Rating: 
Summary: great concept novel
Review: When I bought this, I didn't have very high hopes that it would be more than fun. Afterall, Harrison wrote the Stainless Steel Rat series, which is simple swashbuckling sci fi jokes.But when I started it, I was immediately drawn in by the strength of the charaters, writing that was as beautiful as a statue, and unusually well developed concepts. His skill at plot and character development are wonderful. This is a novel about the conflict between separately evolved intellignent species, which assumes that the dinosaurs never died out in EUrope and have come to colonise the Americas. The dinosaur mind is so alien, so subtle, so cogent, that I found myself completely believing in it, from the way that they communicated in the day through color changes in their skin (disallowing them to overtly lie) to the cyclical nature of their vision of the universe (the "egg of time"). Even their science and technology are different: they grow everything, so feel connected into the web of life in their own way. Of course, the humans are well developed characters as well. This is a masterpiece of the genre of alternative histories. I am happy that it is back in print. Sci fi can be literature in the hands of a skilful writer. Warmly recomended.
Rating:
Summary: A new look at natural history that will carry you away
Review: WOW. That's all I've got to say. Well, maybe I've got a bit more to say. This is an example of speculative fiction that is truly speculative: what if the dinosaurs had not gone extinct, but instead developed into a sentient culture? Harrison answers that question in this thrilling epic that pits the dinosaurs (Yilan? in their own language) and their bio-technology against the slowly emerging, primitive humans. Harrison has expertly created an alien psychology and biology for his reptilian race, one that is a pleasure to read and explore as the book unfolds. But through the character of the human Kerrick, who was brought up amongst the Yilan? and escapes from them to later lead the human tribes into the mutually genocidal combat, Harrison also has created a wonderful story in which his science marvels can achieve their dramatic potential. This is what great hard science fiction strives for, but rarely achieves: fascinating, well-developed new science that drives a superior, emotional narrative, instead of existing for its own sake.
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