This was a really good story. Barlennan and his friends have lots of exciting adventures (with the advice of the humans communicating with them from the moon base). Just a fun read, with a lot of hard science for the science buffs to enjoy.
A really good old-time, hard-science sci-fi novel which I read in my youth and just enjoyed again. Unlike so many others, this one seems to start in the middle of the story, with no mention of how Earth scientists encountered a native intelligence on a distant plant and taught the 'aliens' how to speak and understand our language. But once you can put that behind you the great adventure starts, with the 'aliens' becoming the major protagonists of the story.
With some help from the humans, they manage to cross immense distances on their home world in the service of the humans, overcoming numerous difficulties. But the humans are in for a surprise.
With some help from the humans, they manage to cross immense distances on their home world in the service of the humans, overcoming numerous difficulties. But the humans are in for a surprise.
The blurb is a good outline of the story. One comes to sympathize with the aliens in their struggles to complete the task the humans have set for them. Clement does a great job of keeping the story in their POV and not humanizing them (although they do speak English, which Clement explains as their being fast learners). Clement also describes in detail the physical problems of life on such a strange planet.
