This is a sci fi/fantasy novella in the spirit of Planet of the Apes, telling of an advanced, highly organized civilization comprised of monkey-type primates with prejudices running deep between different factions (species); and further divided into segments determined by age: the young, the mids and the olds.

The mids of the group that is the subject of the story come into great peril at the hands of a band of strangers who lure them off. They are met with great evils that threaten their lives, the lives of their families and their home (Home Trees). There is plenty of suspense as brother and sister, Tia and Ngi, try to outwit the evil pack leaders of the enemy pack.

The primates and their environment and culture are amazingly well fleshed out for a short book and we come to know the characters well. I found it to be an interesting and imaginative read and enjoyed this novella. ( )

A short story, written in first-person, mixed a bit with the style of ancient mythology stories. It is an interesting theme, with intelligent, talking simian-like cultures, but the characters are a bit flat and there are many things not really explained which would have been interesting ( )

An interesting short read - a fable or parable more than a novella, using an alien community similar to early hominids to display a message about the dangers of social manipulation and the miss-use of religion - an alternative tale of the loss of innocence. ( )

An interesting book, though I found it a bit disconcerting at times. I found myself seeing it as a reflection on human behaviour or the evolution of behaviour. The style is easy to read but I could not read it all in one sitting. ( )

I received On the Edge by Gill Shut as part of the LTER.
It is a story of a primitive monkey-like society and the invasion of their established life by creatures with evil intent (although this is disguised at first).

I had some trouble getting into this story, as when I started reading it it felt very similar to many stories I have read previously. The story itself was good, although it did not present any new ideas in a captivating method. The characters could have used more development.

Overall a nice story but nothing that grabbed me and made me want to read more. ( )