Review: Beowulf's Children by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Steven Barnes
Beowulf’s Children by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes is a science fiction novel that follows the story of colonists sent to a distant planet. The authors explore the complex relationships between the colonists, the dangerous predators (E.g. the grendels), and the scientific exploration of a new world. However, the novel falls short compared to its predecessor, The Legacy of Heorot.
The novel starts off slow but also shows a lot of promise. It’s essentially the story of the kids who’ve grown up on Avalon and are eager to make their mark. They’re sexually liberal, full of wacky ideas and want to do things their own way. The grown-ups, however, are a little more cautious.
Unfortunately, the book struggles to maintain momentum throughout the middle and through to the end. The new generation of characters left me feeling detached and uninterested in their fate, particularly the rather droll character of Aaron.
One of the novel’s strengths is its well-thought-out world and science. The various creatures native to the planet are fascinating (not just the grendels), and the ecological exploration is intriguing. The story takes the reader on a journey across the pond and onto the mainland as the youngins set out to make their mark.
However, as a sequel to The Legacy of Heorot, Beowulf’s Children falls short. The Grendels, once terrifying creatures in the previous book, are overly anthropomorphised and no longer pose a threat. But the main issue is that the story feels vague and lacks a solid through-line for the most part. In other words, as the reader, I found myself saying, Yes, this is all very fascinating, but what’s it all for?
The authors also explore the themes of sex and relationships in the colonists’ society. The young folks are having sex — lots of sex. Which is fine, I suppose, but at times it did feel a bit overdone. Like the aged authors are reducing young people to a bunch of horny, promiscuous and thrill-hungry stereotypes.
Beowulf’s Children is a well-written book with some good ideas and some strong science behind it. However, it fails to live up to its predecessor. The book’s dull cast of new characters, lack of a central driving plot, and slow pacing make it a disappointing read.