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Glory Lane

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 947 ratings · 34 reviews

THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE IS IN THEIR HANDS

Seeth, a bored punk rocker looking for excitement. Miranda, an air-head beauty who lives to shop. And Kerwin, a nerd who just wants to fit in.

They're not friends, and they don't even particularly like each other. But now this unlikely trio is the key to saving the universe. And they're in for the adventure of a their lives.

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Mass Market Paperback, 295 pages

Published August 1st 1987 by Ace

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Jan 07, 2009 Mary JL rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one really--Foster has beeter books out there read them

Shelves: main-sf-fantasy

Alan Dean Foster is a prolific writer. Therefore, of course, some of his booksare better than others.

This was one of the less sucessful stories---tried to be funny; seemd a bit pointless. Recommended for Sf fans who have read everything else or are die-hard fans of Alan Dean Foster.

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Jul 11, 2010 Crystal Starr Light rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: simply-the-best, science-fiction, so-good-it-s-awesome

I have read Alan Dean Foster's Star Wars books and was told to try out some of his non-Star Wars books. I tried Codgerspace but was unimpressed. Nonetheless, I decided to plug through this highly rated book.

Plot:
Seeth is a punk rocker. Kerwin is a college student. Miranda is a blonde bombshell. This trio meets up with Arthwit Rail, an alien in possession of Izmir, a strange being that no one is quite sure of. When Rail is chased by Oomenians who want Izmir back, the three humans are whisked away...more I have read Alan Dean Foster's Star Wars books and was told to try out some of his non-Star Wars books. I tried Codgerspace but was unimpressed. Nonetheless, I decided to plug through this highly rated book.

Plot:
Seeth is a punk rocker. Kerwin is a college student. Miranda is a blonde bombshell. This trio meets up with Arthwit Rail, an alien in possession of Izmir, a strange being that no one is quite sure of. When Rail is chased by Oomenians who want Izmir back, the three humans are whisked away to a wide expansive world possessing more aliens than imaginable, shopping sprees beyond imagination, science this world has only dreamed of, and a five-way war over the strange thing that keeps tagging along. Will these three humans survive and who will gain control over Izmir?

Good:
AMAZING! This is a positively awesome book. From the characters, to the plot, to the pacing, to the science, there is very little that is wrong with this book.
From the moment that we meet Seeth, I was hooked. Seeth was an absolutely awesome character, portrayed perfectly. Not quite good and completely different from the middle-class ideal, Seeth is such a convincing persona, he outshines his other two counterparts. Miranda actually acts like a ditz (most of the time--see below) and Kerwin is a nerd in a new sense--non-science (i.e. physics, math, that kind of stuff).
Next, the plot was perfect! Each action led to the next, was unique but not confusing and was overall amusing. Watching how the three are introduced (Kerwin and Seeth in the bowling alley, Miranda and the two in the car Rail steals), how they land on an alien world, how they shop, what they have to do to make money, all these little incidents are absolutely perfectly intertwined to make a completely satisfying story.
The pacing was also perfect. Not too much time is spent on Earth, no large gaps occur in time, and Foster doesn't get bogged down in long expository scenes that serve only to explain every detail that the audience doesn't get (which, by the way, Foster again does perfectly). I enjoyed how they understood so much more than the humans (although I did get tired of the human downplaying).
Lastly, the science! And boy, is there a world of science. From new alien species that defy the almost-human aliens to the new spaceships to the unique spacetime wormholes used by the Halets, the aliens actually are aliens! I loved the new battle warfare (between computers!) and the hard-core explanations (like the missing 30 - 40% mass of the universe). But the science isn't so concentrated and focused that the story is missed.

Bad:
Two characters are absolutely plain. Miranda took a freshman physics course and talks like she can compete with alien knowledge? Yeah, right. I have taken sophomore physics, and I wouldn't hold my own next to an alien's superior knowledge of physics. And I am supposed to believe this ditz can spout freshman physics and sound intelligent? This just undermines the shallowness of her character.
Next, I loved Seeth's viewpoint. I was so disappointed when the view went to boring Kerwin. Yes, it is interesting that he is a sociology (I think) major, but really, not much goes on in his head other than being jealous of Seeth over Miranda or mad at Seeth for something he said. What about Seeth? What about Miranda? What about Rail for goodness sake? Why would I want most of the book, which concentrates on three, not one, major character to be told solely from one being's point of view?

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Seeth has quite a foul mouth (being a punk and anarchist after all) and so do several other characters, but "fortunately" the language is reserved to da**, he**, and sh**. Miranda is sleeping with her boyfriend in the back of the van. Seeth can think only of sleeping with Miranda. Violence is very tame, with the exception of the Oomenians shooting at fleeing Kerwin, Seeth, and Rail.

Overall:
After reading Codgerspace and being only minimally impressed with the story, I really did not want to read another book from the author for a while. But, it sounded interesting and my sister told me I should, so I did. And that was a great choice. I was impressed--I was more than impressed, I was shocked. Even with a few minor qualms (the viewpoint change and some characterizations), Glory Lane is an awesome, awesome science fiction book and I think that all sci-fi fans should read this one. Five stars easily. (less)

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Dec 10, 2009 Patrick rated it 1 of 5 stars

Found this book in the attic the other day. I remember it vaguely from when I was a kid, and I decided to read it. It has one of those wacky scifi covers that despite my better judgment I am forever a sucker for, and the book itself lived up to (or down to) my expectations.

I've also blandly been interested in Alan Dean Foster because to me he is one of the most successful hack science fiction writers ever, having written novelizations of everything from Alien to Star Wars franchise filler. The o...more Found this book in the attic the other day. I remember it vaguely from when I was a kid, and I decided to read it. It has one of those wacky scifi covers that despite my better judgment I am forever a sucker for, and the book itself lived up to (or down to) my expectations.

I've also blandly been interested in Alan Dean Foster because to me he is one of the most successful hack science fiction writers ever, having written novelizations of everything from Alien to Star Wars franchise filler. The only book previous to this I read by him was Splinter In the Mind's Eye, a Star Wars story written to be the basis for a low-budget sequel to Star Wars in which Darth Vader loses his arm (oops!). I find him to be the cream of the crop of blah, heartless hack science fiction in a field where such writing is prominent.

At any rate, Glory Lane belongs to a big genre of science fiction I would simply call Poor Man's Douglas Adams, in which an assortment of stereotypes are sprung from the belittled planet Earth and thrust into a madcap absurd universe full of wacky characters and irreverent, stupid humor. A sort of wish fulfillment is the lure of these stories, as nothing extraordinary exciting or dangerous happens but bickering and insignificant, thoughtless, breezy jokey dialogue, in which at some point it is always revealed in a goofy way that humans are the lowest form of life. The wish fulfillment comes in as the humans experience amazingly mundane situations in comfortably imaginative worlds, such as the super-huge city Alvin in Glory Lane where our heroes spend the bulk of the novel eating weird food and shopping. Some sort of epic galactic secret is unearthed, there is some silly moral posturing, the universe is rescued, and everybody goes home happy.

I have a hard time grading a book like this, as going into it I knew exactly what to expect and it DID live up to my expectations. The problem is my expectations were retarded and for a book that (along with of course not being funny) is immensely grating to my sensibilities, especially when it tries pitifully to come across as intelligent but instead barely pulls off stupidly smug. I guess I sort of get some masochistic pleasure in how unfunny a book like this can be, how annoying all the characters are and how basically altogether irritating it is to read. I used to read a lot of books like this when I was younger and they still have that comfortable, cozy appeal. They are my equivalent of a Harlequin romance and now I am embarrassed to read them in public. I have to be careful though because reading too many books like this WILL make me stupider.

But anyway in the end this particular book was too sloppy, lazy, talky, repetitive, contradictory, and plain dull to even be good mindless entertainment. It was bullshit on auto-pilot, crap on cruise control, and a complete waste of time to a connoisseur of wasting time such as myself (which I guess is an achievement of some type). Also, I have no idea why it was called Glory Lane.(less)

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Jul 24, 2007 Michael rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is, thus far, the worst book I have ever read.

I can handle and sometimes enjoy Foster's work, but when the smug Neanderthal showed up and told the protagonist in no uncertain terms that his species was MUCH smarter than Homo sapiens, I wanted to strangle the book.

Thankfully, it didn't have a neck.

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Jun 10, 2012 Ed Nemo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

In 1987 when this book came out I was a Punk Rocker. Green Mohawk, lots of metal in my ears, and a black biker jacket. The only difference 24 years later is that my hair is brown, I have larger gauge plugs, more tattoos and a better black biker jacket. This novel stuck out to me because it had a punk on the cover. Seemed like a good enough reason to give it a try. And I am glad I did!

I loved this book. Well written and fun with three extremely different humans who realize how similar they are on...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Dale rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked Glory Lane , with the single glaring exception of all three human characters. They do not grow. They remain petty, impudent little pests and I found myself wondering why the other races tolerated the human species if this was all the better that they were going to meet!

Seriously, the actual sci-fi was top-notch. There were a multitude of worlds and species that were well-done. But, it was marred by the inclusion of a punk rocker, a geek and a ditzy blond who continued to bicker, and some...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Jeffery Moulton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, science-fiction, humor

Ok, I admit, this book probably doesn’t deserve a 5-star rating. It is a ton of fun but far from perfect. In particular, the resolution is a bit too, “click your heels together and say ‘there’s no place like home’” for me. And the characters could really use some more depth. And the story is a bit of a cliche. But for me the nostalgia factor overrides all it’s flaws.

Except for Star Wars books, Glory Lane was one of the first science fiction books I ever read as a kid—and I loved it. It is a sill...more Ok, I admit, this book probably doesn’t deserve a 5-star rating. It is a ton of fun but far from perfect. In particular, the resolution is a bit too, “click your heels together and say ‘there’s no place like home’” for me. And the characters could really use some more depth. And the story is a bit of a cliche. But for me the nostalgia factor overrides all it’s flaws.

Except for Star Wars books, Glory Lane was one of the first science fiction books I ever read as a kid—and I loved it. It is a silly bit of fluff that strongly appealed to my pre-adolescent self.

Even more, it was the first book I read that had real, honest-to-goodness, swearing in it. Having reread it as an adult—having now read many books with swearing—I now understand that the swearing in Glory Lane is pretty minimal and innocent. But for a fairly sheltered middle schooler, it was shocking and groundbreaking. Looking back I realize that, while I enjoyed the book, it really was the swearing that impressed me the most. It was my first foray into the adult world—it made me feel so grown up.

For that reason, this book holds a special place in my heart. It was a coming of age experience for a pretty awkward kid barely crossing the threshold into adulthood. That is pretty valuable

Fortunately, the book is pretty decent as well. As I said, it is a silly thing. It is roughly in the vein of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (though not as laugh-out-loud funny). It is not a thinker by any stretch of the imagination and it readily portrays the eccentricities of the ’80s. So it is worth a read all on its own, and rereading it as an adult reminded me just how much fun it really is.

But for me it is the nostalgia factor that really makes the book worthwhile. For several years I couldn’t find this book—couldn’t remember its name. The day I found it was very happy. And as I reread it I felt like a kid feeling like an adult all over again.

I can’t recommend it more. Even with the swearing.(less)

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Dec 30, 2012 Crissy Stanley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I first read this book around the age of fourteen I think....I have read it a total of seventeen times since then and bought it four times since...I have "lent " it to friends a couple times! I song know why I felt compelled to read if so many times....but it remains one of my all time faces. The imagery in the book is unbelievable!!! I have lost myself in the pages completely! This is a great sci -fi book that begs to be read by any fiction fan!!!!

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Apr 03, 2009 J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

Glory Lane is a fun, light hearted sci-fi tale involving humans getting involved in alien hijinks and find themselves trying to save the universe. The characters and situations are a little cliche but still interesting enough to give this book some flair. Each character is a stereotype taken to the nth degree. Seeth, the punk, is a particularly interesting attempt at trying just a wee little bit too hard. This is another book I read years ago, found in a bookstore and decided to re-read. Hey, it...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Buzz Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was entertaining to read for sure but what bothered me is the main characters were as blah at the end of the book as they were in the beginning. After a huge adventure! Not that I want to sound cruel becasue I read it three times so obviously I dug it.

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Mar 25, 2013 Jessica McReaderpants rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, sci-fi-spaceness

BIg fan of the Flinx books. This one didn't quite meet my high expectations but I enjoyed it none-the-less. Foster has no dearth of imagination, or irony. Not sure if this book will join my library or get donated. On the fence with it.

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Nov 03, 2012 Bruce rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good read. Foster proves he can do humor. Rather insider. Not for non-geeks/nerds for whom this will be almost completely orthogonal. Rather adolescent in places and overly simplistic from a cultural/social standpoint.

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Feb 24, 2012 Chris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi-and-fantasy

I read this as a teenager.

Back then I read sci-fi and fantasy almost exclusively, and this author (ADF) was one of my favorites.

Don't know how I would rate this book if I re-read it as an adult.

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May 03, 2009 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 25, 2012 John Drew rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the first Foster books I ever read, and it cemented my love for his works. I need to dig it out and give it another read.

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Jan 02, 2013 Geoffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Was the book that got me interested in reading when i was a kid. The ending wasn't great, but most of the book was alot of fun.

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Jun 24, 2012 Tammy rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my favorite reads when I was young. I still pull it out every once and a while for a good laugh.

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Jan 16, 2010 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

For entertainment purposes only. There is nothing deep about this book at all.

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Nov 03, 2012 Daye Downs roach rated it 5 of 5 stars

I first read this book YEARS ago. It's still one of my favorites.

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Jul 29, 2012 Lin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Me: Hey, Danny.
Danny: Yeah?
Me: Glumelmerk.
Danny: Oh, OK.

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Jun 21, 2009 Brett added it

Science Fiction

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Nov 03, 2012 Katt Katt rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this book

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May 09, 2012 Peter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Good fun read

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Jan 02, 2010 Pylades rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, not his best.

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Jan 09, 2010 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Meh

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Mar 06, 2012 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-by-me, humor, sci-fi, 2012-reading-challenge

Very cute. I was completely shocked for a moment to learn the relationship between Kerwin and Seeth. Some of the science stuff in the last 2-3 chapters was confusing, might have been intentional. It did take me a few weeks to get through it, not being one of those that you just can't put down. But every time I picked it back up I was right into it again. It did tend to slow down every time a more advanced race would talk about how insignificant humans are.

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Jun 24, 2008 B. Zedan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Folks who have imaginations and like to use them

Shelves: real-book

I not only took this book when I moved out of my childhood home, it's one of the few that is pencil-marked and dog-eared and quoted from. Solid world-building, with little presents of sparkling descriptive bursts as the main characters wend their way into the universe and back again. Existentialism, aliens, punks, and the secret of the universe.

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Mar 17, 2012 Toni rated it 1 of 5 stars

I just had to stop reading this one about a third of the way through. I hate to do that, but sometimes I completely lose interest and can't keep going. Maybe someday I'll go back and read it again, but not any time soon.

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Jan 20, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

A fun book to read. It shows that Science Fiction can have a lite side. A fun romp thru space with an unlikely set of characters.

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Nov 02, 2008 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own-it

I read this as a young teen and enjoyed it. I need to read it again soon.

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About Alan Dean Foster

Bestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing,...more

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