The award-winning author of Virtual Girl creates a strange new world of infinite possibilities where honor, sacrifice, and friendship between humans and aliens can mean many different things at once. Reprint.
Amy Thompson is an American science fiction writer. In 1994 she won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Most of her work is considered hard science fiction and contains feminist and environmental themes.
One of my pet peeves is a sterotypical first contact story in which the aliens vaguely resemble anthromorpic Earth animals, have limited technology, and are protrayed as 'noble savages'. I tend to dislike any of those things and think that they somewhat harm the story, especially when they come together.
This story has all those 'problems', and yet I enjoyed it alot because, quite honestly, it is the single best story of the type I've read in that well travelled path. This is the one by which I think all the others should be judged.
Amy Thompson writes very well, manages to keep you engaged in the exploration of the imaginary territory, and pushes alot of the right buttons for me with her invention. In particular, I was readily able to forgive the anthromorpic animal characteristics of the alien species because the tight winding of a very different biology to the ethics of a particular species was so well done. I was readily able to forgive the noble-savages-teaching-the-ethically-challenged civilization-a-lesson-or-two because all the characters, human and alien, were rendered so sympathetically, completely, and unclumsily. The story never veered off for me into angsty preachiness, momentary politics, or bitter rants which you might expect in stories of this sort.
Serious sci-fi fans might appreciate comparing and contrasting the Tendu with the Venusians in Heinlein's 'Space Cadet'.
One of my main criteria when rating a book - and, when skillfully done, one aspect of the writer's art that can just leave me in awe - is the author's ability to bring the reader into an unfamiliar culture with a minimum of pedantry or obvious explication. Given that the culture of this book is one where the inhabitants communicate by shifting patterns and colors (like squids), scents, and other chemical signatures, Thomson's world-building ranks right up there with Frank Herbert's, IMO.
The depth of world-building and character development in this book is amazing. The style of world-building is different than what you get in Herbert's Dune universe or Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Maybe it would have been nice to get more of a sense of the whole planet or what happened on Earth in the last few hundred years, but the world-building here is more tightly-focused on the main characters and their immediate environment. And it works. I feel almost as if I lived this book rather than read it. There's only one major human character, Juna, and the reader comes to know her well. Most impressively, though, are that you also get to know several alien characters, each with her or his own distinct personality. The first half or so of the book switches POV chapters between the human and the aliens so that the same event is often described from both POVs. This device could have worn thin, but in Thomson's skilled hands it works well right up until the human character becomes more a part of the alien way of life, at which time she, appropriately and artistically enough, intertwines the POVs more. All this world-building and character development take time, however; the only criticism I have is that the book starts to drag a little bit in the middle, but it's still well worth the effort.
Philosophically, there's a lot to think about concerning the best way to attain knowledge and to live ethically. Should we abide by abstract rules and sanitized observation (represented here by the Alien Contact rules for engaging with alien life) or should we rely more on lived experience, particular judgments, and direct interaction (represented mainly by the main character, Juna -also a big issue in feminist ethics and philosophy of science)? Along the way, there's plenty of ecology, linguistics, and sociology to consider, not to mention the classic big science fiction theme of encountering the other. On that front, these aliens are plenty different, but still somewhat understandable - they're somewhere between the familiarity of Star Trek aliens and the sheer otherness of Lem's Solaris. All of this makes this book comparable with some of my favorites, especially Octavia Butler and Ursula LeGuin. In the end, this book isn't quite on the same plane as the genius of Butler and LeGuin, but it's definitely in the same direction.
I first read this book in middle school and have been trying to get my hands on it ever since. Having purchased it online and reread it instantly, I can confirm that this is one of my most favorite books. The world of the Tendu is painted so clearly that I actually smelled the forest, tasted the fruit, felt the allu'a. A lot of concepts in the book (connecting to each other and the world via allu'a, a human partly transforming into an alien body) remind me so much of James Cameron's Avatar that at some points I had the sneaking suspicion that perhaps Cameron used aspects of this book as an inspiration.
4.5/5. This was so fun! I love "culture and biology" science fiction, so I'm kind of surprised I didn't read this book back in the '90s when it was first published. The perspective in this book moves back and forth between Juna, a Finnish/Ethiopian biologist stranded on an alien planet, and the Tendu, the amphibian-like indigenous people of that planet. The Tendu save Juna's life when she is dying of anaphylactic shock by altering her DNA using their chemical-creating spurs. She's rather freaked out to wake up in a cocoon in a tree with color-changing skin, naturally, but soon gets deeply immersed in the local society and rainforest. While not unrealistically optimistic about humanity, this book is brimming over with beauty, biodiversity, and sometimes-difficult but still heartwarming relationships.
Survey biologist Juna Saari is left for dead on an alien planet after her team's flyer crashes into the jungle. She is rescued by the previously unknown sentient aliens known as Tendu, but only through their extreme medical intervention. Although she contacts her spaceship through radio, they will not be able to return for her for five years - for the meantime, she's stranded, and must learn to adapt and survive in an alien culture.
Sometimes slow-moving, the book is more concerned with the rich cultural details of the humanoid but frog-like Tendu than with action-adventure scenes. Based on the author's visits to the rainforests of Costa Rica, the arboreal and community-oriented lifestyle of the aliens really comes alive.
In the sequel, Through Alien Eyes, Survey returns for Juna, accompanied by a horde of politically-motivated researchers and experts excited to make contact with this new species. Returning to human civilization with two Tendu ambassadors, Juna must navigate treacherous waters to maintain her suddenly-precarious position as bridge between two cultures. Not just culture shock, but legal battles ensue.
In both books, Thompson uses the contrast between the Tendu and humanity to discuss the importance of ecology, issues of population control, and the importance of harmony and balance. There are a few preachy moments, but overall the 'message' is not too overt. Although humanity is shown to have problems, there is a hopeful outlook - and the Tendu are not perfect either. Rather, both cultures are shown to have things to learn from the other.
The world building, the characters, the emotions and the descriptions... They take you to far away worlds and places. On a side note I think the author spent a bit too much time making me feel miserable about humanity, thanks not. Taken as a whole, it is quite the read, really enjoyed it.
Let me get the negative stuff out of the way first:
This book is very episodic in nature, though each episode moves the characters forward in important ways; it moves at a leisurely, almost languid pace. This, in and of itself, is not automatically a negative, but if you're looking for a tightly constructed nail-biter of a plot, you won't find it here.
What you WILL find: -- a rich immersion in another world, with both landscape and culture minutely detailed; -- a good mix of characters, alien and human, male and female; -- focus on a rocky but ultimately moving friendship between two smart, complex female protagonists; -- a satisfying sense of hope at the close.
Not long before I read this book, I had an unpleasant experience with a somewhat similar, yet in the end, almost opposite book: Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest. In both books, readers encounter an alien culture highly in tune with their environment, and witness a destructive incursion by careless humans who "just don't understand." Both books are distinctly environmentalist in their message; both warn strongly against upsetting nature's balance. But there the similarities end. LeGuin's novella is bleak, almost nihilist, and after a shocking act of violence committed by people I thought I was supposed to sympathize with, I put the book away with a grimace of disgust. LeGuin presents humans as despicable bigots who, cursed by their own human nature, will destroy anything and everything they touch; even the "good" human is completely ineffectual and actively participates in his culture's nauseating misogyny. (Though we're meant to feel disgust at the suffering of the aliens, human women actually suffer far worse, at both human male and alien hands -- and we're not supposed to give a darn.)
Thomson's book, by contrast, is refreshingly optimistic. Yes, humans blunder into an environment they don't understand and do a lot of harm. But here, they're not one-dimensional bad news. They're capable of learning. They act out of ignorance rather than malice and are willing to repair the damage they've done. Their main representative, Juna, called Eerin by the aliens, is a smart, curious, adaptable, resilient figure, flawed but deeply sympathetic. While she learns from the aliens (having been left behind by the human ship), they learn from her as well. Rather than a simple "humans bad, aliens good" dichotomy, we get an exchange of ideas and a growth in understanding on both sides. The aliens are seen both as part of a group and as individuals, and Juna forges strong emotional bonds with a number of them. Instead of retribution, we get reconciliation.
Those who like their science fiction brutally pessimistic are going to prefer LeGuin's take on the human/alien first encounter. But those who, like me, prefer a more -- pardon the term -- humanistic outlook will find Thomson's version a welcome alternative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was an awesome read. I could hardly put it down. It put me in mind of the Daniel Quinn book 'If they give you lined paper, write sideways'. It was a study in learning an alien culture and then trying to explain why yours is so messed up in comparison. Lots of fun. :)
Engrossing, deeply emotional story of first contact. I really connected with the characters. Not much high tech, mostly biological / ecological science fiction.
This was really good. A first contact story with a truly original and well- described alien world. The slow rise in complexity as Juna learns more of her world, starting with communicating with the aliens at all to learning their language and joining their society, was very well done. The characters al feel alive, and the pervasive harmony running through the whole story makes this a very warm experience. I loved it.
The Color of Distance was one of the most compelling first contact stories I’ve come across. At first I was a bit skeptical, sure I would be getting a story that I’d seen a million times before. However, The Color of Distance won me over with it’s focus on characterization and underlying sense of optimism.
Juna is the only survivor of a crash landing of human surveyors on an uninhabitable world. Luckily for her she is found by three aliens who are able to keep her alive. However, she is now adrift and alone in a completely alien place and culture. Ani, one of the aliens who finds her, initially sees Juna as a burden and blames her for her mentor’s death.
The Color of Distance moves back and forth from Ani to Juna’s POV. At first this made the book hard to get into since you’re being plunged into an alien world through the perspective of an alien. There’s also quite a number of alien words that take a while to get used to. However, once I got through the first fifty pages, I was completely immersed and very glad that Thomson had chosen to show us both a human and an alien as our protagonists. The Color of Distance is a story about two groups and cultures coming into contact and trying to figure out a path for the future. For that story to work, you really need to see and understand both sides.
Characterization is what drives The Color of Distance. Both Ani (and the other aliens) and Juna change and grow throughout the course of the book. At first, neither really understands the other. Ani thinks of Juna as a “strange creature” and Juna seems to think of the aliens as something to be studied rather than people to relate to. Yet both come to learn more about each other, and it was wonderful to see a friendship grow between them.
There’s also a strong environmental theme to The Color of Distance. The Tendu (the alien species) live in a dense rain forest, and they are very concerned with keeping the natural environment and ecosystems in balance. I was pretty cynical of this at first, since “nature loving aliens” versus the “destructive and out of touch humans” is a story that I’ve seen before (ex. James Cameron’s Avatar). I predicted that when the humans showed up again, they’d start destroying the environment, there’d be a violent conflict, and Juna would have to chose sides! However, The Color of Distance preferred a more optimistic path. Juna and the other humans might not understand much at first, but they have good intentions and do seek to have a peaceful and prosperous relationship with the Tendu.
At first I was also a bit wary of how well the aliens would be pulled off, but I ended up being very impressed. The Tendu are sort of amphibians, similar to frogs, and their culture ties into their biology and life cycle. The most interesting thing is probably how their skin shifts colors according to their emotions. They are also able to produce patterns and symbols on their skin, which is the basis for their language. Thus, the method of communication also provides an obstacle the humans and Tendu most circumvent to understand one another.
I think The Color of Distance is a crucially unappreciated science fiction novel. It is one of the best first contact stories I’ve read, and it really deserves a wider audience. I’d suggest it for you if you like alien cultures, stories of survival and a sense of optimism in your science fiction.
This novel breaks some interesting new ground in the interpretation of how humans will deal with the exploration of other planets. It sets the stage for our not being able to cope with the environments of other worlds, and the issues this would bring - a very different view than the Star Trek concept of "exploring strange new worlds" with no problems or issues. Ms. Thomson also choses to hold the state of the current human condition constant, which adds a tension to the story as well as a realism to the human characters and their situation. She also manages to do so without giving huge amount s of expository detail, leaving the reader imagining what is going on with humanity. Finally, she creates a fascinating alien species that we get to discover and explore all through the lens of a human who to survive must be radically altered by these aliens and in the process discovers much about them and herself. All in all a VERY interesting combination of characters and situations that make for a great Sci-Fi read.
The only good/bad (depending on how you view it) thing about the book is that is solely about this human encounter with this species so there is no broad, philosophic theme that gets postulated and resolved. This is just fine as the book sits very well on it own as a fascinating read on the human condition and our view of interacting with each other and world, but if you like Sci-Fi with that big problem that is resolved through the telling of the tale, this book might not be for you.
Absolutely superb novel - I just finished the novel, and know that I will continue to care so much for the characters and this world for quite awhile. My favorite sci fi (or should I say anthropological sci fi) novel for decades has been Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood series, though I also have favored C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet and some of Ursula Le Guin's writings for believable and meaningful creation of aliens and their world. But The Color of Distance has just moved into first place.
The aliens in this novel - and the main character's relationship to them - are so well-developed, so heartfelt, and so moving. If only we humans could more easily create such a loving rapport with each other and such a respectful method of managing conflict. The commitment of the aliens to the ecological balance of their world is inspiring - and clearly, what we on earth need to develop. Much about this society is utopian, although most readers are likely to question their method of population control. But Thomson does not load us with theory by any means. She very effectively weaves together character and story in the context of an alien world and human-alien relationship, with one species influencing the other and both seeking to transcend differences. Beautiful book. I couldn't recommend it more highly.
I was totally enthralled with the first 200 pages of this engaging first contact story. The world building and character development were impressive and even though it was a bit slow moving, I was pretty sure this was going to be one of my favorite books of the year so far. Sadly, I began to lose interest at about the halfway point and actually started to get a bit annoyed at how repetitive the narrative became. Unfortunately, there are no lyrical passages or profound descriptions to buoy up the sagging last half of the novel as the writing is just mundane, and the end felt flat and a little too tidy.
I did appreciate the environmental awareness of the aliens and their constant search for harmony between their culture and the ecosystem that sustains them. The premise and initial execution of the novel is unique and interesting and while I find the effort on the whole disappointing, I would recommend this for people who are interested in literature with environmental themes or first contact stories.
This science fiction novel has all the elements of a great read, and deserves a place alongside great social science fiction classics such as Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness. Thomson puts together a fascinating world, a compelling non-human point-of-view character (alternating with a human point-of-view character so we can have some familiar place to hang our hats), and a carefully thought out social system that values sustainability. Then she throws in an interesting plot, plenty of character development, and a consistently excellent writing style. She even pokes some gentle humor at some SF standards, like the idea that it's possible to interact with a culture without "interfering". After reading this book, I experienced both a sense of pleasure and some useful thoughts about our own social system.
I loved this book so so so much. I’m always somewhat skeptical about aliens that are so similar to humans - in a way, it felt more like I was just reading about different cultures than different creatures. And yet it worked. It just worked. I loved the Tendu focus on balancing the environment being so much more important than technology. And also how the humans had all these ideas about the proper way to interact with aliens that, in the end, meant nothing - it’s so important not to generalize “proper” ways of communication between cultures / species. Everything about this story warmed my heart, except for the things which were horrifying, which also fit in so well with the heartwarming. I loooved Juna with Moki. I loved the tendu’s way of life and their reaction to the new creature. I loved that their language was color. I just, k loved this book!!
Ah....once again I enjoyed this wonderful book. : ) The review below is from a previous year.
One nice thing about buying one's books is the opportunity to reread favorites upon a whim. This particular title is one of my favorites and one that I revisit every year or so. Why? I am a self-confessed Sci-Fi fan but that isn't why I hold this book in high esteem. Rather, it is the main character's journey of assimilation into a totally different culture and the discovery of what humanity means. The premise of this story is so unlike anything I've read before (of course I haven't read everything in the world) which is why I continue to revisit it.
An amazing novel about what it means to be human. The main character is the sole human survivor of a ship that crashed on an inhabited foreign planet. She must survive and even acculturate into the extremely foreign culture. Superior writing and character development make this the best science fiction book I've ever read.
I'm going through a bunch of first contact books for my own project. This one looked promising but is in fact disappointing. The aliens are basically noble savages in frog skin. This anthropomorphism is what kills most alien- encounter books. There are some notable exceptions but this is not one of them.
Page 92 and done. Both earnest and slogging. As other reviewers say, too much noble savage. No joy, no humor. A frustrating tease of a glossary - lots of important Tendu words are not defined. I wanted to like it for first contact and world-building but I'm just not getting a sense of either thing really happening.
I got this book because I heard it was good and the synopsis reminded me of the Xenogenesis series by Octavia Butler, which I liked, despite its global rape undertones. In fact, The Color of Distance is also about a woman changed by aliens to be more like them, but it is an overly positive story.
Amy Thomson tells the story of Juna, left behind for dead after a shuttle crash on an alien planet inhabited by non technological beings that have deep social connections and the ability to see and change things at a very fine level inside living creatures. Thus set up, the only possible direction for the plot is that the aliens save Juna, remaking her in order to be able to survive in their world.
From then on, things could have gotten really nasty. Think Shogun, or Xenogenesis, or The Sparrow for that matter, since I've mentioned rapy things. But no, the aliens are amazingly benign and there is a "noble savage" beauty in their calm and harmonious world that should teach us something. In fact, I was hearing Thomson's voice ever couple of chapters whispering "Hey! This should really teach us something!". It wasn't as heavy handed as that, but I felt it a bit.
The lack of real conflict and only a few almost technical problems to solve made it a bit boring, but as world building goes, it's pretty interesting. In fact, I thought the best part was then humans come back for Juna, where the book explores how people react after "going native" and coming back to their old environment. But this also was almost devoid of conflict or real issues.
Bottom line, it was a fine book. If you are looking for a nice alien world and society book, this is it. If you are looking for terrifying and exciting adventures navigating an unknown society and the clash of worlds, this is certainly not it. And no one gets raped! Yay!
Amy Thomson, author of Virtual Girl, has written an interesting tale of alien contact. A biologist exploring a new world, Juna, is stranded alone on a planet whose air is so loaded with spores, pollen, molds and biological organisms that humans without isolation suits die very rapidly when exposed to its atmosphere. The natives of the planet, however, are naturally advanced in biomanipulation techniques and alter her body and biochemistry so that she can survive unshielded.
Thomson does a really nice job of creating a totally alien culture, its mores and perspectives. Juna is alternately fascinated and repelled by their culture, but must learn to live within it after the Survey ship leaves the planet without her. Through her experiences, we learn gradually all about the alien Tendu, from their reproductive cycle to their political structure. While technically totally unsophisticated, their civilization, as it turns out, predates human civilization.
The only flaw in this novel, from my point of view, is that none of the potential conflicts that Thomson creates ever rise to the level of intensity where we might really get concerned, or even sympathize. The interactions between the Tendu and Juna, between Tendu and Tendu, and between Tendu culture and the returning Survey ship crew are just far too civilized all the way around. Even human to human relationships don't go smoothly - why would we expect alien first contact to do so?
Two points ruined for me what was otherwise a very good book.
The first wasn't a huge deal, but kind of irritated me throughout the novel. It's not really a spoiler to the story because it is mentioned a single time and never mentioned or addressed again, and it has little to do with the plot of the novel. The protagonist recalls the fact that she was gang raped by 5 older children when she was 8 years old. That's a rather huge bomb to drop and then do absolutely nothing with. I get that the author used it as a device to explain why she was scared of linking with the aliens or whatever, but it just felt wholly unnecessary and out of place in the story.
The second point, the thing that kind of ruined the whole book for me happens near the very end of the novel, and is a spoiler to how things turn out: