I read this book a very long time ago. It was probably sometime in the 70's or perhaps even the 80's.

The cover of the book was quite memorable. It had a picture that caught my eye. (See http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/8...)

I have to be honest and admit that initially, I was drawn to read it because of the picture of a woman in a bra on the cover.

However, when I finally located the portion of the book where she took off her shirt, it was rather anticlimactic.

Despite that, the premise of the book always managed to interest me thereafter.

I still remember the story and the ideas it presented.

And I truly hope to read it again sometime in the future.

I believe that rereading it might give me a new perspective and allow me to appreciate it even more.

Who knows what new insights I might gain from this old book?

Like most people here, I read this as a child in the 1980s. It was on my parents' shelves, and the cover drew me in. (The flying mushroom one, not the scantily clad one!)

Recently, I found it in a secondhand bookshop and was interested to see how it had matured.

In short, it has matured brilliantly. Yes, its pace is a little slow at times, and the dialogue is slightly academic. However, it is well worth the perseverance. It is cleverly structured, contains some remarkable twists, and overall, it stays with you long after you finish reading.

I'm not a massive science fiction fan, but based on this, I would seek out Anthony's other books, including the rest of this trilogy. The story is engaging and thought-provoking, and it has a certain charm that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. It's a great read for both young and old, and I highly recommend it.

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I put the book down after the first few pages.

The protagonist is a government law enforcement officer who arrives to coerce information from people who simply prefer to be left alone.

The government agent freely mentions his eagerness to lie, cheat, blackmail, use people, and employ whatever force he deems necessary to obtain the information he desires - all while assuring strict confidence.

That was more than sufficient for me to stop reading.

If the book had been written a few decades later, I'm certain the protagonist would have had some choice words to say about global warming and white male privilege as well.

Since I almost always like the author's work, perhaps I should have persevered.

I trust the author, and the book could only improve from this point.

Maybe I'll pick it up again sometime and begin reading from chapter two.

Jeez...

A book this short really shouldn't be causing such agony to get through.

I can clearly understand why I gave up on it 40 years ago.

Although there is some science and imagination within its pages, there is also Anthony's extremely annoying style.

It didn't start to become interesting until I was two-thirds of the way through.

Now, I'm going to give Orn a try.

However, I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to make it all the way to OX.

I hope that Orn will be a more engaging read and that I won't face the same difficulties as I did with this current book.

Only time will tell if I can successfully complete this new literary adventure.

Maybe Orn will have a more captivating storyline and writing style that will keep me hooked from start to finish.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This is the equivalent of reading a Hanna-Barbera Saturday Morning Show novelization. Just picture Sigmund the Sea Monster teaching an intro to Biology. It's filled with 3 stages of sentient fungi from another planet, along with 3 curious scientists who are the most hare-brained idiots to grace the pages of an SF novel.

While OMNIVORE gets a meager 1 star rating, I found myself enjoying this 1968 novel as if I were in a fever dream layered with juvenile science and mind-boggling smut. The novel made me angry, made me laugh out of pity and wonder. It filled my head with images of flying fungoid manta rays that might want to enlighten our heroes or eat their faces off. There are also enough hare-brained theories on lifeforms and evolution that could induce head-trauma.

The cast is truly a gem in the "shitty" department. Big stud Veg is a vegetarian but a mass of muscle with little brain. He's a leader with nothing to lead and can't even drive without crashing. He has a thing for fellow scientist Aquilon, who is a master scientist (at what exactly?) and a painter who whips up masterpieces of fungi life in seconds. She's hot but cursed with an ugly smile.

Then there's Cal, the most annoying fuck. He over-indulges in his biological genesis theories, is a coward, and needs to drink blood to survive. He also has the hots for Aquilon. And let's not forget the tepid love triangle. There's also a detective cyborg, Subble, who beds Aquilon and tries to figure out why the scientists brought back the manta babies. He's a master of kung-fu and psychoanalysis, but also a pompous dickhead.

I won't even start on the magical trip scenes or the lumberjack brawl. OMNIVORE? So bad it's good? I'm still not sure. But for the sake of completion, I have the sequels ORN and OX to look forward to when I want a headache. Long live the planet Nacre and the mantas.

I thought I read this book approximately 8 years ago when I first delved into the realm of Scifi as a late teenager. However, I don't recall the plot being like this. So, in fact, this re-read (assuming it is) was truly cool the second time around.

I appreciate how the story is divided into 4 parts. In this book, we gain knowledge about the planet and its creatures. We also come to understand how perilous the threat of these creatures is if they perish on this planet. So, what actions does the secret organization take to safeguard the earth... Well, you'll have to read the book to find out.

Now, the question arises: what kind of story is ORN going to present to us?

Will it be filled with more thrilling adventures, unexpected twists, and captivating characters? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, I'm looking forward to seeing what ORN has in store.

Perhaps it will take us on a journey through uncharted territories, introduce us to new and fascinating species, and challenge our imagination.

Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to embark on this literary adventure and discover the secrets that lie within the pages of ORN's story.

Interesting! And Anthony is remarkably vegetarian. It's quite an unexpected trait. One might wonder what led him to choose this particular lifestyle. Maybe it's due to health reasons, a concern for the environment, or perhaps a personal ethical stance. Whatever the motivation, being vegetarian in a world where meat consumption is so prevalent is no easy feat. Anthony must have to make conscious choices when it comes to food, carefully reading labels and seeking out vegetarian-friendly options. It also likely impacts his social life, as he may have to decline certain invitations or bring his own food to gatherings. But despite these challenges, he remains committed to his vegetarianism, which is truly admirable.

I read a significant amount of PA's work in the 80s. There were aspects of his writing that I adored and others that made me wince. Reading "Omnivore" brought my love/hate memories into sharp relief. Published in 1968, "Omnivore" is set in a not-too-distant future with space travel and human colonization of distant planets.

At first, the story seems a bit disjointed, but it quickly sorts itself out. A special agent, Subble, is assigned to investigate the three survivors of an expedition on the planet Nacre, who are now back on Earth. Subble visits each of them in turn and hears their parts of the story about what happened on Nacre.

PA creates a fascinating world here. Nacre is a planet populated mainly by the "third kingdom" of life, namely fungus. However, the life on Nacre is not your typical slime molds. There are plenty of mushrooms and such, but it has also evolved analogies to living creatures, like herbivores that eat various forms of fungus, omnivores that prey on herbivores and local "plant" life, and finally, carnivores that prey on the omnivores (hence the title). The three-person team consists of Veg (a vegetarian), Aquilon (a beautiful woman), and Cal (a brilliant but partially disabled man). They are on a mapping/exploring expedition on Nacre when they encounter a "manta," one of the apex predators of the planet. The mantas are fascinating aliens, and PA does an excellent job describing them. After trying to outrun a manta, the tractor breaks down, and the group is stranded miles from home base. The stories they tell the agent fill in the blanks about what happened next. Subble himself is a great character. The agents have their memories wiped after each mission, leaving only their training. All agents are almost supermen, with various enhancements and skills.

Now, for the reason PA can make me cringe, which is very evident here. While I understand that social norms regarding women were different back then, and older science fiction (and other genres) are often quite sexist, PA manages to be both sexist and pervy at the same time. This, for lack of a better word, is his "skeezy" aspect, and in "Omnivore," it centers on Aquilon. She is the center of a strange "love triangle" with Veg and Cal. It seems she needs a man to feel complete but can't choose between the two for fear of hurting the one left out. Her curves and body are described in detail almost every time we encounter her, and she literally throws herself at the agent when they first meet, using her "vamp" routine. She is an artist (a painter), and her role on the expedition was to paint the local fungus-life. She could have been a strong female lead, but instead, she is a needy sexual object. There is really no reason for this skeeze; it doesn't add anything to the plot or the story in general.

So, on one hand, we have some exceptional world-building and great aliens, along with some mystery regarding the future of Earth as a result of encountering Nacre. These are really classic science fiction tropes done very well. On the other hand, we have PA with all his skeeze regarding female characters. PA is quite erudite, and "Omnivore" is filled with references and quotes from Shakespeare, classic English poets, and so on. His prose is lively and often funny, and the action scenes are intense. The overall story is amazing, including his explanation of the Third Kingdom. However, all of this is really brought down by his skeeze. This could have been a 4 or even 5-star read, but as it is, the best I can give it is a 3.

I don't have a great fondness for science fiction. However, Anthony manages to raise several thought-provoking ethical questions.

These questions are so engaging that they have compelled me to have the urge to read the remaining parts of the trilogy.

It's quite remarkable how he can pique my interest in a genre that I'm not typically inclined towards.

I'm curious to see how he will further explore and develop these ethical dilemmas in the subsequent installments.

Maybe this trilogy will change my perception of science fiction altogether.

I'm looking forward to delving deeper into the story and uncovering the answers to the many questions that Anthony has presented.

Who knows, perhaps I'll discover a newfound appreciation for this genre after all.

I read this as a teenager, way back in 1977/8ish. It was truly fascinating to me at that time, yet a little challenging to read. Now, 43 years later, I have just completed reading it for the second time.

The storyline is indeed unique and original, breaking new ground on the eternal triangle theme. It has held up remarkably well over the years, standing the test of time.

What I initially thought was due to my inexperience in finding it a hard read is actually more about the way PA writes - or wrote then. There is quite a bit of narrative hopping from the present to the past, and from Earth to the planet Nacre. Additionally, PA had a tendency to assume a bit too much, resulting in some gaps in the explication that the reader has to put in extra effort to fill. At the age of 17/18, I would never have been able to articulate that view. However, with the passage of time, I am now able to explain why the read was difficult for me back then.

Interestingly, these gaps can be beneficial as they allow the imagination to roam freely. The cover art of the originals adds great color to the world of Nacre, providing a truly immersive experience.

Overall, this second reading has given me a new perspective on the book, and I appreciate both its strengths and its idiosyncrasies.

I didn't read any more in the series (Ox, Orn) after this.

The reason is that it fell sort of flat when compared with other sci-fi that I've enjoyed.

I did like the overall ideas presented in it.

Some scenes are still vivid in my mind because they portrayed such unusual and dreamlike ideas and places.

However, the storytelling was not that great.

It lacked the excitement and engagement that I usually look for in a good sci-fi story.

Nevertheless, it had a definitely cool ending.

It was one that made me think and consider different possibilities.

Overall, while the series had its亮点, it didn't quite meet my expectations in terms of the storytelling.

I might give it another chance in the future, but for now, I'm moving on to other sci-fi works.