The Yaetuan Sagas: A Chronicle and Account of the Yaetuan Species

by Christian Andrew Cline

Our own planet, planet Earth, has a wealth of history, cultures, and mysteries. These all stem from the biology, geology, and climate from our own planet, and they even today directly influence life. However, how do cultures form and develop on other planets? How would the world around them shape their lives, and lifestyles? In this book, you will revisit planet Yaetu, first seen in The Teeming Universe, and find out the answers!

Travel to planet Yaetu and uncover the mysteries of the past, and learn about the lifestyles and cultures of inhabitants both past and present. Learn about the yaetuan species, from their conception as prehistoric animals to spacefaring travelers. Immerse yourself in the numerous cultures across worlds which rose, fell, failed and succeeded, and take in how societies evolved with their inhabitants!

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

245 pages, Paperback

Published March 23, 2023

Reviews

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

First saw this on Curious Archive and bought my son for Christmas. We have had a great time reading it together. Very imaginative and cool, tons of effort on the part of the author. I would love to see his take on other races in this universe.

[Adam Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cline returns to the eleventh and final world shown in The Teeming Universe for an in depth look at the dominant species and the forces that shaped their evolution. Unlike The Teeming Universe, there are no humans in the Yaetuan Sagas, as they end before the events of the first book. An impressive work of imagination, in the vein of CM Kosemen and Dougal Dixon.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book serves as a good intro to speculative biology and science fiction worldbuilding. If you are new to the genre (or are otherwise not a worldbuilding nerd like I am) I think it will certainly be an interesting read. Even as someone who has been consuming a lot of worldbuilding content whether textually or through video, this is definitely an interesting and entertaining project.

However, there are a number of issues I found during my read through which made it difficult for me to fully enjoy the book. There are a number of glaring typos or mistakes which were hard to ignore. The design and layout of some charts, tables, and figures could have used some review to more efficiently convey what is to be illustrated. I found some story arcs a bit awkward, or cut off at odd points. I personally wish the author explained a bit more of Yaetuan language, phonology, and communication through the eras, maybe even using standard IPA symbols, so I could understand how words were pronounced beyond the occasional anglicized attempt at conveying pronunciation. Additionally, further exploration of historical cultures and individuals would have gone a long way to help me understand some of the species' history and cultural evolution.

Regardless, this book held my attention until the end. I was a big fan of the dives into individual Yaetuan's lives, my previous criticisms aside. The start and end of the book are the stars of the book in my opinion. Cline is definitely creative and certainly knowledgeable about speculative biology, and it comes through most in these sections. The illustrations are also good in my opinion. I hope to see a revamped version of this in the future!

[catreplicators · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool! The author goes into a lot of detail about everything which is very cool. The author is also a bigot apparently so I recommend borrowing it if possible.

[Annalisa Tuninetti · Rating 1 out of 5]

See, the thing about aliens, is that they should be, how do I put it, alien. These aren't aliens. These are furries. These are the sad adult equivalent of a nine year old coming up with an imaginary civilization he can fantasize living in.

And my god, the art. What you see in the cover is what you get. No, it's not better on the inside.

[Troy Coley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Incredible read. I absolutely recommend this book.