The Many-Colored Land

The Many Coloured Land is the first book of the Saga of the Exiles (or the Saga of Pliocene Exile in the USA) by Julian May. It sets the series up by introducing the story of each of the characters. The main purpose of the book is to provide information for the rest of the series, only beginning the main storyline in its final part.

Characters

Felice Landry
Felice starts the book as a tremendously talented athlete, with superhuman strength and coercive power (in short weak control of others minds). She chooses to go into Exile when she is banned from her sport, two other players accused her of deliberately hurting them. In Exile she discovers her powers are stronger than she had previously expected but refused to be taken by the Tanu. Later in the book, Felice joins the Lowlives helping them discover that 'Blood-Metal' (aka iron) can kill the 'Exotics'. She is determined to get a Gold Torc throughout the book, confident that it will make her powerful enough to take on the Tanu.

Richard Vorhees
Richard is an ex-spacer who came to Pliocene after being sued by a space crew who he refused to help whilst on a mission for a client. Richard trys to act tough throughout the book and often refuses to help other people, especially the Lowlives, but always comes through for them in the end. Richard is most notable in the book for killing the first Tanu to die in the book, in the process discovering iron to be a potent weapon against them. He also flies the aircraft at the end of the book being the only one with enough experience to work out how.

Bryan Grenfell
Bryan works as an anthropologist in the Glactic Milieu but goes into Exile in pursuit of his love, Mercy. When he arrives in the Many Coloured Land, he is regarded as special by the Tanu, who allow him to work bareneck, without a torc, while he is there. In the time where Bryan is the main view-point he often quotes There is is a lady sweet and kind by Thomas Ford:

There is a lady sweet and kind,
Was never face so pleas'd my mind;
I did but see her passing by,
And yet I love her till I die.

Is the part he uses most often.