Manta's Gift
by Timothy Zahn
On This Page
Description
A gripping first-contact adventure for fans of James Cameron's Avatar from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Star Wars: Thrawn series.At twenty-two, hotshot Matthew Raimey has his whole life ahead of him, but a tragic accident quickly changes everything. He's left feeling hopeless—until he receives a proposition to be part of a new project for SkyLight International: Project Changeling.
It's not the easiest transition, but eventually Matt is spending his days unlike anyone show more back on Earth could imagine—swimming through the toxic yet beautiful atmosphere of Jupiter, in the body of a Qanska, an enormous alien resembling a cross between a manta ray and a dolphin. Even stranger, Matt is happy again.
But his second chance at survival doesn't come without a cost. Behind this project is a mysterious oligarchy of rich and powerful individuals who run the solar system, and they didn't place Matt on Jupiter out of mere kindness. They're monitoring his every move, and preparing to collect what they came for . . .
"The direction Manta's Gift ultimately takes is inventive and unexpected. . . . Zahn plays out his suspense as deftly as always, building a tense situation and ultimately defusing it in believable and pleasing ways." —Locus
"Zahn is ingenious in his plotting and well versed in keeping things moving. Manta's Gift leaves the reader feeling very satisfied." —Analog Science Fiction and Fact
"The author of Angelmass brings a new twist to a classic tale of human-alien encounter, combining fast-paced action and hard science with personal drama. A good choice for most sf collections." —Library Journal
"Another thoroughly literate sf yarn from Zahn." —Booklist. show less
Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
This is the story of 22-year-old Matt Raimey, paralyzed in a skiing accident, who agrees to allow his body to be replaced with the body of an intelligent Jovian creature called a Qanska, something like a huge manta ray, in an experiment designed to promote human-Qanska understanding. The Qanska society and environment is fascinating, and there are some very exciting sequences as the humans and the Qanska both angle for what they really want from each other. I really enjoyed it!
In the future we explore Jupiter only to find there are creatures living there already. the book tells the story of an invalid who is converted to one of their species so that he can provide a bridge between the two cultures.
You really think any society would be that altruistic? No? Neither did Timothy. Not to worry both humans and the aliens have ulterior motives for this crossover - the question is who will succeed in their motives.
This book takes what is already an interesting idea and successfully drives out an exploration of the new societies with Manta's alienation from both societies leaving him with an interesting commentary on the situation he is placed in.
You really think any society would be that altruistic? No? Neither did Timothy. Not to worry both humans and the aliens have ulterior motives for this crossover - the question is who will succeed in their motives.
This book takes what is already an interesting idea and successfully drives out an exploration of the new societies with Manta's alienation from both societies leaving him with an interesting commentary on the situation he is placed in.
The premise of this book is absolutely absurd, but is crafted so well that the absurdity makes perfect sense. This book has many good elements: romance, friends, strife, killer living torpedoes, advanced technology, and of course funny aliens. On the downside, however, it kind of misses its target audiance - the book is aimed at sci-fi readers, but some of those readers may not like it as it does not involve a large amount of traditional sci-fi activities.
A good romp through the alien species sub-genre, with a plausible scientific pretext and the usual political gloss. The messages about loyalty, friendship, and courage are well-integrated with preaching.
Which came first - this or the script for J. Cameron's "Avatar?" A coming of age story with Alien /Human symbiosis. Seemed a little YA to me. Mom might have liked it.
interesting. Zahn once again delves into alienhuman interaction
Members
- Recently Added By
Published Reviews
ThingScore 75
A cheery coming-of-age novel.
added by Shortride
Lists
Want to Read — open list
55 works; 2 members
Author Information
255+ Works 53,070 Members
Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 1, 1951. He received a B.S. degree in physics from Michigan State University in East Lansing in 1973 and a M.S. degree in physics from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1975. In 1975, Zahn began writing science fiction as a hobby. When his thesis advisor died in 1979, show more effectively wiping out three years of work, he decided to try making a living at writing. Since then, Zahn has published short stories, novelettes, novels, and short fiction collections. He is best known for writing the Star Wars the Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command. The novella, Cascade Point (1984) won a Hugo Award. He also writes numerous series including Cobra, Blackcollar, Dragonback, and Conquerors' Trilogy. Zahn co-authored with David Weber A Call To Duty, the first book in the Manticore Ascendant Series, which made the New York Times bestseller list in October 2014. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2002-09
- Publisher's editor
- Frenkel, James
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 367
- Popularity
- 84,834
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.73)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 2
