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The Golden Torc (Saga of the Pliocene Exile #2)
by
Julian May
By A.D. 2110 nearly 100,000 humans had fled the civilized strictures of the Galactic Milieu for the freedom they thought existed at the end of the one-way time tunnel to Earth, six million B.C.
But all of them had fallen into the hands of the Tanu, a humanoid race who'd fled their own galaxy to avoid punishment for their barbarous ways.
And now the humans had made the Tanu s...more
But all of them had fallen into the hands of the Tanu, a humanoid race who'd fled their own galaxy to avoid punishment for their barbarous ways.
And now the humans had made the Tanu s...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
July 9th 1982
by Pan Books
(first published 1982)
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Originally published on my blog here in August 1998.
The second of May's Pliocene-set Saga of the Exiles series, The Golden Torc continues from where The Many-Coloured Land left off. The humans from the group focused upon in the first novel are continuing to make a large contribution to the alien society they have found themselves in. Aiken Drum is insinuating himself into the highest echelons of society; Elizabeth is trying not to let the Tanu take advantage of her newly recovered mental capacit...more
The second of May's Pliocene-set Saga of the Exiles series, The Golden Torc continues from where The Many-Coloured Land left off. The humans from the group focused upon in the first novel are continuing to make a large contribution to the alien society they have found themselves in. Aiken Drum is insinuating himself into the highest echelons of society; Elizabeth is trying not to let the Tanu take advantage of her newly recovered mental capacit...more
The scope of this saga spanning eight novels is staggering. A gate is opened to the past, specifically the Pliocene era. But it is a one-way trip. Adventurous souls travel back, and find a world unlike any they could imagine. Epic conflict rages between ancient races, and the future destiny of man is decided. The initial four books make up The Saga of Pliocene Exile.
* The Many-Coloured Land
* The Golden Torc
* The Nonborn King
* The Adversary
These can be read as a standalone series, but who wou...more
* The Many-Coloured Land
* The Golden Torc
* The Nonborn King
* The Adversary
These can be read as a standalone series, but who wou...more
2 likes · like · see review
Nov 18, 2012
Kevin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
good-ol-science-fiction
If you have gotten this far, you will know what the setting is to the Saga of the Pliocene Exile. You may also be wondering what, exactly, is going on with the four characters that went to the Tanu capital of Muriah. And that is where the book picks up.
So, the reader finds themselves backwards in time before the rebel uprising at the end of The Many-Colored Land to catch up with Bryan, Aiken Drum, Elizabeth, and the 'Viking' Stein. Theirs is a much more politically driven story, as they maneuver...more
So, the reader finds themselves backwards in time before the rebel uprising at the end of The Many-Colored Land to catch up with Bryan, Aiken Drum, Elizabeth, and the 'Viking' Stein. Theirs is a much more politically driven story, as they maneuver...more
By A.D. 2110 nearly 100,000 humans had fled the civilized strictures of the Galactic Milieu for the freedom they thought existed at the end of the one-way time tunnel to Earth, six million B.C.
But all of them had fallen into the hands of the Tanu, a humanoid race who'd fled their own galaxy to avoid punishment for their barbarous ways.
And now the humans had made the Tanu stronger than the Firvulag, their degenerate brethren and ritual antagonists. Soon the Tanu would reign supreme. Or so they th
Nov 13, 2009
Reinhold
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
science-fiction
Die Revolution geht weiter
Dieses Buch stellt den zweiten von vier Bänden des Pliozän-Zyklus von Julian May dar. Einen Überblick über den Inhalt des Zyklus und die Reihenfolge der Bücher habe ich bei meiner Rezension zum ersten Band "Das vielfarbene Land" gegeben. Um diese Rezension kürzer zu halten verweise ich an dieser Stelle auf diese Rezension.
Am Beginn des Romans gibt es eine sehr gute und ausführliche Zusammenfassung, diese kann die Lektüre des ersten Teil natürlich nicht ersetzen, wenngle...more
Dieses Buch stellt den zweiten von vier Bänden des Pliozän-Zyklus von Julian May dar. Einen Überblick über den Inhalt des Zyklus und die Reihenfolge der Bücher habe ich bei meiner Rezension zum ersten Band "Das vielfarbene Land" gegeben. Um diese Rezension kürzer zu halten verweise ich an dieser Stelle auf diese Rezension.
Am Beginn des Romans gibt es eine sehr gute und ausführliche Zusammenfassung, diese kann die Lektüre des ersten Teil natürlich nicht ersetzen, wenngle...more
Golden Torc - second in the Saga of the Exiles. This is simply a continuation of Book 1, the Many-Coloured Land. All the things I said in that review are also true here. Please read that review. This is Book 2 of either 4 or 8 depending how you want to count.
I read this years ago when it was first published. After that, I would wait avidly for the next to arrive at the local bookshop. These books made an impact somehow. I sold them at a garage sale in the '90's then re-bought the set recently. Fantasy + science fiction + metas + in depth character development = excellent read.
The only reason I did not review this was because I was too busy trying to get through the next book, so I am writing this quickly, months later. The Golden Torc was AMAZING. I loved it and became a big fan of Aiken Drum. Overall, I loved the four books in this series, and if I had to rank them, I'd say the Golden Torc was the best, The Many Coloured Land was second, The Non Born King was third and the last book, The Adversary, was my least favorite. The Adversary was still good, however, and it...more
A worthy continuation of the series with a dramatic conclusion. The characters from the first book continue in their character arcs and new characters are added making it hard to keep track at all times. But enjoyable. The telepathic abilities power is still fairly believable.
This series is amazing. The writer's canvas is huge - there are so many plots and so many characters, but I was never confused about who was doing what. Their plotting and machinations are as intricate as those at any royal court, and the double-crosses abound.
May continues his romp through a mediaeval world inhabited by humans and two warring alien races. It's great fun, decent if slightly one-dimensional characters and an epic conclusion to book 2 that almost feels as if should have been the series finale.
Second of the Pliocene saga. I read these years ago, before I was thirteen but I remember them fairly well.
The first volume introduces us to a set of characters who are determined to take the route into exile, into the Pliocene past. The arrival point is of course controlled by the Tanu, one of the warring alien groups who dominate Pliocene Europe. They run a screening centre and people with useful skills are sent south to their capital and those without are sent to other places to join the labo...more
The first volume introduces us to a set of characters who are determined to take the route into exile, into the Pliocene past. The arrival point is of course controlled by the Tanu, one of the warring alien groups who dominate Pliocene Europe. They run a screening centre and people with useful skills are sent south to their capital and those without are sent to other places to join the labo...more
Re-read all these books every few years with great pleasure. Aiken Drum's mental powers outstrip the torc. Felice also develops great powers but she is unstable.When the ritual great contest takes place her actions are extreme.
Much better than the first book, as the characters gain some complexity to them (though Felice is still a homophobic nightmare, for all she's supposedly an Artemis archetype in the same way Mercy is La Belle Dame Sans Merci).
Like the first book, I liked the original setting and storyline. The ending of the book left me wanting though. It was like the author didn't know how to end the story and just went for a quick solution. Now I wonder if book 3 will be worth it.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10472931
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10472931
In general I give all series two volumes to entice me to read further—in this case, May has failed utterly. Somehow she has taken a good concept and serviceable storytelling and written a book almost entirely devoid of interest. The few sympathetic characters she presents have so minor a role that finding out what happens to them has next to no appeal. I've watched all people and events become slowly more sterile and cold, and in the end I had to push myself to read the last hundred pages. I'm l...more
Like the book before it (The Many Colored Land), I found the text a lot to slog through, but there's enough plot and drama to keep me going.
Dec 02, 2010
Marvin
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
autographed
Very disappointing successor to The Many-Coloured Land, the good but not great first book of May's Pleistocene Era trilogy.
A great sequel where the characters fates are enlarged upon after their jounrey through the time gate.
Well thought out and great continuity and flow.
Doesn't lose pace and follows on well from where it left off from the first novel.
Well thought out and great continuity and flow.
Doesn't lose pace and follows on well from where it left off from the first novel.
A good sequel. Lots of action, a bit of romance but not so that it was distracting. Proper science fiction/ fantasy.
Only a three cause of them crummy denizens of the Land of Faerie getting what they deserved in the end...
Awesome sequel, delving deeper into the alien society and culture, and building to a truly stupendous climax. Like all the best thrillers, it leaves you wanting more...
Loved it. Absolutely terrible, and I loved every second of it. Oh, and the typos... Oh the typos!
The Golden Torc by Julian May (1985)
Still enjoying the series and the characters.
The story continues with some surprises.
The plot at times is very busy.
Onwards to the next book in the saga.
The plot at times is very busy.
Onwards to the next book in the saga.
Characters run the gamut of achieving their dreams, only to have them crash down, ridiculously insane battles of psychic power/illusion, tragedy befalls, and lives and the status quo are threatened to go nova. May really created a weird mix of brassy/salt of the earth (sometimes veering on antagonistic archetype, but also reminding of David Eddings fantasy series characters) character types clashing in X-Men style battles, Celtic myth strewn through Star Trek aliens, with a clinical biologist/ge...more
A GREAT READ!!!!!!!!A FAN
read before June 1993
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Apr 13, 2013 02:36am