The Many-Colored Land

Volume 1 of the Saga of Pliocene Exile

By: Julian May

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

This is a spellbinding tale woven of equal parts epic and myth - with a liberal dash of hard science fiction.

When a one-way time tunnel to Earth’s distant past, specifically six million B.C., was discovered by folks on the Galactic Milieu, every misfit for light-years around hurried to pass through it. Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a million years.

In the early 22nd century, many humans are being born with psychic powers and are linked in a single galactic mind. Those without these psychic powers - the misfits, undesirables, criminals, and radicals - have a choice: mental reprogramming or exile. Exile, voluntary or otherwise, takes them back six million years, to a time between the extinction of dinosaurs and the rise of Homo sapiens, and to a time of exotic surprises and unknown dangers.

Julian May lives in Washington state and has been writing science fiction and fantasy for more than 30 years.

©1981 Julian May (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“ The Many-Colored Land…takes readers on an amazing journey from the distant future to the distant past, using unexpected routes all along the way…A tremendously original premise; fast-paced storytelling that defies predictability; and a sympathetic and well-rendered cast of characters.” (SFReviews.net)

“The Many-Colored Land is the first volume of one of the most impressive science fiction series I have read.” (Reviewers-choice.com)

Great story line, PLEASE record the others

I read this series when it was published many years ago. It only gets better. Stumbled upon the Audio book & had to add it to my library.

Hopefully there are plans to record the rest of the books.

More please

I have read all the this series books and the intervention series as well. I now want to listen to them as well. Very disappointed that this is the only book in the series that is an audiobook. Listening to this book left me hungering to hear the rest.

Fantastic SciFi book. Highly recommended

Would you consider the audio edition of The Many-Colored Land to be better than the print version?

Narrator did a really nice job, enabling the listener to be immersed into the story. I heard the eKindle version may have had typos, the Audio version we well worth it.

What does Bernadette Dunne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I liked the way she told the story. You could tell who was speaking in the book by the way the Narrator changed positions (tones, speech patterns, etc).
I actually played it at 1.5 speed, the story line was so good, i wanted more, and faster. Even at higher speed, the Narrator did a great job.

Epic and Beautifully Written

A beautifully written story on the scale of Lord of the Rings. the characters, the landscapes, the interplay and underlying philosophies are all rich and complex, thrilling and very, very memorable.

Great story, bring on the Sequels!

What made the experience of listening to The Many-Colored Land the most enjoyable?

Great story, bring on the Sequels!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Many-Colored Land?

Great story, bring on the Sequels!

Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Great story, bring on the Sequels!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Great story, bring on the Sequels!

My Most Favorite Trilogy Ever!

I discovered Julian May's wonderful Pliocene world years ago, when I was a young teenager. I was immediately captivated by the rich characters and the wild, exotic landscape. Throw in an other-world race, and I was completely hooked!

I lost count of how many times I read this series, and was delighted to discover someone could read it to me! My only regret? Oh please, Audible, bring us the remaining books! I want to experience again the entire thrilling, amazing story!

great book, great author, great narration

I first read the series ages ago, in the 80s, saw the audio book, add had to grab it, great reading. I hope the rest of the series and the next get made into audio books, I well definitely but then too.

It's a 3.5, but that's not really fair...

The book is read well by Bernadette Dunne, it's the story that drags a bit. This is like Kill Bill Volume I and II. All of the story is in one, and all of the action is in the other. I would have preferred to see one volume with part one and part two integrated. That being said, I'm really waiting for part 2! The Nonborn King was a great book, but you need the backstory in this book to really enjoy it.

Love the book

I have loved this series for a long time, and was excited to be able to listen to it as an audio book.
I think it would of been much harder to get into if I hadn't already known the story, there's a lot of detail.
I enjoyed it a lot, though had a couple of issues with the narration. As mentioned by another reviewer, the constant mistake of metapsychic instead of metaphysic seemed amateurish, and the forced 'crackles' in the voice of older characters downright annoying. The natural voice of narrator would of been better.
I'm really hoping the other books get turned into audio books, and even with the niggles, thoroughly enjoyed listening.

Love the book, not the reader

Any additional comments?

I've read and reread this series, so I know I love the story. Unfortunately the performer was not up to the task. She sounded robotic. Characters were difficult to differentiate, and there were mispronunciations throughout. I couldn't listen to the end - I bought the Kindle version to finish instead.