Dawn for a Distant Earth

Forever Hero #1

by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr's first major work was The Forever Hero trilogy of SF adventure novels published as paperback originals in the 1980s, of which Dawn for a Distant Earth was the first title in the series. Thousands of years in the future, Earth is a desolate ruin. The first human ship to return in millennia discovers an abandoned wasteland inhabited only by a few degenerate or mutated human outcasts. But among them is a boy of immense native intelligence and determination who is captured, taken in, and educated, and disappears--to grow up to become the force behind a plan to make Earth flower again. He is, if not immortal, at least very long-lived, and he plans to build an independent power base out in the galaxy and force the galactic empire to devote centuries and immense resources to the restoration of the ecology of Earth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy, Audiobook, Action, Ebooks

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.

He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey, real estate agent, market research analyst, director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant for a Congressman, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.
In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first short story, "The Great American Economy", was published in 1973 in Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see the seeds of what would later dominate L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s later fantasy fiction in this early SF novel. Competence is always key, starting out from humble beginnings, strong female love interest, and military endeavors that dominate most of the text.

Yes, this is MilSF with big spaceships and chain of command and the inevitable clash that makes our hero strike off and do what he thinks is the right thing.

And to be fair, I think it is. Helping to clean up an ecological disaster or at least give the victims a chance to survive is a pretty decent thing to do.

Other than that, it's just a solid tale if not particularly groundbreaking. It is, as I've noted with a ton of his other works, rather gentle on the reader's psyche. That IS a benefit that most people generally discount and I think they shouldn't.

Real talk, tho: I like his fantasy more. This isn't bad but it's far from being Recluse.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this in paper several times & reviewed it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
That review stands & has more detail I won't put into this one.

It's an old favorite, so it was great to see that my library got it in audio format, a fantastic way to reread a book. I can get so many chores done & if I miss a bit, it's not a big deal since I already know the story. Kyle McCarley did a good job narrating, but I don't particularly care for the sounds Modessit writes in even in text. Less when narrated. McCarley did a good job on various voices.

I was surprised that the love interests came through better in this format than when I'm reading the text, an interesting & unexpected plus. I'm definitely looking forward to listening to the next.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the second book a couple of times before I found this one. I was so happy to read the beginning of this trilogy. Excellent hero with a wonderful mission, although he's a fanatic.

“What was, was. The past defines itself. Historians refuse to accept that definition & instead superimpose their analysis of the past through the eyes of the present. Thus, history becomes a pale reflection of the present, while the true past is lost behind the reflected image presented by historians who would have us see what they believe, rather than what was.”
is a quote from one of the chapter breaks which are written by a variety of historians from centuries to a millennium after.

This is used to build the hero into a larger than life, almost like Beowulf, but in a more realistic (if that can apply), understated way & shows his story from both perspectives. It's pretty neat.

Modesitt is an under appreciated author, IMO. He used to be an economist in DC. He writes both fantasy & SF with a very strong eye toward economy, resources, technology, & history. Most people don't seem to get just how good he is at those things. They just read the obvious fantastic story. When you really look at what he's saying, such as in that quote, he's got some great ideas.

I don't care much for his 'tech speak' in the SF novels (although they're some of my favorites) or the way he handles men & women in love. The first is very clipped & gets a bit old. The love angle is too intense. Two friends that don't know each other, but do know him & his wife, say that's the way they are, so I guess that explains it. His Soprano Sorceress series has a great basis on his wife who teaches singing at a college. IOW, she IS the sorceress in many ways.

On to the next, The Silent Warrior!

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satisfying sci-fi. Decent read. =)

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's first book and it shows. Its a bit clunky in spots but it also has the ecological themes that few authors tackle.

Don't read this book unless you've read some of his newer books.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of L.E. Modesitt Jr. but this book failed to capture my interest. I had thought it was going to be a military science fiction story about a hero of future space battles. As it turned out it was nothing of the sort. I have the next two books in this series but I don't know when if ever that I will read them. I recommend L.E. Modesitt Jr. as an author but mot this book.

[Leslie Williamson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was an interesting idea but the book failed to capture my interest. The characters were paper thin. Majority of the dialogue in the book doesn't support any character developer. Wouldn't recommend this book.

[Pickyreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this. It was a little choppy but still was engaging. Coming of age story of Gerswin and the cleansing of a desolate earth. I believe it was well done especially for an early work. On to the next.

[Ron Souliere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the recluse saga, but it was an earlier time for the author.
Strange use of time. Rather than finish a scene, the author might jump ahead to an after action review or court marshal procedure. An interesting technique, just skip all the boring stuff.

[Jenessa Gayheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the setting of this story, it being a decaying Earth that needs love and protection. A wild boy who is groomed as a commander is a noble plot, and the struggle he feels as a guardian of his home is evident. I simply didn't get into the story. I skipped along on top and never was able to sink to any depth, to appreciate the aspect of how much help the Earth needed, and how the main character will be the savior. I read over half the book, and since it is well written I guess I'm giving it three stars because I don't feel it moved forward with the interests I find pulling. If they'd discovered more of the Earth's past in the dirt, I might have kept reading. If there were more familiar things going on that connect this futuristic society to its very distant past I may have gone on. But mostly the story seems to be about the main character's plight, his development, and his beliefs. I'm afraid he's just not that interesting to me. Perhaps he is to others, but not me.

[Maximiliano Curia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always struggle with what should I say about a book. Should I be descriptive of it's contents or should I focus on the things that I liked/hated. The disconnected nodes in the story type of telling with a space setting reminds me of the tales of Pirx the pilot, but, contrary to Pirx, I really enjoyed this book. The characters are multidimensional although they have a somewhat sandpapery feeling. It has an almost asimovian way to consider the flow of time, while maintaining the same lead character, it feels almost like it won't be able to keep the reader interested but it is, and the story, and the characters keep growing, in the story and in you. Is this a fiction telling a story of an impossible character, or is it telling us about the impossible tasks we are imposing to the future? Your choice.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting series of vignettes in the life of an unusual creature left over from a desolate Earth. It's a bit amateurish but better than most first / "hobby" novels I read, I'll continue the series.

It's not amazingly great at any one thing — the characters are a little flat and except the main character you don't really get to know them, the world-building is adequate but again not explored very well, and the story line is slow-moving and characterized by bureaucracy. I didn't love this book, but I like it more than I should considering I can't put my finger on anything that's especially good about it.

3.5 of 5 stars

[Brendan Hough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ear read 2024 (12.75hrs)
6/10 For the story to work time had to progress fast, with just a few highlight scenes through the years but heavens did it feel like missed opportunities, i mean remembering back they were key points , but some character interaction could have helped. Yes i know Gary was the strong silent type but those around him surely weren’t. That and the droll tone of the narrator (who sounded like he/she was forced to read this) made it just passable listening. I am not interested in reading further books in the series but am interested to read a summary of what happens (so might see if there is a wiki page to find out the overarching story critical points.

[Boremomsn.Com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best book by this author that I've read yet. It held my interest and was easy to comprehend. I'm still not sure why he puts these little blips of history by some future historian in between some of the chapters. I don't find them helpful, they rarely further the story, and tend to serve as nothing other than to pull the reader out of the story. Nevertheless, while not an all-nighter, can't put it down book, it was enjoyable to pick up and read when time permitted.

[Marsha Valance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Captured devilkid trained for space combat, he was too savage, too brilliant, too independent for the military, who exiled him to his home. But there Gerswin found a challenge that would consume all his strength and rage, through the decades and centuries of his life. Somehow Gerswin would find a way to bring Earth back from the dead.

[Nicholas E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story. Good setting, interesting chacters and an interesting story. I like the world (galaxy) he built for this story. I'm glad Tor decided to make these into audio books because I started reading Modesitt probably about 15 years after this book series was publised and didn't happen across it at the bookstores I frequented back then.

[Josephine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book okay, it was a run down of the main characters life. There was no build up of anything. His character is not stated or build up, I don't know his thoughts just snippets of how he deals in situation. Who he really is, is not stated.

[Tom Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modesitt is special

I have read almost everything he has written, but somehow missed the beginning series. The first book did not disappoint land I saw much of his unique style and thought processes.

[Stephen Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of human survival in an apocalypse and the attempt to restore earth. The characters are interesting though there are some plot [points that seem to be left hanging. Hopefully they pick the those up in book 2.

[Kian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, finished in 1 day.

[Gail Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading on the edge of the seat! hard to put down, I just had to know what happens next.

[Rick English · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good character, a bit of a tightass. Good story. Stet. A little too much banter between pilot and ground crew. Stet. Gets a little old. Stet.

[John Bess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multiple lifetimes spanned in one. Excellent and engaging read. Now to look for the next books in the series.

[Victor Vilchiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

eerily plausible portrayal of an earth planet future.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[ElDani · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book was first written and published, I was only a young boy. Reading this now, it is to me a tale from a different generation. I am gladdened to see so many others still reading and rating their experience with one of Mr Modesitt's earliest works.

Although I can sort of understand other peoples' criticism with Dawn for a Distant Earth, a lot of that comes from reader expectations the author did not meet. When I saw the short description, I did not think this was to be a space opera or a book that followed a super soldier with an extraordinary past/ancestry.

There are many things we don't get to know, strategically placed time-skips only exacerbate this. Sadly, this also hinders character development quite a bit, because the protagonist makes major and far-reaching decisions without the reader taking part in that. As these time-skips are also used to replace most of the supporting cast, it is quite difficult to get to know them all properly. Then again, about 70 to 80 years lie between the first and last chapter. It makes a good deal of sense for the author to skip significant parts and even his decision to keep the secondary characters from the spotlight is understandable, since normal humans have a life-span not much longer than the contents of this book. It is only Gerswin and his fellow devilkids that are so long-lived. However unintentional by the author, this highlights the differences between Gerswin and the friends he made since joining the Empire rather well and the author himself picks that up at the end of the book, when he meets an old love again. For some mysterious reason he thinks of her as the one that got away, yet they didn't know each other at all, only had one night together under false pretenses and never contacted each other again. In the end though, the still youthful protagonist meeting Caroljoy, who is by now a grandmother in her eighties, is a poignant reminder of how little he has in common with the empire he served these past decades.

If there is one criticism to mention, it is the author's reticence about introducing his fictional world to his readers. By the end of this first book we know that there's an Empire that originated on Earth, we know some minutiae about the navy's military doctrine and we know that, just as any other government, it and its military arm is mired in politics and thus inevitably corruption. We're left to imagine and fill the holes as big as starships by ourselves.

I generally liked the protagonist, even his ruthlessness at times, since it fits so well with his original upbringing as an outcast on a post-apocalyptic Earth. It is clear that the little devilkid is still somewhere in the soon to be centenarian. Having said that, this first book moves slowly and, his attempts at politics in an attempt to speed up the rebuilding/reclamation of his home planet aside, very few exciting things happen at all.

That's why I said earlier that I could understand the criticism. A story with little action is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you can overlook this aspect of Mr Modesitt's tale, you can enjoy the tale for what it is. I did and gave it 4 stars out of 5.

[Brad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dawn for a Distant Earth looks like a war or combat SF but it's not. The book starts off looking like the protagonist is going to turn into a super soldier, have a military career, or something exciting like that. Shortly into the novel it seemed like I was reading a quick background or an introduction to the main story that would soon start. This was due to short chapters, often with an alternate point of view, with large chunks of time elapsing between chapters. The style gave a choppy feel that made it difficult to get involved in the story or characters. The random snapshots of an unknown plot continued for the duration. Speakers aren't identified often or at all causing the dialogue to be usually hard to follow making this dull story even harder to read.

The hero, Gerswin, is a total bad ass that doesn't do any fighting. His proficiency in combat and weapons is stressed over and over but there isn't any action in this story. Only one incident when he kills someone with a rock out of a sling. Gerswin is "battling" ecological disaster, apathy, and budgets. Even these struggles lack strategy, tension, or excitement. Horrible! This whole book is just an excuse to write about the poor care of the environment. After putting up with heroes that became nauseous or unconscious if they were violent in his Recluse series, and now a Forever Hero that fights the environment, I'm done with Modesitt.

[Scycer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh.. what a reread. It is just amazing the nuggets this book and the series bring out. This book is the coming of age story. You see the man being made and his dreams of tomorrow come into play.

I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in terraforming and the developing technologies based on sustainability. The first book is a tonne of action though :D

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every couple of years I always seem to return to this seminal L.E. Modesitt trilogy that typifies his early works dealing with ecological issues. He has a fascinating take on what a determined person with extraordinary skills and a long, long life can accomplish. A true saga from a master writer.

Another novel that can fit within the YA (Young Adult) genre.

Highly recommended.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old Earth is a wasteland except for a few slum cities and stray wild children. One of these is captured by the Empire, given military training, and permanently reassigned to Old Earth. Rising through the ranks, he attempts to reclaim the planet. This is the first volume of The Forever Hero series.