Beowulf’s Children is the sequel to The Legacy Of Heorot - which I wrote about in my last post - and is set some twenty years later. A balance of sorts has been restored to the colony and they are beginning to thrive and expand. Indeed a new generation, the “Star Born”, are planning to extend their presence across the planet and have set their sights on an expedition to the mainland. They yearn to explore it thoroughly, map it and begin to exploit its resources.
The original colonists, the “Earth Born”, are not so enthusiastic as they remain cautious in the wake of their previous experience of Avalon’s environment and its unpleasant surprises. In fact, in the minds of the second generation, the first are far too cautious as they refuse to allow a full scale expedition to take place. Tension mounts between the generations until events conspire to make a large scale journey to the mainland unavoidable.
Needless to say, the plot twists as an “Avalon surprise” or two emerge.
Once again Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes join forces to deliver a cracking sci-fi yarn. That said, my initial impression of Beowulf’s Children wasn’t quite as positive as my first reading of The Legacy Of Heorot. However as I’ve not long finished the latter, it seemed like a good idea to re-read the sequel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is actually a better read than I remember. I did find it a little slower to get started than its predecessor, but the pages were soon turning rapidly as the story swept me up and along. As the story develops, the authors reveal more of the unusual life cycle of the planet and its inhabitants using both to develop suspense and deliver some nice plot twists.
Another great read, especially for fans of the genre. And one that for me is now as much of a favourite as the first.