From Publishers Weekly
This sequel to the authors' bestselling The Legacy of Heorot (1987), in which "Earth Born" colonists vanquished an alien life-form known as the Grendels (hence the title here), starts slowly. The colonists' children (the "Star Born") spend too much of the first half of the novel discussing the "brain damage" the older generation has suffered as a result of the long trip to the planet. Meanwhile, the whiff of social Darwinism that blows through the book is enhanced when Aaron Tragon, the only "Star Born" who both gestated in an artificial womb and never bonded with any of the families on the planet, leads a movement to colonize Avalon's mainland. Aaron becomes increasingly vicious?a matter blamed primarily on his lack of a familial bond?after his calculated cruelties lead to his being given exactly the authorization he desires. Ultimately, the colonists end up less with success in the present than with hope for the future, with much of that hope deriving from the novel's improbable denouement. The authors create several unusual indigenous life-forms that make the mainland a fascinating place, and in-jokes designed to please SF fans are scattered throughout the narrative. Even Niven/Pournelle/Barnes loyalists, however, will find the one-dimensional characterizations here (especially of the women), as well as the increasingly absurd actions of the humans, disappointing. The bloom that lured many readers to the original is long off the paper rose of this book.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
For two decades, the colonists of the planet Avalon hid from the carnivorous monsters of the main continent by securing themselves within their island fortress of Camelot. Now their children, the Star Born, have one goal: to conquer the mainland for themselves and for their colony's future in the stars. This fast-paced, complex sequel to The Legacy of Heorot (S. & S., 1987) blends the talents of three top-notch sf raconteurs. Strongly defined characters and intriguing, speculative science make this novel an example of panoramic sf adventure at its best. A good choice as a stand-alone story or in combination with its predecessor. For most sf collections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
