It does this by means of making stuff up and scrupulously avoiding too much research, insight, or fact. Terra by Mitch Benn Published 2013 by Gollancz ISBN:978-0575132085Ĩ/10 A fantasy story that also serves as social commentary.The Now Show Book of World Records boldly tackles all the superlatives that other books of world records avoid. I really enjoyed Terra and I am sure readers of all ages will also like its quirky humour and insights too. A fantasy story that also serves as social commentary (without being preachy) deserves plaudits. With its themes of science, ecology, diplomacy and universal understanding, this will have huge crossover appeal. It’s an easy read and that is thanks to great dialogue, interesting personalities (alien and human) and an excellently conceived world. This is a humorous, imaginative and endearing tale of humanity and tolerance.

Well, when I finally put Terra down, I had to agree with Gaiman. Neil Gaiman compared it to Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, three authors that have entertained me from childhood to adulthood. I was not sure what to make of this when I first picked it up.

From her humanity.Īnd now eleven years later a girl called Terra is about to go to school for the first time. And in the wreckage of their car our alien discovers a baby girl. Understandably the Bradbury's crash (interrupting the latest in a constant procession of bitter rows). The occupants of a car travelling down a lonely road spot his ship (the sort of massive lemon coloured, lemon shaped starship that really shouldn't be hanging in the sky over a road). Best take a look while they're still there.īut on one trip to Rrth our alien biologist causes a horrendous accident. Not humanity, obviously, we're appalling, but until we manage to kill every other living thing on the planet there are some truly wonderful places on Rrth and some wonderful creatures living in them. That would be a complete disaster.īut one alien thinks Rrth is worth looking at. And certainly no-one is about to let us get off Rrth. No-one thinks we're worth a second thought. No-one can quite understand why we're intent on destroying the only place we have to live in the Universe.

Terra by mitch benn