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Acorna #5
Acorna's Search
The Barnes & Noble Review
Acorna's Search, the fifth book in Anne McCaffrey's Acorna series, takes the saga of the beloved unicorn girl to an all-time high -- or low, depending on how you look at it. As Acorna and her Linyaari people begin to rebuild their home planet (which was practically destroyed by the evil insectoid Khleevi in Acorna's World), members of Linyaarian research parties begin to disappear one by one. Soon whole shuttles are just vanishing into thin air. Among the missing is Acorna's life mate, Aari. After consulting with the Ancestors, Acorna concludes that she must go deep underneath the planet's surface to solve the potentially horrific mystery.
Acorna's Search, the fifth book in Anne McCaffrey's Acorna series, takes the saga of the beloved unicorn girl to an all-time high -- or low, depending on how you look at it. As Acorna and her Linyaari people begin to rebuild their home planet (which was practically destroyed by the evil insectoid Khleevi in Acorna's World), members of Linyaarian research parties begin to disappear one by one. Soon whole shuttles are just vanishing into thin air. Among the missing is Acorna's life mate, Aari. After consulting with the Ancestors, Acorna concludes that she must go deep underneath the planet's surface to solve the potentially horrific mystery.
The once cool, idyllic world of Vhiliinyar is now like something out of a nightmare. "The whole planet was, for the most part, stifling, with much of its protective ozone layer punctured by volcanic explosions and toxic chemical reactions from its unstable land masses and destroyed seas." Instead of green meadows filled with beautiful flora and fauna, there are now carnivorous plants, poisonous geysers, bogs and apelike monsters. While trying to escape these hairy, spear-toting beasts, Acorna is forced deep into a cave and stumbles across the opening into an ancient subterranean city.
The mysterious history of the uni-horned Linyaari people is steeped in fable, and when Acorna discovers the mythical city of Kubiilikaan, the legendary home of the Hosts, much of what she thought was historically true becomes suspect. As Acorna unravels the mystery with the help of the royal temple cat Roadkill and Mac the android, she finds out Aari isn't lost in space, but in time.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, here's a quick overview. In the first book in the series, Acorna, we're introduced to the lovable orphan after her family's spaceship is mysteriously destroyed. She escapes in a space pod and is found by a salvage ship crewed by three humans. The men had never seen anything quite like Acorna before. The Linyaari were a race of humanoids with unicorn characteristics -- a flowing, curling mane and feathery hair from ankle to knee, hooves, three fingers and, of course, a horn protruding from their foreheads.
The men, obviously with nowhere to take the orphan, are forced to raise the strange girl themselves. During their months aboard ship, they bond with the lovable kid and she slowly learns their language and culture. But with none of her kind around, and no way to know if any even still exist, Acorna struggles to find her own identity. When the salvage ship finally returns to Federation space, Acorna becomes the center of attention. Rumors spread like wildfire about a unicorn girl with magical powers.
Over the course of the next two novels (Acorna's Quest and Acorna's People), Acorna finds the Linyaari homeworld and becomes reunited with her people. She learns about her race's history and culture and also about its enemies, the Khleevi. I have to tell you, the Khleevi are right up there on my Top Ten list of most despicable aliens. They're basically oversized cockroaches that travel the galaxy looking for worlds to plunder and life forms to torture.
In Acorna's World, the fourth installment, Acorna and her people come face-to-face with the Khleevi, except this time they have the Federation's help.
I recommend this series to fantasy lovers of all ages. McCaffrey and Scarborough (who coauthored the last three books in the series) create an interesting, realistic world without exploitative sex or violence. And, because the main character is a young, strong, good-hearted female, this series would be particularly perfect for young girls interested in fantasy.
(Paul Goat Allen)
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Anne McCaffrey
553 books7,283 followersAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, Weyr Search, 1968) and the first to win a Nebula Award (Best Novella, Dragonrider, 1969). Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
In 2005 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named McCaffrey its 22nd Grand Master, an annual award to living writers of fantasy and science fiction. She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on 17 June 2006. She also received the Robert A. Heinlein Award for her work in 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 8, 2023
I found this one a bit hard to follow, even reading it through a second time. I hate to say it, but, this may have been the "jump the shark" moment for this series.
June 20, 2023
1.5 stars
Brief review follows:
Lord this book - I was quite thoroughly confused by the plot and not particularly interested in what was happening. It was all a like yawn 🥱
Too much time spelunking and not enough time travelling. I did finish it so half star added for that. I am not giving it a 2 because the ending made this book really feel like half a plot. And a plot which started about a three-quarters of the way through.
Brief review follows:
Lord this book - I was quite thoroughly confused by the plot and not particularly interested in what was happening. It was all a like yawn 🥱
Too much time spelunking and not enough time travelling. I did finish it so half star added for that. I am not giving it a 2 because the ending made this book really feel like half a plot. And a plot which started about a three-quarters of the way through.
March 5, 2016
This was actually pretty good. Acorna's Search is the first book after the defeat of the major threat, the Khleevi, and overall, I think this was a good place to go with the story. The writing style improved a lot here, and there was much less Twee and Self-righteousness.
In a way that reminded me of post-war healing, the Linyaari return to their original homeworld with the intention of surveying the land in preparation to terraforming it anew. But soon after they arrive, people start to go missing. This shouldn't be a big deal for telepaths who have shown themselves capable of contact across lightyears. Except no one can reach the missing ones telepathically.
Depending on your tolerance for the Linyaari's tendency to complain/whine, their initial reactions to the terraforming project can either make you sympathise or throw your hands in the air and ask if they are ever happy with effing anything. I went with the former, because of the kinds of things they said. Nitpicks like, "I don't remember that mountain being so high," etc. However, I would have sympathised more if this had led to a discussion that memories are subjective, and that they can only get so far with an enormous geological project based on what people remember. Most of their records have been destroyed.
The first person to go missing is the annoying vizir. This is a genius place to start, because no one, and I mean NO ONE is going to miss her. They actually assumed that she had skived off and didn't care. But then they miss someone who is not a douchebag and stuff gets real.
I liked the elements of horror. Sure, they could have been played up a lot, and they focused mostly on bickering and helplessness rather than fear. Still. If you step back and consider the idea of telepaths going missing, and even "going dark," without the sign of fear/pain that would accompany death... it's pretty scary. They honestly don't know whether their loved ones are alive or dead. And all of this is happening on a dead planet with extreme significance for everyone there. Telepaths accustomed to constant thoughts are suddenly weighed down with silence.
The resolution had me going, "Okay, what the heck was.... did that... No. I had to have read that wrong." I read it aloud to my hubby and I think he just laughed.
Anyway, the cliffhanger for the next book is compelling. It's hard to talk about the latter end of the book without using a billion spoiler tags, or tagging the whole review. So yeah, first half is the expected Acorna installment but a bit darker and with more Linyaari. The Uncles have been replaced by Becker, who is himself probably on the way out. I mean it about the uncles, Hafiz isn't even pretending to be retired anymore, and I don't think anyone even said Rafik's name.
I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, all three of those characters petered out by the end of the first book. They're pretty flat, and since they all had romantic interests who played out very quickly, there's not even that to extend their relevance to the plot. It's just not very good character management, and further proof that the first book is the weakest in this series--which is a very bad thing, guys.
Still, I want to read the next book. Now that I've officially read more than I previously had done, I'm glad I started re-reading this series.
In a way that reminded me of post-war healing, the Linyaari return to their original homeworld with the intention of surveying the land in preparation to terraforming it anew. But soon after they arrive, people start to go missing. This shouldn't be a big deal for telepaths who have shown themselves capable of contact across lightyears. Except no one can reach the missing ones telepathically.
Depending on your tolerance for the Linyaari's tendency to complain/whine, their initial reactions to the terraforming project can either make you sympathise or throw your hands in the air and ask if they are ever happy with effing anything. I went with the former, because of the kinds of things they said. Nitpicks like, "I don't remember that mountain being so high," etc. However, I would have sympathised more if this had led to a discussion that memories are subjective, and that they can only get so far with an enormous geological project based on what people remember. Most of their records have been destroyed.
The first person to go missing is the annoying vizir. This is a genius place to start, because no one, and I mean NO ONE is going to miss her. They actually assumed that she had skived off and didn't care. But then they miss someone who is not a douchebag and stuff gets real.
I liked the elements of horror. Sure, they could have been played up a lot, and they focused mostly on bickering and helplessness rather than fear. Still. If you step back and consider the idea of telepaths going missing, and even "going dark," without the sign of fear/pain that would accompany death... it's pretty scary. They honestly don't know whether their loved ones are alive or dead. And all of this is happening on a dead planet with extreme significance for everyone there. Telepaths accustomed to constant thoughts are suddenly weighed down with silence.
The resolution had me going, "Okay, what the heck was.... did that... No. I had to have read that wrong." I read it aloud to my hubby and I think he just laughed.
Anyway, the cliffhanger for the next book is compelling. It's hard to talk about the latter end of the book without using a billion spoiler tags, or tagging the whole review. So yeah, first half is the expected Acorna installment but a bit darker and with more Linyaari. The Uncles have been replaced by Becker, who is himself probably on the way out. I mean it about the uncles, Hafiz isn't even pretending to be retired anymore, and I don't think anyone even said Rafik's name.
I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, all three of those characters petered out by the end of the first book. They're pretty flat, and since they all had romantic interests who played out very quickly, there's not even that to extend their relevance to the plot. It's just not very good character management, and further proof that the first book is the weakest in this series--which is a very bad thing, guys.
Still, I want to read the next book. Now that I've officially read more than I previously had done, I'm glad I started re-reading this series.
September 3, 2019
Poor End to a Series
This book ism by to of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Scarborough. But this Acorna series was not one of my all time favorites.
It did rank as a 4 to 4.5, but for the prices it costs to get these books, don’t invest. In t he Acorna series unless you are out of reading material.
You can always try Some of Carl Hassan’s (spelling) books like Bad Monkey, his books are fun and contain enlightening facts about tourism.
This book ism by to of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Scarborough. But this Acorna series was not one of my all time favorites.
It did rank as a 4 to 4.5, but for the prices it costs to get these books, don’t invest. In t he Acorna series unless you are out of reading material.
You can always try Some of Carl Hassan’s (spelling) books like Bad Monkey, his books are fun and contain enlightening facts about tourism.
September 30, 2023
I found many of Anne McCaffrey's books in the first edition a while back. And at a reasonable price. I bought them up. Now, I am on a mission to read them all. Unfortunately, my reading skills have worsened as my tracking on paper books keeps me slow. And in the case of this book, I didn't have the hardback. Libby had the Kindle version, so I grabbed it up. With Kindle, I can employ the Text-to-Speech. So I was able to read it quickly. The last book, a hardback, took me a year or so. This took me four days!
It was fun to 'read' this, the best of the Unicorn Girl books so far. Not only did we not have the Khleevi, but we had a lot more of RK (Road Kill), the cat. He is so much fun! There is more of Acorna, the original unicorn girl, and more of some side characters I wanted to learn more about.
The best part of this book is how the characters get into a situation that involves time travel on their planet. What a great way to get to know the history of the unicorn people.
I found myself holding my breath in moments of tension and fear for the characters. As much as I was a fan of the Dragon books, I am now becoming a fan of the Unicorn Girl series. I've already grabbed up and started reading the next Kindle version from Libby.
It was fun to 'read' this, the best of the Unicorn Girl books so far. Not only did we not have the Khleevi, but we had a lot more of RK (Road Kill), the cat. He is so much fun! There is more of Acorna, the original unicorn girl, and more of some side characters I wanted to learn more about.
The best part of this book is how the characters get into a situation that involves time travel on their planet. What a great way to get to know the history of the unicorn people.
I found myself holding my breath in moments of tension and fear for the characters. As much as I was a fan of the Dragon books, I am now becoming a fan of the Unicorn Girl series. I've already grabbed up and started reading the next Kindle version from Libby.
August 11, 2021
This is a weird one.
At first I was way more into it than previous Acorna books. A disturbing new setting and the mysterious disappearances pulled me in quickly and kept me paying attention. But then it started to get weird...
Now, I love time travel. I adore it. But that makes me kind of picky about it. And this time travel is just... odd. I can get over it being psychically powered water or whatever (I guess), but what really really bugs me is how linear the time travel is. For instance, Acorna doesn't locate the missing Linyaari at the moment they disappeared - which honestly would make way more sense. Instead, she locates them after days, weeks, ages have passed. SO why can't she just go back to when Aari first disappeared and save him that way? Bugs me.
Nevertheless, the ending is still touching and heartbreaking. It actually makes me look forward to the next book, which is new for my relationship with the Acorna books. Even with all of my issues with it, I enjoyed this book more than the previous installments, so I'd have to give it a 3.5 for that alone.
At first I was way more into it than previous Acorna books. A disturbing new setting and the mysterious disappearances pulled me in quickly and kept me paying attention. But then it started to get weird...
Now, I love time travel. I adore it. But that makes me kind of picky about it. And this time travel is just... odd. I can get over it being psychically powered water or whatever (I guess), but what really really bugs me is how linear the time travel is. For instance, Acorna doesn't locate the missing Linyaari at the moment they disappeared - which honestly would make way more sense. Instead, she locates them after days, weeks, ages have passed. SO why can't she just go back to when Aari first disappeared and save him that way? Bugs me.
Nevertheless, the ending is still touching and heartbreaking. It actually makes me look forward to the next book, which is new for my relationship with the Acorna books. Even with all of my issues with it, I enjoyed this book more than the previous installments, so I'd have to give it a 3.5 for that alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2021
In this book, Acorna is helping her people map their home planet, which was all but destroyed by the Khlevii, when those out mapping the planet start to disappear one by one.
Acorna is concerned, but when Maati, Aari, and their parents disappear, too, she is determined to do all that she can to find the cause, and bring them, and all the other Linyaari back home again.
On her journey to find them, she learns many secrets from their past, which help her find a solution but, although with the help of both Captain Becker, Roadkill, and her Uncle Hafiz, she manages to get everyone back safely, there's just one person still missing - her life mate Aari.
Acorna is determined to do all she can to find him though, and so sets off on another journey, determined to get him home once more.
I really enjoyed this book, as it offers a lot of details and explanations as to the beginnings of the Linyaari, which is fascinating!
So, it's in to the next book in the series, Acorna's Rebels!
Acorna is concerned, but when Maati, Aari, and their parents disappear, too, she is determined to do all that she can to find the cause, and bring them, and all the other Linyaari back home again.
On her journey to find them, she learns many secrets from their past, which help her find a solution but, although with the help of both Captain Becker, Roadkill, and her Uncle Hafiz, she manages to get everyone back safely, there's just one person still missing - her life mate Aari.
Acorna is determined to do all she can to find him though, and so sets off on another journey, determined to get him home once more.
I really enjoyed this book, as it offers a lot of details and explanations as to the beginnings of the Linyaari, which is fascinating!
So, it's in to the next book in the series, Acorna's Rebels!
June 1, 2022
I'm still getting my head around this latest adventure. Acorna and friends are back on the homeworld, determined to return it to what it was before the Khleevi attack. But people keep disappearing. And when Aari is one of the ones who vanishes, Acorna starts a frantic search for him and the others, discovering ancient technology that has gone on the fritz and uncovering secrets of her people's past.
Some of the time jump stuff was a bit hard to follow and I'm not 100% sure the author's got the timelines correct, as I occasionally had to go back and re-read sections to follow what was going on. But an intriguing concept and good to see that the Linyaari's past has a darker side to it too. Completely left open for the next volume, which I hope starts where this one ends, or it will seem very anti-climatic.
Some of the time jump stuff was a bit hard to follow and I'm not 100% sure the author's got the timelines correct, as I occasionally had to go back and re-read sections to follow what was going on. But an intriguing concept and good to see that the Linyaari's past has a darker side to it too. Completely left open for the next volume, which I hope starts where this one ends, or it will seem very anti-climatic.
November 8, 2017
This story was different and interesting, a good addition to the Acorna world. I found it sad though. While exciting, I wanted more joy for Acorna and Aari.
I've had a pretty good break since reading the previous book in the series, long enough that this shouldnt have suffered from series fatigue. I still found myself wanting to just finish target than enjoying the journey. And then the finish was not at all satisfying. At this point I'm inclined to push through the series to its conclusion. I can't see rereading these yet another time.
I've had a pretty good break since reading the previous book in the series, long enough that this shouldnt have suffered from series fatigue. I still found myself wanting to just finish target than enjoying the journey. And then the finish was not at all satisfying. At this point I'm inclined to push through the series to its conclusion. I can't see rereading these yet another time.
February 1, 2021
Acorna’s Search
Acorna and her team go back to the old world where they came from before the Khleevi destroyed their world to survey what they can fix. But the teams of other surveys are disappearing and no one can find them then suddenly most of Acorna’s team disappears including her Lifemate, Aari. Acorna is frantically trying to find him and the other team members when she discovers a hidden city. Does this city hold the clue to finding the team members? Will everyone be found?
Acorna and her team go back to the old world where they came from before the Khleevi destroyed their world to survey what they can fix. But the teams of other surveys are disappearing and no one can find them then suddenly most of Acorna’s team disappears including her Lifemate, Aari. Acorna is frantically trying to find him and the other team members when she discovers a hidden city. Does this city hold the clue to finding the team members? Will everyone be found?
November 29, 2020
Acorna and some of her felllow Linyaari go back to their home world to map it ready for it to be terraformed back to how it used to be before the Khleevi wrecked it. But some of them start disappearing including Aari her life mate. Acorna with others finds an underground city which includes the answer to why this has happened - a globe that, with water, enables travel through time..
July 30, 2017
A fabulous read. Could barely put it down.
September 1, 2017
AARI NOOOOO!!!! *cries* *reaches for the next book*
October 1, 2017
Another great addition to the series.
August 29, 2018
Yawn! Something to put you to sleep, if suffering from insomnia.
January 17, 2019
I normally don't like time travel but McCaffrey made it compelling for this story.
January 26, 2021
A slower book. Not sure I totally understood how the time travel worked, all I could figure out is that it had something to do with water?
April 24, 2021
Another enthralling installment of the life and times of Acorna the unicorn girl.
Just couldn't put it down for very long.
Highly recommended.
Just couldn't put it down for very long.
Highly recommended.
January 23, 2024
Not as strong as the previous books in the series, my least favourite so far.
2.5/5 stars ⭐️
2.5/5 stars ⭐️
June 29, 2015
I had actually raed the book that came after this one a few years ago so I knew all along that the situation with Aarri wouldnt get resolved. It was ok and like most Anne Mac books i read it really quickly....something about her writing style i can just consume her books in no time at all (only other author i feel the same way about is an aussie author - Traci Harding).
Anyways it was kind of interesting to learn about Acornas peoples past a bit more, and i just love the android Mac, but other than that I wasnt that buzzed about this book.
Anyways it was kind of interesting to learn about Acornas peoples past a bit more, and i just love the android Mac, but other than that I wasnt that buzzed about this book.
August 5, 2010
I had hoped that the different second author would make a difference because I liked other books this pair had written. Really though, these books didn't get better (or worse, really). The characters are caricatures. The real problem (I realized as I lay in bed wondering why these were irritating me) is that the "adult" characters are extremely childish and the children are way more adult that they are. It bothers me.
January 9, 2011
I fell down the rabbit hole. What the hell just happened? Now we find out about Kubiilikaan? As a side note, where the hell does she come up with some of these names? Once again the rug is ripped out from under me. Alien scientist? Really? WTH. I do like this Host city though. I want to see it. The descriptions are so clear I wonder how Ms. McCaffrey comes up with all these devices and cool technology.
December 13, 2011
I just finished this book. I could not put it down, except for a very few times just to rest my eyes. The Linyarri fate is plunged into a crazy realm of time travel, wonder, and distress as all that is known is wrenched away from all the Linyarri characters we know and love. I cannot believe the state in which Acorna was left. I cannot wait to start the next book where there will hopefully be a complete and happily instated resolution.
July 9, 2013
This book is worth reading for the sheer hilarity of it all. It's extremely fast-paced in the beginning, so you won't get bored until the last fourth when they're wrapping up loose ends. Other than that, the characters are pretty flat, things are said rather than shown, and techno babble is everywhere. However, the reasons we don't have unicorns anymore today is because the aliens stole them. Of course.
August 17, 2009
A book that you'd get lost in unless you've read the rest of the series.
When people start disappearing as they explore their destroyed world to prepare for terraforming, people start disappearing and when they start looking they discover an underground city.
Readable but not impressive. It wasn't a book that would urge me to continue reading the series.
When people start disappearing as they explore their destroyed world to prepare for terraforming, people start disappearing and when they start looking they discover an underground city.
Readable but not impressive. It wasn't a book that would urge me to continue reading the series.
May 28, 2010
I was fairly disappointed with this story. There was a fascinating plot, poorly executed, and one had to have read the earlier books in order to understand the characters and their motives. Perhaps I should have quit with the previous one, but I've got the next two checked out so I'll just plow on. There was a cliffhanger ending and I want to find out what has become of Acorna's lifemate.
March 12, 2009
this book was really good and when i finished it, i was really surprized at what happened because she found the lost city of freedom and there she found a whole bunch of people and when she basically saved them except for a few that had died brfore she had got there
January 24, 2015
Acorna's Search (Acorna #5)
McCaffrey, Anne
how acorna searches through the universe for someone of her own kind,trying to find out where she comes from acorna learns to learn that she is not unique in the world
McCaffrey, Anne
how acorna searches through the universe for someone of her own kind,trying to find out where she comes from acorna learns to learn that she is not unique in the world
August 6, 2011
The heroic story of Acorna touched my heart. Her saga is a fantastic sci-fi journey in another galaxy, but the writing of the places and times makes them seem so real and even comfortable. Fantastic read for any sci-fi fan.
December 31, 2020
I really like this one. It has everything the earlier books had. It also has two new elements: mystery and time travel. They work those elements in well. They also have a great time sync. It is just a really great book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews