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slowfoxJulian May's Saga of the Exiles was first drawn to my attention back in 1984, when I was at secondary school. As it happened, I was on the second tier of 'friends-to-lend-books-to' of the guy who actually owned the book, so since he'd lent the first instalment out to someone else, I started reading Book 2 first.
There are four instalments
The basic premise is this - following the advent of metapsychic operancy in the nearish future, the human race is embraced by the Galactic Milieu, a confedartion of alien races, all of whom have mind powers to varying degrees of strength. The upstart humans, it turns out, have dazzling powers in this respect, despite the relative youth, and a power-struggle develops, with two brothers - Marc Remillard and Jack Remillard on opposing camps, fighting what becomes the Metaphsycic Rebellion. Marc lost, and disappeared, taking his band of rebels with him.
Now, not everyone is happy with how things work in the Galactic Milieu, but fortunately for the disenchanted, a French professor of theoretical physics has managed to construct a one-way time portal in France. It only works one-way (6 million years back in time), and it'll only work in one place (that particular valley in France), so although it's quite a neat thing, since application seems limited, it's left to gather dust.
Until, one day, a German hitchhiker turns up at his widow's door, begging to be let through to the Pliocene era, to make his adventure there.
Madame Guderian consents, and gradually word spreads out that there's this gateway to a primitive world, one without the Galactic Milieu and its laws, regulations and alien races, and this appeals to a large number of people for many different reasons.
Eventually, the Milieu itself takes over operation of the portal, and each week a group is despatched through the portal, to make their life anew in the Pliocene.
The Saga of the Exiles follows Group Green, a spectacular collection of individuals (Aiken, Elizabeth, Felice, Amerie, Claude, Richard, Stein, Bryan), as they land in the Pliocene and discover that a) not only was the Pliocene not as unpeopled by exotic races as they'd hoped, and b) it's not going to prove the idyllic escape that they'd anticipated.
On the other side of the gate there's this dimorphic race, the Tanu/Firvulag (if those names seem slightly familiar, it becomes apparent that the tale manages to foreshadow some of the old English legends in both race names, legends and place names, although much of this eluded me on first reading), who have metapsychic powers, but only as allowed by their wearing of cybergenetic enhancing metal collars, known as torcs. Unbeknownst to them, these torcs also worked on humans - operants (those with active powers) weren't allowed to pass through the portal, but those with latent powers could have their abilities activated through the application of a torc.
Anyway, the tale itself spans four epic volumes, and follows the immense changes that Group Green manage to effect on the Pliocene landscape (both politically and, in one spectacular case, physically).
It's immense, and epic and fantastic.
Unfortunately, it also starts off reeeeeally slowly. But persist with it, because once Group Green has made it to Castle Gateway on the other side of the portal, things start to kick off.
So, who else likes these?
There are four instalments
- The Many-Colored Land
- The Golden Torc
- The Non-Born King
- The Adversary
The basic premise is this - following the advent of metapsychic operancy in the nearish future, the human race is embraced by the Galactic Milieu, a confedartion of alien races, all of whom have mind powers to varying degrees of strength. The upstart humans, it turns out, have dazzling powers in this respect, despite the relative youth, and a power-struggle develops, with two brothers - Marc Remillard and Jack Remillard on opposing camps, fighting what becomes the Metaphsycic Rebellion. Marc lost, and disappeared, taking his band of rebels with him.
Now, not everyone is happy with how things work in the Galactic Milieu, but fortunately for the disenchanted, a French professor of theoretical physics has managed to construct a one-way time portal in France. It only works one-way (6 million years back in time), and it'll only work in one place (that particular valley in France), so although it's quite a neat thing, since application seems limited, it's left to gather dust.
Until, one day, a German hitchhiker turns up at his widow's door, begging to be let through to the Pliocene era, to make his adventure there.
Madame Guderian consents, and gradually word spreads out that there's this gateway to a primitive world, one without the Galactic Milieu and its laws, regulations and alien races, and this appeals to a large number of people for many different reasons.
Eventually, the Milieu itself takes over operation of the portal, and each week a group is despatched through the portal, to make their life anew in the Pliocene.
The Saga of the Exiles follows Group Green, a spectacular collection of individuals (Aiken, Elizabeth, Felice, Amerie, Claude, Richard, Stein, Bryan), as they land in the Pliocene and discover that a) not only was the Pliocene not as unpeopled by exotic races as they'd hoped, and b) it's not going to prove the idyllic escape that they'd anticipated.
On the other side of the gate there's this dimorphic race, the Tanu/Firvulag (if those names seem slightly familiar, it becomes apparent that the tale manages to foreshadow some of the old English legends in both race names, legends and place names, although much of this eluded me on first reading), who have metapsychic powers, but only as allowed by their wearing of cybergenetic enhancing metal collars, known as torcs. Unbeknownst to them, these torcs also worked on humans - operants (those with active powers) weren't allowed to pass through the portal, but those with latent powers could have their abilities activated through the application of a torc.
Anyway, the tale itself spans four epic volumes, and follows the immense changes that Group Green manage to effect on the Pliocene landscape (both politically and, in one spectacular case, physically).
It's immense, and epic and fantastic.
Unfortunately, it also starts off reeeeeally slowly. But persist with it, because once Group Green has made it to Castle Gateway on the other side of the portal, things start to kick off.
So, who else likes these?
no subject
Date: 2009-08-13 07:59 am (UTC)I first encountered this series... hmmm... about 1989 or so? One of the parts I love is the way Julian May weaves Pliocene fauna and flora into the tale. The spectacular scenes of glowing glass armor were also quite evocative. I must admit to a significant fondness for highly-flawed Aiken and poor, broken Stein.
I recently re-read them, oh... two years ago? The hold up pretty well.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-13 08:08 am (UTC)I loved the whole Marc plotline, and his children. And poor, misguided Bryan (Crazy Greggy was awesome, too).
Aiken was, obviously, the archetypal trickster, but still had some fantastic moments. Felice was disturbing, Culloket got what he deserved, no?
Creyn's love for Elizabeth was so... futile, in many ways.
The whole landscape was brilliantly realised, I thought, too, with concentration being given to the logistics of how they various parties would get from A to B to C etc.
The Flying Hunt was sick, and Aiken doing his vampiric mind-swallowing thing made him surprisingly vulnerable, too. Noddon never had a chance...
no subject
Date: 2009-08-13 12:42 pm (UTC)I do agree that it does start too slowly, though the detail does come in handy later on. I'm glad I persevered, though, as the series as a whole is excellent.
I was fond of Aiken, for all his tricksiness. Felice, as you say, was downright disturbing. Elizabeth left me a bit cold, but I think she was supposed to.
Thanks for introducing me :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-08-13 07:27 pm (UTC)Yes, the backstory was kinda useful... but one wonders whether maybe we could have been served those flashbacks in more interim fashion throughout the tale - I'm sure that many people would have been put off by the relatively pedestrian start, and the series as a whole probably lost many potential fans before the end of Book 1.
no subject
Date: 2009-08-13 01:15 pm (UTC)I was so sad for Elizabeth, regaining her powers but no access to Galactic minds of the future.
Aiken was entertaining but also maddening. Poor, poor Felice. The poor Firvulag too, what a raw deal.
Mmm, must re-read but must finish the Night's Dawn trilogy first!!!
no subject
Date: 2009-08-13 07:29 pm (UTC)The poor Firvulag, indeed - but then what about the Howlers??? And Tony Wayland! Bad luck trails Tony like a wounded buck.