A recent skim through this — I first read and reviewed it in 2001 — confirms what a rich novel this was, from its maps by Alexis Walser to the apt literary quotes as chapter headings, and from its scientific premises to its broader and occasionally more dubious environmental messages. As always there is so much one could say, but a short review will have to focus on a few points that particularly intrigued me.At twelve light years from our solar system Tau Ceti (or τ Ceti) has long been of astronomic interest in that it is known to have similarities to Earth’s sun Sol and therefore the likelihood of exoplanets orbiting it. Given that this novel first appeared well over a quarter of a century ago it’s significant that recent research has proposed up to five planets in the Tau Ceti system, with one of these being possibly in the habitable zone (though a widespread debris disk may well have disposed of or reduced any evolving life forms).The Legacy of Heorot, in common with many other SF novels such as Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, is set on one of the star’s planets; here it is Tau Ceti IV, the fourth from the sun. The novel centres on a group of pioneers which, after a century of travelling in suspended animation, has just established itself on Avalon, as they call the planet, humankind’s first interstellar colony. But, disastrously, that artificial prolonging of their lives has come at a cost to their mental capabilities.What makes The Legacy of Heorot particularly memorable is its rehandling of themes from other fictions and traditions, mixed in with the hard SF. The plot is a conscious reworking of (as you might guess from the title) Beowulf, set on a landmass the size of New Guinea. The colonists have named both the island and their settlement Camelot, and Avalon’s moons Merlin and Nimuë. (There are even episodes invoking the Arthurian themes of the Fisher King, the Wounded King and, in Cadmann, Lancelot.)As well as Arthurian legend, other literary strata have been mined: the river that runs through Camelot is called the Miskatonic which, in effect, makes the settlement another Arkham, a concept borrowed from the H P Lovecraft canon of horror tales. As the authors of The Dictionary of Imaginary Places note, “Travellers visiting the city [Lovecraft's Arkham] do so at their own risk but they are warned that the consequences of such a visit may haunt them for the rest of their lives”, a fitting description too of Camelot Island and the gripping action that takes place there.What is it that threatens the human colony? Well, if Heorot, the hall attacked by the water monster Grendel and later his mother, hasn’t already alerted us then the constellation Cetus, from which Tau Ceti derives, gives the game away: commonly translated as a giant fish or whale (‘cetacean’ refers to marine mammals), Cetus is also the sea monster from whom Perseus rescues Andromeda, for example. The colonists, to protect their fish stocks from Earth, have hugely wiped out the water-based samlon which prey on the Earth fish. However, the samlon are the male juvenile forms of the larger female cannibals that they grow into, and it is these, unchecked, that turn to preying on human prey, and which fittingly are termed grendels from the monster that terrorises Heorot.How the colonists cope with these horrific carnivores besieging them (think the Alamo, or Rorke’s Drift, or even Starship Troopers) and the increasing crises they are met with is down to a former outcast, Cadmann Weyland. This survivalist hero, with Welsh ancestry and a name that speaks of a combined Anglo-Saxon and Celtic heritage, is the means by which the struggling fortunes of these terrestrials are changed, using offensive defence, scientific analysis and inspiration from mythology.So much for the trappings. What of the human aspect to this story? Are there characters whom we empathise with, relationships we admire, individuals we respect, villains we despise? Well, yes, but be warned, The Legacy of Heorot is largely a veneration of Cadmann as the Strong Man of Avalon, and we mostly see everything through his eyes, his thoughts, his philosophies. There is a large cast of secondary figures, mostly token foils for the hero. But if you don’t agree with the frontier politics (put crudely, in some ways this is a Western in space) this novel is still worth seeking out for sheer thrills as well as its mythic resonances. There is a highly readable sequel too – Beowulf’s Children, or The Dragons of Heorot in the UK – in which an environmental Ragnarok on Avalon’s mainland sees a second generation colonist playing Mordred to Cadmann’s Arthur.http://wp.me/s2oNj1-grendel
This is quite an amazing book. The science, sociology, psychology - all of it! - is extremely well-thought out. And the pacing is rather incredible. Niven has quite a knack for moving things along quick enough for most of the book, and then really stepping things up a couple of notches for the huge climax. Great fun!Humanity has finally decided to reach out to the stars and attempt to colonize a new planet. But being so far away, they've gotta freeze the people so they'll make it there at a decently young age. The first difficulty the colonists have to deal with is that some of them were affected by the freezing. But that is minor compared with what is awaiting them on Avalon, their new land. What seems a perfect place, at first, turns into a nightmare - complete with monsters!There is almost a horror feel to the book, due to the violence and how incredibly horrific the "grendels" are. But it is definitely science fiction, through and through. Niven, Pournelle, and Barnes have done an excellent job crafting the science and technology of the people, as well as creating very intriguing and convincing characters.This is the first of three books set in the Heorot universe. Beowulf's Children is a sequel to this. It actually takes place when the children born in this book get old enough to begin claiming the planet for themselves. If you enjoy this book, definitely get your hands on Beowulf's Children. There is also another book, Destiny's Road, which also takes place in the same universe, mentioning events from the first two, but which is not really a sequel or continuation of their storyline (at least the way I understand it).There is a lot of violence in the book, but really no sexual material at all. There is a little inuendo or inference to sexual situations, but nothing specific and definitely nothing explicit.Overall, I highly recommend this book. It would probably not be appropriate for younger readers due to the violence as well as the much relaxed sexual mores of the settlement.
What do You think about The Legacy Of Heorot (1989)?
When I was a third through I was planning to give this book five stars. The bits about ecology had been amazing so far and the chapters where the alien animal sneaked through the village and explored things kept me on the edge because of suspense. Those few chapters that were written from the animal's point of view were the best part of the book. When the native fauna and the aliens - that is, humans who had come to colonize the new planet - actually collided, things went downhill fast.The book'
—Alfred
A friend with usually very reliable taste recommended this book to me. It was [Author:Larry Niven], to boot. Of course it was going to be good, right?No.spoiler alert followsSadly, it was a bug hunt. Not that I've got anything against bug hunts, but the prose was oblique and occasionally opaque. The characters were simplistic, unsympathetic, and, frankly, sexist in many places. The main character is a geek's Mary Sue -- an exhaustingly perfect warrior with a Cassandra complex who has all the ans
—Amanda
When Earth (the National Geographic Society, more precisely) sends away our first colonists to another planet, will we choose amongst the best and brightest? Yes, we will. Will they screw up royally? Oh, yeah, they will.About 200 hundred colonists, picked up from the most intellectually and physically fit, take the 100-year trip to Tau Ceti and settle on an island in the fourth planet, Avalon. Although they suffer from hibernation instability, a condition that has mildly affected the mental capacity of some colonists (and made some of them simpletons or idiots), the peaceful colony thrives. The only one that's not very happy is the military advisor, Cadmann Weyland, who feels like a fifth wheel. There's no danger after all. Or is there?In The Legacy of Heorot, Niven and Pournelle, who freqüently work together, plus Steven Barnes, explore mankind's struggle for supremacy over nature the deadly consequences of underestimating that adversary. This is a hardcore science fiction novel, but might please a broader audience with its solid narrative and believable characters. Actually, the narrative takes a novel approach, sometimes moving the POV to animals, which might sound silly, but trust me, it works.Niven and Pournelle have done better (The Mote in God's Eye), but they've also done worse (Footfall). The two strongest points of The Legacy of Heorot are its realistic characters and modern style. I was truly surprised when I found out it was written in 1987; it could've been written yesterday — that's how modern the book feels. Also, suspension of disbelief is hardly a problem with this book: you'll sense that you're reading real accounts of actual people, and the many — many — passages describing threats and dangers feel threatening and dangerous.If you like believable science fiction in which the human spirit, and human folly, are the protagonists, you shouldn't afford to let this book pass.
—Marcelo
