This science fiction novel by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes is one of my all time favourite reads and one of a handful of novels that I’ve read more than a couple of times. As I’ve just finished reading it again, it makes sense to include my thoughts on it here.
The Legacy Of Heorot tells the story of the 200 men and women who travel for over 100 years to colonize Tau Ceti Four, which they christen Avalon. As the story begins they have established their colony, on the island of Camelot, and things are going fairly well. Though a handful of colonists did not survive the journey and some others have been physiologically damaged by unexpected consequences of suspended animation (referred to as “hibernation instability”), they have successfully built homes, planted crops and begun rearing livestock. They have the added bounty of local samlon from the Miskatonic river and its tributaries to eat.
In short, life is idyllic. But…
There just had to be a but, of course. And this one centres around the impact that the colonists activities are having on the ecology of their island paradise. As they interact with the local flora and fauna they become the catalyst for a change that will threaten their survival. Enter the grendels!
As I said, this is one of my favourite books and it was a pleasure to read it again. In addition to the affect we humans have on our environment (wherever we go) there are some rather juicy character conflicts to be resolved as well as few technological issues to overcome. This creates a mix that moves the story along at a fair clip.
Finally, although this is a tale firmly routed in the science-fiction landscape this should not prevent it being enjoyed by fans of other genres. It is both well written and well researched, allowing the reader to become completely absorbed in an alien (though strangely familiar) world. A great read!