West of January

by Dave Duncan

Set on a distant planet, far in the future, West of January tells the story of a world in which time moves very slowly. Because it takes a lifetime for each region of the planet to experience dawn, midday and dusk, the planet's population does not remember the catastrophes that occur as the sun moves across the sky - entire civilizations have been scorched into oblivion. The only people who remember the dangers of the past are the planet's "angels" - a people who have tried to preserve past technologies to save the planet. This action-filled story of a very strange planet showcases Duncan's remarkable ability to create unique worlds.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Originally from Scotland, Dave Duncan lived all his adult life in Western Canada, having enjoyed a long career as a petroleum geologist before taking up writing. Since discovering that imaginary worlds were more satisfying than the real one, he published more than 60 novels, mostly in the fantasy genre, but also young adult, science fiction, and historical.

He wrote at times under the pseudonym Sarah B. Franklin (but only for literary purposes) and Ken Hood (which is short for "D'ye Ken Whodunit?")

His most successful works were fantasy series: The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word and its sequel, A Handful of Men, and seven books about The King’s Blades. His books have been translated into 15 languages, and of late have been appearing in audiobook format as well.

He and Janet were married in 1959. He is survived by her, one son and two daughters, as well as four grandchildren.

He was both a founding and honorary lifetime member of SFCanada, and a member of the CSFFA Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Kristina]

On this episode of ‘What’s going on with that cover?’

That time Tarzan escaped his jungle on the back of a killer whale.

[Ron Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's science fiction with deep worldbuilding ideas.

Plot. Rating 4
The plot is a hero's journey. The book tells about all stages of Knobil's life, which were mostly difficult and tragic. The progression of the plot is well connected with the mysteries of the unusual world, and this intrigued me the most. Despite the overall simplicity of the storyline, the individual episodes are well done, and some of them have quite complex and unpredictable twists.
In my opinion, the book ends unexpectedly and too quickly compared to the previous measured course of the plot.

Characters. Rating 5
The main character is not a classic hero. Only his sexual relations are reminiscent of this. I think that in his long journey it is perfectly shown how a person gradually overcomes his fears and the habit of inaction in front of stronger opponents. At least, the behavior of the hero indicates this in the final chapters of the book.
I liked that Knobil is not a classic book heroic character - his misadventures in terrible prolonged conditions are shown realistically.
In general, Knobil and many secondary characters of the book are multifaceted characters - a lot of words can be written about them.

Dialogues. Rating 4
The dialogues in the book are well done. For example, I liked the lack of understanding of the characters in the dialogues of various subtleties, meanings of words and jokes due to the strong difference in their cultures.

Writing style. Rating 5
I found the writing style to be beautiful and easy to read. Also, the sad retrospective voice of the narrator seemed to me suitable for the dramatic events of the book.

Worldbuilding. Rating 5
It is eminently thoughtful, inventive and complete. The connections between the unusual astronomical properties of the planet and its geography, flora and fauna, as well as the existence of various civilizational centers are superbly tracked. I think that their degradation was clearly explained in the book by the harsh conditions of this planet.
However, this is a cruel book. I think the book might be of interest to readers of horror, psychological thriller, dark fantasy, and varying degrees of erotica as it contains primal sexual relationships, ruthless bondage, and brutal scenes of violence.

Conclusion. Overall rating 5
This is a unique science fiction with adult content.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique worlds in science fiction and fantasy are nearly exhausted. The foreign planet run by a militaristic alien dictatorship, the fantasy world overrun with hordes of evil creatures led by one dark, mysterious force, or the corporate ruling of multiple galaxies provide the setting for countless novels. The recent revival of Dave Duncan’s West of January reminds us what makes science fiction worth reading – the ingenuity inherent in creating a unique world.

Duncan sets his story on an unnamed world where the inhabitants are forced to live in perpetual daylight. The planet rotates so slowly that a portion of the planet is always in darkness and another is forever in light. This rotation causes the civilizations on the planet to remain in constant flux, migrating to stay in the light because the planet returns to ice as it returns to darkness.

From this world springs Knobil, a herdman who is forced to travel the world and experience every culture. He takes the classic journey from young wanderer to slave to Emperor, and he shares it with us in the form of a memoir. This could have been a boring display of conventional storytelling, but Duncan makes us care about Knobil, a pragmatic, brave man who constantly tries to convince his reader that his motivation for staying alive is cowardice.

But West of January’s true strength lies in the origin of its people. Duncan reveals their origin in his fictional epigraph:

“The probe telemetry was wrong! Close, but not close enough—the damned thing’s not locked on the star as we thought. Revolution—264.6 days; rotation—263.6 days. Not Much of a difference, is it?

“But do you realize what that does to all our plans?
~~Mike Angeli, Planetologist, Colonization Expedition”

Along with a second fictional epigraph, this is all the explicit evidence of the people’s origin that Duncan provides. West of January builds on this with implication and subtlety, setting up an anticipation of payoff that never comes through—but that, itself, is the payoff. Duncan respects his reader’s ability to understand what he’s getting at without exacting description, and by the time Knobil ends his memoir we are excited to have not been told.

West of January is a rare piece of science fiction – original, interesting and fully aware of its readers. And it’s a fine reminder of why Calgary’s Dave Duncan has become one of the most successful science fiction/fantasy writers in Canada.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked Duncan's SF, and finally got around to this one [in 2005]. This is a classic hardscrabble-colony story, set on a resonance-tidelocked planet, where the habitable zone migrates around the world. In their struggle to survive, the colonists have lost most of their technology. The protag is a neolithic-level herdsman, just coming-of-age. He has an untypically upwardly-mobile career.

There are no real surprises here, but good, clean, workmanlike writing that moves right along to an implausible (but fun) power-fantasy wrapup. Time for are-read, I think. Review written in 2005.

Here's an enthusiastic review by John Toon, at Infinity Plus:
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfict...
"This is an astonishing exercise in world-building, rich and bold in design, and a complex and emotional biography of its protagonist..."

[Aldous Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has stayed with me for years. It's one of my favorites, and and the same time I dreaded reviewing it because everything about it depresses me.

As I've said before, Duncan has a gift for creating planets, orbital elements down to culture. The reason for this is that function *must* follow structure; people are shaped by their environment, their language, culture and lives must fit into their world.

My depression is caused by two things. First, the MC's life, which is just plain...tragic, threaded through with pain he cannot escape. With grief - normal grief, and emotional pain, we see at least the promise of respite...and none of it his his fault. Life sucks, and then the sun stops shining, and would you like a silk scarf with that?

Secondly, the human mind *must* have some lingering attachment to normative Earth-rhythms, circadian and otherwise, because the very vividness with which Duncan creates his planet means I experience the odd disconnect, almost horror, regarding the planet's "days"--solar movement, its consequences...West of January. It's like having Seasonal Affective Disorder via proxy.

The blurb up there doesn't do this book justice.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Revenge was my choice … and I was crazy again. That helped a lot.”

Incredible world building. What if a world, very similar to ours, was in tidal lock with its sun--almost? First published in 1989, this tale slowly introduces the problem and how various groups try to solve it. Folded plot line makes sense in the end.

“Why, when the gods created friendship, did they leave us mortal?”

Some great turns of the phrase: “Voice thin as a lark’s ankle.” “As innocent as a raw egg.” “Madness hung over the grasslands like the stench of rotting meat.”

“Nothing argues more convincingly than cowardice.”

Unlike his contemporary Robert Jordan, Duncan puts a huge story into a single volume--one which he finished. There’s potential for a separate novel in each chapter, but Duncan stays focused. The result is a challenging, satisfying epic.

“I want … no great dying, the next time the sun comes west of January.”

[Bernie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite SF book ever, an unrecognized classic.

[Raúl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall thoughts
I absolutely enjoyed this book, it was a blast to read! While I was a bit wary and skeptical at first, the novel quickly changed my mind and it became an unbelievable ride. Without a doubt, the strongest aspect of this work is the fantastic ability that the author has when building the world in which the story takes place. Indeed, as a reader, I was able to imagine the world perfectly, with all its flaws and qualities. The differences in geographical regions, the ways of living of the different people, their habits, views of religion, and others, really provide a picture of a living and breathing world. For those of you that decide to read the book, please do not be discouraged by the misogynistic portrayal of the initial tribe, I promise the whole novel doesn’t follow this narrative. While there’s room for improvement, I still think that the book deserves a solid 5 out of 5 rating. For a better and more detailed explanation on my thoughts please read below, though I’d like to warn that there might be potential minor spoils.

Plot and themes explored
In a very few words, the novel can be summarized by saying that the protagonist goes on a journey in which he travels throughout his world, lives and learns about different tribes and cultures, and in the end, decides to return home. As I mentioned above, the first tribe that is described in the book can be seen as sexist and might deter a lot of people to read further. The issues that can be found here are the fact that the tribe practices polygyny, meaning that a man has many wives. However, to make things worse, the leaders in these type of tribes also trade their daughters (though it is explained that this is primarily done to avoid incest issues). However, not all of the tribes are the same. For instance, once the character travels to the coast, he finds a tribe where a woman is the leader, and marriages are seen more equal (though they do have other issues, like degrees of incest). There are many other cultures and tribes that are described throughout the adventures, so I would encourage people to keep reading past the first tribe.

I would like to mention that the differences between the tribes are not solely related to marriage dynamics, gender roles in their society, or even the leadership roles. The author also explores issues of differences of religion since every tribe venerates a different god or deity and even a lack thereof; there is also an exploration on how different geographical regions and climate characteristics have given way to certain races to be more prevalent in a given location; an exploration of trade and economics is also explored, though not in depth; and other social issues such as the practice and views on slavery, justice and politics.

As one can imagine, the different regions or geographical characteristics not only have influenced the evolution of the people, nor their technological development, but it has also affected the flora and the fauna of each location. Though the vegetation is not portrayed with a lot of detail in the novel, the animals are. It is quite fascinating to see how the different animals were found in each location, and to some extent their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, there is another aspect that is explored, which is the relation that the different animals in each region have with the corresponding tribe or tribes of the locality. Again, this is a distinguishing factor since some tribes or cultures have a closer relationship with animals than others. All of these traits are read through the perspective of the protagonist, who also happens to be the narrator; thus, we can see how his perspective, thoughts, feelings, goals and desires change over time due to the events that the goes through, though that will be further expanded upon below.

Narration and use of language
As mentioned, the narrator is also the novel’s main character. For the most part, he is telling us about his past; the story of his life. There is a minor change on the narration at the end, though this change is reasonable considering the context. I believe that the narration fits the book quite well, since it gives us a chance to read about the adventures and events that defined the character’s life, as well as read about his thoughts, and emotions. Since it is narrated as if it were a memory, there are also some jumps in narration, where some information is foreshadowed or even explicitly told in advance. These jumps can be at time a bit confusing, though not entirely complex. Also, due to the story telling style of narration, the narrator also provides some tidbits of information on knowledge that he didn’t know at the time, but does now. Even in fiction, hindsight is 20/20, it seems. The narration flows well, though there are certain sections where the pace is slower than others, but it fits well with the events that are transpiring in the story. Lastly, the language is easy to follow and clear, making it a very accessible and easy to understand piece of literature.

Recommendations
I’d recommend this book for anyone who is interested in sci-fi, and even fantasy. I’d also recommend this book for those that are looking for works that are incredible examples of the magic of world-building. For further reading, to those that are looking for something similar, I’d like to recommend three short story anthologies. While these anthologies don’t have a world as extensive as the one in this novel, some of the stories contained in these anthologies do address certain cultural tropes, behavioral issues, or traditional rituals, and place them in entirely new contexts; in some cases though, the stories simply have a similar mood and feel to this book. These three short story anthologies are The Monkey’s Wedding and Other Stories by Joan Aiken, Chimerascope by Douglas Smith, and Away Games by Mike Resnick. As an unorthodox recommendation, for those that are looking for something similar, albeit less rooted in a fantastical world and planted more within a realistic context, I highly recommend An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie. My reason for this recommendation is that there are similarities between the two original tribes, and both characters go on an adventure, albeit for different reasons, though they experience cultural clashes throughout their journey. Both books serve as a reminder that travelling and learning about other cultures is a magical and, at times, a surprising experience, be it in our world or an imaginary one.

Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoy the book!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by this book. Set on a world which revolves so slowly that everyone has to move steadily West in order to escape Dusk and Night, which is a devastating ice world, and avoiding High Summer, so hot it kills everything in its path, West of January is highly original and superbly written. Not only is the world divided into Months and Days, each a particular climate steadily moving west, but the inhabitants are very segregated, each following the same patterns every cycle, never learning from the previous one (that often ends in disaster) because they do not pass their knowledge down.

Knobil is born into the savage herder race, where family groups of several women and their children belong to one dominant male, slowly making their way across the grasslands with their huge stupid beasts that must be constantly walked. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he is obviously the child of an Angel, a group of men of various races who live in Heaven, hoarding knowledge, and travel in their chariots trying to prevent disaster every cycle by getting different groups through the passes or around water to safety.

When he reaches puberty he avoids his destiny - being sent out with one of his many sisters, who he may trade with a girl from another herd to start his own - by falling in with an Angel. This starts his own awakening, and his determination to reach Heaven and become an angel, something he must do alone. This goal loses its importance when he is taken in by the sea folk and starts fathering children left right and centre. When the sea begins to dry up as High Summer approaches, he looks for passage south for his adopted family but is caught by Ants. Ants, miners who use captives as slaves to mine in the temperate southern parts of the world, are brutal, and Knobil spends several years merely surviving.

He is sold, because of his blond hair and blue eyes, to the traders, whose men are small and crafty and the women are huge and stupid, but doesn't find out why until it is too late. His adventures continue, but I don't want to give everything away!

In the course of his journeys, Knobil examines and confronts stereotypes, elitism, and learns not only the history of people on this strange planet but also that things are transient, and changeable.

[Chris Cutler · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing world, with some very memorable characters and story elements. The word-play of the place names was my favorite part (e.g. Heaven and Cloud Nine), especially since the ironies were lost on the characters in the story. I liked Knobil's friendship with Quetti, which I consider one of the more original ideas of the book.

Unfortunately the book is obsessed with sexuality, making it a major theme of Knobil's exploration across drastically different cultures. This is the reason I didn't give the book a third star. Also, the wrap-up suffered from contrived suspense, taking too long to arrive.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vernier is planet that has a year that is a little shorter than that of Earth, but with a day that takes about 200 of our years. This means that half the planet is constantly frozen and the zone that is under the sun is constantly but very, very slowly moving westward. When humans settled this planet, they lost almost all of their technology and over the millennia fractured into several, distinct civilizations that all have to cope in their own way with the unrelenting change in climate.
The book tells the story of Knobil who is raised by a family of herdsmen, but soon has to start an almost lifelong journey across the habitable zone of the planet. His encounters with other human beings usually end tragically and some of his painfull experiences are not for the faint of heart.
As with a lot of good science fiction novels, the exotic nature of the planet Vernier just provides a setting where the extreme circumstances are used to put the characters into extreme situations, which makes the reader wonder how this might relate to his own reality. Dave Duncan has a very light touch here, avoids obstrusive messages, and most of the time lets the reader make up their own mind. Sometimes, his descriptions are a little sketchy, and some important (or gruesome) events are only briefly described in retrospect, but in my opinion this is artfully done to let the readers form their own, even more vivid pictures of what has happened.
For me, this is a book that I will fondly remember for a very long time, not only because it was entertaining, but because it made me think about friendship, love, the relationship between men and women and several other things that are important in life. Strongly recommended if you do not mind a book that can make you love and cry.

[Frida · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a best west book

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good read and I would not have been able to say that if I didn't finish the book. Through out the early parts of the book there is a fair amount of misogyny and not much development of any female character. This, at times made me want to dnf however it was a book club read so I powered through! Then the story really began to take hold. Your thrusted on quite a journey and get to see the complicated growth and experience of the protagonist (Knobil). And by the end of the book we see how he uses each and every bit of skill and knowledge gained from his journey to secure the future of the herdfolk. I would recommend this book as a book club read or a group read because it facilitates good discussions from as light as exploring a "new" world to deeper topics such as gender roles and morality.

[Tomas Gronich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dave Duncan's scifi-fantasy book West of January is a mixed bag with a bitter aftertaste.
Incredibly interesting worldbuilding, dragged down by a bad story and unsympathetic characters.
The worldbuilding is inspired. A day on the planet takes about 200 years, so all life has to continually travel West throughout their lives to prevent being scorched alive by the desert that follows the sun.
On the other hand the main character is a passive dumbass, who (mostly) does not move the plot - the plot is what happens to him. The only thing the main hero does on his own volition seems to be just to fuck any woman around he sees.

There is one thing I do not understand - when you are creating your own world, why would you want to fill it chock full with racism, sexism, misogyny, slavery, and just humans being complete dicks to each other?

The author seems to get off on describing the main character's sexual escapades and going out of his way to deliver the most painful ways of suffering. Literally going out of his way. A normal person does not think of all these dickish moves without having a kink for it.

All in all - terrible story.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic

I don't even know where to start on this book. It held my attention from start to finish. This is not a feel-good book at all, but it is extraordinary nonetheless. The main character is complex and despite his circumstances being tragic and not similar to anything most people will ever go through, I found him easy to relate to and root for, even when he was doing ill-advised things.

The world the author has created is breathtaking. I'm absolutely in love with the way he handles time, and the way he's managed to portray the lifetime of a person without directly using the concepts of time that most of us consider so vital in understanding a person. The character progression is such that you don't need to be told how old he is - you learn along with him, you feel him age even though it's never explicitly stated. The common words and terms the author chooses to keep from our world are just present enough to keep the reader in touch with the story; there is a familiarity about it that keeps it from feeling impossibly alien.

The descriptions of people and places are vivid and fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even the parts that made me gasp and cringe and cry, and would absolutely recommend it.

[Will V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book about four times since... well now I can't find my copy so I don't know when I bought it. There is something about it so utterly enthralling that I get consumed by it each time I read it.

Duncan effortlessly describes a world in which a "day" lasts hundreds of years (due to slow planetary rotation) and the geographical and ecological consequences of such a system.

For instance, the parts of the planet reaching "noon" become scrublands populated by nomadic tribes of herders. They forever travel westwards to keep ahead of the killing sun, in a journey lasting generations.

All of this information is given to you by Duncan as he tells the real story, the tale of a child from the plains whose unique circumstances result in years of travel among the many different peoples of this world. And the things he learns will help him change it.

It is a really well constructed story and I really enjoy the way everything comes together in the end.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book about ten years ago, and it has always sat with me. I picked it up and I couldn’t put it down. It is so original, and haunting.
The unreliable narrator, the differing tribes (including their cultures, their adaptations to the environment, and relationships) and the whisper of the mystery of how people came to populate this planet. It was amazing, just as good a second time around.

I think this is my favourite book I have ever read.

[Alee Bernardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by far one of my favorites. I read it last summer, loved it but I had to return it back to the library. I forgot about it, then suddenly remembered it a few months ago. It was hard to find in my area (I like to buy my books used) so I caved and bought a new copy. I just finished reading it for the second time. I read the last line, closed the book, then opened it up to the front and began to immediately read it for the third time. It doesn't matter that I already know what happens, the world that Duncan created and the journey that Knobil goes on captivated me more than anything I've ever read.

[Lance Schonberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were times when I enjoyed this book, but there were more times when I wondered when we'd get to the point. To my reading, this is less a novel and more a meandering exploration of an admittedly interesting conceptual world, one that turns so slowly the life on it has to migrate around the globe across generations. A collection of odd, and mostly unpleasant, cultures populate the huge planet and one man has bad experiences as part of enough of them that he sets out to change the evolved order of things. It's a noble goal and a valiant effort, but it takes far too long to get there for me.

[Filip Peringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love to rate it way higher, the ending of the book is worth reading the whole thing. You journey with the main character and you discover the whole world at the same time he does.
Unfortunately, Duncan's book is very misogynistic - the women are described either as tools to be used or as monsters to be feared. There is not one woman in the whole book that could be considered as truly inteligent or strong.

[BettyAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Dave Duncan. I've read many of his other books and thoroughly enjoyed them all! This one I just happened upon because it was re-released and I got a copy. Very different from his other works... a lot heavier in theme and broader in scope but still a good read that will introduce you to a completely different world.

[Becky Northey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book a few times now and each time I plan to read a bit and then put the book down and go do something else I need to do.... but I end up staying up all night just to finish it. Love it.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still brilliant (no pun intended) after all these years!

Dave’s incredible book of a man suffering to become great has always been a favourite of mine.
I just finished another reading of it, and I felt like I was 16 again!

Truly one of the best!

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duncan, Dave. West of January. Del Rey, 1989.
Dave Duncan was a Scott who specialized in writing sandal and sword fantasy, but in West of January he built a world without fantasy elements. Human colonists have settled on Vernier, a planet that is barely habitable. The planet’s diurnal rotation is just slightly faster than one of its trips around its primary. A Vernier day-night cycle is about two hundred years long. The result is that the sun seems hardly to move in the sky. The population crashes almost to extinction when caught in a summer noonday. It is not surprising then that much of the technology is lost and that culture has fragmented into nomadic bands and people burrowed in odd ecological niches. Over the years, the population has also developed distinct racial types. Our hero, Knobil, racially different from his group, grew up in a nomadic herding culture in an area that resembles the Eurasian Steppes. When his father is killed, he is exiled and begins a globe-spanning adventure that reminds me of the explorations of Richard Francis Burton. There are many twists and turns along the way with a quite satisfying surprise at the end.

[Melissa Rockenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it and i am just going to copy someone else's review because it is perfect!

Ron Andrea
Incredible world building. What if a world, very similar to ours, was in tidal lock with its sun--almost? First published in 1989, this tale slowly introduces the problem and how various groups try to solve it. Folded plot line makes sense in the end.

“Why, when the gods created friendship, did they leave us mortal?”

Some great turns of the phrase: “Voice thin as a lark’s ankle.” “As innocent as a raw egg.” “Madness hung over the grasslands like the stench of rotting meat.”

“Nothing argues more convincingly than cowardice.”

Unlike his contemporary Robert Jordan, Duncan puts a huge story into a single volume--one which he finished. There’s potential for a separate novel in each chapter, but Jordan stays focused. The result is a challenging, satisfying epic.

“I want … no great dying, the next time the sun comes west of January.”

[Gregoire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encore un livre que j'ai du mal à noter
Une très belle écriture pour un récit initiatique particulier sur un monde particulier
Deux thèmes m'ont cependant irrité : le rôle des femmes très machistes sur l'ensemble des "étapes" de Knobil (sex et reproduction) et 2- le monde décrit aurait pu être encore plus science fictionnesque plutôt qu'humain même les "anges" font référence à la culture terrestre et ne laissent guère de place à la planète elle-même ...
Il m'a manqué ce sens of wonder qu'on trouve dans certains récits décrivant des planètes différentes et donc avec un environnement moins "terraformé"

it is a well written story with 2 flats however: 1st the feminine gender is confined to sex and reproduction 2- the different stages are hardly really exotic

[Izzy Corbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining read with great world building, a coming of age story and picaresque--all features which I deeply enjoy in reading a book. The book does meander a bit and I felt one of the central plots in the main character's journey of discovery is spoiled fairly early on. Also, there were some sexual references which made me cringe a bit, but in the context of the book it made sense. While reading this book, I was never bored and reminded me a lot of a science fiction version of Clan of the Cave Bears--which is a good thing! I would give this novel 3 1/2 stars and has peaked my interest in reading other Dave Duncan novels.

[Alan Perugini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, is Dave Duncan's masterpiece. Yes, he has done an incredible amount of work. Especially with well written fantasy adventure fiction. but nothing quite matches the atmosphere, and the pathos with sorrow and triumph of West of January. It's altogether different from anything he has ever written. To me, it was unique in the way it hit me when I first read it as a young man. I have other favorites that I have reread in later years, but they all elicit different emotions every time. West of January still hits me the same way, EVERY time. You won't go wrong with this book. It's my all time favorite in my 45 years as a Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre reader.

[Aaron Kiggen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! You follow the lifestory of a man on an alien world where he meets and lives in tons of diverse cultures of man each with their own customs. You can see him progress and learn through all these experience and have profound changes (I am an absolute sucker for these kinds of story elements). Veeeeeeeeeery original sci-fi setting as well (read other reviews that can explain this part better). Can get pretty dark and gory at times but that is what sets it apart from other books as it feels really realistic when portrayed this way instead of a more fantasy setting.

Great read, very underrated

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have liked this more. A new world. An explorer learning of the new world, so, we get surprised together. Interesting idea for said world. That, to me, is the basis of good science fiction.

Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy it. I actually considered stopping after the first evening of reading. But I believe a book should be given time, so I read on. I should have gone with instinct. I never did look forward to reading it. I looked forward to finishing it so I could start something new. A 3* instead off 2* only because the elements are there. I did not enjoy it.