The Green and the Gray
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3.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Hitchcock meets Serling in this deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a young couple and alien races from a #1 New York Times–bestselling author.
After engaging in bloody warfare against each other, two alien races—the Greens and the Grays—take refuge on Earth, both believing their home and their enemy destroyed. For seventy-five years, they have been passing as humans, living peacefully—until each side discovers the other has survived. Now, in order to avoid another destructive conflict, these extraterrestrial rivals have united and agreed that a sacrifice must be made . . .
On a dark and cold October night in Manhattan’s Riverside Park, a strange ceremony is about to begin. The group is focused on a young girl who is ready to do what she must for peace, but the ritual comes to an abrupt halt when the child is mysteriously kidnapped.
Meanwhile, after four years of marriage, Roger and Caroline Whittier struggle to get through a day without fighting. Their bickering is interrupted when a bizarre mugger leaves them with a little girl named Melantha. While they disagree on most matters, they both know they must protect Melantha. Unfortunately, they have no idea who is looking for their foundling or the lengths they will go to get her back. Now, the chase is on . . .
“[Timothy] Zahn has lots of surprises up his sleeve, and the ability to make the strange sound real.” —Statesman Journal
“Compelling . . . One nice touch in this highly enjoyable hybrid of SF and mystery is that at no point does any one character know exactly what’s going on.” —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Like its title, Zahn's urban drama of a New York City couple fighting to save both their beloved city and an odd child thrust into their care is understated yet compelling. What starts out for Roger and Caroline Whittier as another evening full of bickering and resentment turns into something otherworldly after they, not the criminal who tried to strangle her, take possession of mysterious 12-year-old Melantha Green. One strange event after another follows: the girl melts into the potted orange trees on the Whittiers' balcony; invisible men climb the sides of buildings; and everywhere he goes, Roger is accosted by various factions of "Greens" and "Grays." Each group claims that a civil war is brewing in the parks of Manhattan and that it will be averted only if Melantha is turned over to them. An NYPD detective sent to investigate a double break-in at the Whittier's apartment gets dragged into the action when he just can't let go of several inexplicable loose ends. One nice touch in this highly enjoyable hybrid of SF and mystery is that at no point does any one character know exactly what's going on. As the further mark of a mature writer, Zahn (Angelmass) portrays a realistic marriage in which it takes more than magic to resolve conflicts.
Customer Reviews
Did anyone edit this book?
I’m a Zahn fan and I had read this years ago, but bought it for a second read. The number of editorial errors in this book is ridiculous. Incomplete sentences, missing words, double words, paragraphs running together, dialogue running together and missing punctuation. There have to be a hundred mistakes or more.
My guess is that there was a rush to get this book into an online format and no one took the time to proof it. Anyone could catch the errors if they had just gone through it once. Really poor effort! I would ask for my money back if I could figure out how to do it.
I like the story line, but that’s about all I can say.