The Many Coloured Land

[thunderstarstruk]

Has anyone ever read this book? I tried reading it many times, and even though I *almost* got to the end of it on one attempt (not all at once, mind you), but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. The plotline is definitely interesting enough, but I think it just had too many facets and far too much was going on for it to make much sense, especially the beginning of the book. I've also never been able to find any of the others in the pliocene exile series; not that I would be very likely to read them. Oh well!

 

[j d worthington]

Well, I did read this one -- as well as the second (The Golden Torc), though it was some time before I got my hands on the others, so never got around to reading the entire set (yet; I keep intending to, and hope to now sometime in the next year or two). However, that was shortly after the final volume in the set first came out, so my memory is rather hazy. However, I remember rather liking what I read, though I will agree there are a lot of threads to keep track of at first (things begin to converge, as I recall, later on).

I've heard similar complaints over the years, though; so apparently this is something no few have run into with this series; but I've also encountered quite a few who are great fans, as well. It may be that this one is simply not to your taste....

 

[iansales]

I've read all four of the Saga of the Pliocene, although it was many years ago. I've never tried any of May's other series, though.

 

[Urien]

I've read the whole saga, years and years ago whilst listening to Heaven 17's Penthouse and Pavement. The two are permanently intertwinned for me.

I loved it, very inventive. But as I was very young I'm not sure how it would stack up for me today.













Possibly a spoiler, possibly on the dust jacket.


One way time portal back to earth 6 million years ago. Misfit humans in their thousands (from the galactic milieu) go back. Find a society of crash landed aliens with psychic powers (magic). There are two branches of the aliens (a dimorphic race?), the Tanu (think elves) and the Firvulag (think orcs). They fight a ritual war every year. The humans (the exiles) get caught up in all this and one or two have their psychic powers switched on by the time jump.

Great fun.

 

[Vladd67]

I read the first two just never got round to reading the third.

 

[JDP]

READ IT!

The Saga of the (Pliocene) Exile(s) is one of my favourite series ever, really inventive, high excitement. Can be a little confusing in spots, but still awesome. I stole it off my Dad's bookshelf when I was a kid and loved it and have just finished an Nth re-read (I didn't realise how lucky I was to find the full set in a second-hand book shop a few years ago).

I'd also recommend May's series set in the same Milieu (no pun intended, well maybe it was!) the Galactic Milieu Series. It's set in the future world from when the time portal back to the Pliocene is opened (though the time portal itself makes only a cameo appearance). To be honest, I think I love the Galactic Milieu Series even more than the Saga of the Exiles; I can't read the phrase a scent of pine without a tear of bittersweet melancholy springing unbidden to my eye.

The only thing would be, I'm not sure which would be best read first? They're all intermingled in my head now. I think I read the Saga of the Exiles first, but can't be sure.

My advice would be to go out and scour the face of the Earth until you get all the books, then revel in them as I did/do:

Saga of the Exiles:
The Many-Coloured Land
The Golden Torc
The Non-Born King
The Adversary

Galactic Milieu Series:
Intervention (stand-alone, I think)
Jack the Bodiless
Diamond Mask
Magnificat

 

[HareBrain]

I read all three about fifteen years ago. I cannot now remember anything that happened in any of them. Make of that what you will.

Now, where did I leave my house?

 

[Pyan]

Read them all, many times, plus the link book Intervention, and the Galactic Milieu series that precedes it in real-time.

A much under-rated author and series, IMHO - for sustained interest and scope I have read precious little that compares. And if you can keep track of GMMR POV's, this should give you no problems...

 

[GOLLUM]

Read the first but recently collected the Exiles quartet for a bargain as I intend to read the series through...

 

[Contrary Mary]

I did read all four volumes and found them very, very good. Juliaan May has not produced a huge slew of work, but the books produced so far are well written.

Yes, they are quite detailed with several plot threads; but well worth the effort.

 

[thunderstarstruk]

Hmm, well maybe I'll try again-- Its been a while since I read it last time, and maybe this time around it will make a bit more sense. I'll keep an eye out at the library for the sequels. Thanks for the input =)

 

[The Procrastinator]

Another vote for this excellent series. The books should be read in the order noted by JDP above, for minimum confusion. There is a lot to keep track of at times but it is well worth it - this is a very imaginative series with an amazing overarching plotline behind it all. I stand in awe of May's vision in this series.

I tried starting another of her series (it was more scifi, can't remember quite what it was called) but didn't like it at all. This one, though, is a perpetual rereader for me - I love it.

 

[thunderstarstruk]

Sadly, my library didn't have the sequels of the exile series. I did however, find the moon series in the sci fi section thats next up on my list of books to read, as soon as i finish what i'm working on now.

 

[reiver33]

Well, I read the "Exiles" about 20 years ago and also "Intervention" but by the end I was grinding my teeth a bit. The basic premise - one way travel to the distant past - is dismissed as a curiosity by the culture of the day - NO, NO and again NO! At the VERY least you would get some nutter sending back the BIGGEST bomb you could get just to see how causality would react to blowing away prehistoric Earth, or the underhanded element could get a 4 million year jump on all the other races (you know where they live).

Maybe I'm just a tad too cynical!

 

[Pyan]

At the VERY least you would get some nutter sending back the BIGGEST bomb you could get just to see how causality would react to blowing away prehistoric Earth, or the underhanded element could get a 4 million year jump on all the other races (you know where they live).

That's just the point, reiver - in the Galactic Milieu, there are no nutters or underhanded element - with the growth of the mental ability of the human race, plus the benevolent presence of the Lylmik, Krondaku, Gi, Simbiari, and Poltroyans, all such are cured at a very young age, or terminated - only the very few incurable redivicists ever get to Exile.

 

[Perpetual Man]

I'll agree that this is one of my favourite series, read back in my youth when there were not that many Fantasy books falling off the shelves (although I guess its technically SF, but there you go)

The books are out there if you want to find them, I got some hardback editions of the Saga of the Exiles, a few years ago from Ebay. It's one of those series that I have read more than a few times, and the first book of the Galactic Milieu, Jack the Bodiless must rank up there as one of my favourite books of all time!

Well worth a read.

 

[williamjm]

I've read both the Saga of the Exiles and Galactic Milieu Trilogy/Intervention, although it has been a few years since I re-read any of them. I did like them a lot at the time, May has some fascinating world-building in both her future and past worlds, an imaginative premise and an interesting plot. There was some good characterisation as well, Marc Remillard is particular is an intriguing hero/anti-hero/villain (depending on which book you read). Occasionally there are so many concepts packed in to the plot that it starts to get a bit far-fetched but overall it's a good series.

The only thing I disliked about the series was the ending of the Galactic Milieu trilogy, it seemed inconsistent with the earlier books in the trilogy where the Rebels had often been portrayed in a positive way (I still think their cause was very reasonable) but then they seemed to turn completely villainous in the last book and it ended without the Milieu really making a proper response to their demands. A plot where power corrupts a group with an initially reasonable cause isn't an unreasonable plot, but I didn't think May portrayed the transition convincingly.

I was a bit disappointing in the other May books I read, I read the first two books in the Rampart Worlds space opera series but they were very mediocre and extremely unimaginative when compared to the Exiles/Milieu books.