The Many-Colored Land (1981)

Found it rather dull and uninvolving. ( )

The first of this series is the best I think. ( )

I've read all four books in the Saga of the Exiles and would recommend them. The exiles are people who feel that they are misfits in the Galactic Millieu of the 22nd century, and take advantage of a one-way time portal in France leading to Pliocene era. They are sterilised before leaving so that there will be no way that history can be changed, and take enough goods to allow them to get started. It is a one-way trip only, as anything that takes the return journey through the portal crumbles into dust. But there is a big surprise awaiting them in the supposedly unpopulated Pliocene . . .

I enjoyed the Pliocene backdrop immensely as not too many novelists dare to tackle such a scene. Kinda wonder if the Exiles got as rude a shock to the Tanu/Firvulag (Scandinavian tags) being there as Captain Cook/Britain (Europe) got when he discovered that there has been people in Australia for 40,000 years, let alone he was only the 30th person to 'discover' the continent.
I enjoyed her serious attempt to be factual all the while juggling the 'fictional' majority of her novels. Again, its not an easy thing to do.

I realized this book was a setup to the rest of the series. I just didn't care for May's writing style. Its hard to read a background book as it is, let alone when you cannot follow the author's writing. It was clear while reading this novel that May has created a deep milieu. Other readers may be able to appreciate it more than I did. ( )