Medusa's Children by Bob Shaw

Medusa's Children by Bob Shaw
Pan Books, ISBN 0 330 25478 2
Price paid: 1,00$

Living at the bottom of the ocean, a tribe of humans discover that the currents are suddenly moving downwards, toward the god Ka. They send a team to investigate and discover more than they bargained for.

What starts as a fantasy story ends up being something wildly different and is pretty reminiscent of science-fiction of the sixties, other than the fact that it happens mostly underwater. This difference is entertaining enough for half the novel, at which point it is pretty much thrown out, to the disappointment of some.

The story follows two different protagonists at first, only to finish with one (the least interesting of the two). While the story is original in its content, there is nothing new about the way it is handled.

Is it worth a dollar?

Medusa's Children is a nice twist on the Alien Sci-Fi story. However, it brings nothing utterly important. I do not know if it was the fact that I read the first edition but the book had major syntax problems. Whole lines and in some instances, paragraphs, were missing or misplaced. Lines and paragraphs were either repeated or integrated erroneously in-between other passages. It was a messy read and it frustrated me.

The book is worth skipping. It might be interesting if you're new at science-fiction. Otherwise, read something else.