Jason Penix Penix itibaren Mercedes, Uruguay itibaren Mercedes, Uruguay

I originally picked this book up because it appears in David Pringle's overview book "Sci Fi: The 100 Best Books." Now that I've read it, I can see why it was included. This is a terrific, beautifully written, literate sci-fi novel, with dozens of passages so quotable that you may feel the need to underline or highlight them. In this book, Martians have been living on Earth for thousands of years in hidden underground cities. For the most part, they are benevolent observers of human affairs, but there are some, the so-called Abdicators, who seek to overthrow and do away with mankind. This novel deals with the attempt of one of these Abdicators to corrupt a gifted human boy, and the attempt of one of the other observers to prevent it. Before the novel ends, the earth has gone through a major disaster, but there is still hope for man's ultimate fate. The author, Edgar Pangborn, takes his time with the story, and the characters are well drawn and believable. There's lots of poetic imagery and quasi-religious symbolism, as well as a good number of startling surprises. Seek this book out...it's a winner!