the stories so much I didn’t want them to end.

Very Good  (8.5)
 

Pierre Tardivel is a French-Canadian who discovers at a young age that he has a 50-50 chance of developing Huntington's chorea, a genetically inherited disease that eventually leads to death. After coasting through school and living aimlessly he focuses his life on the study of genetics. He eventually finds himself working at the University of California, Berkeley, on the Human Genome Project.

Molly Bond has a Ph.D in behavioural psychology and also ends up at UC-Berkeley. Molly is a very attractive woman with the ability to 'hear' people's thoughts when they are within a three-foot radius. This gift has become a hindrance especially when mixing with people socially and knowing their intimate thoughts.

Avi Meyer's father was a prisoner in the Nazi death camp at Treblinka in World War II. Ivan the Terrible ran the camp and was responsible for the murder and torture of thousands of Jews. Avi never met his father, but has devoted his life to hunting war criminals, especially Ivan the Terrible.

When an attempt on Pierre's life fails, all three become embroiled in a search for the reason behind the attack.

This is the first non-dinosaur book of Sawyer's that I have read and I was a little unsure of what to expect. I wouldn't classify the story as typical science fiction, rather a thriller with some science in the form of genetics. I loved it, however, and would recommend it to those who wouldn't normally read sf.

Excellent and highly recommended  (10)

September 1999
 

If he wasn’t there before, he is now! Robert J. Sawyer goes to the top of my ‘must read’ list. The man can do no wrong.

Kyle Graves and his wife, Heather Davis, both teach at the University of Toronto. Kyle is researching quantum computing and Heather specializes in psychology. For the past ten years, Earth has been receiving radio signals from Alpha Centauri and Heather is leading the team at U of T that is trying to decipher the message.

Kyle and Heather have been separated for the last 12 months. A tragedy struck their family that has driven a wedge between the couple. While they still love each other, they find it difficult to come to terms with their situation. Furthermore, they are about to be hit by another personal tragedy, which now seems certain to ruin any hope of reconciliation.

Like FRAMESHIFT, this book is more about the people than anything else. That’s not to say the story in which the characters are embedded is not highly entertaining, exciting and thought provoking, because it is. In every book I’ve read by Sawyer, the characters take centre stage and no matter if they be dinosaur or human, they are all likeable, interesting beings.

Excellent and highly recommended  (10)

May 2000
 

Brandon and Klicks are two scientists who are the first to use the newly invented time machine. Brandon is a palaeontologist and his mission is to try to determine the factors that brought about the extinction of the dinosaurs. The time displacement possible with this new machine is inversely proportional to the energy required. Therefore it turns out the time machine is useful to palaeontologists almost exclusively.

When they arrived in the late Mesozoic, things are not as they expected.

If you plan on reading this book, don’t read the blurb on the back cover. As is usual, after finishing the book I read the back and it gives away too much of the story. I’d rather discover for myself and be surprised along the way.

Not up to the standard of Sawyer’s other works reviewed at this site. It is an enjoyable tale that satisfies in its own way.

Good  (7)

January 2001
 

Peter Hobson is a biomedical engineer who has invented a machine that is able to determine the moment of true death, ie the moment the ‘soul’ leaves the body. Peter’s friend Sarkar is working on artificial intelligence and has developed a technique whereby an exact copy of a human ‘mind’ can be downloaded onto a computer. Together Peter and Sarkar plan to determine how it feels to be dead by combining their talents.

Of course things don’t work out as planned and people start dying.

Sawyer rates as one of my favourite authors and this work further cements his place at the top of my list. This effort won the Nebula award. As with Sawyer’s most recent works, this story has at its heart a couple who are deeply in love, but have that love tested by devastating circumstances.

Very Good  (9)

December 2001
 

Lloyd Simcoe and Theo Procopides are physicists working in Switzerland. Their latest experiment involves accelerating atomic particles together at immense speed so as to recreate conditions as they were at the start of the Universe. Their experiment has an unexpected side effect that is felt by the entire world.

The aftermath of the experiment sees the relationships of the central characters thrown into turmoil. An impending marital breakup and a murder being the two central themes.

While I wouldn’t rate this effort as highly as some of Sawyer’s other recent efforts, it is still a worthwhile read that has a very satisfying conclusion. Once again the relationships between the central characters is at the fore, embedded as usual in a lot of speculative science. This book reminded me a little of the writing of Jonathan Lethem, which is worthy praise.

Very Good  (8.5)

January 2002
 

Tom Jericho is a palaeontologist working at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. His life changes dramatically when two events occur. The first is that an alien visits his museum and wishes to talk to a palaeontologist and the second is that Tom has been diagnosed with cancer.

Tom has been an atheist all his life, but the aliens believe that our universe shows evidence of intelligent design. Tom’s ideas on religion, God, evolution and the origins of life are challenged by the circumstances he finds himself in.

Sawyer has written an intelligent, thought provoking book that I found difficult to put down. It is peppered with humour and some suspense that should please all who read it.

Excellent  (10)

August 2002
 

Ponter Boddit and Adikor Huld are working on developing a quantum computer. During an experiment in their underground lab, Ponter vanishes into thin air, but is replaced by a quantity of heavy water. Adikor is accused of murdering his partner and friend and soon becomes embroiled in a trial.

It turns out that Ponter has slipped into an alternative Universe. He finds himself on an Earth that, while physically resembling his own, is occupied by different beings. Ponter’s Universe is one in which Neanderthal man evolved into the dominant species, while our own went the way of the Dodo. Now he is stuck on our Earth, alone and shocked by what we have done with the place.

This winner of the Hugo Award for best novel is an excellent addition to Sawyer’s collection, and mine now. Another engrossing thought provoking, entertaining piece of fiction that left me wanting more. I’m glad to say there is a sequel and I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

Excellent  (10)

November 2003
 

In the year 2177, ten thousand colonists are on their way from Earth to the planet Colchis in the spaceship Argos. The Argos is under the control of JASON, a super computer that monitors both the functioning of the ship and its passengers. When one of those passengers discovers JASON is manipulating the voyage, he has her killed to ensure his objectives are not threatened.

The humans aboard are unaware of JASON’s role in the death and JASON must now keep a close ‘eye’ on the crew in order to maintain his subterfuge.

At 196 pages, this is a quick and enjoyable read. It is also Sawyer’s first novel and like his later work, it is a study of relationships among the crew and the computer.

Very Good  (8.5)

January 2004
 

Following on from HOMINIDS, Sawyer tells the tale of Ponter and Mary as they try to determine the nature and future of their relationship. A portal between their worlds is established and stabilised enabling greater contact between the two species.

Being a sequel, this story lacked the freshness of the original and while I was glad to return to this saga, there weren’t enough surprises to help elevate it to Sawyer’s usual standard. I do, however, look forward to reading the concluding book in the trilogy.

Very Good  (8)

April 2004
 

Sawyer’s final instalment of the Neanderthal parallax is set mostly in the Neanderthal world. Mary is coming to terms with the social customs of Ponter’s world, only able to be with him a few days each month. Ponter and Mary decide to have a child, but the differences in their genetic makeup need to be resolved.

Life on our version of Earth is not as idyllic as it is on Ponter’s version and there are those who would consider taking it away from the Neanderthals. We are plagued with overcrowding, violence, pollution and the threat of reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles which some believe may result in our loss of sentience.

I found this to be the weakest of the three books in the series. It did pick up the pace toward the end, but sadly I’d say it is not one of Sawyer’s best efforts.

Good  (7.5)

May 2004
 

Aliens from Alpha Centauri land on Earth seeking help after their ship was damaged entering the solar system. Humans agree to help repair the vessel in exchange for new technology, but a human is found murdered and the main suspect is an alien.

What follows is the court case and while it is entertaining, this book lacks the character development usually found in Sawyer’s work.

Good  (8)

February 2008
 

Caitlin is a 15 year old blind girl who is given a chance to see for the first time using new technology developed by a Japanese researcher. As a result, she begins to see not the world as we see it, but the internet and something that dwells within it.

This book is the first in a trilogy and once again Sawyer doesn't disappoint this reader. After reading it, I found myself researching some of the science mentioned within the book. Sawyer rekindled in me an interest in science that I thank him for.

Excellent  (10)

December 2009
 

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