What do you think?
Rate this book
Humanx Commonwealth #21
Drowning World
“A fast, fun read for fans of Foster’s fantastic alien worlds . . . Driven by political intrigue and wilderness adventure, this is SF of noble vintage.”— Booklist
Fluva, the Drowning World, is a rain-drenched planet on the fringes of the Commonwealth whose indigenous species, the warlike Sakuntala, and its immigrant species, the hardworking Deyzara, stand on the brink of civil war. The wettest place on Fluva is Viisiiviisii, an immense jungle thriving with exotic plants and deadly predators. Endless rains have made the jungle a treasure trove of rare and valuable botanicals. A man can get rich there. Or die trying.
Bio-prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga has come to seek his fortune—if he survives the terrain once his sabotaged ship goes down. When a Sakuntala and a Deyzara are dispatched to rescue the unfortunate soul, their ship crashes, too. Now, in order to survive, the three unlikely allies must do something that no one has ever done escape the Viisiiviisii before it consumes them. . . .
“[A] rousing SF adventure packed with action, intriguing human and alien characters, and a message of strength through diversity.”— Library Journal
“Surefire entertainment . . . The author’s mastery of his exotic setting cannot be denied.”— Publishers Weekly
Fluva, the Drowning World, is a rain-drenched planet on the fringes of the Commonwealth whose indigenous species, the warlike Sakuntala, and its immigrant species, the hardworking Deyzara, stand on the brink of civil war. The wettest place on Fluva is Viisiiviisii, an immense jungle thriving with exotic plants and deadly predators. Endless rains have made the jungle a treasure trove of rare and valuable botanicals. A man can get rich there. Or die trying.
Bio-prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga has come to seek his fortune—if he survives the terrain once his sabotaged ship goes down. When a Sakuntala and a Deyzara are dispatched to rescue the unfortunate soul, their ship crashes, too. Now, in order to survive, the three unlikely allies must do something that no one has ever done escape the Viisiiviisii before it consumes them. . . .
“[A] rousing SF adventure packed with action, intriguing human and alien characters, and a message of strength through diversity.”— Library Journal
“Surefire entertainment . . . The author’s mastery of his exotic setting cannot be denied.”— Publishers Weekly
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
34 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
498 books2,033 followersBestselling 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, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.
Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 27, 2021
This is a stand-alone story told within the framework of Foster's richly detailed and complexly designed Humanx Commonwealth universe. It's a pleasantly diverse novel of colonialism and opposing cultures and societies, but with a pair of parallel plots that are action-packed and full of high spirited adventure. Fluva is a jungle planet reminiscent of Midworld, but with a unique ecology and fascinating features. It's a very enjoyable book.
February 19, 2016
There's no doubt about it; his extensive world travel has made Alan Dean Foster into a world builder extraordinaire. The planets he dreams up with their unique ecologies and extremely varied inhabitants never fail to impress, and the titular Drowning World of this book is certainly no exception.
Of the four principal characters in this novel, I only really liked one, but I liked her so much it didn't really matter about the others. I think with some characters ADF was going for a Han Solo-esque scoundrel quality but missed the mark slightly by pushing them too far into dickhead territory.
I also liked the plot a great deal. It deals with prejudice, a refugee community interacting with the world's native population, and the political machinations of opposing forces, one of which cares not a jot for natives or settlers.
Why only three stars then? Well, I have a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the alien races presented in this book are a little too close to existing Earth-based ethnic groups for my liking. It makes the portrayal of the alien folks' intrinsic racial traits a little uncomfortable for me. There were times when I felt like the author was perhaps giving away some of his own prejudices. I may be wrong here, being a bit oversensitive possibly, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the book a little.
Secondly, the native race of the planet speak in a kind of pidgin English. Now, this would be fine if it were only when they were talking to the human characters or the settlers, who are more fluent in Terranglo (what the folks in the future call English)... but they also speak this pidgin English amongst themselves when there's nobody from the other races present. Surely, amongst themselves, they would speak their native tongue, which they would be fluent in? It's a minor quibble, I suppose, but it annoyed me enough to drop a star.
Overall, this isn't one of the better entrues in the Humanx Commonwealth series, but I still enjoyed it.
Of the four principal characters in this novel, I only really liked one, but I liked her so much it didn't really matter about the others. I think with some characters ADF was going for a Han Solo-esque scoundrel quality but missed the mark slightly by pushing them too far into dickhead territory.
I also liked the plot a great deal. It deals with prejudice, a refugee community interacting with the world's native population, and the political machinations of opposing forces, one of which cares not a jot for natives or settlers.
Why only three stars then? Well, I have a couple of reasons.
Firstly, the alien races presented in this book are a little too close to existing Earth-based ethnic groups for my liking. It makes the portrayal of the alien folks' intrinsic racial traits a little uncomfortable for me. There were times when I felt like the author was perhaps giving away some of his own prejudices. I may be wrong here, being a bit oversensitive possibly, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the book a little.
Secondly, the native race of the planet speak in a kind of pidgin English. Now, this would be fine if it were only when they were talking to the human characters or the settlers, who are more fluent in Terranglo (what the folks in the future call English)... but they also speak this pidgin English amongst themselves when there's nobody from the other races present. Surely, amongst themselves, they would speak their native tongue, which they would be fluent in? It's a minor quibble, I suppose, but it annoyed me enough to drop a star.
Overall, this isn't one of the better entrues in the Humanx Commonwealth series, but I still enjoyed it.
March 28, 2018
Another excellent story of the Commonwealth, a fantastic universe created by Foster. He writes solid characters and interesting story lines, and always introduces new and interesting alien cultures. This one had intrigue, betrayal, discovery, and survival. Check it out.
January 1, 2023
Alan Dean Foster is one of the best at "world building" (creating believable and interesting worlds for the characters of his stories). In addition to exploring the Humanx Commonwealth, the plot of this book had an interesting dash of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" added in.
April 2, 2025
Decent read. Not really into the Commonwealth bureaucracy stuff, but I liked the clever rendering of the exotic Viissiiviissii.
April 21, 2022
The 'hardworking' species in this book are the alien equivalent of sleazy used car salesmen. Which even the commonwealth admits are turning the indigenous species into plantation slaves because they are the only ones that are allowed to import and sell all the future tech.
The indigenous species are the reason so many sci-fi settings have a Prime Directive or UP3. They are a tribal species that was on the verge of developing nations. Then along comes the commonwealth to wow specifically the young into giving up their home and culture for blatant consumerism.
The Commonwealth is trying to conquer this low-tech planet by threatening to cut off its tech anytime someone complains that their homeworld is being flooded with alien refugees (yes thats how they are portrayed). They can't even return these alien 'refugees' cause even though there is nothing wrong with that alien's homeworld, their homeworld refuses to take these '''hardworking''' aliens back.
The AAnn are there... literally just so the Humanx Commonwealth don't look like evil conquers, with the threat of the 'evil empire' being all the justification to the reader needs. Cause if the Commonwealth doesn't conquer these primitives and enslave them, then the AAnn might... conquer them? It's really vague since they don't care enough to take the planet by force and only arm the locals to fight for their world.
I hate this book. I hate the morals it preaches. I hate the ending that just tells the refugee aliens to stop making the indigenous aliens into slaves (not a law, just a request). I hate how it handwaves the commonwealth's conquering this world with the implied threat of the AAnn.
The indigenous species are the reason so many sci-fi settings have a Prime Directive or UP3. They are a tribal species that was on the verge of developing nations. Then along comes the commonwealth to wow specifically the young into giving up their home and culture for blatant consumerism.
The Commonwealth is trying to conquer this low-tech planet by threatening to cut off its tech anytime someone complains that their homeworld is being flooded with alien refugees (yes thats how they are portrayed). They can't even return these alien 'refugees' cause even though there is nothing wrong with that alien's homeworld, their homeworld refuses to take these '''hardworking''' aliens back.
The AAnn are there... literally just so the Humanx Commonwealth don't look like evil conquers, with the threat of the 'evil empire' being all the justification to the reader needs. Cause if the Commonwealth doesn't conquer these primitives and enslave them, then the AAnn might... conquer them? It's really vague since they don't care enough to take the planet by force and only arm the locals to fight for their world.
I hate this book. I hate the morals it preaches. I hate the ending that just tells the refugee aliens to stop making the indigenous aliens into slaves (not a law, just a request). I hate how it handwaves the commonwealth's conquering this world with the implied threat of the AAnn.
November 9, 2008
totally fascinating if you are into mycology!
July 27, 2017
Interestingly imagined settings and characters, placed within an apologia for neoliberal-imperialism-but-in-space.
November 4, 2019
Fluva a planet on the far outskirts of the Commonwealth is entirely under water except for one month in each year and rain is more or less constant except in that month. There are two native species, the indigenous Sakuntala and the immigrant Deyzara. Only the Sakuntala appreciate the constant rain and cannot understand why humans and Deyzara dislike it so much. Lauren Matthias is the Chief Administrator for the Commonwealth and is responsible for all species on the planet, even including the two AAnn envoys from the Empire. Most of the action takes place in the Viisiiviisii an enormous watery jungle. Bioprospectors find the plant life to be full of promising material for new medical, industrial and commercial products. When outside influence unites the ordinarily squabbling or plain fighting Sakuntala tribes to make an effort to oust the businesslike Deyzara from the planet, sabotage in the secured skimmer port, a severe displaced persons problem Matthias has almost more than she can handle - but not quite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2024
To quote my six year old son, “This book is Boooooh-wing!”
Don’t get me wrong, I love ADF. Just not this one.
Sentences to Prism and Midworld are excellent page turners in this same Humanx series. I strongly recommend them. But some of the books in the series are pretty tedious.
While there is some adventure and excitement, this book is primarilyuu from the point of view of an administrator who spends much of her time performing mundane administrative tasks.
If you’re new to ADF, I suggest you skip this and try one of the books I mentioned above.
I think you’ll really like them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love ADF. Just not this one.
Sentences to Prism and Midworld are excellent page turners in this same Humanx series. I strongly recommend them. But some of the books in the series are pretty tedious.
While there is some adventure and excitement, this book is primarilyuu from the point of view of an administrator who spends much of her time performing mundane administrative tasks.
If you’re new to ADF, I suggest you skip this and try one of the books I mentioned above.
I think you’ll really like them.
May 26, 2022
It took longer than usual for ADF to "build" the strange world of Fluva, but once he got into the storyline, this was better than average. I particularly enjoyed the discovery of the new, possibly intelligent, species.
July 11, 2024
Typical of the later commonwealth novels—focused on a single planet with an inhospitable environment. The story drags a bit as we explore the rainforest. Several unsympathetic characters. Decent resolution.
September 13, 2020
Deep into the Commonwealth books now, Drowning World doesn't even include Flynx or Pip, but is clearly set in the larger Humanx universe, and fits in well with the other books in the series.
November 27, 2022
A new world is added to the Commonwealth. An interesting and enjoyable read.
June 15, 2025
Really enjoyed the story.
July 9, 2017
_Drowning World_ is one of the most recent adventures set in Alan Dean Foster's fascinating Humanx Commonwealth setting. As in previous installments (it is not really a series as with the exception of the _Icerigger_ trilogy, they are stand-alone adventures in a shared universe), the setting is an alien world, rich with life, a native sentient species, and far from the centers of power in the Commonwealth. The planet in this novel is Fluva, the Drowning World, the "Big Wet," a rain-drenched planet covered in dense tropical forest over most of its two main continents, unique flooded forests that for all for except about a month a year are under tens of feet of water, the result of near constant rain and vast, muddy, overflowing rivers. Dry land is very rare on this world, and the native sentient race (the bipedal, arboreal, cat-like Sakuntala) as well as the two immigrant races (the numerous rather alien Deyzara and the much less numerous humans) live in the trees, on suspended walkways and buildings hanging well over the waters, though with the advent of the Commonwealth most of these walkways are made of synthetic material generally hung not from trees (as the Sakuntala traditionally did) but from sturdy pylons sunk deep into the unseen bedrock below.
A rough, dismal world by human standards, one with a vast array of dangerous predators and venomous fauna, relatively few make their home there, generally either as a result of being assigned there by Commonwealth officials for administration purposes or to make money, particularly as bio-prospectors, searching out alien biota to produce lucrative new drugs, foods, and chemicals. Most of the non-native sentient population are Deyzara, imported to work as laborers, shopkeepers, and the like from Tharce IV. Highly mercantile (some say money-grubbing and greedy), they are disliked and resented by many of the Sakuntala, despite the fact that some Deyzara are fifth generation Fluvans. Further causes of resentment are their growing population - close to that of the rather sparse Sakuntala population - and their taking advantage of the Sakuntalans relative lack of knowledge of Commonwealth laws and trade.
Foster followed two plotlines in this novel. The dominant one revolved around bio-prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga, a rather disagreeable man who went missing while in a deep and dangerous part of the flooded forest. When no one heard from him after his departure and his supposedly indestructible rescue beacon was discovered to be silent, Chief Administrator Lauren Matthias sent a highly skilled Sakuntala by the name of Jemunu-Jah and a Deyzara pilot known as Masurathoo on a rescue mission. The other plot line involved an uprising of dissatisfied Sakuntala against the Deyzara, with Matthias and the other Commonwealth officials caught in the middle.
The rescue mission plotline to me was the more interesting, not that the other one did not have its merits. The first plotline was actually two, a rescue mission/story of survival, while also a mystery back in town, trying to find out why Hasselemoga's skimmer went missing in the first place. There is a large twist at the end, one that completely changed the status of the various races on the planet. I thought overall it was a pretty good book. It was a pretty fast read and I thought the world was rather well designed, not one of Foster's best but definitely was one of his better books.
A rough, dismal world by human standards, one with a vast array of dangerous predators and venomous fauna, relatively few make their home there, generally either as a result of being assigned there by Commonwealth officials for administration purposes or to make money, particularly as bio-prospectors, searching out alien biota to produce lucrative new drugs, foods, and chemicals. Most of the non-native sentient population are Deyzara, imported to work as laborers, shopkeepers, and the like from Tharce IV. Highly mercantile (some say money-grubbing and greedy), they are disliked and resented by many of the Sakuntala, despite the fact that some Deyzara are fifth generation Fluvans. Further causes of resentment are their growing population - close to that of the rather sparse Sakuntala population - and their taking advantage of the Sakuntalans relative lack of knowledge of Commonwealth laws and trade.
Foster followed two plotlines in this novel. The dominant one revolved around bio-prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga, a rather disagreeable man who went missing while in a deep and dangerous part of the flooded forest. When no one heard from him after his departure and his supposedly indestructible rescue beacon was discovered to be silent, Chief Administrator Lauren Matthias sent a highly skilled Sakuntala by the name of Jemunu-Jah and a Deyzara pilot known as Masurathoo on a rescue mission. The other plot line involved an uprising of dissatisfied Sakuntala against the Deyzara, with Matthias and the other Commonwealth officials caught in the middle.
The rescue mission plotline to me was the more interesting, not that the other one did not have its merits. The first plotline was actually two, a rescue mission/story of survival, while also a mystery back in town, trying to find out why Hasselemoga's skimmer went missing in the first place. There is a large twist at the end, one that completely changed the status of the various races on the planet. I thought overall it was a pretty good book. It was a pretty fast read and I thought the world was rather well designed, not one of Foster's best but definitely was one of his better books.
October 30, 2012
This was a wonderfully fun read, and as soothing as a warm drink. It fits into an old-fashioned optimistic mode of thinking about human expansion among alien species, that surely we are enlightened enough to solve everyone else's problems for them. This was a book that continually brought TV Tropes to mind -- so very genre-typical. Set in a Hungry Jungle on what appears to be a Single-Biome Planet (at least, whatever is beyond the jungle area is never mentioned); it is inhabited by a warlike native species and an enterprising immigrant species (both are vaguely humanoid), naturally in conflict, under the benevolently paternal administration of the Commonwealth, but coveted by the Empire which is led by the reptilian Aan. Just don't think about the Unfortunate Implications of this situation given that most alien species are stated to have fairly uniform personalities whereas humans, explicitly, have a wider range -- no wonder we are fated to rule!
The very best thing about this book is its human hero, Lauren Matthias, a fully-developed female character for a wonder, a mature married woman at that. She is the chief Commonwealth administrator of the planet, dragged into a far more complicated situation than she ever bargained for, to which she responds with guile (including a few actions that ought to be frankly illegal), political and diplomatic savvy, and even a few acts of physical courage, though nothing unrealistic for a plump middle-aged civilian. The author even has a realistic view of some of the problems facing women in authority -- though Matthias relies on emotional support from her husband (a scientist), she can't consult him too much because this would undermine her position. It's an unusual set of gender roles in a marriage, pretty well portrayed.
The very best thing about this book is its human hero, Lauren Matthias, a fully-developed female character for a wonder, a mature married woman at that. She is the chief Commonwealth administrator of the planet, dragged into a far more complicated situation than she ever bargained for, to which she responds with guile (including a few actions that ought to be frankly illegal), political and diplomatic savvy, and even a few acts of physical courage, though nothing unrealistic for a plump middle-aged civilian. The author even has a realistic view of some of the problems facing women in authority -- though Matthias relies on emotional support from her husband (a scientist), she can't consult him too much because this would undermine her position. It's an unusual set of gender roles in a marriage, pretty well portrayed.
February 20, 2008
Foster's Commonwealth books are always a lot of fun. The detail he packs into world building, especially into the native flora and fauna, shows his deep love of nature and makes for an especially vivid read. (Foster's training as a screenwriter is apparent as his books tend to create movies i the reader's mind.) Drowning World is no exception.
Like the Commonwealth novels Catch-a-lot and Sentenced to Prism, DW takes a survival adventure and places it in an alien setting; like CaL and StP, DW is as much about the setting as it is about the characters. Unlike those others, the characters in DW are not especially likeable and there is no neat cliche to tie things up and make them all friends in the end, which is one of the things I most enjoyed about the book.
Some tried and true Foster elements show up - the discovery of a new breed of intelligent life, the advent of bio-tech, and a mandatory respect for the environment all make themselves known throughout the novel. However, more attention was paid to the sociology and politics of having two sentient species (one native, one imported) inhabiting one space than in other novels, allowing for an interesting conflict to be set up between two of the main characters.
I found that the parts of the story where the extremists took center stage were a little slow, but I would happily read any other stories featuring Mattias as a main character.
Like the Commonwealth novels Catch-a-lot and Sentenced to Prism, DW takes a survival adventure and places it in an alien setting; like CaL and StP, DW is as much about the setting as it is about the characters. Unlike those others, the characters in DW are not especially likeable and there is no neat cliche to tie things up and make them all friends in the end, which is one of the things I most enjoyed about the book.
Some tried and true Foster elements show up - the discovery of a new breed of intelligent life, the advent of bio-tech, and a mandatory respect for the environment all make themselves known throughout the novel. However, more attention was paid to the sociology and politics of having two sentient species (one native, one imported) inhabiting one space than in other novels, allowing for an interesting conflict to be set up between two of the main characters.
I found that the parts of the story where the extremists took center stage were a little slow, but I would happily read any other stories featuring Mattias as a main character.
Read
May 1, 2011One reason to explore the worlds created by Alan Dean Foster is the way he effortlessly weaves the passages of exposition -- explaining a never-seen lifeform, dissecting the evolution of a new species -- into the narrative of his stories. He's very heavy on description, and the vividness of his details actually helps bring his worlds to life "in the mind's eye."
DROWNING WORLD stands on par with his other works -- a solid cast of characters placed in an otherworldly situation forced to find compromise despite their cultural differences -- and he delivers in that respect. Lauren Matthias (sp?) serves as the head of a space-based United Nations-like "Commonweath" force trying to bring peace and commerce to Fluva, but saboteurs to the peace-process make her job more and more difficult. The downing of not one but two hovercraft in the heart of the ViisiiViisii (the Fluvian jungle), and the survivors -- each of a different species -- must find a way to work together, despite all predatory obstacles and another lifeforce (unbeknowst to them) that might also be secretly working to end their survival as well.
Presenting a message for our times in a futuristic or non-Earth setting is one of the benchmarks of science fiction, and DROWNING WORLD wades through these waters with ease. To some, it might seem simplistic, but the message is as timeless today as it will be once man ventures into the stars and discovers a world like Fluva.
DROWNING WORLD stands on par with his other works -- a solid cast of characters placed in an otherworldly situation forced to find compromise despite their cultural differences -- and he delivers in that respect. Lauren Matthias (sp?) serves as the head of a space-based United Nations-like "Commonweath" force trying to bring peace and commerce to Fluva, but saboteurs to the peace-process make her job more and more difficult. The downing of not one but two hovercraft in the heart of the ViisiiViisii (the Fluvian jungle), and the survivors -- each of a different species -- must find a way to work together, despite all predatory obstacles and another lifeforce (unbeknowst to them) that might also be secretly working to end their survival as well.
Presenting a message for our times in a futuristic or non-Earth setting is one of the benchmarks of science fiction, and DROWNING WORLD wades through these waters with ease. To some, it might seem simplistic, but the message is as timeless today as it will be once man ventures into the stars and discovers a world like Fluva.
December 19, 2025
More exceptional world building from ADF...I've read a lot of Humanx stuff and I'm seeing a definite pattern...a planet with some sort of extreme weather and lots of stuff that wants to kill you. Not that it's a bad thing - but the thrill is wearing a bit.
Here's it's a rain-soaked world inhabited again by a Humanx outpost and tribal locals who are mostly interested in clannish warring...theree are some goofy pink aliens with a eating trunk and a speaking trunk, which the locals hate because they like money and are good business. I'm sure there's some subtext about ADF's favorite drum, xenophobia - but it's not to heavy here.
A lot of the book is just a retooled road trip by a grumpy human bioexplorer, a local and a two-trunk as they wind their way through an unforgiving jungle. There is another minor plot concerning the locals trying to oust the two-trunks with the help of the greatest straw men in the Commonwealth - the AAnn.
All in, a good read - not the best of the stand-alone stories like Icerigger and Midworld - but still pretty good.
Here's it's a rain-soaked world inhabited again by a Humanx outpost and tribal locals who are mostly interested in clannish warring...theree are some goofy pink aliens with a eating trunk and a speaking trunk, which the locals hate because they like money and are good business. I'm sure there's some subtext about ADF's favorite drum, xenophobia - but it's not to heavy here.
A lot of the book is just a retooled road trip by a grumpy human bioexplorer, a local and a two-trunk as they wind their way through an unforgiving jungle. There is another minor plot concerning the locals trying to oust the two-trunks with the help of the greatest straw men in the Commonwealth - the AAnn.
All in, a good read - not the best of the stand-alone stories like Icerigger and Midworld - but still pretty good.
October 30, 2010
A small handful of members belonging to opposing xenophobic colonies on a backwoods planet are stranded and forced to band together in order to survive a hostile jungle environment. The plot is pretty predictable, but Foster can capture the alien beauty of a jungle like no other author I've read. This novel is a superb example of SF world-building and, to a lesser degree, believability in creating an alien society (and the obligatory race war that comes with the territory). It's the fourth in a long-running series (The Founding of the Commonwealth, which in turn spawned the popular Pip & Flinx series set in the same universe), but it can be read as a stand-alone novel with no confusion whatsoever. In reading this (and subsequently re-reading it time and again), I've greatly improved my understanding of world creation in genre fiction, and as such, I highly recommend this to any genre authors as a treasure trove of exotic setting description and superb sensory detail.
February 8, 2016
If you love nature and SciFi this is the book for you. Imagine an entire world full of the most beautiful and prolific rainforest. Just like ours its growths could be the answer to a pharmacists dream. Like ours its native aboriginal people are not really sure how to respond to the civilized society who's come to explore and exploit their native world. Of course you'd need to bring cheap labor along to do all the work entailed with development of the foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals you have discovered. You can't rely on the unsophisticated indigenous people after all, it will take time to teach them how to help you make money off of their resources. Now imagine the warrior indigenous people finally catching on to your civilized ways after hundreds of years of you and the settlers treating them like your inferiors. Welcome to the Drowning World.
July 21, 2024
I remember enjoying this as a much younger man and thought a re-read would be fun now that it is available as an audiobook. That was a mistake. the characterization and speech patterns of the natives on this planet were frankly very off putting. Having them speak in broken pidgin English even among themselves just was too much for me.
I still think ADF isa good fun author but this one showed its influence from less enlightened times and gave up.
I still think ADF isa good fun author but this one showed its influence from less enlightened times and gave up.
April 25, 2010
I was in love with this world. This is an amazing, well written story. Deep in plot, believable characters, and an intricate Eco-system that bursts with life and color with in your mind. Bravo Mr. Foster.
October 29, 2014
This book reminded me a little of "Greenworld" but it was different enough to keep me turning the pages. I liked the way the two guys from the alien races got to know each other better throughout the book, and I really loved the spunky heroine. Not Foster's best story, but a really good one.
July 24, 2013
It was a nice change from Pip and Flinx but still in the same universe.
May 30, 2015
A decent SF title. Loved all the alien, cultural interaction and exploration elements. Was left cold regarding characters and political machinations.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews