About this title: In this brilliant epic sci-fi adventure from the bestselling author of "Angelmass, " a recently crippled quadriplegic is transformed into a space-dwelling, manta/dolphin-like animal and becomes the herd's last hope for survival.
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Description: Very Good. 081258032X Great condition paperback book, 1st printing, clean pages, no writing in book, mild edge rubs, very mild crease to spine if any, this book is GREAT! Shop & Save With US. read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2002-09-21
ISBN-13:9780312878290ISBN:031287829X
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Edition: Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Publishing, New York, New York
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780312878290ISBN:031287829X
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. Straight/tight. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2002-09-21
ISBN-13:9780312878290ISBN:031287829X
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. VG/VG. Very Good Hardcover book with Very Good Dust Jacket. Binding tight and straight. Pages clean and unmarked. read more
Description: Very Good in VG jacket. 031287829X some wear to covers and edges, DJ has some scuffing books may have some minor wearhouse damage. Stickers may be on spine or covers. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780312878290ISBN:031287829X
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. New with shelf wear to dj, has great appearance, super clean. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 432 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First edition. FIRST MASS MARKET PAPERBACK PRINTING AUGUST 2003
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Tor Classics
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780812580327ISBN:081258032X
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 416 p. Audience: General/trade. THIS USED MASS MARKET PAPERBACK FIRST PRINTING CAME FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION. BOOK IS IN NEAR NEW LIKE CONDITION. read more
Description: Reader copy. Former Library Hardcover, Stickers To Cover, Stamps On Inside Cover, Mylar Covered Dust Jacket, Clean Pages, Nice Used Copy. read more
"My all-time favorite science fiction author for as long as I've been reading the genre, Zahn has been teetering on his pedestal ever since I was introduced--it was by the hand of God, I have no doubt--to the sublime works of Card. Card's stories are not simply good in that they are good science fiction stories, they are truly great novels. Zahn's books, while excellent, do not as a whole rise above the genre.
His characters, for example, are much too resourceful. The protagonists have few failings--and these are soon excised. They are always ready with a blistering and witty comeback, and can think themselves out of any situation. Manta's Gift and its protagonist Matthew Raimey/Manta exemplify this...deus ex machina? to a fault.
The first protagonist, astronaut Jakob Faraday is firmly in the Zahn mold: resourceful, selfless, stubborn, supernaturally witty, and rather flat. Raimey, on the other hand, is truly interesting. By no means admirable as a human, among the Qanska people (giant, sentient manta-ray/humpback whale hybrids who live in Jupiter's upper atmosphere)it is his human and Qanska traits, when they mesh, that make him into a good person. This personal transformation theme is new to Zahn, and I enjoyed that part very much.
Faraday's political maneuvers were largely boring. His nemesis, a canny political operator with an icy demeanor named Liadof, is satisfyingly nasty but one-dimensional. It is when describing the Qanska people that Zahn shines.
Inventiveness is a great trait in a sci-fi author, and the Qanska race is believable, interesting, and fun to read about. Although, like most alien races, they're much too human.
My least favorite part of the book is the simply lame episode where Manta commits adultery with his best (Qanskan) friend in the hopes that the experience will make him fully Qanskan and remove the shred of humanity which lets the villainous human interests under Liadof control him. It works, but it was so idiotic that I almost stopped reading. Of course both he and the female Qanska came out of it unscathed, and his other best friend--whome he cuckolded--is ridiculously forgiving and one of the flattest characters I have ever read.
Manta's ultimate redemption and the end of the book are intriguing and well-written. Too often Zahn stays away from any emotion beyond gun-fighting melodrama. This is not the case in Manta's Gift. I won't go into detail, but Manta's transformation from human to Qanska is simply the best part of the book, and a muted dialog on what it means to be human. Much less blatant and almost as interesting as Card's endless ruminations on the human condition, God, death, life, and everything in between.
All in all, a severely mixed bag, which is why I gave it a mere three stars. Like all Zahn's books, it is eminently readable. Unlike the others, however, that may be its greatest strong point."
"Humans discover manta-ray type sentient aliens living in Jupiter's gaseous atmosphere. Humans and aliens collaborate to put a human brain in the body of a soon-to-be born alien. Talk about a cultural exchange program.
The protagonist, the human who gets alien-ified, is a remarkably unlikable entitled trust-fund student who was paralyzed and had nothing to lose. It's frustrating to read about him, since he remains quite unlikable after, predictably, not fitting in well with the aliens' society. Fortunately, the character does grow, and it becomes more interesting when it happens.
He also seems to know a little too much. I can't say much more without entering spoiler country, but let's just say the resolution feels just a little too convenient for who the characters are.
Still, the overall story is rather fascinating, and there is some decent cloak-and-dagger stuff on the humans' side of things for those who like that. Overall a good read, though not the best Zahn out there."
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