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From the Product Description: Unknown to anyone, two creatures have wandered the Earth for generations. The aliens have no knowledge of each other, but share a residual memory of a mysterious, sunken relic -- and an affinity for deep water. One, the changeling, has survived by adaptation, taking the shapes of many different organisms. The other, the chameleon, has survived solely by destroying anything or anyone that threatens it. Now, finally brought up from the bottom of the sea by marine biologist Russell Sutton, the relic calls to them both... to come home. For all these generations there have been two invincible creatures on Earth. But the chameleon has decided there's only room for one... |
Joe Haldeman weaves an interesting tale of two immortal creatures, the changeling and the chameleon. The Changeling appears from Earth's oceans in the 1930's and assimilates the body of a young surfer. The story winds through the decades as the changeling learns more and more about humanity, converting him from a mindless predator to a sympathetic student of human behavior.
The chameleon, however, is the opposite of the changeling. He understands only violence, and relishes on the worst aspects of human behavior. Where the changeling joins the allies during World War II, the chameleon works in a nazi concentration camp.
The story begins with the discovery of an artifact at the bottom of the ocean. It's buried under a million years coral growth, and obviously of non-human origin. Both the chameleon and the changeling are drawn to the artifact. The changeling seeks to find more creatures like himself, whereas the chameleon seeks to destroy any potential rivals.
This is one of those stories that you have trouble putting down once you've started. Reading about the changeling and all of his encounters with humanity is insightful and interesting. The changeling begins the story with no knowledge of who "it" is, or where it came from. It understands nothing of humans and must learn by experience and observation. The changeling's conclusions of what humans are doing and why is often humorous.
The novel has two great drawbacks. First, there is very little background on the changeling's rival, the chameleon. There is a great potential for more detail there. Second, the novel is fairly short, just under 300 pages, and the ending is rushed. I honestly expected to find a "to be continued" and a sequel, but Haldeman wrapped it up in the last couple of pages. It's disappointing, because there was certainly enough material to continue the story and learn more about the artifact.