The Last Legends of Earth (Novel)

infobox Book |
name = The Last Legends of Earth
title_orig =
translator =
author = A. A. Attanasio
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Radix Tetrad
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Bantam / Spectra
release_date = 1989
media_type = Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
pages = 450
isbn = ISBN 0-553-28601-3
preceded_by = Arc of Dreams

'The Last Legends of Earth' is a 1989 novel by A. A. Attanasio, the forth and final novel in his Radix Tetrad (series). It contains humans, zōtl, Rimstalkers, other spatial dimensions, and time-travel/temporal distortion as do other novels in the tetrad, though this novel is set in events before In Other Worlds.

Plot

(Quoted from Back cover of novel)"Seven billion years after Earth has been shattered by its exploding sun, alien being regenerate lost humanity. The Rimstalker intends humans as bait for marauding spiderlike zolt, remorseless predators that feed on the pain and suffering of the intelligent life-forms. In the Chalco-Doror system (solar system) - itself a vast machine created by the Rimstalker-the reborn children of Earth build mighty civilizations, worship terrifying gods, and choose sides for the titanic final battle.

A gripping tale of struggle against alien control, a mind-bending excusion through the mysteries of time and death, a cosmic epic of creating and destruction, this grand and challenging visit to strange new worlds is both a towering epic of human survival and an intimate story of human love."

Overview

The novel itself is the study of time and space. The novel featuring large cast of primary and secondary characters whom inhabit the various ages and major characters who inhabit the entire novel timespan. Events of the story accrue on 15 planet star system just outside the Milky Way Galaxy and time corridors outside normal time called the "Overworld".

Primary character is a young female Rimstalker named "Gai", she is assigned as the Mission Commander to lure spiderfolk with intelligent life for as food and try find artifact to kill the zōtl. Ultimately Humanity is brought back from the dead as bait for the zōtl. She and her few soldiers whom are left, have been sent out to create artificial star systems and re-created intelligent lifeforms found dust of intergalactic space to lure zōtl.

The Rimstalkers live on a world that is just outside of a blackhole that created the universe, the edge of time-space's itself. Thus meaning of Gai's people's name, the "Rimstalker", those whom are living on rim of creation.

This is ribbon-shaped world is being devastated by the spider-people called the zōtl, for energy. They did not know they were there and once zōtl were informed the Rimstalker's existence, they attacked immediately at populated areas to remove further resistance.

Time in Gia's world, the Range, is distorted. Seven thousand years in real-time is weekend in their world. The world is size is smaller than atom and its gravity incredibly heavy. Heavy gravity is nothing to the inhabitants. Even though in time in space (The void) where she was sent is faster than hers, time is running out for her people. The zōtl are devastating her world, So Gia is driven to move quickly.

Using a special ship that can transverse gravity levels from the range to Outerspace where energy is easier to create.

She has only 7 thousand years of real time to find zōtl's nest world before her ship has generated enough power to return home.

The book is divided up by "Age", in which notable events accrue. She discovers a human which has been flung back in time from the distant "Age" which she is victorious. She decides after aiding this human to try find his lost love, to track him and follow him so to ensure that her future is same as the one he came from.

The story builds on multiple short stories of people and event that accrue in these various time periods. The stories are linked together in manner of as being significant events in Charco-Doror's history. This is also a race to retrieve the zōtl killing artifact, the O'ode and stop one man who comes from the future where it all happens. Only means to find the O'ode is try to explore corridors of time in the "Overworld". Which takes time and fantastic amount of power and courage to fine this arifiact.

Major Characters

; Gia: Mission Commander of Genitrix 23 (the Ship), young Rimstalker warrior who willing give up her life to avenge her family and save her people from extinction. Whatever the cost.

; Genitrix: The chief Machine Intelligence "AI" of Gia's ship and heart and sole of their mission. Designed, to search, create, and re-create dead lifeforms to lure zōtl to their ship and search for the O'ode artifact through weaves time. She is programed with poetic mind, to help to be more flexiable and creativite.

; Lod: Machine Intelligence "AI" built to regulate the Chalco-Doror (Genitrix 23)'s engines & gravitational generators. He is honorable, dedicated individual who is dedicated to forfill Gia's mission. When he project's mind in physical form, he appears to be human made of fiery gold. He also charged monitor his "brother" Saor. His "body" used as the Sun of the artificial solar system Chalco-Doror. Though after experiencing what zōtl had done to a human he failed to save, he has become slightly fearful being exposed to the zōtl.

; Saor: Machine Intelligence "AI" built to monitor and gather information, built into the ships' nose cone/antenna/communication section of Genitrix 23/Chalco-Doror. His physicial body became a miniature black hole when ship transformed into a solar system. He was taken over by a zōtl virus and used against Gia. He was anti-social member of Genitrix 23 prior to his personality being re-programmed by the zōtl on "saving" Chalco-Doror from being destroyed. He believes himself as hero to the beings whom live in Chalco-Doror. He used by the zōtl at every turn to fight Rimstalker whom he believe is evil.

; Ned O'Tennis: A human born during the "Age of Dominion" or the Forth Age. He is from a Techno-Viking warrior race known as Aesirai. He himself poetic and dislike how his race of people using & abusing other human races. He falls in love a young woman from a the wandering tribe-people named the "Folk." His honor forces to defend his home city, N'ym, from rebel forces only be thrown back into time through a ancient lynk. He later becomes a time compass for Gia to find future-timeline where she is victorious.

; Chan-ti Beppu: A Folk tribe woman, who has fallen in love with gentle warrior Ned O'Tennis. When he is flung back in time, she with two other volunteers begin journey through time to rescue the time lost warrior she loves so desperately.

Notes

The Character, Reene Patai, is woman who was previous Radix novel "Arc of the Dream", She crosses through time-portable and becomes a notable character in novel. She is the alleged author of book which becomes a spirtual guide book for survival and guide worlds and to the future.

The book can read without having to read rest of the Radix series.

External links

* [http://www.sfbrp.com/archives/28 Audio review] at [http://www.sfbrp.com/ The Science Fiction Book Review Podcast]