The Many-Coloured Land

Julian May

Jan 2013 · Saga of the Exiles Book 1 · Pan Macmillan

About this ebook

In the 22nd Century, a group of misfits and mavericks are preparing to leave behind everything they have known. Advanced technology has created a one-way time portal to Earth’s Pliocene Era – six million years ago. Those seeking a better life are drawn to the promise of a simple utopia, far from the civilised Galactic Mileu. But no one could have predicted the dangers on the other side.

For the group will enter the battleground of two warring alien races, exiled from a distant planet. And these races not only have potent mind powers, but seek to exploit and enslave humans for their own needs. The travellers are about to discover that their unspoilt paradise is far from Eden.

Winner of the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

‘Julian May has woven a many-coloured tapestry of exotic adventure’ Roger Zelazny, ‘I was captivated by its glamorous, sinister movement through the misty forests of Earth’s true past’ Fritz Leiber

Ratings and reviews

This is a great story which has been rendered completely unreadable by the failure to format it properly. All the apostrophes and speech marks are missing and there are untold numbers of missing letters, usually in names or place names. I got as far as chapter three before I gave up and dug out my trusty, if threadbare paperback copy. If I could I would take it straight back to demand my money back, it seems completely unfit for purpose. A five star story but a one star digital edition.

This is an old favourite, my original paper copy is falling apart hence the purchase of an electronic version. If I was a first time reader I would be fairly lost as the majority of punctuation & some spelling is missing which really affects how the story reads. I have bought all in the series as ebooks as I am an ardent fan and will use my ready knowledge to fill in the missing bits.

All the apostrophes are missing - if the whole book is similarly afflicted, it's unreadable. Can anyone confirm that the book proper isn't lacking in basic punctuation?

About the author

Born in 1931, Julian May sold her first short story to John W. Campbell's Astounding magazine in 1951. But she didn't return to genre fiction until the 1980s. May then wrote the phenomenally successful Saga of the Exiles, followed by the Galactic Milieu series. The Many-Coloured Land won the Locus Best Novel Award and was shortlisted for numerous other high-profile genre awards.