May, Julian Books

The Many-Colored Land

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Works for me 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I've been reading science fiction for a long time and confess to a weakness for space opera. Of all the universes I've visited, this one doesn't let go. I've read all 9 of the books that comprise May's Galactic Milieu universe--at least four times. There are two reasons folks love this universe, particularly the Exile quartet: the delightful mixture of classic sci-fi elements with fantasy, and the fact that the story is circular; that is, questions are answered, stories are completed, and it all is connected.

A group of eight malcontents flee a far-too-orderly, benevolently dictatorial galactic civilization through a gate into the Pliocene, 6 million years in the past. It's a one way trip and they don't know what they'll find when they get there.

What they find: the origins of some of our most deeply felt legends about little people, elves, trolls and others. And space ships. And laser lances. And amazing mind powers. And sex. And violence. Not much rock and roll, though.

No, this isn't Steinbeck, or even Silverberg. May is telling a rip-snorter here, not going all LeGuin on us. That's why I love the books. They're just loads of fun.

Editorial Review:

When a one-way time tunnel to Earth's distant past, specifically six million B.C., was discovered by folks on the Galactic Milieu, every misfit for light-years around hurried to pass through it. Each sought his own brand of happiness. But none could have guessed what awaited them. Not even in a million years....
THE SAGA OF PLIOCENE EXILE
Volume I:THE MANY-COLORED LAND
Volume II:THE GOLDEN TORC
Volume III:THE NONBORN KING
Volume IV:THE ADVERSARY
. . . and don't miss A PLIOCENE COMPANION

Sorcerer's Moon (Boreal Moon Tale Series)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Bringing her Boreal Moon series to a close in Sorcerer's Moon 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

There are some authors out there that I will read sight unseen; that is, no matter what genre they're writing, I'm going to give the book a try. One of those authors for me is Julian May -- I've been a cheerful addict of her books ever since her magnificent Pliocene Saga.

Now she has wrapped up a new three part saga set in the fantasy world of the Boreal Moon. With the third volume, Sorcerer's Moon, there has been a long period of relative peace for a fledgling empire. For sixteen years Conrig Wincantor has the Sovereign of High Blenholme, hiding his own dormant magical powers that would disqualify him for kingship, and ruling in a particularly ruthless, if efficient way. And with two sons that are eligible to follow him, it doesn't look like things are going to be changing in the near future.

And as for Deveron Austrey, the narrator of this tale, he's vanished after the events in Ironcrown Moon , and lives an uneasy exile. But the woman he abandoned, Iduna, has come to him, not out of love it seems, but to bring Deveron back into the schemes of the Source, a mysterious being who is conducting a great plan to rid Blenholme of the Beaconfolk, the shifting lights in the northern skies.

And now, it seems that a new set of players have entered the game. Conrig's heir, Orrion, has no desire to marry the girl his father has chosen for him, and climbing to the top of the mountain known as the Demon's Chair to beseech the Lights or Demonfolk to help him get out of the deal. Let me marry the girl I love! he cries out -- and looses his right arm in the process, an action that disqualifies him to be king, and makes his twin brother, Corodon, heir. Corodon, who's a bit vain, and not nearly as thinking as his brother, is pleased as could be to be his father's successor, but many fear that he's not going to be up to the task.

The Beaconfolk, able to grant supernatural powers in exchange for human suffering, use moonstones carved into sigils and shapes for their magical doings. Deveron, who has a few gifts of his own, knows all too well what sort of suffering can be exacted for the use of the moonstones, for he has two of the great powers in his own hands, and does everything that he can not to use them.

New characters and old ones are coming to play in this final volume as well. The Salka, monsterous, magic-using, amphibians have taken over the kingdom of Moss, endlessly planning how they can destroy humankind, and waging a never-ending guerilla war against King Conrig. But the exiled Conjure-King, Beynor, thought to be long dead, makes a return, and it seems that he's matured a bit in the years -- he's nearly, likeable. And a young woman, Casya the Pretender, has been putting her forth her own claim to be Queen of Didion. Finally, the first wife of King Conrig is anything but dead, and Princess Maudrayn has her own ambitions in play.

It's a complicated, detailed story, full of politics and double-dealing, as well as the more usual battles and spellcasting. One of May's strong points is that she is able to give the reader characters that are complete, that is, they each have their own motivations and sufferings and internal lives, and she's not afraid to give them a twist or two for fun. But she also knows her science and puts that to good use in creating a magical system that has its own limitations and abilities, with the result that it doesn't have the hokum that I usually find in most fantasy novels -- here there are real consequences to actions, and magic is something rare and dangerous, not just a do-everything tool.

Her work is geared more for adult readers rather than teens, but that's another selling point of her work. The plot lines are complicated, and require that the reader pay attention to who is who, and what is going on. But the payoff is worth it, as there is certain to be justice paid to those who richly deserve it, and a certain satisfaction at the end. For those of you out there who want a sophisticated fantasy series with plenty of action, true emotions, and some truly devious monsters and players, this set of books should do very nicely.

The previous two books in the series are Conqueror's Moon and Ironcrown Moon. I do recommend that the reader be familiar with these first two titles, as May does not provide much of a synopsis in this one to give a hint of what has gone on before. While this does avoid explainitis, it also can make the story a bit confusing. But that's only a momentary problem.

On the whole, this is a grand, epic adventure, where there are surprises and new twists on the entire fantasy genre from start to finish. I do hope Ms May keeps writing, as both her science fiction and fantasy novels always have new ideas and plenty of good storytelling to recommend them.

Editorial Review:

The conclusion of the Boreal Moon Tale.

The Boreal Moon Trilogy concludes as Orion, the heir to the kingdom, prepares to fulfill his destiny before the magical realm is torn apart by war.

The Surveillance (Intervention, Book 1)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A good read-- prequel to the Pliocene Exile Series 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I found it interesting that Julian May viewed her Galactic Milieu Trilogy as her tour de force. She thought about it for years according to her interviews. She wrote the Pliocene Series as a means of introducing the reader to many of the concepts she thought might be difficult to digest without it. According to her, she wrote the first two books of the Pliocene Saga in like two months! Unbelievable!

That being said, I thought Intervention and the Galactic Milieu series were a touch below the Pliocene. There was less of what I loved-- vivid, textured imagery evoked by her silky smooth prose. Despite being set in a 22nd century universe controlled by psychics, the setting of these books were more mundane than the Saga. While some of her descriptive prose was lovely, it didn't dominate as in other books. I almost got the sense that May felt like there was too much to convey, too much to write, without enough space. What was planned as a Trilogy became Intervention plus Galactic Milieu. And even then there was so much to cover.

I also felt that for the events that changed the face of humanity, she could have come up with better antagonists. Pliocene always had an epic sense-- this one didn't even though the fate of humanity was at stake. I still very much enjoyed May's characters-- but somehow they lacked the soul that I was used to from her earlier works. In fact, the only character I felt I knew as well as any of the major protagonists from Pliocene was Uncle Rogi-- and while lovable, he owns a bookstore... he has none of the angst that many of May's characters from Pliocene had that made them so dramatic.

Still, May is one of the best in the business, and she creates a fascinating, creative universe in Intervention-- the beginnings of the Galactic Milieu.

Editorial Review:

In 1945, the technology of death was mastered, and mankind entered an era that could be its last. But Nature evolves its own defense, and children with amazing mental talents have been born. They are the metapsychic operants--and they have the power to rule the world. An amazing new series from the author of The Saga of Pliocene Exile. HC: Houghton Mifflin.

Ironcrown Moon (Boreal Moon, Book 2)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

reminiscent of the LORD OF THE RINGS 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 12 people found this review helpful.

The former prince of Cathra is King Conrig of High Blenholme and the former independent kingdoms are now vassal states. The king sits uneasily on the throne because he has a small amount of magic as does his three sons. By law, all of these royals are not suited to rule. He is desperate to keep this a secret but he learns that his first wife that he divorced because he thought she was barren is the mother of his son, a child who has no magic and should be the heir to the throne.

King Conrig has other enemies including the former Royal Alchemist Killian and Prince Beynor of the House of Mass. Killian is locked away in an abbey wearing an iron collar around his neck so he can't perform magic and Beynor is exiled to the Downtide Isles with the sentient Salka monsters who want to rule the humans. These two men pair up to overthrow the empire starting with the destruction of the royal family of Didion. Prince Somarus allies with these two rebels and proclaims himself the king and wants his country to be independent again. Conrig's first wife intends to tell the world that the king has magic flowing through his veins and her son should be the king. All these characters are players in this drama of the Beaconlight, sentient beings in the sky who have the power to activate the sgyls so that whoever wears one has magic. There are forces at work to keep Conrig on his throne because he has the best chance of defeating the evil Beaconlights and be an instrument for the good Beaconlights.

Julian May is a talented and visual writer whose descriptions make High Blenholme seem very real. There are many heroes in this tale who do the right thing for honor while the villains act in evil ways because they want power. Ms. May has written a work that is reminiscent of the LORD OF THE RINGS whose fans will definitely want read this book and the first Boreal Moon fantasy.

Editorial Review:

King Conrig has united the warring island of High Blenholme-but his enemies are plotting against him. Danger arises when word comes that the magical Trove of Darasilo has vanished from its secret crypt. In the wrong hands, it would seal Conrig's doom. His only ally is his childhood friend, Snudge. But even Snudge knows Conrig's greatest weakness is his lust for power--and that the Trove could be his key to acquiring it.

Magnificat (Galactic Milieu Trilogy, No 3)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"FASCINATING . . . May has cemented her position as one of this generation's foremost storytellers. . . .This satisfying end to a remarkable feat of the imagination is a necessary purchase."
--Library Journal

By the mid-twenty-first century, humanity is beginning to enjoy membership in the Galactic Milieu. Human colonies are thriving on numerous planets, life on Earth is peaceful and prosperous, and as more humans are being born with metapsychic abilities, it will not be long before these gifted minds at last achieve total Unity.

But xenophobia is deeply rooted in the human soul. A growing corps of rebels plots to keep the people of Earth forever separate, led by a man obsessed with human superiority: Marc Remillard. Marc's goal is nothing less than the elevation of human metapsychics above all others, by way of artificial enhancement of mental faculties. His methods are unpalatable, his goal horrific. And so Marc and his coconspirators continue their work in secret.

Only the very Unity he fears and abhors can foil Marc's plans. And only his brother, Jack the Bodiless, and the young woman called Diamond Mask can hope to lead the metaconcert to destroy Marc, Unify humanity, and pave the way for the Golden Age of the Galactic Milieu to begin . . .

"A CERTAIN CROWD-PLEASER."
--Kirkus Reviews

Metaconcert (Intervention, No 2)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A SEARCH.... SATIATED... EXPECTATIONS OVERWHELMED. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I read the Intervention, Part 1 way back in 1986... and I was waiting for Metaconcert to come out in 1987. I couldn't find one here in the Philippines. I tried all the bookstores, I tried putting out advertisements, I asked for it from friends, ( I even checked out the database of National Bookstore), until I bought my copy in 1998, right here at Amazon. I have read the others of this series, and my yearning for this book grew stronger.

This book is seen easily as a denouement to a great story began. But an omega and another alpha, mixed just right?This book fits the tab, and how it fits! Suffice to say that after reading this book, A yearning was satiated, and an expectation was overwhelmed. It was worth the money spent.

Editorial Review:

All over the world, the metapsychics are honing their skills, learning to stretch their incredible minds far beyond the ken of ordinary humans. Most are dedicated to the harmony of the human soul. But some have darker intentions...

If the metapsychics succeed in uniting Earth's minds to take the next step up in human evolution, a place awaits humanity among the alien peoples of the fabulous Galactic Milieu. But if evil minds prevail in their bid for power, Earth will be cut off...and mankind forever doomed!

THE NONBORN KING (May, Julian. , Saga of Pliocene Exile, V. 3.)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Getting into high gear 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

With the third volume of her Pliocene Exile series, Julian May kicks things into high gear. With the Tanu weakened from last volume's catastrophe, we are introduced to a new menace in the form of an old menace. This is the volume where May's incredibly rich backstory fully comes into play. In fact, the ideas presented here (and to a limited extent in the previous two volumes) provide fodder for not only this book, but the next six books in the Galactic Milieu universe.

And the imagery! It just doesn't get any better than the description of the battle at the Rio Genil. You can see the action in your mind almost as clearly as if one of May's farspeakers was projecting the image directly into your head. That scene alone is worth the whole series.

In addition, the author manages to get across the weariness and depression of a society that has been mortally wounded but is too proud to just give up. In the previous volumes, the Tanu were painted as more...well, perhaps villainous isn't the right word, but definitely not sympathetic. Here, however, one actually feels for them, despite their history of oppressing humanity and their own Firvulag cousins. It's obvious that the reign of the Tanu is coming to an end, but nobody's quite gotten the message yet and they continue to cling to past glories and hope for revival.

Truly a masterpiece of fiction.

Jack the Bodiless (Galactic Milieu Trilogy)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A great read and a fascinating continuity. 4 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Jack the Bodiless is the first book in the Galactic Milieu Trilogy. This book and the rest of this trilogy should be read after reading the other related series, the Intervention books (Surveillance and The Metaconcert) and The Saga of The Pliocene Exile (The Many Colored Land, The Golden Torc, The Nonborn King, The Adversary). Those two series can be read in any order, but I would recommend perusing first the Saga and then Intervention. Those two series will give you a significant grounding in the characters and setting you encounter in the Galactic Milieu trilogy.

I tried to read this book after reading the Intervention series and it was too jarring a transition for me at the time. So I put the book away for a few years and then came back later after having read the Saga of The Pliocene Exile and found this series much more comprehensible and absorbing. Once I came back to his series I read all three books in about a weeks time.

The story (and in fact the whole Galactic Milieu trilogy) is told as a recollection of Rogi Remillard a familiar character to those who read the Intervention books. Many times his is the voice telling the story and at other times we transition to the individuals themselves to see from their perspective.

This book is mainly about the events that form around the time frame encompassing the gestation, birth and early life of Jack the Bodiless. These events include the early life of Marc Remillard and the threat to the Remillard family caused by the Fury and Hydra entities. I found the Remillard family interaction and characters created in the series to be very compelling overall. The continuity of events ties neatly into the other series, but unfortunately without those books it can be a bit daunting to pick up on references and terminology in this book. To get the full effect that previous events have had on the characters in the book (enormous in many ways for Rogi, but often glossed over by him in these books to avoid dwelling on unpleasantness) it is almost required that one delve into those previous series.

I highly recommend this book, but only after the above mentioned series have been read.

Editorial Review:

In the year 2051, Earth stood on the brink of acceptance as full member of the Galactic Milieu, a confederation of worlds spread across the galaxy. Leading humanity was the powerful Remillard family, but somebody--or something--known only as "Fury" wanted them out of the way.
Only Rogi Remillard, the chosen tool of the most powerful alien being in the Milieu, and his nephew Marc, the greatest metapsychic yet born on Earth, knew about Fury. But even they were powerless to stop it when it began to kill off Remillards and other metapsychic operants--and all the suspects were Remillards themselves.
Meanwhile, a Remillard son was born, a boy who could represent the future of all humanity. His incredible mind was more powerful even than his brother Marc's--but he was destined to be desroyed by his own DNA...unless Fury got to him first!

Adversary (Saga of Pliocene Exile)

Julian May

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

BLOWS MY MIND 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

My Dad has had the first three books in The Saga of the Exiles hanging around for as long as I can remember and I finally got around to reading them about 2 weeks ago. And I ate them up, hoo boy. The first three were a literary feast and by the time I finished The Non-Born King I NEEDED to read The Adversary and I finally found it in the library at my university. And let me tell you, folks, this book is the crowning glory on the best achievement in sci-fi writing to date. What an amazing culmination of all May's talents- her wonderful, evocative prose, the flawless creation of her characters, the twisting, thrilling plot, to name a few.
The Adversary details the lead up to the Grand Tourney, Aiken Drum's substitute for the Grand Combat, the contest itself and its repercussions. And what repercussions. I'm not gonna tell you, you'll have to read the book ;). Such a short summary is hardly worthy of the novel itself, but to go into more detail would be to ruin May's carefully crafted work- and by the time you finish the last page, you'll be astounded by the depth and breadth of her vision.
Before I read The Saga of the Exiles, my favourite fantasy/sci-fi series was Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun- but I found Julian May's Saga infinitely more gripping, confronting and so much more entertaining. I've heard criticisms of the series, none of which I agree with, the two foremost that 1. it's difficult to understand a lot of her language without a dictionary by your side, but to this I say: even if it's so for you, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T BE PUT OFF. You'll never find a series more rewarding than this one.
The second criticism I've heard was 2. that it's clear cut good vs. evil. I've never heard anything sillier in my life. One of the main things I loved about the Saga was its ambiguity in terms of where the reader's loyalty can lie- I wanted EVERYONE to win at some point, `elfin' Tanu, `demonic' Firvulag, Lowlife humans; and I've heard a lot of people express their love for Marc Remillard, the infamous Adversary himself.
All I can leave you with is this: wow. What a beautiful series. The Adversary- what a BRILLIANT bloody ending. So satisfying. Oh. God. I think I'm going to go start The Many-Coloured Land again and read the whole series a second time. How fabulous. Oh. Wow.

Editorial Review:

The fourth and final volume of The Saga of Pliocene Exile.
Until the arrival of Aiken Drum, the 100,000 humans who had fled backward in time to Pliocene exile on Earth knew little but slavery to the Tanu -- the humanoid aliens who came from another galaxy. But King Aiken's rule is precarious, for the Tanu's twisted bretheren are secretly maneuvering to bring about his downfall. Worse -- Aiken is about to confront a man of incredibly powerful Talents who nearly overthrew a galactic rule. He is Marc Remillard. Call him . . . The Adversary.

Orion Arm: The Rampart Worlds: Book 2 (May, Julian. Rampart Worlds, Bk. 2.)

Julian May

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Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Julian May's Rampart Worlds space-opera romps began with Perseus Spur; Orion Arm is volume 2. Asahel "Helly" Frost, disgraced scion of the mighty Rampart interstellar family company, again finds himself working for them as a wisecracking, spacefaring version of James Bond against the evil Galapharma corporation. Galapharma is selling priceless human know-how and DNA to the alien Haluk--cunning devils who've developed a "demiclone" process for changing reptilian Haluks into human form and vice versa. The slam-bang action moves through various cinematic set pieces: assignations in genetically enhanced brothels so lewd than even very bad men puke at the attractions offered; Frost betrayed and, instead of killed outright, left in a deathtrap with one slim chance of escape; a high-tech strike against a secret Haluk base closely resembling the one in Perseus Spur; much blood and mayhem thanks to Galapharma traitors planted deep within the Rampart company and Frost's own family; murderous last-minute reversals at the crucial board meeting; and the final shoot out and offing of the arch-villain in a way that might just allow his return for book 3. Orion Arm offers colorful, tongue-in-cheek violence and drama which pulls you along but refuses to be taken seriously. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk