- Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Spectra Books (Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553580264
- ISBN-13: 978-0553580266
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.6 x 2.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,514,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
In the bloody war that ended between Th Congress Worlds and the alien ahtra, Captain Eli Dammond had distinguished himself as an officer who could no wrong--until his last catastrophic battle. Now, with his shining reputation tarnished, the commander finds himself assigned to a grimy kettle of a ship making basic transport missions. Routine work -until he arrives on Null: a barren, scorned world at the mercy of two suns. Here, a marooned human outpost has survived for three years until their rescue by Eli's ship. But on this austere planet, the human newcomers are about to learn a harsh lesson: that nothing is quite as it seems. For soon a new season will call forth a hidden ecology both exquisite and deadly. And Null will test the survivors in a fight no soldier was ever trained for, and few can predict - while a young the survivors in a fight no soldier was trained for, and few predict - while a young woman of privilege may well prove to be their finest warrior.
Yet for Eli Dammond, the worst struggle will unfold below the surface. There he will discover a threat to all the settle human worlds, even as he matches wits an adversary both familiar and alien. The odds are against human survival on null's surface or indeed, in the galaxy-- unless Eli succeeds in bringing home the hard-won secret that neither human nor ahtra can hear.
Yet for Eli Dammond, the worst struggle will unfold below the surface. There he will discover a threat to all the settle human worlds, even as he matches wits an adversary both familiar and alien. The odds are against human survival on null's surface or indeed, in the galaxy-- unless Eli succeeds in bringing home the hard-won secret that neither human nor ahtra can hear.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Tropic of Creation concerns the meeting of Humans and Ahtra, who are now at truce after a 30 year war. The action takes place on Null, where Captain Eli Dammond, on a civilian run bringing the Olander family to one of the homeworlds, has found a crew that's been marooned on Null for three years. Before long, Humans and Ahtra meet, and the future of both are in Captain Dammond's and young Sascha Olander's hands.
Saying anything more would give some of the best parts of the plot away. Unlike The Rift or even Leap Point, the characters in ToC are far more likeable and complex. Even the bad guys have more going for them, and are occasionally worth sympathy.
If you haven't read Kenyon before, this is an excellent place to start.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
13 reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
A new master of science fiction
20 Feb 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Kay Kenyon has written her best story so far. This one has none of the cheesy flavor of Raft (not to say it was bad, just a standard space opera, even if saved by its aliens) nor anti-science of Seeds of Time (which is excellent if you accept unrealistic time travel speculations). But it's not just plausibility of the plot that makes Tropic of Creation great. Kay Kenyon is an author who always fully develops characters of living depth, be that humans or aliens, without sacrificing the larger view of the story's world. Both of these aspects are shining brilliantly in this book.
The story is set during an armistice between the human and alien races. The humans have been beat by the older and more technologically advanced aliens and had to back off a strategic resource, surrendering all the trading rights. A transport ship is sent to rescue the survivors of a battleship marooned for three years on a desert world due to the system failures. During the investigation of the battleship's condition a number of alien machines are discovered, which eventually leads to the new contact, understanding and collaboration between the two races.
The elaborate beginning that sets up the world of the story may seem a bit slow to an impatient reader, but once the stage is set it explodes. At times the book resembles a horror story, one of the best I've read at that. But it's not gore for the sake of itself, everything is tied to the main plot and builds it from the solid foundation up. But not to a single climax, for the story is so complex and multipathed, as well as fast paced, that the excitment stays high throughout and the climaxes are many. The reader meets a self-made starship captain haunted by his luck, army men of various vices and virtues, an aristocratic family, and aliens of all strata of their exotic society, all portrayed with great detail and depth. The strange landscapes and animal life are also painted with realistic brilliance. All in all, the book has a very solid sci-fi and is a great pleasure to read. Look forward to more excellent, intelligent works by this author.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
It doesn't get much better than this!
20 May 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am obliged to give one of my very rare 5-star reviews to Kay Kenyon for a deep, complex, exciting and most satisfying novel.
In this tale, failing starship Captain Eli Dammond finds himself on the desert planet Null where his responsibility is to investigate to wreck of another ship and to transport its crew to safety. Although everybody is anxious to get the job done and to leave the inhospitable world, Eli feels that it is imperative for him to spend his last moments there making a quick exploration below the surface of Null in one of the many alien hexadron boring machines found on the surface.
Thus begins a wonderfully told and realized adventure of Eli's meeting with the ancient subterranean race of Ahtra. The story is so masterfully told that we can clearly visualize and comprehend the complex alien culture, and understand their motivations in dealing with the problematic stranger in their midst.
While the story underground is evolving, life on the surface of Null is changing rapidly and catastrophically for the remaining humans. The planet has its own bioligical imperitives at work, and human life is not a high priority.
In spite of the dark events that drive this story or, perhaps, because of them, the resolution of this gripping tale is uplifting and hopeful. A fitting conclusion to a wonderful adventure.
I highly recommend Tropic Of Creation, and I anxiously await the next fine work by Kay Kenyon.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Creative and Believable
9 Feb 2001
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As a long time sci-fi reader, most plots and situations these days are not too hard to figure out. That is until I read this book. Ms. Kenyon has quite a knack for setting up scenarios that keep you turning the pages and trying to anticipate what will happen next. I was easily able to identify with each character and even picture the surroundings and landscape as the story unfolded. There were still many times that I said to myself, "Wow, that's not what I expected but it sure makes sense". This was the first book that I have read by Kay Kenyon but definitely not the last. I have since purchased all of her other books and thoroughly enjoyed each one. This is a unique, fresh author I really enjoy. Keep 'em coming Kay!!!
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