Description:

In nearly two dozen novels about the Humanx Commonwealth, Alan Dean Foster has fascinated readers with his brilliantly imagined interstellar realm–where humans, thranx, AAnn, and other species strive to work together to put the common good above selfish ends. But renewed efforts at cooperation prove that familiarity breeds contempt. Diuturnity’s Dawn is the third thrilling novel in *The Founding of the Commonwealth, a spectacular space adventure that traces the perilous early years of this remarkable universe.

*From the beginning, while sharing the Orion Arm of the galaxy, contact between humankind and the thranx has been tenuous at best. Yet nearly a century after first contact, the likelihood of closer human/thranx relations is as far away as ever. Humans still find these insectlike beings physically repulsive, a distaste the thranx return in kind. At times the cordial veneer barely conceals the suspicion and distrust boiling just below the surface.

Yet idealists on both sides refuse to surrender their dreams of achieving a thranx/human alliance. Among the most dedicated are a minor diplomat named Fanielle Anjou and her thranx counterpart. Others intend to make sure such a liaison never comes to pass . . . by any means necessary.

For these xenophobes, the upcoming Humanx Inter-Cultural Fair, the first wholly cross-species event, is a hideous confirmation of their worst fears. Zealots on both sides vow it will be the last of its kind, no matter how many must die. In the coming conflagration Fanielle holds the key to triumph but only if she can outwit those desperate to silence her forever.

Meanwhile, on a faraway planet, the duplicitous AAnn watch intently as archaeologists labor to discover what happened to an advanced human race that perished thousands of years ago. For the answers contain grave consequences for human, thranx, and AAnn alike . . .

From Publishers Weekly

If the idea of big bugs (the thranx) and human-sized snakes (the AAnn) makes you squirm, you'll have fun with bestseller Foster's latest installment (after 2000's Dirge) in his saga of interspecies conflict set in the far reaches of the galaxy. The fanatic Elkanah Skettle, a human, together with his evil thranx associate, Beskodnebwyl, plan to terrorize a huge fair on the planet Dawn, as tensions on another planet build perilously close to war. After some pointless perambulations, two amiable preachers of different species manage to intervene, handily and unconvincingly putting a halt to the nefarious schemes of Skettle and his insectoid partner. Eminently readable the narrative may be, but it rambles on, more concerned with describing body parts (both alien and human) and the various species' responses to each other than with dramatizing the tale through incident and adventure. The action really picks up only when some scientists who have been examining enigmatic sculptures above ground uncover beneath the surface a colossal chamber containing millions of unknown individuals within pods. The bright and winsome heroine, Fanielle Anjou, is a plus, though those fond of the traditional BEMs who lust after human females will lament the failure of the thranx and AAnn to express any sexual interest whatsoever in Fanielle. Younger readers should be particularly enthralled. (Mar. 1)Star Wars, the first three Alien films and Alien Nation.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The conclusion to the Founding of the Commonwealth trilogy cements the affinity of humans and the insectlike Thranx. At first, the Thranx's delicious natural perfume captivated humans; thereafter, people discovered the aliens' dry sense of humor and love of poetry and art. Mutual appreciation for the finer things by the Thranx and at least some humans is the driving force behind the intercultural fair held on the planet Dawn. Meanwhile, on the frontier world Comagrave, an uneasy archaeological alliance of Thranx, humans, and Aan explores the well-kept secrets of the lost civilization of the Saun. After a series of accidents that occur where the Aan are convenient for helping an injured or stranded human, the chief Thranx scientist starts suspecting an anti-Thranx conspiracy. Back on Dawn, such a conspiracy seems to be up and running, for terrorists there plan vicious destruction to crush the infant commonwealth. Unexpected players in this engrossing drama are the brothers, human and Thranx, of the anything but dogmatic United Church, which ministers to both species with laughter and sensitivity. Roberta Johnson
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