Ratings13
Average rating3.8
In Pliocene Europe, warring races of aliens and humans face a new threat from North America in the third novel of the Locus Award–winning sci-fi series. A group of misfits from the twenty-second century have travelled six million years back in time to the Pliocene Epoch. But instead of an uninhabited paradise, they discover a land overrun with two alien races—each possessing great psychic powers—locked in bitter war. After escaping the knightly Tanu, a group of humans forms an uneasy alliance with the dwarfish Firvulag. But even after they succeed in destroying the Tanu capital, the war is far from over. Aiken Drum, a human with awesome mental powers, has usurped the Tanu throne. Aiken faces opposition from skeptical Tanu factions, as well as the revitalized Firvulag, who now out-number the Tanu-human coalition that Aiken has patched together. But another menace emerges to threaten Aiken's rule: a group of fearsome rogues from the year 2083, who have been living quietly in North America for decades. Led by Marc Remillard, they now seek to take advantage of the chaos in King Aiken's Many-Colored Land in order to seize control of the time-portal. The Nonborn King features the same blend of adventure, rich pageantry, humor, and fantastic eroticism that characterized The Many-Colored Land and The Golden Torc.
Featured Series
4 primary books5 released booksSaga of the Pliocene Exile is a 6-book series with 4 primary works first released in 1981 with contributions by Julian May.
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Epic. Deep. A blast. This is my second reading, the first being nearly forty years ago. These books were written to last. I may be enjoying them even more than I did as a teenager. A deeper knowledge of the world only enriches the experience. Nearly everything I remember from this series came from the first two books. This is exciting, as these books are my favorite adventure story. It's similar to reading them for the first time. The end of book 2 knocked the game board over and scattered the pieces. Here, those that remain gather strength and make fragile alliances. Julian May was absolutely brilliant, her layers of knowledge stack atop one another to make (brace yourself for this metaphor) a magnificent baklava, honeyed by her cinematic writing style. I can't wait to see how it turns out (again).
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