the Narrator Of This Extraordinary Tale Is A Man in Search For Truth. He Answers An Ad In A Local newspaper From A Teacher Looking For Serious pupils, Only To Find Himself Alone In An Abandoned office With A Full-grown Gorilla Who Is Nibbling delicately On A Slender Branch. "you Are The teacher?" He Asks Incredulously. "i Am the Teacher," The Gorilla Replies. Ishmael Is a Creature Of Immense Wisdom And He Has A Story to Tell, One That No Other Human Being Has Ever heard. It Is A Story That Extends Backward And forward Over The Lifespan Of The Earth From The Birth of Time To A Future There Is Still Time Save. like All Great Teachers, Ishmael Refuses To Make The lesson Easy; He Demands The Final Illumination To come From Within Ourselves. Is It Man's Destiny to Rule The World? Or Is It A Higher Destiny possible For Him-- One More Wonderful Than He Has Ever imagined? publishers Weekly quinn ( Dreamer ) Won The Turner Tomorrow Award's Half-million-dollar First Prize For This Fascinating And Odd Book--not A Novel By Any Conventional Definition--which Was Written 13 Years Ago But Could Not Find A Publisher. The Unnamed Narrator Is A Disillusioned Modern Writer Who Answers A Personal Ad (``teacher Seeks Pupil. . . . Apply In Person.'') And Thereby Meets A Wise, Learned Gorilla Named Ishmael That Can Communicate Telepathically. The Bulk Of The Book Consists Entirely Of Philosophical Dialogues Between Gorilla And Man, On The Model Of Plato's Republic. Through Ishmael, Quinn Offers A Wide-ranging If Highly General Examination Of The History Of Our Civilization, Illuminating The Assumptions And Philosophies At The Heart Of Many Global Problems. Despite Some Gross Oversimplifications, Quinn's Ideas Are Fairly Convincing; It's Hard Not To Agree That Unrestrained Population Growth And An Obsession With Conquest And Control Of The Environment Are Among The Key Issues Of Our Times. Quinn Also Traces These Problems Back To The Agricultural Revolution And Offers A Provocative Rereading Of The Biblical Stories Of Genesis. Though Hardly Any Plot To Speak Of Lies Behind This Long Dialogue, Quinn's Smooth Style And His Intriguing Proposals Should Hold The Attention Of Readers Interested In The Daunting Dilemmas That Beset Our Planet. 50,000 First Printing; Major Ad/promo. (jan.) Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy FantasyMagical Realism
