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Taken Trilogy #1-3 omnibus
The Taken Trilogy
628 pages. Hardcover and Dust Jacket.
- GenresScience Fiction
628 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Alan Dean Foster
498 books2,031 followersBestselling 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 22, 2011
The premise of this trilogy is quite simple. Marcus Walker has been abducted by aliens and wishes to regain his freedom and retrun to Earth. Foster has taken this SF staple and tried his hand at it.
The book gets a solid three stars. I can't give four for two main reasons 1) Marcus Walker is not a memorable hero. I did not dislike him but I did not care much for him either. 2)Foster inserts long descriptions here and there. The first six pages of the book has no dialogue. When they visit the alien home of Walker's ally, Braouk, there is a three page description. I know alien things need description, but it made the book drag.
So, why read it? On to the good parts. 1)Sequi'aranaqua'na'senemu. Referred to, thankfully as "Sque" throughout the book, she is a fellow captive of Marcus Walker. No cute cuddly alien, she is arrogant and bossy and self centered. But she is also VERY smart and when you are a captive of a Villenji ship, you need all the help you can get. She and Walker become reluctant allies. The scenes when they argue with each other are fun and well written.
2) George is the name Walker gives to the dog who he finds on the ship. The Villenji have done surgical operations to George to boost his intelligenc and now he can talk as well. An interesting idea and it works fairly well.
3) Other good aliens. Foster's BEST skill is creating aliens. The Niyyuu are a well drawn species and their politcal and military ideas are very interesting. And the first two chapters of book three, introducing the Hyfft are top notch.
If you want a non stop action thriller, this is not for you. But the patient reader will find much to enjoy. If you like the creation of realistic aliens and alien worlds, Foster's trilogy is a good one. Though it drags in spots, as noted above, there are also times when the pages fly by and there is some darn good writing here.
REcommend for any science fiction fan.
The book gets a solid three stars. I can't give four for two main reasons 1) Marcus Walker is not a memorable hero. I did not dislike him but I did not care much for him either. 2)Foster inserts long descriptions here and there. The first six pages of the book has no dialogue. When they visit the alien home of Walker's ally, Braouk, there is a three page description. I know alien things need description, but it made the book drag.
So, why read it? On to the good parts. 1)Sequi'aranaqua'na'senemu. Referred to, thankfully as "Sque" throughout the book, she is a fellow captive of Marcus Walker. No cute cuddly alien, she is arrogant and bossy and self centered. But she is also VERY smart and when you are a captive of a Villenji ship, you need all the help you can get. She and Walker become reluctant allies. The scenes when they argue with each other are fun and well written.
2) George is the name Walker gives to the dog who he finds on the ship. The Villenji have done surgical operations to George to boost his intelligenc and now he can talk as well. An interesting idea and it works fairly well.
3) Other good aliens. Foster's BEST skill is creating aliens. The Niyyuu are a well drawn species and their politcal and military ideas are very interesting. And the first two chapters of book three, introducing the Hyfft are top notch.
If you want a non stop action thriller, this is not for you. But the patient reader will find much to enjoy. If you like the creation of realistic aliens and alien worlds, Foster's trilogy is a good one. Though it drags in spots, as noted above, there are also times when the pages fly by and there is some darn good writing here.
REcommend for any science fiction fan.
September 26, 2015
Entertaining read. I go to Goodwill to pick up books that look like they will entertain me when I'm not ready to invest energy and time in thought-provoking, introspective or engrossing books. This was a great fit. Who can't love a "boy and his dog" story which is the central friendship of the book - especially when the "boy" is a man abducted by villainous aliens in company with a dog whose brain has been enhanced by the same villains in anticipation of their being sold to the highest bidder in a galaxy far, far away. In the company of two other intelligent creatures whose "personalities" are at the extremes of egotistical and self effacing these characters encounter a number of alien species in their quest to "go home". The aliens and their environs are creatively described, and even though one is hard pressed to pronounce the names, it is easy to envision the unique creatures and settings. The mild suspense and several plot twists kept me reading and I rank this with the Dune books as the most memorable other world stories I have read.
March 30, 2019
This was just what I needed at this time when I just finished reading deep and trying books. It was very entertaining. The author was right on with descriptions and characterizations. I loved the relationships and great friendships that developed with the most unusual personalities. This wasn't a quick read after all, this was a trilogy in one large book. The best part is that it had a very satisfying ending.
July 6, 2020
See my review of the first in the series Lost and Found as it pretty much sums up my feelings about the series in general. I would only add that the author clearly left space for himself or his publishers to continue the adventures leaving the ending open.
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August 22, 2011
Most excellent!
I was drawn into the story as if I were there.
I could identify with the aliens and their technology and thoroughly enjoyed the book.
The only downfall was that I finished it.
I thought about the story and characters for weeks after reading.
I was drawn into the story as if I were there.
I could identify with the aliens and their technology and thoroughly enjoyed the book.
The only downfall was that I finished it.
I thought about the story and characters for weeks after reading.
August 26, 2012
I Love these books. Have read them a couple of times now. Recomended for Sci-Fi fans or anyone who just wants to leave Earth behind and explore the galexy for a time :)
April 29, 2020
Foster has always been one of those mid-level sci-fi fantasy authors of the 80's-90's. He comes up with some novel concepts, spins a good yarn, and leaves you satisfied and wanting just a leeeeetle bit more.
I had seen these books around as they were coming out but they never really appealed to me. I ended up picking up this compilation from a used book store in the Quad Cities and finally decided to break it out.
The concept itself was good. Kidnapped aliens working together to return to their various places of origin. (and a talking dog!) The characters were pretty interesting, but for some reason I just had a hard time getting into it. I am not sure why. As goofy as it sounds, the type-set for this compilation was difficult to read. Possibly I should not have tried to tackle them all at once. I worked hard to get through the first book and even second. It was not until the third that I became invested and really wanted to see how it ended. Regardless, I'm glad he is still writing.
I had seen these books around as they were coming out but they never really appealed to me. I ended up picking up this compilation from a used book store in the Quad Cities and finally decided to break it out.
The concept itself was good. Kidnapped aliens working together to return to their various places of origin. (and a talking dog!) The characters were pretty interesting, but for some reason I just had a hard time getting into it. I am not sure why. As goofy as it sounds, the type-set for this compilation was difficult to read. Possibly I should not have tried to tackle them all at once. I worked hard to get through the first book and even second. It was not until the third that I became invested and really wanted to see how it ended. Regardless, I'm glad he is still writing.
September 15, 2012
Very amusing and the story grows on you. Good solid read. =)
January 25, 2016
Didn't end as strongly as it started but very good and creative.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews