This is book one in the founding of the commonwealth series. I’m always amazed at the shear volume of work the Foster has managed to churn out over the years. I continue to find new (old) books of his set in his commonwealth universe. Phylogenesis goes back to the origins of when humans and Thranx just begin to interact. The Thranx desperately need a counter balance to the aggressive AAnn and luckily the how found an intelligent highly aggressive and militaristic ally in Humanity. There is only one problem and that is humans can’t seem to get past their aversion to insects, long enough to see the value in their relationship. Phylogenesis is the story of a hidden Thranx colony secretly setup on Earth deep in the amazonian rain forest which is intended to prove to humans once and for all that they can co-exist and thrive with the Thranx. The intention is for the Thranx to develop a thriving populated settlement and eventually reveal it’s existence to the general public, who will the accept them. Things go awry when a curious Thranx soother (Poet) leave the secret hive in search of adventure and inspiration. He accidental stumbles upon a criminal who is hiding out in the rain forest to escape prosecution for murder. Slowly they begin to bond and realize the potential in each other, and then things really go off track.

As you may have already read one of my favorite books of all time is Voyage to the City of the Dead by Alan Dean Foster (see earlier review). The frequency with which you see books by Alan Dean Foster testifies to the joy I get in general from reading his work. I have avoided the Pip & Flynx series but will eventually probably succumb. Now that I’m done with the disclaimer/preamble I was disappointed by Quoform. It may have more to do with my general state of mind and the more limited time I have to read, but I really slogged through the book. I found my self skipping several nights in between readings and coming back and really not caring about the plight of the characters. The book from the start seemed to be geared towards a series rather than a novel, and the characters seemed to sense this also. The Commonwealth has discovered a planet, that seems to periodically disappear, we’ll call this mystery number one. Mystery number two the planet (or the small portion explored by the scientists) is teeming with varied intelligent species, not to mention the immense varied multitutes of other creatures. Mystery number three the planet seems to have a hollow core filled with strange machinery whose purpose can’t easily be divined. Mystery number four the science space ship disappears when leaving the planet and appears to have been shifted to some far far distant part of the galaxy that is comletely unrecognizable to the navigational computer. Number of solutions to these mysteries provided with in the novel ….Zero.  I literally finished this book about a week ago and have completely blocked out the ending of the novel and the fate of the main two characters. I’ll probably read the sequel when it eventually comes out just to see if Foster salvages the characters and the plot.

I’ve almost bought this book several time and always held off before because it was written to accompany a video game designed by Lucas arts in the 80’s. However after reading it the novel holds up well on it’s own and everthing Alan Dean Foster writes, I like.

This novel starts with one of those classic sci-fi plot developments. A group of humans explore a harmless object in space that really turns out to be an alien spaceship that then traps them and takes them for a ride to a far off place which they will have to discover a way back while exploring there new situation.

That is essentially the plot of the dig, with exception of the fact that the world the humans are taken to appears to be a museum setup by a long since dead race. So the characters have to find their way back with no help from their captors.

There are a few more twist in the novel, but the experimentaion, discoveries and character realtionships are enough to carry the story.

I pulled the old paperback out after reminiscing about it in a prior post and re-read it. I have to say after not having read it for more than 20 years it was like a brand new book I was afraid that it would be one of those time when your fine memory of an event doesn’t live up to expectations. (Like for instance driving to Vermont to go to a restaurant that had the best stuffed mushrooms ever only to find out that they weren’t as good as you had built them up in your memory, not that that’s happened mind you)

In this case the book was as good as I remember it, although the ending leads one to thoughts of a sequel and I’m not sure it was ever written. (someone post a message if they know if it was)

Short synopsis of the novel is that two scientist from the Commonwealth are exploring a world with incredibly unique geology and ecosystem. This ecosystem has spawned three intelligent races that all live in barely overlapping ecological niches. The interactions between those societies is interesting but diverts the reader from the secret of the book (although in a pleasant way). At it’s core the novel is about adventure and discovery, while the two main characters also work through their feelings for each other. Really hope that the sequel was written and I just don’t know about it.

Alan Dean Foster is definitely one of my favorite writers that I didn’t know was one of my favorites. Okay, I know that statements seems absurd on the surface but let me explain. Every time I read one of his novels I pick it up because it’s available and handy, then I voraciously devour (ironic choice of words for this book) it in a night or two at most. Unlike a lot of authors I can’t point out a book of his and say ick that wasn’t what I expected. He also for the most part doesn’t write trilogies so when you finish a book you have a sense of completion and not a desire to sit around and wait for a year or two for the next one.

The first book I remember checking out of the library as a child was the late Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Ramaand it started me down the path of reading scifi. I mention this because when I think back to those formative years one other book stands out and it’s one of Foster’s - Voyage to the City of the Dead. In fact after reading Drowning World it makes me want to pull out the paperback and read it again (since it’s been more than 20 years).

Drowning World much like all of Foster’s novels is a sci-mystery. Essentially it’s a mystery book with a sci-fi setting and cast of characters. The story takes place on a planet that is essentially a flooded world called Fluva. The native species called the Sakuntala feel the are being slowly pushed out of dominance on their own planet by an immigrant species brought in by the commonwealth called the Deyzara. The wider struggle between the Sakuntala and Deyzara is played out on a smaller scale as a member of each species are forced to cooperate to rescue a human explorer lost in the deep jungle.

The Jungle itself is almost a character in and of itself. The myriad of strange adaptations to the constant rainfall of Fluva make for amusing and dangerous moments for the central characters. All of these problems are dropped on the desk of Commonwealth administrator Lauren Mathias to piece together in order to stop a war, that she would be prohibited from stopping.

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