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A Coming of Age
by
Timothy Zahn (Goodreads Author)
The children of Tigris have extraordinary telekinetic gifts—but are these special powers a blessing or a curse?
Lisa Duncan grew up on Tigris, where children develop telekinesis beginning at the age of five. By the time they’re pre-teens, their special abilities have peaked, only to slip away as they reach adulthood. Constantly monitored by adults, kids are kept in “hives,”...more
Lisa Duncan grew up on Tigris, where children develop telekinesis beginning at the age of five. By the time they’re pre-teens, their special abilities have peaked, only to slip away as they reach adulthood. Constantly monitored by adults, kids are kept in “hives,”...more
ebook, 294 pages
Published
October 16th 2012
by Open Road
(first published 1984)
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I can't even describe how wonderful this book is. In a post-earth world, children are endowed with telekinesis, a power they lose once they hit puberty. Since kids have all the power, great strides are taken to keep them in check, and evil "Oliver Twist-like" people are out to take advantage of their abilities. This book uses that backdrop to evoke the very real bittersweetness of simply GROWING UP. Like all great science fiction, the futuristic settings and fantastical elements are all just a s...more
After reading this book, I am adding more Timothy Zahn novels to my to-read pile. The story was not what I was expecting, but it was fantastic. I was expecting a fast-paced action story, and instead I got a thought-provoking detective novel.
The world building is what makes this story shine. Zahn asks the question "What would happen to our society if children suddenly developed the powers of telekinesis?" His answer: A world dependent on depriving children of knowledge until after their powers d...more
The world building is what makes this story shine. Zahn asks the question "What would happen to our society if children suddenly developed the powers of telekinesis?" His answer: A world dependent on depriving children of knowledge until after their powers d...more
Jul 11, 2010
Crystal Starr Light
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
As I have mentioned previously, Timothy Zahn is my absolute favorite author. I first read his works with Heir to the Empire and have continued to enjoy his non-Star Wars books. As a mini-goal, I have decided to read all of his works. This was another of his older works that I picked up in a used bookstore.
Plot:
The planet Tigris is strange not necessarily for its flora, fauna, or alien life. Something about the planet has bestowed a "gift" upon anyone between the ages of 5 and puberty--telekinesi...more
Plot:
The planet Tigris is strange not necessarily for its flora, fauna, or alien life. Something about the planet has bestowed a "gift" upon anyone between the ages of 5 and puberty--telekinesi...more
Great, little-known sci-fi adventure that reads kind of like a detective story.
It all started with the Lost Generation--that was the first set of children who exhibited powers of telekinesis. The chaos, the destruction they wreaked in that one generation was unimaginable--but then, it stopped. When the children reached puberty, their telekinesis disappeared. After that, society was much more careful. Children were separated from their parents at the age of five, when their "Teekay" first began...more
It all started with the Lost Generation--that was the first set of children who exhibited powers of telekinesis. The chaos, the destruction they wreaked in that one generation was unimaginable--but then, it stopped. When the children reached puberty, their telekinesis disappeared. After that, society was much more careful. Children were separated from their parents at the age of five, when their "Teekay" first began...more
This was my first encounter with Timothy Zahn. Since A Coming of Age does not have high rating on Goodreads (only 3.6) and it was written in 1984 I started reading this book with caution.
There are so many older novels that simply got run over by new styles or trends. But do not be afraid, I can assure you that this is not the case with A Coming of Age. Timothy Zahn writes with a straight-forward matter-o-fact style that never gets old. His world building is so subtle than you don't even notice w...more
There are so many older novels that simply got run over by new styles or trends. But do not be afraid, I can assure you that this is not the case with A Coming of Age. Timothy Zahn writes with a straight-forward matter-o-fact style that never gets old. His world building is so subtle than you don't even notice w...more
Jun 26, 2011
Jay Michaels
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
_A Coming of Age_ by Timothy Zahn (1984). Cool ideas, good execution, and a strong novel. This isn't as strong as Zahn's later novels, but the premise is good, and if it were adapted correctly, it would make a good sci-fi movie. The ending is fairly quiet, but let's be honest. Timothy Zahn's "weaker" material is like the Canadian rock band Rush's "weak" songs: It's a lot stronger than 90% of the stuff coming down the pike. I highly recommend Zahn's books, because frankly, you *could* have to wad...more
A Coming of Age is one of several Timothy Zahn books Open Road Media re-released as ebooks in October. I wondered how different a book written in 1984 would stand against today’s popular fiction. It’s easy to see a difference between a book written now and one written in the 19th Century, but would a book written over twenty-five years ago be that different?
Yes. But not in a bad way.
A large percentage of the book is from the Lisa’s point of view, a young girl on the brink of puberty, but this is...more
Yes. But not in a bad way.
A large percentage of the book is from the Lisa’s point of view, a young girl on the brink of puberty, but this is...more
I've enjoyed Timothy Zahn's works ever since I discovered The Last Command in a bookstore in Hong Kong around 1996. It was part 3 of a trilogy, but written so well that starting there wasn't a problem at all. I've followed him ever since.
That's why I was surprised to find I'd never heard anything about this book. Written in 1984, it's not nearly as war/military as other books he wrote around then (Cobra, The Blackcollar). I really enjoyed jumping into the book without reading any summaries or re...more
That's why I was surprised to find I'd never heard anything about this book. Written in 1984, it's not nearly as war/military as other books he wrote around then (Cobra, The Blackcollar). I really enjoyed jumping into the book without reading any summaries or re...more
It was OK. Kind of a reverse X-Men where the kids get their powers pretty much at birth and then lose them with puberty. That Lisa chick cries way too much. LOL.
Its an easy read and despite the subject matter revolving around children, its merit is mostly on the idea of power, withholding of knowledge and corruption.
I read this book in elementary school and have kept it on my shelves ever since!
If you look at the listing of works this author has written, it is obvious he's written a BUNCH (lots of it series work for multi-authored storylines), but this is the only book of his I've read, and I enjoyed it muchly. I was very young when I first read it, though, and the way Zahn created a world based around a different balance of power was quite appealing to me. (Children developed amazing powers around the age of five, which went away as puberty hit; as a result, the world had to be rearra...more
While it's not Zahn's best book, this is still enjoyable. A Coming of Age is a fairly light read, but has an engaging plot and a fair amount of humor.
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Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he bec...more
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