Forest of the Night

by Marti Steussy

The First-In team had promised New Lebanon's loggers that the planet's tigerlike predators were gone. But it was a tiger that stood over Hashti in the woods, pawing her and uttering an eerie, songlike cry. Panicked, the horse trainer hit her assailant. He snorted in surprise--and fled.

The tiger's call haunted Hashti. The First-Inners heard mystery in the alien song. The loggers heard danger. Hashti's lover heard profit--and the loggers agreed. The unusual feathered tiger pelts represented a way to buy themselves out of lifelong debt to Oldearth Company.

But Hashti and the First-Inners had begun to believe that the tigers might be intelligent beings. Someone had to learn the truth before the colonists' terror led to wide-scale massacre. So Hashti set out into the forest alone to learn the ways of the tigers...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 12, 1987

Reviews

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 4 out of 5]

First-contact novels -- stories about humanity's first encounters with alien life -- are incredibly commonplace, or were at one point. And one would think these sorts of stories have been done to death. Perhaps they have... but it's still exciting to come across a first-contact novel that manages to put a unique spin on a familiar idea. And while "Forest of the Night" may not be incredibly groundbreaking, it gives us a fascinating alien race to get to know, an intriguing story, and a heroine I can't help but admire and root for.

Hashti is a horse trainer on the world of New Lebanon, managing the horses for a logging company out to claim the planet's resources for the use of the Oldearth corporation. But when Hashti is attacked by one of the native creatures, a feathered tiger with a curiously songlike voice, she escapes virtually unscathed... and convinced these tigers are intelligent, sentient creatures. The workers at the camp aren't so sure, and fear and greed have convinced them to wipe out the tigers and use their pelts to secure wealth of their own. In order to save both the tigers and the workers from a devastating conflict, Hashti must venture into the forest and learn more about these tigers and their ways... a mission that could cost her her life.

The writing in this book is good -- not great, but good enough to carry the story. The world is well-realized, the interstellar culture well-established and explained, and the characters a varied group that, while a little cardboard at times, are still a delight to get to know. The tigers and their culture are unique and wonderfully done, and I enjoyed getting to know them and learn more about them along with Hashti. I did find the world a little too Earth-like to be truly unique, and referring to so many of the animals by Earth names (even if the animals in question look different -- feathered instead of furred, for example) a little distracting.

Hashti herself is a well-done character, with believable strengths, flaws, and goals. She's a capable protagonist who's resourceful and independent, and her relationship with both the human characters and the tigers is well-done and believable. And I appreciated that her relationship with her lover Gaylord (go ahead and snicker...) didn't become entirely antagonistic when it went sour -- too often authors turn exes into villainous characters when a relationship breaks up, and though Hashti and Gaylord have their disagreements and falling-out, it's made clear that Gaylord is still a decent guy, even if he's flawed and misinformed.

A fascinating first-contact novel, "Forest of the Night" is well worth the read for any sci-fi fan looking for a unique alien culture to explore. And I sort of wish the author had written more about either the tigers or the interstellar culture of this book. It could have been a well-done series...

[BookEater100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feathered, sapient "tigers" on an alien world, this book actually surprised me. The cover did not inspire confidence, but I couldn't resist its cheesiness! The author creates a convincing nonhuman species with a culture complete with their own language, mythology, and customs. The "tigers" call themselves speakers, and refer to the humans as "hill beaver people" because their buildings resemble beaver lodges in their eyes. The speakers have their own rituals, including cannibalizing fallen friends and family as a way to honor their legacies, and several others that are difficult for humans to empathize with and understand. The terrestrial vertebrates on the planet are all apparently feathered, and their blood is copper-based, giving them blue blood and innards. They are all highly derivative of Earth's fauna, so not particularly alien, but charming in their own right. Certainly it's a short book and no masterpiece, but it was a fun read nonetheless!

[Erika Worley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the boring name (working title?), I really enjoyed this book. I read Steussy's Dreams of Dawn and was impressed with the alien life, science, and character depth, so I immediately tracked down Forest of the Night. It is a great book for animal lovers, especially cat lovers, as there is a great deal of interaction with the feather-covered tigers the colonists encounter. Just like Dreams of Dawn, this book asks the question: when is an animal a creature and when is it an intelligent person, part of a complex social structure? In Forest of the Night, humanity defines itself by its use of hands and tools whereas the tigers might view civilization a little differently.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first Science fiction book I ever read of my own accord. Wonderful storytelling, and started me on a lifelong love of the genre

[Laura Gilfillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story: a spunky heroine, discovery of an unexpected intelligent species, adventure, survival, and friendship that bridges all the alien differences.

[LOL_BOOKS]

I THINK THE ONLY FIRST CONTACT BOOK I'VE ACTUALLY READ WAS CALLED FOREST OF THE NIGHT AND IT WASN'T GRATE BOB BUT I LIKED IT AS A KID.