The Candle of Distant Earth

Taken Trilogy #3

by Alan Dean Foster

Human Marcus Walker leads speech-augmented mutt George, cephalopod Sque, and gigantic poet Barouk homeward. Peaceful rodent-like Hyffians ask for arms against invading Iollth. At each planet, they must prove their "civilization", whether by poetry or battle, and ask directions onward. The last combat faces the original alien Vilanjji Pret-Klob.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens, Space Opera, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Humor

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Bestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.

Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.

Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.

Reviews

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interrupted by a variety of cultures and customs, our reluctant hero heads ever homeward. Escaped from alien slavers, three-tailed Niyyuu escort human Marcus Walker, speech-augmented mutt George, cephalopod Sque, and gigantic Tuuqalian poet Braouk. When their three ships appear over Hyff, Ussakk the Astronomer fears Iollth marauders have returned, and joins the welcoming committee - rodent-sized, peaceful, "kind of cuddly .. except for the guns they are carrying" p 29. Hyffians convince the visitors to train military and supply weapon samples and plans. Of course Iollth invade before Marcus gets away. Hyff is novel, other species funnier when introduced earlier in series - re-rate higher for satisfactory tying off every single end, keeping each speaker distinct. I like Foster's universe and would read more.

"Big blue blot, floating out in space, so far" rambles Walker in Tuuqalian style saga p 149, and helps celebrate the northern harvest. "Each of us gets to stand up .. for our entire species" and prove their "civilization" p 140. Sque's fellows are even more snobbish and unsociable than she is, causing humor and danger. She terms "real goodbye" as "uneconomical frivolities" p249. George's sarcasm "I do so miss the comforting caress of wet, slimy tentacles", she takes "at face value" p 249.

Reinforced by Iollth ships, they proceed to reinstate Braouk and Sque. Their fleet grows. Finally Walker realizes, as George did long ago, that his universe is too large, he can never go home.

"Be assured that in the realness of time, the natural order of things will be restored" p 254 threatened the original alien Vilanjji kidnapper. When Pret-Klob returns, Walker has to argue a favorable "natural order". Because the former captives are now social equals to Vilanjji, they can no longer be sold.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice conclusion to the trilogy. Marc Walker and his fellow former captives continue their quest to find their home planets. Along the way they manage to help out another alien civilization and somehow keep accruing starships. The depth of the friendship among the mismatched group is endearing and the ending was very satisfying.

I would recommend this odd, somewhat obscure trilogy for some entertaining, light reading.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xenology at it's most fictive and adorable. This was the last book in the trilogy and it left me smiling. I don't think the author used the word ethnocentric, but he was clearly trying to push the absolute relativity of culture-- even the slave-taking Vallenji were spared judgment- if not critique- in the end.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good conclusion to the trilogy; the ending caught me somewhat by surprise, but was most fitting upon reflection. Foster is one of the most under-rated authors in the field.

[Prabhat Saraswat]

Finished my first star treky, galaxy trotting novel, gave me a time warped access to the unbelievable civilizations, beautiful metaphors.

Plot:
With a speech enhanced dog george (full of witticisms and dry humor) accompanying Marcus Walker (a ordinary commodity trader ), both of them along with other aliens from worlds far away (especially a ker'amu, a super intuitive cerebral she octopus ) abducted by an alien tribe to be sold as toys. This is a saga of jailbreak, laced with futuristic technologies, with philosophical babble about the nature of civilization and conversations, its a "wizard of oz" in space :)

only 250 pages long, its the last of the trilogy, Read when have time :)

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

As in book #2, the most interesting thing about this book was its title.
Also as in book #2, it was boring, slow, often implausible, and frequently so repetitive that I resorted to scanning through whole pages, but not actually so offensively bad that I put it away. I wanted to know if they found Earth again, dangit. (Spoiler alert: yes!)

Predictably, the story features the homecomings of both the giant tentacle dude Barack O'Alien or whatever and the small annoying squid Squelch. Thankfully, Squelch stayed behind rather than insisting on accompanying Walker and George on the last leg of their journey. I was about ready to throw her against a wall. Barack just tends to ramble on like a D&D Ice Giant, and most of that takes place off screen. Predictably they met other aliens along the way and (this time inadvertently) caused great societal upheaval, but this group they also got to help significantly, so I guess they made up for it.

As for the ending itself, I suppose I should have been angry when Marc, having gotten as far as Neptune, decided not to go home. I think the rest of his entourage should have been furious. But I really wasn't. Because if he had gone home they either would have had to slip him in secretly and anti-climatically, or I would have had to endure another implausible and boring volume about first-contact with Earth. Which would have been tedious at best. But George! Seriously, could they have had this little conversation about how George really didn't want to go back despite endless maundering about wanting a real steak and a pleasant female and hoping he would arrive before he died of old age BEFORE they made it to Neptune?

So yes, I endured it for the sake of completion. And while I've admittedly dropped my standards pretty low this year, I've definitely endured worse. There was nothing immoral or filthy or ugly about the series. I felt perfectly fine recommending it to my 11 year old son, who actually made it through before I did, although I believe he also found it less than captivating.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a bland pat end to the series. They had some of the elements that made the earlier books good, but for the most part it was just retreads of the exact same stuff. And the ending was really, really boring and just eye roll inducing. Just felt like Foster phoned this one in hard

[Evan Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last in the series.. but a really unresolved ending.
After 3 books of trying to get home.. they finally do.. and decide they don't really like Earth that much and want to travel the Universe and have adventures? Granted if this took place in 2020..maybe

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Candle of Distant Earth (Book #3 of The Taken Trilogy)

A satisfying conclusion to The Taken Trilogy and a saga that even Braouk would be happy with. Alan Dean Foster is a Master story teller who able to create worlds, beings, cultures as believable as the worldwe live in. ;)

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun trilogy; I hope that the author returns to this series.

[Peter Ashkenaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful update of Gulliver’s Travels with a talking dog and 2 other sentient beings. Nice escape with some political overtones

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad or unexpected ending to the trilogy about alien abduction. So Marcus gets help to find his way home. How does he manage to acquire a fleet along the way? Everyone wants in on the adventure!

[Jacques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing stories! Stories like these are why I read Sc-Fi.

[Michael Cagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

an enjoyable conclusion to the Walker and George travels.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Not quite up to Pip & Flinx. Human Marcus Walker is the designated leader of an eclectic assortment of individuals including himself, a talking dog, and 2 aliens - a decapod and a giant. They have been abducted to be sold in the slave markets of the galaxy and now are trying to find their way to their various homes. In the course of the search and travel they accumulate quite a fleet of starships. When they at long last reach the earthly solar system there is a surprise.-

[Maurice Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the third and final installment of the Taken trilogy, Marcus Walker is now the leader of a fleet of Niouyan ships and is still searching for home- his and George's home, Sque's home and Braouk's home. They follow a lead to a system that may know of Tuqualia- Braouk's homeworld

Their travels take them to Hyfft, a planet populated by peaceful rodent-like beings. Every hundred years or so, the Iollth come to plunder the planet and terrorize the populace. Marcus and friends are there to rest, reorient themselves and possibly get assistance in finding one of their home planets; they trade technical and tactical assistance for astronomical aid and move on- to Tuqualia! They settle in there while searching for Kerem and Earth- and evading the persistent pursuit of the Villenji.

I enjoyed seeing the conclusion to their long quest. Since the day the Sessmaranthe freed them from Villenji captivity, they've longed for their home worlds. It was great to "see" those worlds while Marcus and George seek their own home.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this trilogy several years ago, read the first two books (which were fun, but slightly forgettable) and just now got around to finishing up the series. I don't know if absence made the heart grow fonder or if this was just more exciting than the first two but I really enjoyed it.

The series follows four characters as they try to find their way back home after each was abducted by an alien race. Two characters are from earth, a man and a dog with alien implants that elevates his intelligence and gave him speech; the other two are aliens, one a genius/antisocial squid and the other a hulking tentacled beast that enjoys writing sonnets.

Over the third book a ton of planets are visited. Alan Dean Foster is a master at creating fun alien worlds and this book was a great payoff to the series story arc.

[Jasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the second book, has a faster pacing and is more fulfilling as it winds up the stories of our 4 friends. Still, not particularly challenging as all the species are so 1 dimensional. Lightweight fun, suit younger readers.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story still going strong.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 07.21.06

[Eds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of fun tounge-in-cheek victim of fate triumphs over an unfair universe . Light headed space opera at its best !!!!!! Third in the series and probably my fave!
ed

[David Hellstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

great finish to the series.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third in the series. All are entertaining and quick reads but not very believable

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to take my mind off politics and elections that turned out badly. It worked.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like this last book rushed to close the series. I would have loved to read more about the aliens and cultures visited.

[Aarondipitous · Rating 3 out of 5]

A touching finish to an enjoyable lite trilogy, that is more of an affirmation of the characters affinity for each other than a conclusion. (and left wide open for a future revisit)

[Craig Leimkuehler]

I enjoyed it. The ending was a little weak, but I like the characters and their interaction.

[Veronica Lakewood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book. I would love to see a fouth book.

[Evangeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked this book up I didn't know that it was the last book in a trilogy. I love that they altered the dog to talk. It definitely made me want to go and read the first two of the series.