4 / 5 Stars'The Legacy of Heorot' first was published in hardcover by Simon and Schuster in 1987; this paperback edition (383 pp.) was published in August, 1988, by Pocket Books, with cover art by Bryn Barnard.
Not too far in the future, Earth successfully sends a starship (the Geographic) to colonize a habitable planet near the star Tau Ceti. The planet – named Avalon – features an Earth-type atmosphere, water, flora, and a smattering of innocent fauna. In short, it’s Paradise.
The colonists are among Earth’s Best and Brightest, and as soon as they’re thawed from hypersleep, they get to work erecting dwellings, farms, and laboratories on a large island called ‘Camelot’.
Among the colonists’ team is a square-jawed, proud man, of Welsh ancestry, who serves as an assistant navigator and security officer. A former soldier with a “…..face like sun-cured leather”. His name is Cadmann Weyland. With the colonization of Avalon proceeding smoothly, and no hostile aliens or Bug-Eyed Monsters to fight, Weyland’s function on the planet is increasingly marginalized.
‘Heorot' starts off rather slowly, as Weyland finds himself a bit adrift. He can’t help being caught up in the petty soap operas ensuing from the colonists’ desires to begin populating the planet (there is much machismo posturing, as the alpha males of the Geographic compete for the favors of the fertile women). The biologists, agriculturalists, and engineers of the colony team find themselves preoccupied with their labors, while Weyland is reduced to pleading for work details to restore torn fencing.
Then…...one night............. something untoward happens. Suspicions are raised. Could the colonists' initial findings that the fauna of Avalon are small and mild have possibly overlooked the presence of more...... formidable......... species ? And if so, will Weyland be given a free hand to investigate ? Or will he be shunted aside........with disastrous consequences for the fate of the colony ?
The colonists are among Earth’s Best and Brightest, and as soon as they’re thawed from hypersleep, they get to work erecting dwellings, farms, and laboratories on a large island called ‘Camelot’.
Among the colonists’ team is a square-jawed, proud man, of Welsh ancestry, who serves as an assistant navigator and security officer. A former soldier with a “…..face like sun-cured leather”. His name is Cadmann Weyland. With the colonization of Avalon proceeding smoothly, and no hostile aliens or Bug-Eyed Monsters to fight, Weyland’s function on the planet is increasingly marginalized.
‘Heorot' starts off rather slowly, as Weyland finds himself a bit adrift. He can’t help being caught up in the petty soap operas ensuing from the colonists’ desires to begin populating the planet (there is much machismo posturing, as the alpha males of the Geographic compete for the favors of the fertile women). The biologists, agriculturalists, and engineers of the colony team find themselves preoccupied with their labors, while Weyland is reduced to pleading for work details to restore torn fencing.
Then…...one night............. something untoward happens. Suspicions are raised. Could the colonists' initial findings that the fauna of Avalon are small and mild have possibly overlooked the presence of more...... formidable......... species ? And if so, will Weyland be given a free hand to investigate ? Or will he be shunted aside........with disastrous consequences for the fate of the colony ?
‘Heorot’ is an SF adventure that made me cheering for the monsters from its early pages.
I doubt this was the intent of the authors, but the petty rivalries among the colonists over women, status, and job assignments, that occupy the novel’s earlier pages, made me start to dislike them. Intensely. I couldn’t wait for the monster promised on the book’s back cover to finally show up and start munching.
As the main character, Weyland is presented as such a prideful, prickly, and uber-macho hero that quickly I lost any empathy for him. I also wanted Mary Ann – Weyland’s sweet, but brain-damaged, paramour – to get shredded by the monster. In fact I wanted ALL the colonists to be monster food !
[ I found the sequel, ‘Beowulf’s Children’ (1996) offered up an even more unlikeable panoply of colonists as potential monster victims. ]
I can’t say much more about the plot without giving away too many spoilers, but the advent of the monster is tied to the ecology of Avalon, which the humans have unwittingly altered, and things are going to get worse before they get better.
Other online reviews tend to laud the authors’ decision to inform their monster biology and ecology with a learned extrapolation from an unusual species of earth amphibian.
Personally, I found this tended to constrain their monster design; while formidable, the Avalon creature is not particularly terrifying. But since the colonists neglected to carry phasers, mini-nukes, or railguns aboard the Geographic, in fairness they can’t be pitted against genuinely 'apocalyptic' creatures.
Overall, ‘Heorot’ is a well-written, intelligent thriller; once the monster action gets started, the narrative kicks into a higher gear, and a happy outcome for the colonists never is assured. Those seeking an engaging SF adventure will want to read ''The Legacy of Heorot'.
As the main character, Weyland is presented as such a prideful, prickly, and uber-macho hero that quickly I lost any empathy for him. I also wanted Mary Ann – Weyland’s sweet, but brain-damaged, paramour – to get shredded by the monster. In fact I wanted ALL the colonists to be monster food !
[ I found the sequel, ‘Beowulf’s Children’ (1996) offered up an even more unlikeable panoply of colonists as potential monster victims. ]
I can’t say much more about the plot without giving away too many spoilers, but the advent of the monster is tied to the ecology of Avalon, which the humans have unwittingly altered, and things are going to get worse before they get better.
Other online reviews tend to laud the authors’ decision to inform their monster biology and ecology with a learned extrapolation from an unusual species of earth amphibian.
Personally, I found this tended to constrain their monster design; while formidable, the Avalon creature is not particularly terrifying. But since the colonists neglected to carry phasers, mini-nukes, or railguns aboard the Geographic, in fairness they can’t be pitted against genuinely 'apocalyptic' creatures.
Overall, ‘Heorot’ is a well-written, intelligent thriller; once the monster action gets started, the narrative kicks into a higher gear, and a happy outcome for the colonists never is assured. Those seeking an engaging SF adventure will want to read ''The Legacy of Heorot'.
1 comment:
Thanks for this review. The book has been recommended to me as one of the best "First Contact" stories, although judging from your description, it sounds more like a straight-ahead battle for survival, like "Alien". I have bought the audio version from Audible, and look forward to listening to it.
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