Home from the Shore

Sea People #1

by Gordon R. Dickson

When the Sea-Born cadets walk out of space academy in protest, the stage is set for the long impending clash between the sea and land. Can these two races co-operate, or will they destroy each other first?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I got it on a whim at a used book store but it was really good. I'll definitely read the sequel

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep happening into Dickson novels and not quite getting the appeal. I like this one better than the couple of his Dorsai books I've tried. It's a totally serviceable military sci fi story with an Age of Aquarius leaning. Taken any other way, the story of a species of Atlantians having difficulty integrating into a Terran space force has some weird racial overtones. If that were the intended message, I'd have to reevaluate, but I don't think I'd be favorably inclined.

The illustrations are also slightly below average quality for Ace illustrated novels of the time.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up as a Staff Pick at Half Price books. Some great themes about war and evolution but I couldn't relate to any of the characters, world building was disjointed and only leveraged at key points in the book. The storytelling was very direct and linear. Example. One character says if anything happens to me make sure you'll X then on the next page something happens to them.

[Katherine B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like this was not supposed to be book one. There was so much that we were just thrown into. The world-building was subpar and the storyline was kind of ridiculous. If it hadn't been so short, I would've DNFed it.

The one good thing was the art. I enjoyed the formatting of the book.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate that Dickson was trying to do something different with this work (highly illustrated, but not quite a graphic novel), but it didn't quite work. The ideas he was working with could have supported a good book, but this was much too short and I feel like it was almost more of a summary or "Cliffs Notes" version of a good story.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid good read. I may go find the sequel.