The Shores of Another Sea

by Chad Oliver, George Zebrowski (Introduction), Isaac Asimov (Foreword)

Chad Oliver's The Shores of Another Sea is a chilling account of alien contact and thought-provoking look at how man regards other species and how other species might regard him across the unbridgeable gulf of separate evolutionary history and an enigmatic intelligence vastly superior to our own.

Genres: Science Fiction

214 pages, hardback

First published February 1, 1971

About the author

Symmes Chadwick Oliver (30 March 1928–9 August 1993) was an award winning science fiction and Western writer and chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. He was also one of the founders of the Turkey City Writer's Workshop.

Reviews

[Glenn Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chad Oliver's anthropological science fiction established the groundwork for such authors as Ursula K. Le Guin and Michael Bishop. And for a good reason: Chad Oliver was actually a university professor of anthropology and brought first-hand experience to his writing of science fiction.

Chad's years of fieldwork in Africa shine through in The Shores of Another Sea, a short novel (less than 150 pages) set in Kenya where anthropologist Royce Crawford runs a Baboonery with forty baboons. Detailed descriptions abound of the African countryside and the abundant African animal life, so vivid, we as readers sense we're right there with Royce as he attempts to deal with a series of challenges and remarkable happenings.

Oh, those remarkable happenings. Of course, as readers we know this is science fiction featuring a tale of first contact with aliens. Thus, we are in a position to know what's happening when Royce has an eerie intuition that he's being watched as he makes the rounds at his Baboonery. Likewise, when Royce detects a disturbing humming noise that simply is out of place, a sound not belonging to anything in Africa.

What adds a element of complexity to Royce's situation in the bush is the fact that he has his family with him, wife Kathy and two little girls, Susan and Barbara. Added to his family responsibility, Royce knows his Baboonery, generously funded by interested parties back in the United States, serves as employer for dozens of Africans who are, in turn, supporting their families. Since he has assumed the role of leader, simply running away at the first signs of danger is not in Royce's nature, even when a sign includes examining one of his baboons and finding something strange indeed.

"Royce crouched down and fingered the body. There were no puncture wounds that he could see. The skull was intact; there was no fracture. The animal looked as if something had grabbed it and literally pulled it apart. And something - or someone - had forced the cage open."

I hope my brief write-up has whetted your appetite. Grab a copy of Chad Oliver's first-rate thriller and join Royce and the others as they press deeper into this unfathomable mystery.



"Royce felt a stab of fear. For a moment, he could not move. He had seen plenty of baboons in his time, but this one was . . . different. There was a cold intelligence looking out through those animal eyes. The beast was studying him."


Chad Oliver (1928-1993), a well-beloved anthropology professor at the University of Texas and author of science fiction

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good alien-contact story, as well as a science fiction story that reminds us that anthropology is a science, too. Oliver is often overlooked, but was an excellent story-teller and had a knack of describing his lush settings very evocatively. His work is almost always thoughtful and enjoyable.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up because I've very much enjoyed other anthropological speculative fiction by Oliver. He's intelligent, educated, and thoughtful, a joy to read.
So far, about 1/3 in, this reminds me a lot of the early 'classics' by Michael Crichton. Not as intricate, so it will be shorter. But immersive and educational in the sense that Crichton and some other HF and SF can be. Haven't gotten to the SF part of this yet....
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Not as analytical as the blurb and imply; turns into a somewhat more superficial adventure than I was hoping for. Still a fun fast read, esp. for those who like 'manly' books. (It's only a bit sexist, in that the one woman is respected, but this community is male-dominated by it's very nature.)

Africa is another world, not just an exotic safari resort: "Some men, the dead ones that still walked, never could feel it. They were men who might glance at a trout stream in Rockies and see just another creek."

"He did not move. He forced himself to stay where he was. He could not afford the luxury of [violent] action."

I will continue to read Oliver's works as I find them.

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambientato nell'Africa di inizi anni '60, questo romanzo d'avventura più che di fantascienza ha il merito di essere scorrevole e di dare ottime descrizioni dell'ambiente dello Tsavo, in Kenya.
Per il resto, pur essendo buona l'idea, di fondo è un romanzo sulla vita in Africa dei bianchi nell'era post coloniale. La parte SF è minima, ma costruita per generare inquietudine e ci riesce abbastanza bene.
Darei 3 stelle al romanzo, non di più.

[Snakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was quirky, strange, and had a touch of science fiction to top it off. Very accessibly and well written. And the story had a bit of everything with a very immersive setting in Africa.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a science fiction tale with somewhat strong elements of horror in it. Basically it's about an American living in Africa with his family. He catches baboons to send back to the US. But lately some mighty weird stuff is going on and he has to protect his family from danger...if he can. He's basically living out in the middle of nowhere and any help is far away so he's basically on his own.

I really enjoyed this story. It's well written and full of suspense, the dread of the dangerous unknown building slowly. Weather events make it even worse. Blood is spilt. Truthfully I just didn't see how he was going to get out of the situation. It seemed rather hopeless and that the other side was in control. Lots of dangerous moments and uncertainty.

The environment is a big part of this story and because the author had actually spent time there the land of Africa seems very real. It comes alive. And it's not just the wildlife you have to worry about out there. The story makes that very clear. There's other dangers too and some of those could kill you much faster than a leopard or a crocodile.

I really liked what the main character learned at the end of the story and how he applied that to Big Buck. There are lessons and similies in here if you pay attention.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

1961 was something of a banner year for Cincinnati-born sci-fi author Chad Oliver. In the first part of that year, having already released four novels of anthropological science fiction, he received his Ph.D. in anthropology at UCLA, a degree that would help him become an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin two years later, and the Chairman of the Dept. of Anthropology there in 1967. And in the latter part of 1961, and continuing into the following year, Oliver did research work in Kenya, for the National Science Foundation, studying both farming and herding communities of the indigenous Kamba tribe. As it turns out, his time spent in Africa served the author in good stead a decade later, when he set about creating his first sci-fi novel in over a decade, namely "The Shores of Another Sea."

"The Shores of Another Sea" was initially released as a 75-cent Signet/New American Library paperback in 1971, with a beautiful cover by artist Bob Pepper. That same year, the British publisher Gollancz issued it as a hardcover volume, and two years later it appeared in Germany as a Heyne paperback under the altered title "Die Affenstation" ("The Monkey Station") and featuring some wonderfully faithful cover art by Karel Thole. The copy that I was fortunate enough to acquire is the 1984 volume from Crown Publishers' Classics of Modern Science Fiction series; a nicely curated series in cute little hardcover editions. I have previously written here of some other Oliver titles that appear in this Crown series, namely "Shadows in the Sun" (1954, and Oliver's first novel written for an adult audience) and "Unearthly Neighbors" (1960, and Oliver's last sci-fi novel before the book in question, although he had come out with an award-winning Western novel, "The Wolf Is My Brother," in 1967). Like the other two Oliver titles in this series, "The Shores of Another Sea" includes a scholarly introduction by George Zebrowski, but sadly, unlike those other two, no afterword by Chad Oliver himself. And that's something of a shame, because this 1971 novel of his, released when the author was 43, has turned out to be my favorite of the trio. An absolutely splendid piece of work that combines science fiction with chilling elements of cosmic horror, this book, I feel, was surely deserving of some sort of Hugo or Nebula Award nomination...an honor, flabbergastingly enough, that Chad Oliver was never given.

"The Shores of Another Sea" introduces the reader to Royce Crawford, a family man and outdoorsman who has made a living out of writing magazine articles on the subjects of hunting and fishing. But for the previous two years, Royce has worked at a "baboonery" in the wilds of Kenya, trapping the nasty-dispositioned primates and shipping them to a scientific institution in Houston for study. Royce has been staying at the baboonery with his wife Kathy and two young daughters, as well as a small but faithful crew of local workers, and when we first encounter him, he is a very confused man. His "hunter's sense" has been telling him that his encampment is being watched. And in the days that follow, Royce's problems only seem to multiply. While on a hunting trip, he hears a "whistling roar" in the sky and sees something streak across the heavens and descend not too far away. Afterwards, something or someone steals one of the baboons from his compound and, incredibly, tears another of the vicious animals apart. One of the African workers is found dead, unidentifiable footprints are noticed around the camp, and the baboon thefts continue. Eventually, a blazing fire endangers the baboonery, its cause unknown, and then real disaster strikes, as a torrential, drought-ending, days-long downpour inundates all of southern Kenya, swamping the roads and turning the environs into impassable mire.

And it is then, in the second half of Oliver's book, when Royce and the baboonery are effectively cut off from civilization, that the story really kicks into high gear. While it is still downpouring, several baboons steal into the camp for food, are caught and caged, and are observed to have what can only be called an alien intelligence peering through their simian eyes. Royce decides to go by Land Rover and on foot to the home of a British plantation owner some 20 miles away to call for help on a telephone; a hazardous journey that ends in catastrophe. Matters are only made worse when Royce finds that whatever aliens might have landed in the vicinity and are taking over baboons have now started trying to occupy the bodies of human beings as well! And then comes the ultimate horror, as, in broad daylight, intelligent baboons raid the compound and forcefully carry off Royce's 5-year-old daughter, Barbara. Thus, feeling both rage and very real fear, Royce sets out, with four of his loyal African workers, to the huge glowing sphere that has landed in a nearby grassland, to try to get his daughter back....

Now, just as there is a world of difference between the African novels of H. Rider Haggard--an author who had actually lived in and worked on the continent--and those of Edgar Rice Burroughs--who never set foot in Africa and made his tales up out of whole cloth ("not that there's anything wrong with that")--so too is there a heightened degree of earned verisimilitude in Oliver's work here. During his months spent in Kenya, Oliver was immersed in both the land and its people...and it shows. Thus, the book's many words in both Kamba and Swahili (fortunately, translated for the reader); the references to duka markets and shamba (gardener) boys; the ubiquitous Tusker beer; the accurate descriptions of baobab trees and euphorbia plants, the kudu and the oryx and the marabou storks; the mention of men's kanzu garments, the East African god Mulungu, and the Kipsigi tribe. The book feels utterly authentic and credible, as regards its flora, fauna, African characters and general environment.

And "The Shores of Another Sea" works as an increasingly tense, absolutely unputdownable, first-rate thriller. I had hugely enjoyed those other two Oliver titles but had an even better time with this one simply because there is more at stake in this one for our protagonist; Royce Crawford is literally fighting for his life several times here, as well as for his daughter's. Typical for Oliver, his book is beautifully written, in what Gary K. Wolfe, in his book "Twentieth Century Science Fiction Writers," referred to as the author's "graceful, understated style." Thus, we get evocative descriptions such as this:

"...The sun was low in the red-tinged sky. The desiccated bush was hot and still. The gritty red dust was everywhere, like the patina of ages covering a landscape of the dead...."

And Oliver gives his readers any number of remarkable scenes, including the inferno that Royce and his men battle for a full day; the capture of a few of the alien-possessed baboons; Royce's dangerous trek to find a telephone; the remarkable scene in which he arrives at his friend's plantation; and Crawford's confrontation with the alien ship. The book also contains several instances of the "cosmic awe" (as opposed to cosmic horror) that was so prized by Golden Age sci-fi readers, such as when Royce stares at one of the caged, alien baboons and reflects:

"...He knows things I cannot know. He does not think as I think. He is trapped in a crazy body, locked in a cage, but he is smarter than I am. He might be able to do...anything...."

Another instance of cosmic awe in this book: when Royce stands alone in an empty field and sees something--no, I should probably not say what--emerge from that enormous glowing sphere from outer space. And as I mentioned, the book also throws in some very definite instances of cosmic horror, such as the scene in which one of the characters--again, I should probably not say whom--is taken over by the aliens and compelled to fight Crawford to the death, and, of course, the plight of poor little Barbara, abducted by alien-controlled baboons and forcefully dragged back to their ship. Shocking moments, surely. That said, I might also add that the book throws in some pleasing moments of levity, such as when we're told, regarding some baboons that had fled up into the trees for safety, "The books all said that they weren't much good in the trees, but evidently [these] baboons had read the wrong books."

As was the case with "Shadows in the Sun" and "Unearthly Neighbors," Oliver's central theme here seems to be man endeavoring to communicate with and coming to understand an alien species. And like Monte Stewart in the 1960 book, here, Royce Crawford discerns the uselessness of fear and especially violence when encountering the people of another world. In this book's charming coda, we see that Royce, the professional hunter, has been changed by his experiences with the aliens, realizing that if mankind can get to know a completely alien race just a little bit, then we should surely feel more of a kinship with the creatures on our own planet. It is a lovely takeaway message. On a similar note, Royce had earlier realized his kinship with all the human races in this world. As he thinks of his loyal and brave African helpers:

"...They were good men. They had resources that he had not expected. He hated the barriers between them. Their differences were small indeed. Skin color, background, wealth--what did they matter in the perspective of that alien sphere from the depths of space? Men were men, that was all...."

Again, a right-on message, indeed. Royce, an apparent stand-in for the author here--who was also a pipe smoker, not to mention an enthusiastic fly fisherman--shows that he obviously takes away a lot from his stay in Kenya, as well as from his brush with the unknown. And speaking of the unknown, the aliens in this book do remain pretty much an unknown quantity all the way to the end, and our many questions regarding them remain open to conjecture. While some may complain about this, I felt it only made Oliver's story more credibly mysterious. After all, not every encounter with extraterrestrial life can result in full enlightenment, can it? As Royce comes to understand, it's not how the aliens look or what they reveal; "it was what they did that counted."

"The Shores of Another Sea," despite having been inspired by Oliver's anthropological studies in Kenya, is, of the three titles in this Crown series, the least concerned with anthropological issues per se. That's why I was surprised to read a blurb on the book's back cover by Gregory Benford (another scientist who was also a science fiction author) that calls this book "probably the best anthropological SF novel ever written," although no one could argue with his further calling it "powerful, convincing, and dramatic." Actually, I have only a few very slight quibbles to lodge against Oliver's fairly extraordinary work here. One minor point that I couldn't quite understand was Royce's sense of being watched even before the aliens landed nearby. And my other complaint (that is really not a complaint) is the fact that even a good map of Kenya was of no help in determining the exact site of Royce's baboonery. The locations of the Tsavo River, the Kikumbuliu River and the town of Mitaboni just don't correspond with what we're given in the book, although it is entirely possible that this was a deliberate ploy on the author's part. And really, these are very minor complaints, at best. Sci-fi author Dean McLaughlin has called this novel "the most marvelously understated first contact story I have ever found," and really, you'd be hard pressed to find one more credible and convincing.

One final note: I see that the 2008 hardcover entitled "From Other Shores" collects "Shadows in the Sun," "Unearthly Neighbors" AND "The Shores of Another Sea" in one nice omnibus package (!), and it is one that I know will make any reader an instant fan of Chad Oliver. I for one look forward to reading much more from this terrific author....

(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at https://fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of Chad Oliver....)

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oliver writes exotic man-against-nature adventure that is much better than average fare here. Unfortunately, the SciFi element is tossed-together, unconvincing, and goes nowhere. For a better book with much of the same appeal (but no SF, and closer to horror-suspense), I recommend Geoffrey Household's Dance of the Dwarfs.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Chad Oliver's anthropological science fiction.

[Alien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hier wird das Thema "Erstkontakt" auf originelle Weise abgehandelt.
Es trifft hier Royce, den Leiter einer Station im kenianischen Busch, der fürs Einfangen und Verschicken von Pavianen für die medizinische Forschung verantwortlich ist.
Erst hat er das Gefühl, beobachtet zu werden, dann sieht er etwas vom Himmel stürzen, dann wird einer seiner gefangenen Tiere getötet und ein anderes verschwindet.
Er kommt (überraschend) bald darauf, dass Aliens am Werk sein dürften.

Mir hat das Buch ganz ordentlich gefallen. Die Beschränkung des Ortes und der handelnden Personen macht das ganze persönlich und intensiv. An manchen Stellen wäre es mir aber lieber gewesen, wenn der Autor noch etwas knapper geschrieben hätte.

Nicht ganz so gut finde ich, dass von den wenigen Protagonisten nur der POV-Charakter Royce richtig ausgeformt wird, seine Familie und die einheimischen Angestellten werden nur skizziert.

Das Ende ist anders als erwartet. Ich weiß nicht recht, wie ich das finden soll. Ein klein wenig kam ich mir betrogen vor. als vernünftiger Mensch sollte man ja froh sein über die friedliche Auflösung der Konfrontation von Aliens und Menschen. Aber der lange Spannungsaufbau hätte doch eine etwas spekakulärere und fiesere Variante erwarten lassen

[Bill FromPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of African adventure into which a horror / SF plot is gradually introduced. With a handful of people menaced by a largely unseen extraterrestrial threat, there's a strong B-movie vibe, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The ending both undercuts and reinforces the B-movie impression: there's no climactic violent human vs. alien confrontation in which the invaders are vanquished, but the imperiled young daughter of the protagonist improbably (to me) survives her abduction unharmed. I can't really fault this happy ending as a concession to audience expectations, as it evidently embodies the message Oliver wanted his novel to convey, as indicated in its epigraph, from which the title is taken. But the behavior of the aliens up to that point, as far as it can be humanly understood, hardly makes such an ending seem likely.

[Christopher K · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first exposure to Chad Oliver and I loved it. A very different style of sci fi mixed with a lot of adventure style narrative set in Africa, man vs nature. The writing is easy and I found his style was a great balance of useful description and world building. The dialogue is sparse and only helps to heighten the story. The sci fi elements show up very late but don’t let that shy you away, it’s still a sci fi story in the end. It’s also an examination of man and how we treat our surroundings, nature and animals, and how we rate in the cosmic scale of existence. A great read knocked it out in two sittings.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

"Chad Oliver is a well-known proponent of anthropological science fiction. John Clute (of SF encyclopedia) proclaims him “pioneer in the application of competent anthropological thought to sf themes.” Despite being relatively prolific between the 50s-70s (a handful of short stories appeared in the 80s), The Shores of Another Sea (1971) retains a distinctly 50s tone, style, [...]"

[Daununiversoallaltro · Rating 4 out of 5]

È il primo libro della collezione Urania che ho letto e devo dire che mi ha sorpresa. Non nascondo che avrei voluto sapere qualcosa in più sugli extraterrestri e sul perché delle loro azioni (le premesse c'erano tutte) ma anche senza questo genere di approfondimento è stata una lettura molto piacevole. È uno di quei libri che rileggerei.

[Brent Winslow · Rating 3 out of 5]

As interesting in the descriptions of running a Baboonery in Kenya as the alien contact story. The author - Chad Oliver - was chair of the department of anthropology at the University of Texas - Austin, which is obvious in his academic descriptions of Kenya's people, weather, and fauna.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and fun first contact novel. The author was an anthropologist and it's fairly obvious thematically. I enjoyed that though. Even though the alien invasion aspect doesn't feel original, the surrounding narrative is quite fresh in the science fiction genre

[Roy N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting alternative to the "usual" Chad Oliver tale.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok, some good moments, atmospheric, but a bit of a let down? At the end.

[Simón · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Buena prosa, paisajes y ambientación cautivante, pero la trama se queda corta. Una historia más bien pulp.

[Ralph Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first contact story with an anthropological twist, The Shores of Another Sea, first published in 1971, is one of Chad Oliver's best Science Fiction novels. The action takes place in a remote station on the African plains of Kenya. The baboons are acting strange. Royce Crawford, a transplanted Texan and his family, feel suddenly threatened. Soon they are cut off from the rest of the world by torrential rains and must face new threats alone. Calamity and catastrophe follow and Royce must use all his intellect and will to survive. Something or someone is studying them and that someone is not averse to using fear and intimidation. Finally, Royce must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to see his family freed. This is a moving and fast-paced story of a man coming to terms with and understanding of his own humanity and the best way to display his new-found insight.
I recommend any and all of Chad Oliver's works, all done with a restrained and humane outlook.

[George Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthropology professor Chad Oliver was a founding father of science fiction writing. His stories are wonderful.

[Sidra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first sci fi book I ever read and I loved it!

[Cws]

SF-Oli

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthropological science fiction is relatively rare, especially so when this was first published in 1971. This was Oliver's sixth novel, and the author was an anthropologist as well as a professor at the University of Texas in Austin. According to the introduction in my copy of the book the author spent time in Kenya doing anthropological research, and Kenya is the setting for the story. Frankly I'd call this almost a horror story for the way it plays out - something Stephen King might have written back then. It is set on and around a research station which collects baboons - the dark side here is that although it is not explicitly shown during the story, one realizes and is told that these animals are captured for experimentation, not for behavior research or even zoos. That knowledge actually dampened my enthusiasm for the story, but it is the setup for what we very quickly see is an alien invasion story.

The author is a very good descriptive writer and the setting in Kenya is really brought to life exceedingly well. That was the highlight of this story for me.

[Jimmy D Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book.