Return to Eden

Rating:
Summary: Unnecessary
Review: After reading the first two novels--which got progressively worse--I was barely able to finish this third volume. The character of Vainte returns, and is positively tiresome. She is the same, every time she does anything, "her body rigid with anger." The explorations of Ambalasei and the Sorogetso are interesting, only because it shows an alternate side of the one-dimensional Yilane lifestyle, and are the highlight of the book--a storyline almost completely unrelated and of no importance to Kerrick and the Tanu, who meanwhile do absolutely nothing in this book either. Save your time, save your money, don't bother reading it; while well-crafted, it has nothing to say.

Rating:
Summary: Rare Trilogy That Delivers With Each Edition!
Review: Harry Harrison didn't exactly crank these books out at the speed of some other authors. In fact, by my calculation there was about a 7 year wait between editions. He didn't rush to market. He took his time and wrote one outstanding book after another. After having read the first two, I was eagerly looking forward to this one. It didn't disappoint in the slightest. By the end of the book you are still in awe of the world he created. I think my favorite thing about this book was at the end. I mean when I had put it down and thought about all that had happened to Kerrick, Vainte and all the characters. These books are for people who think deeply. It is not a light read. If you haven't read the first two books, you could read this one alone, but I wouldn't recommend it. The implications of many of the events can only be truly appreciated after having read the two previous books. I think my biggest regret is that it is over. It is like saying goodbye to someone with whom you have travelled for some time. I will warn readers that you are tempted to skip ahead as you read. The book is written in a series of stories that tie up at the end. I was VERY tempted to skip ahead to see what would happen to this or that group. Don't do it! The surprises are worth the wait. Thank you very much Mr. Harrison for all the delightful entertainment. I treasured these stories and highly recommend them to everyone!!

Rating:
Summary: wonderful conclusion to an outstanding series
Review: I loved the first volume of this trilogy, got bogged down in the second, and then absolutely loved this third volume. In this one, Harrison devlops his themes of clashing specie-civilizations, which are evolving in new directions as the events unfold. The plot development is brisk, many of the ideas are new, and subtle conclusions are reached.

One of the great faults of sci-fi is that authors get too ambitious. Afterall, they are telling us what the future of mankind might hold, so they tend to megalomania. Due to his conceptual and storytelling talents, Harrison, like Octavia Butler, pulls it off brilliantly and believably. His creation of an alternative intelligence - the social dinosaurs - is one of the most subtle and intriguing creations in all of sci-fi. I have recently read these books over and found them just as interesting and complex as the first go. If you like this kind of ambitious sci-fi, you simply can't do better than these books.

While my partners through the years have laughingly dismissed my love of sci-fi as comic book kitch - and they were usually right! - I must say that there is an occasional book that really has characters worthy enough to enter literature. In my opinion, the characters in this book are that good. They grow, they learn, and they struggle. Their fates and choices are not at all predictable. It is even moving.

Highest recemmendation.

Rating:
Summary: Immersive writing
Review: Maybe I'm being unfair to Harrison, but I can't help but feel that he would have been better off leaving the Eden series at one book. West of Eden is such an incredible read that anything following it must, of necessity, fall short by comparison.

Return to Eden is by no means a bad book. It is, like every Harrison work, an enjoyable read that holds the attention well. Unfortunately, it accomplishes almost nothing. When the book ends, all is pretty much the same as it was at the end of Winter in Eden. Humans and Yilane continue to live separate lives, trying to avoid each other as much as possible. There are hints early on in the book that we might be about to see a revolution in Yilane society, with the Daughters of Life on the verge of making a philosophical breakthrough and proselytizing male as well as female young (why else spend so much time showing how a male Yilane can develop into a mature individual if freed from the harem?). But nothing comes of it, nor does anything of significance come from Kerrick's resolution to break with his Yilane past. Return to Eden is a pleasant read, but anyone looking to experience the magic of West of Eden will be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Great ending
Review: This is the third book in the Eden trilogy and arguably the best. I loved all the resolutions of the various plots, the complex relationships among dinosaurs and people and the final Kumbaya conclusion. I only wish that Harrison had written more series like this.

Rating:
Summary: Great Ending
Review: This is the third book in the Eden trilogy and arguably the best. I loved all the resolutions of the various plots, the complex relationships among dinosaurs and people and the final Kumbaya conclusion. I only wish that Harrison had written more series like this.

Rating:
Summary: Alternative history at it's best
Review: This third volume of the Eden trilogy brings everything to a satisfactory but predictable closure. There is enough left open to hope for a possible "Back to Eden" in the future.

The relationships between the Yilane(dinosaur) and Tanu (human)are almost as good as the Lizard/Human relations in Harry Turtledoves' World War series. The story is much richer simply because there are not as many story lines as Turtledove keeps going.

A really good read but I think only available in pricey trade paperback. I was able to easily find all 3 in used shops with very little trouble.

Rating:
Summary: Alternative history at it's best
Review: This third volume of the Eden trilogy brings everything to a satisfactory but predictable closure. There is enough left open to hope for a possible "Back to Eden" in the future.

The relationships between the Yilane(dinosaur) and Tanu (human)are almost as good as the Lizard/Human relations in Harry Turtledoves' World War series. The story is much richer simply because there are not as many story lines as Turtledove keeps going.

A really good read but I think only available in pricey trade paperback. I was able to easily find all 3 in used shops with very little trouble.