The Many-Colored Land by Julian May

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Hello, Stranger.

Let's talk about Julian May's The Many-Colored Land.

The Short of It

Plot: There's a portal that goes back six million years into the past and it only gets wackier from there.
Page Count: 433
Award: 1982 Locus
Worth a read: Yes
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Pass
Technobabble: Moderate.
Review: This book is delightful. The premise is ridiculous, the explanations of "science" to explain what happened are pretty much nonexistent... but it's just so fun. Every opportunity where this book could go off the rails it does so. The characters are fun, though shallow. This book is what happens when you throw a sack of different world-building related nouns into a blender and say, "Sure!" Are the rules consistent? Yes, in that there are none. I was regularly surprised by things to the point where I was laughing out loud. 


The Medium of It
Spoiler Free!

Wow. This book. What a trip. Just look at that cover. I don't know what to say without spoilers; everything about this book is absolutely bananas and yet somehow lands perfectly. Characters are engaging enough, though solidly one note; most people explicitly state their motivations. Plot moves quickly, though it is not particularly remarkable. People are either forced to go to a place or go on a fetch quest of some kind - rinse and repeat.

But the world... This feels the way I hoped John Varley's Titan would; it is wacky, and aware of that fact, without it being overwhelming. It is somehow totally campy and yet consistently novel. I had a boatload of fun reading this. If at any point you say, "Well, that's as strange as it will get!" be aware that you are wrong.

I feel totally comfortable recommending this to you, Stranger. I think it would be pretty weird to tell friends or family to read - it's just such a wonky creation.

One thing of note: This book nails its use of technobabble. Here's a little snippet from very early on:
"Alas, no, my dear Sanders. Nor have other workers been able to reproduce my experiment in other localities on Earth or on other worlds." Guderian tapped one of the plaque-books. "As I have pointed out, there is a problem in computing the subtleties of the geomagnetic input. This region of southern Europe has one of the more complex geomorphologies of the planet..."

Does any of this make sense? Not really. But does it need to? Also not really. We just need a reason for people to go back to the Pliocene and not be able to return. Is the justification gibberish? 110%. Is it sufficient for the events of the story to unfold? Yup!

Just give this a read. Go in without expecting anything. Have a ton of fun.

If you do want to read this, consider using the link below! I'll get a few cents at no extra cost to you.
This is the link in question!

The Long of It
Spoilers Ahead!

Did you read this yet? If not, go, do that, then come back.

Alright, what the heck is going on here?

We've got an ensemble cast with (if I'm counting right) seven main POV characters. They're varied in temperament, attitude, age, and sexuality, which is neat. That said, we do stick with one single dominant driving characteristic for each. Felice is a super athlete and a number of other things, but once she wants a golden torc, that's all we really see of her.

I should clarify; the golden torc will augment her psychic powers so that she can kill the slaver-aliens.

Yeah, I don't know what else to say. This book is just a total trip.

That's all I've got, Stranger. I'm at a loss for words.

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