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Galactic Milieu Trilogy #1
Jack the Bodiless
Rogi Remillard, a member of the powerful Remillard family and the chosen tool of the most powerful being in the Milieu, and Rogi's nephew Marc, the greatest metaphysic, are powerless to stop the Fury when it begins to kill off Remillards
463 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
104 people are currently reading
1988 people want to read
About the author
Julian May
201 books591 followersJulian May was an American science fiction, fantasy, horror, science and children's writer who also used several pseudonyms including Ian Thorne, Lee N. Falconer and many others.
Some 1960's and 1970's biographies and children's science books may belong to Julian May (the science fiction & fantasy writer) profile but no reliable source has been found
Per Encyclopedia.com, May wrote juvenile science non-fiction along with the science fiction novels for adults. (https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/edu...)
Some 1960's and 1970's biographies and children's science books may belong to Julian May (the science fiction & fantasy writer) profile but no reliable source has been found
Per Encyclopedia.com, May wrote juvenile science non-fiction along with the science fiction novels for adults. (https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/edu...)
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May 12, 2025
2025 Re-Read
Book 9 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge
I am bumping my rating of this novel up to 3.5 stars. I came to it with fewer expectations this time, ten years after my first reading. I am appalled by my lack of memory—this was like reading the book for the first time.
I paid more attention to the Lylmik this time around, wondering about their guardianship of the Remillard family. Does it make sense that entities who only wear bodies occasionally would be interested in Jack Remillard, who essentially becomes a brain in a simulated body. I have to question how the Lylmik came to dominate the Galactic Milieu? Why do they get to manipulate and veto everybody else?
Most of the Remillards are pretty difficult to feel much affection for, except maybe for Rogi. But he's one of the untalented members of the family, an alcoholic who self medicates perhaps to deal with all the arrogant relatives who expect him to do their bidding. Little do they know that Rogi only co-operates because he has been coerced by the Lylmik that he calls the Family Ghost.
At any rate, this is background for the Marc Remillard that I met in May's Saga of Pliocene Exile. He is well on the trail towards his self imposed exile back in time, even as a youngster here. I note that the human race is represented as troublesome in this future, similar to David Brin's Uplift series where they are considered feral upstarts. A pretty cocky self-assessment, truly. I wonder if this species self-confidence is warranted?
Original Review
I was introduced to Julian May’s Galactic Milieu in her Saga of Pliocene Exile series (I’ve read three out of four and find them fabulous). So when I found the first two books of her Galactic Milieu trilogy at my local used book shop, I grabbed them fast and headed directly to the till.
Although I enjoyed this novel, I didn’t find it nearly as entrancing as the Pliocene books and it’s taken me a little while to figure out why. There are multiple points of view, which I’m okay with. I think what surprised me is that none of those POVs are female, and that to me was one of the strengths of the Pliocene Saga. And there was a perfect opportunity to feature Jack’s mother, Teresa, to do just that.
There was also a lot of religious discussion (done as Teresa and Uncle Rogi explaining things to Jack). Add to that an awful lot of description of various medical and mechanical technologies (certainly in more detail than I’m interested in), and I was finding myself skimming a number of paragraphs to get back to the good stuff.
May is at her best when she is dealing with interpersonal dynamics and intergalactic politics. Still, I will read the second book and then decide whether to keep looking for the third one.
Book 9 of the 2025 Read Your Hoard Challenge
I am bumping my rating of this novel up to 3.5 stars. I came to it with fewer expectations this time, ten years after my first reading. I am appalled by my lack of memory—this was like reading the book for the first time.
I paid more attention to the Lylmik this time around, wondering about their guardianship of the Remillard family. Does it make sense that entities who only wear bodies occasionally would be interested in Jack Remillard, who essentially becomes a brain in a simulated body. I have to question how the Lylmik came to dominate the Galactic Milieu? Why do they get to manipulate and veto everybody else?
Most of the Remillards are pretty difficult to feel much affection for, except maybe for Rogi. But he's one of the untalented members of the family, an alcoholic who self medicates perhaps to deal with all the arrogant relatives who expect him to do their bidding. Little do they know that Rogi only co-operates because he has been coerced by the Lylmik that he calls the Family Ghost.
At any rate, this is background for the Marc Remillard that I met in May's Saga of Pliocene Exile. He is well on the trail towards his self imposed exile back in time, even as a youngster here. I note that the human race is represented as troublesome in this future, similar to David Brin's Uplift series where they are considered feral upstarts. A pretty cocky self-assessment, truly. I wonder if this species self-confidence is warranted?
Original Review
I was introduced to Julian May’s Galactic Milieu in her Saga of Pliocene Exile series (I’ve read three out of four and find them fabulous). So when I found the first two books of her Galactic Milieu trilogy at my local used book shop, I grabbed them fast and headed directly to the till.
Although I enjoyed this novel, I didn’t find it nearly as entrancing as the Pliocene books and it’s taken me a little while to figure out why. There are multiple points of view, which I’m okay with. I think what surprised me is that none of those POVs are female, and that to me was one of the strengths of the Pliocene Saga. And there was a perfect opportunity to feature Jack’s mother, Teresa, to do just that.
There was also a lot of religious discussion (done as Teresa and Uncle Rogi explaining things to Jack). Add to that an awful lot of description of various medical and mechanical technologies (certainly in more detail than I’m interested in), and I was finding myself skimming a number of paragraphs to get back to the good stuff.
May is at her best when she is dealing with interpersonal dynamics and intergalactic politics. Still, I will read the second book and then decide whether to keep looking for the third one.
August 22, 2023
This novel includes racial slurs most commonly applied to Native American/First Nations women that would've been inappropriate when this was published in the early 90's. Also racial slurs commonly used to refer to Asian people in general or Chinese people specifically.
Also includes the white supremacist and ahistorical sentiment that NA/FN marginalized genders give birth easier and safer than white marginalized genders. This is a flat out lie. As soon as the United States, Canada and other colonialist powers took charge childbirth became extremely dangerous for everyone not white.
What's more this is still horrifically true today. No one in the USA, Canada & UK faces worse maternal outcomes than Black and NA/FN folks.
What's more due to rampant genocidal practices inherent to capitalism, NA/FN Peoples collectively make up only about 1% of the population of North America. So this entire idea is dangerously fascist not to mention ridiculous and genocidal as fuck.
The novel also refers to Asian people as 'oriental'. Asian folks are humans and Oriental usually references colonialist styling or design choices. This is repeated quite a bit and is inappropriate every time.
There's tons of elitism in relation to The Remillard's who are written as wildly talented which seems to be used to excuse or negate their bad behavior and poor leadership. The family also employ tons of nepotism, such as inherited spots at Ivy League University and other elite expensive schools and beyond the privilege of their wealth and status. Though I can't for the life of me figure out why a family descended from such elite genes and with talents unmatched in the entire Galactic Milieu would need such handouts.
None the less The Family arranges for Marc to receive University credit in exchange for working for the family which they seemed to feel entitled to do all while hiding serious crimes and holding government leadership positions as the rulers of Earth/humanity. It's gross and does little to endear the family to readers. Further, Marc is excused from studying his basics while studying for his bachelors. Again he started University very young, why would he need to finish quickly? Why would courses be altered for him? The nepotism is gross and annoying. It's also never addressed in the novel, it's just taken as natural that elite superior humans would behave horribly, engage in incest and cut corners wherever they like. All while claiming the working class work ethic, as a family, which applied to their great-grandfather as even their grandfather attended elite schools and advised governmental world leaders. So it fits with the modern 1% who are represented by the clear confusion of Elon Musk and his disastrous takeover of Twitter, now called X I guess.
The treatment of operants as 'homo superior' is genocidal and cringey. The treatment of latents as either greatful for the fringe benefits of operants or angry that they can't join the elite is kinda gross.
I hate the treatment of Black/African and Asian people in this universe who are disproportionately latent when compared to white or NA/FN which apparently also applies to Polynesian peoples. No reason is given for this difference and given the grossness of the text it felt like the author was just simply being racist in an attempt to air her personal frustrations with affirmative action.
As in this universe Black/Africans and Asians want their own planets and resources are earmarked based on operant ability. Leaving Black/African and Asian folks bitter angry and rebellious. It's annoying, unnecessary and the author doesn't unpack this, look at this or give reasons for it. It's simply a reflection of the authors own poorly adjusted feelings on race.
Why would operants need more resources? Aren't they Homo Superior? Why would homo superior need whole planets? Or take advantage of legacy placement at elite universities? If their DNA is so superior, let them prove it by having the least resources instead of the most. That makes most sense as a worldview anyway.
Let's save resources for homo-sapiens since they couldn't possibly compete.
Plus lots of passing off white folks from other western nations as 'diversity'😩
Lots of fascist parroting about humans being most comfortable amongst 'their own kind'. 🙄
The base story of Jack is rife with ableism. Most systems focused on family and bloodline inevitably do. The idea that illness is character building and suffering physical pain makes a person more noble is just ableist bullshit. Trauma causes trauma and that's it, surviving trauma isn't character building, quite the opposite in fact.
Jon/Jack is disabled but after using his illness as largely trauma porn he masks as a standard human. His family doesn't really accept or embrace his differences. It's cringily awful and awkward.
Jon/Jack's temperament also feels a great deal like ableism rife with disability porn aspects.
Then there is the basic colonialism aspects of the plot. Humanity is sheparded by supposedly advanced alien races that limits pregnancy, forces abortions, practices the death penalty, but is also peaceful 🤣😭 So many mismatching parts it doesn't even work as a valid story.
Advanced societies don't have the death penalty in in our current times. In fact they have demonstrably less prisons and less police as well.
This feels like an argument that european colonialism was harsh but advanced (white) peoples know best which is fairly common is sci fi and fantasy. This book is fantasy mixed with a few sci fi elements.
The truth is colonization didn't happen because europeans were more advanced than those they colonized. No, they were actually less advanced as can be seen from their horrible behaviors. A group of people can be judged by their actions and the actions of eureopean colonizers are so awful that in the USA conservative racists are not allowing what their ancestors did to be taught in schools. They are banning books and closing libraries to protect their children from the truth of how incredibly terrible their ancestral colonizers were. So not advanced at all.
That's kind of what is happening in these poorly written, white supremacist novels.
Also includes the white supremacist and ahistorical sentiment that NA/FN marginalized genders give birth easier and safer than white marginalized genders. This is a flat out lie. As soon as the United States, Canada and other colonialist powers took charge childbirth became extremely dangerous for everyone not white.
What's more this is still horrifically true today. No one in the USA, Canada & UK faces worse maternal outcomes than Black and NA/FN folks.
What's more due to rampant genocidal practices inherent to capitalism, NA/FN Peoples collectively make up only about 1% of the population of North America. So this entire idea is dangerously fascist not to mention ridiculous and genocidal as fuck.
The novel also refers to Asian people as 'oriental'. Asian folks are humans and Oriental usually references colonialist styling or design choices. This is repeated quite a bit and is inappropriate every time.
There's tons of elitism in relation to The Remillard's who are written as wildly talented which seems to be used to excuse or negate their bad behavior and poor leadership. The family also employ tons of nepotism, such as inherited spots at Ivy League University and other elite expensive schools and beyond the privilege of their wealth and status. Though I can't for the life of me figure out why a family descended from such elite genes and with talents unmatched in the entire Galactic Milieu would need such handouts.
None the less The Family arranges for Marc to receive University credit in exchange for working for the family which they seemed to feel entitled to do all while hiding serious crimes and holding government leadership positions as the rulers of Earth/humanity. It's gross and does little to endear the family to readers. Further, Marc is excused from studying his basics while studying for his bachelors. Again he started University very young, why would he need to finish quickly? Why would courses be altered for him? The nepotism is gross and annoying. It's also never addressed in the novel, it's just taken as natural that elite superior humans would behave horribly, engage in incest and cut corners wherever they like. All while claiming the working class work ethic, as a family, which applied to their great-grandfather as even their grandfather attended elite schools and advised governmental world leaders. So it fits with the modern 1% who are represented by the clear confusion of Elon Musk and his disastrous takeover of Twitter, now called X I guess.
The treatment of operants as 'homo superior' is genocidal and cringey. The treatment of latents as either greatful for the fringe benefits of operants or angry that they can't join the elite is kinda gross.
I hate the treatment of Black/African and Asian people in this universe who are disproportionately latent when compared to white or NA/FN which apparently also applies to Polynesian peoples. No reason is given for this difference and given the grossness of the text it felt like the author was just simply being racist in an attempt to air her personal frustrations with affirmative action.
As in this universe Black/Africans and Asians want their own planets and resources are earmarked based on operant ability. Leaving Black/African and Asian folks bitter angry and rebellious. It's annoying, unnecessary and the author doesn't unpack this, look at this or give reasons for it. It's simply a reflection of the authors own poorly adjusted feelings on race.
Why would operants need more resources? Aren't they Homo Superior? Why would homo superior need whole planets? Or take advantage of legacy placement at elite universities? If their DNA is so superior, let them prove it by having the least resources instead of the most. That makes most sense as a worldview anyway.
Let's save resources for homo-sapiens since they couldn't possibly compete.
Plus lots of passing off white folks from other western nations as 'diversity'😩
Lots of fascist parroting about humans being most comfortable amongst 'their own kind'. 🙄
The base story of Jack is rife with ableism. Most systems focused on family and bloodline inevitably do. The idea that illness is character building and suffering physical pain makes a person more noble is just ableist bullshit. Trauma causes trauma and that's it, surviving trauma isn't character building, quite the opposite in fact.
Jon/Jack is disabled but after using his illness as largely trauma porn he masks as a standard human. His family doesn't really accept or embrace his differences. It's cringily awful and awkward.
Jon/Jack's temperament also feels a great deal like ableism rife with disability porn aspects.
Then there is the basic colonialism aspects of the plot. Humanity is sheparded by supposedly advanced alien races that limits pregnancy, forces abortions, practices the death penalty, but is also peaceful 🤣😭 So many mismatching parts it doesn't even work as a valid story.
Advanced societies don't have the death penalty in in our current times. In fact they have demonstrably less prisons and less police as well.
This feels like an argument that european colonialism was harsh but advanced (white) peoples know best which is fairly common is sci fi and fantasy. This book is fantasy mixed with a few sci fi elements.
The truth is colonization didn't happen because europeans were more advanced than those they colonized. No, they were actually less advanced as can be seen from their horrible behaviors. A group of people can be judged by their actions and the actions of eureopean colonizers are so awful that in the USA conservative racists are not allowing what their ancestors did to be taught in schools. They are banning books and closing libraries to protect their children from the truth of how incredibly terrible their ancestral colonizers were. So not advanced at all.
That's kind of what is happening in these poorly written, white supremacist novels.
February 8, 2021
The first in the Galactic Milieu trilogy, a sequel, or prequel depending on how you look at it, to the Sage of The Pliocene Exiles. Timewise this book covers the first few years after first contact and the rise of the latest generation of the Remillard family to prominence. Things begin to change with the illegal birth of Jack. He suffers from many birth defects (the title is a major spoiler here), but his psychic powers are more advanced than any other human.
Not an easy book to read for two reasons.
First, Julian May was a writer of several thousand encyclopedia entries and that background lends her to use a vocabulary of many unusual words. Having a dictionary, and or, Google ready at hand is strongly advised. Even so, I came across a couple of words where I had to do a deep dive into the specific subject matter to find the meaning. A straight Google search didn't find anything useful.
Secondly, I found some of the medical procedures and Jacks suffering disturbing to read.
A great start to the trilogy, but I need to read something a bit lighter before moving on to book two.
Not an easy book to read for two reasons.
First, Julian May was a writer of several thousand encyclopedia entries and that background lends her to use a vocabulary of many unusual words. Having a dictionary, and or, Google ready at hand is strongly advised. Even so, I came across a couple of words where I had to do a deep dive into the specific subject matter to find the meaning. A straight Google search didn't find anything useful.
Secondly, I found some of the medical procedures and Jacks suffering disturbing to read.
A great start to the trilogy, but I need to read something a bit lighter before moving on to book two.
March 16, 2014
The entire series gets better each reading. Why isn't this a movie yet?
April 14, 2009
I got hooked on this series and this entry, the first, did the trick. An unexpected story line that works really well even if you figure it all out in the first few pages. Very technical and intricate but leaves you wanting a lot more detail about all the powers that these characters possess and struggle with as an essential plot line.
The whole of the Remillard clan come across in human terms that strongly balances the obvious differences that makes them 'not like the others'.
If you start this Trilogy, just plan now on reading much of May's other works as well including the Pliocene books. Or quit after the first three and avoid some disappointments.
Should you be looking around after having randomly read another of this authors works, look no further than the story of Jack for a great and engaging story that will entertain you on multiple levels from readability to engrossing entertainment.
There are few books of the lighter genre's that I am terribly effusive over, and this is one that truly has my vote as a Goodread.
The whole of the Remillard clan come across in human terms that strongly balances the obvious differences that makes them 'not like the others'.
If you start this Trilogy, just plan now on reading much of May's other works as well including the Pliocene books. Or quit after the first three and avoid some disappointments.
Should you be looking around after having randomly read another of this authors works, look no further than the story of Jack for a great and engaging story that will entertain you on multiple levels from readability to engrossing entertainment.
There are few books of the lighter genre's that I am terribly effusive over, and this is one that truly has my vote as a Goodread.
June 25, 2014
I first got this book, not knowing what it was about, because the title was interesting. I now own three copies, one a first edition, another a signed, numbered readers-edition. It is that good. On my first read, when it was over, I was hopeful for humanity, that someone could still write a book that good. I just re-read it and got goose bumps at the end. So very worth your time as a reader.
August 2, 2016
Not content with hinting at her future history through the Saga of the Pliocene Exile or giving us a prelude to it via the two part "Intervention" novel, May has to go all out and show us all the hard work she did by plunging us right into yet another series, this time "only" a trilogy but centered on the changes that Earth underwent after the aforementioned Intervention (for those just joining in, the short version is that Earth has been monitored all along by a conglomerate of alien races watching to see if we would blow ourselves up before psychic powers manifested . . . in the nick of time the aliens stepped in and started to take steps to integrate us into what they called the Galactic Milieu" . . . on a very real level I am oversimplifying matters extensively) while hinting at further discord to come.
As with "Intervention" May focuses on the Remillard family (by now having expanded quite a bit) and more specifically their quirky uncle Rogi, who is telling the story at the behest of an entity he calls the Family Ghost. The Remillards are a family of extremely capable psychics (or "operants" as the series calls them) and by genetic luck are also like those elves from "Lord of the Rings" apparently immortal unless you go and drive a truck over them or light them on fire. But since this future also features regenerative tanks, good luck with that. Fortunately politics have been abolished in the future and everyone gets along just fine. Oh, wait.
Interestingly, the portions involving the galactic politics are often the least fascinating part of the novel. May still isn't totally capable of writing super compelling aliens on a regular basis and while they don't stop the plot dead like they sometimes did in "Intervention" they often aren't as helpful as she'd like (pretty much every scene with the Lylmik, who often act as giant "get out of jail free" or reset buttons, make you wonder why they're even bothering with the human race . . . and that's not even getting into the issue of how they seem to know what's going to happen and go on and let it happen anyway even as they keep telling people "I saw that coming" . . . good when you're predicting lottery numbers, bad when body counts are involved) and the best scenes of the early chapters are focused on the politics of adapting to alien oversight, albeit even a temporary one and navigating the tricky areas of dissent without getting themselves kicked out of the Milieu and isolated.
But as good as she is at that, it can make those early chapters a bit dry. While we see some familiar Remillard faces (the beauty of immortal characters is you can do a generational story while picking and choosing who gets to stick around without having to resort to "Gasoline Alley" methods and either fudge ages or pray that no one can do math), everyone who isn't immortal has pretty much died off by the time we get around to this novel, meaning we're faced with either descendants or totally new characters, which appears to be a bit of a double edged sword, both refreshing and confusing things (I can't say missing anyone who died but all of the Remillards tend to blur together as they expand . . . amusingly Rogi makes a comment along those lines in the second book).
Where the plot really starts to kick in and you start to feel some momentum taking place, is two fold. One is when baby Jack is finally born (we have a long sequence of events where his mother and Rogi have to hide away during her pregnancy, giving us more political maneuvering after the birth). A super intelligent baby with a psychic ability that's apparently off the scale he manages to do what most super smart children in books fail to do and that's not annoy the reader by being too precocious. May wisely never forgets that as smart as he is he's still a baby and while that may conjure images of the homicidal baby from "Family Guy", she manages to conjure a character that's smart and confident and very curious. The relationship between Jack and his brother Marc (essentially number two on the power scale) remains extremely charming. A sense of urgency gets added when it turns out that Jack's genes are all messed up and various treatments have to keep the damage at bay until they can figure out a more permanent solution and its impressive that May manages to give us a diseased baby basically dying of cancer without seeming exploitative or that she's milking us for tears. She plays the ball fair but never goes over the top.
The second aspect that aids the book is doing the same thing that enlivens all those cop shows and prime-time original movies . . . adding a serial killer. A spate of deaths with the same markings harken back to a similar style of killing once done by long departed black sheep brother Victor and as it becomes clear that entity responsible is called "Hydra" and is being directed by another person known as "Fury" (all of this somehow managing to not sound like a bad comic book movie) its less clear who it really is, something that stymies most of the cast especially when it becomes clear that it has to be a Remillard (or . . . more than one?). It never becomes the thrust of the novel even when Hydra is performing the service that old Captain America villain Scourge once did and eliminating some of the narrative dead weight (again, the beauty of a large fictional family is that some of them are meant to be sacrificed on the altar of plot momentum) but it lurks in the background as the threat everyone is afraid of but no one can tell how much they should be afraid of it. Baby Jack and his travails seems to drive things more but when the two plots do intersect at several points (most effectively in a scene almost beautifully understated when Jack casually drops to Marc that he saw Hydra kill someone . . . a moment given extra weight because he's too young to understand what just happened).
It all adds up to a potent mix and what astounds time and again is just how good May is at this without being flashy. She folds in a wealth of detail about her future history, her usual interesting way of writing psychics, a good examination of far flung family dynamics and throws in a serial killer almost as an aside and yet the book still chugs along without coming across as too bloated. Granted she has a trilogy to work all this stuff out but if she didn't tell something resembling a complete story in this volume or if she totally turned off readers from the get-go, no one would even bother with the rest no matter how good it is. Its thoughtful SF that isn't made with one eye toward needlessly padding it out or snagging a movie/TV deal down the line and given that these days it sometimes seems like writers are machines stuck in the "on" position churning out endless intellectual property there's something charming about reading a book only meant to be a book, old fashioned in a way that really shouldn't be old.
As with "Intervention" May focuses on the Remillard family (by now having expanded quite a bit) and more specifically their quirky uncle Rogi, who is telling the story at the behest of an entity he calls the Family Ghost. The Remillards are a family of extremely capable psychics (or "operants" as the series calls them) and by genetic luck are also like those elves from "Lord of the Rings" apparently immortal unless you go and drive a truck over them or light them on fire. But since this future also features regenerative tanks, good luck with that. Fortunately politics have been abolished in the future and everyone gets along just fine. Oh, wait.
Interestingly, the portions involving the galactic politics are often the least fascinating part of the novel. May still isn't totally capable of writing super compelling aliens on a regular basis and while they don't stop the plot dead like they sometimes did in "Intervention" they often aren't as helpful as she'd like (pretty much every scene with the Lylmik, who often act as giant "get out of jail free" or reset buttons, make you wonder why they're even bothering with the human race . . . and that's not even getting into the issue of how they seem to know what's going to happen and go on and let it happen anyway even as they keep telling people "I saw that coming" . . . good when you're predicting lottery numbers, bad when body counts are involved) and the best scenes of the early chapters are focused on the politics of adapting to alien oversight, albeit even a temporary one and navigating the tricky areas of dissent without getting themselves kicked out of the Milieu and isolated.
But as good as she is at that, it can make those early chapters a bit dry. While we see some familiar Remillard faces (the beauty of immortal characters is you can do a generational story while picking and choosing who gets to stick around without having to resort to "Gasoline Alley" methods and either fudge ages or pray that no one can do math), everyone who isn't immortal has pretty much died off by the time we get around to this novel, meaning we're faced with either descendants or totally new characters, which appears to be a bit of a double edged sword, both refreshing and confusing things (I can't say missing anyone who died but all of the Remillards tend to blur together as they expand . . . amusingly Rogi makes a comment along those lines in the second book).
Where the plot really starts to kick in and you start to feel some momentum taking place, is two fold. One is when baby Jack is finally born (we have a long sequence of events where his mother and Rogi have to hide away during her pregnancy, giving us more political maneuvering after the birth). A super intelligent baby with a psychic ability that's apparently off the scale he manages to do what most super smart children in books fail to do and that's not annoy the reader by being too precocious. May wisely never forgets that as smart as he is he's still a baby and while that may conjure images of the homicidal baby from "Family Guy", she manages to conjure a character that's smart and confident and very curious. The relationship between Jack and his brother Marc (essentially number two on the power scale) remains extremely charming. A sense of urgency gets added when it turns out that Jack's genes are all messed up and various treatments have to keep the damage at bay until they can figure out a more permanent solution and its impressive that May manages to give us a diseased baby basically dying of cancer without seeming exploitative or that she's milking us for tears. She plays the ball fair but never goes over the top.
The second aspect that aids the book is doing the same thing that enlivens all those cop shows and prime-time original movies . . . adding a serial killer. A spate of deaths with the same markings harken back to a similar style of killing once done by long departed black sheep brother Victor and as it becomes clear that entity responsible is called "Hydra" and is being directed by another person known as "Fury" (all of this somehow managing to not sound like a bad comic book movie) its less clear who it really is, something that stymies most of the cast especially when it becomes clear that it has to be a Remillard (or . . . more than one?). It never becomes the thrust of the novel even when Hydra is performing the service that old Captain America villain Scourge once did and eliminating some of the narrative dead weight (again, the beauty of a large fictional family is that some of them are meant to be sacrificed on the altar of plot momentum) but it lurks in the background as the threat everyone is afraid of but no one can tell how much they should be afraid of it. Baby Jack and his travails seems to drive things more but when the two plots do intersect at several points (most effectively in a scene almost beautifully understated when Jack casually drops to Marc that he saw Hydra kill someone . . . a moment given extra weight because he's too young to understand what just happened).
It all adds up to a potent mix and what astounds time and again is just how good May is at this without being flashy. She folds in a wealth of detail about her future history, her usual interesting way of writing psychics, a good examination of far flung family dynamics and throws in a serial killer almost as an aside and yet the book still chugs along without coming across as too bloated. Granted she has a trilogy to work all this stuff out but if she didn't tell something resembling a complete story in this volume or if she totally turned off readers from the get-go, no one would even bother with the rest no matter how good it is. Its thoughtful SF that isn't made with one eye toward needlessly padding it out or snagging a movie/TV deal down the line and given that these days it sometimes seems like writers are machines stuck in the "on" position churning out endless intellectual property there's something charming about reading a book only meant to be a book, old fashioned in a way that really shouldn't be old.
June 9, 2019
Grand Master Marc Remillard is summoned by his little brother from days away across the galaxy, and he obeys. Marc is thirteen years old, but his mind powers are so strong he thought no one could coerce him – until Jack. Jack isn’t even born yet. Unless Marc can help, he may never be born.
A genetic assay shows Jack has so many lethal genes his body would be hopelessly ill, and if the Government has its way, he will be aborted as soon as he is discovered. Marc is determined that a mind as strong as Jack’s must survive. He thinks that logic, not love for Jack and his mother, rules his choice.
Marc, his mother Teresa, and their Uncle Rogi are risking the death penalty by hiding the pregnancy. The reason they hope to survive is that the harsh alien government is scheduled to end before Jack is born, and humans are due to take over their own governance. The father of Marc and Jack, Paul Remillard, is expected to be elected First Magnate of the new government; all six of Paul’s brothers and sisters have been named among the new Hundred Magnates. Far from sympathizing with Theresa’s pregnancy, though, this talented, ambitious family is severely embarrassed by the felonies of their kin.
Jack’s illegal conception isn’t even the worst of it. Someone among the Remillards is conducting a campaign to kill people who endanger the high Remillard destiny. Somehow, during the death of Rogi’s nephew Victor (whose crimes are detailed in INTERVENTION), a mental entity calling itself Fury has been born, and it has attached itself as an undetectable second personality to one of the Remillards. It has devoted slaves, collectively known as Hydra, who do the actual killing. As long as no one knows who is carrying Fury, none of the most powerful Remillards can be trusted. The political implications could be deadly. But for some unknown reason the Lylmik, the overlords of the Galactic Milieu, unwaveringly protect the Remillards.
Dominating this story is Jack. There are so many people with personal and political issues about Jack’s existence that we don’t get to his birth until two-thirds of the way through the book, but he is too impressive to be forgotten. We participate in his in-utero education, his relations with Teresa and Rogi as they wait in hiding for the time when they can reveal themselves, and his reactions to “outsiders” searching for them. It is all brilliantly imagined. I felt there was a bit too much philosophical exposition in the conversations between Jack and his mother, but there is humor, too. It tickles my funnybone to read a long, closely reasoned but naïve evaluation ending in “said the fetus.”
This tone of naivety is about the only thing that reminds us we are dealing with a child. Jack and Marc are both youngsters – towering intellects doing their best to relate in a society not designed for them. Except for a few college friends of Marc’s, they dwarf everyone around them. Jack, especially, is fated to be a freak if he can’t find a way to fit in. It would be a shame for such a loving heart to be outcast.
By this time, those who have read The Saga of Pliocene Exile and INTERVENTION know why the Lylmik are protecting the Remillards. I have friends who have read JACK THE BODILESS without reading the preceding books; they read with pleasure but not with the same understanding. The entire nine-book cycle is a high-momentum, intelligent, pleasantly complex, movingly human ride, and I strongly recommend you get the full enjoyment of it by starting at the beginning.
The sequel to JACK THE BODILESS is DIAMOND MASK, recognizable to readers of The Saga of Pliocene Exile as Jack’s wife and co-savior of the Galactic Milieu.
Read 5 times
A genetic assay shows Jack has so many lethal genes his body would be hopelessly ill, and if the Government has its way, he will be aborted as soon as he is discovered. Marc is determined that a mind as strong as Jack’s must survive. He thinks that logic, not love for Jack and his mother, rules his choice.
Marc, his mother Teresa, and their Uncle Rogi are risking the death penalty by hiding the pregnancy. The reason they hope to survive is that the harsh alien government is scheduled to end before Jack is born, and humans are due to take over their own governance. The father of Marc and Jack, Paul Remillard, is expected to be elected First Magnate of the new government; all six of Paul’s brothers and sisters have been named among the new Hundred Magnates. Far from sympathizing with Theresa’s pregnancy, though, this talented, ambitious family is severely embarrassed by the felonies of their kin.
Jack’s illegal conception isn’t even the worst of it. Someone among the Remillards is conducting a campaign to kill people who endanger the high Remillard destiny. Somehow, during the death of Rogi’s nephew Victor (whose crimes are detailed in INTERVENTION), a mental entity calling itself Fury has been born, and it has attached itself as an undetectable second personality to one of the Remillards. It has devoted slaves, collectively known as Hydra, who do the actual killing. As long as no one knows who is carrying Fury, none of the most powerful Remillards can be trusted. The political implications could be deadly. But for some unknown reason the Lylmik, the overlords of the Galactic Milieu, unwaveringly protect the Remillards.
Dominating this story is Jack. There are so many people with personal and political issues about Jack’s existence that we don’t get to his birth until two-thirds of the way through the book, but he is too impressive to be forgotten. We participate in his in-utero education, his relations with Teresa and Rogi as they wait in hiding for the time when they can reveal themselves, and his reactions to “outsiders” searching for them. It is all brilliantly imagined. I felt there was a bit too much philosophical exposition in the conversations between Jack and his mother, but there is humor, too. It tickles my funnybone to read a long, closely reasoned but naïve evaluation ending in “said the fetus.”
This tone of naivety is about the only thing that reminds us we are dealing with a child. Jack and Marc are both youngsters – towering intellects doing their best to relate in a society not designed for them. Except for a few college friends of Marc’s, they dwarf everyone around them. Jack, especially, is fated to be a freak if he can’t find a way to fit in. It would be a shame for such a loving heart to be outcast.
By this time, those who have read The Saga of Pliocene Exile and INTERVENTION know why the Lylmik are protecting the Remillards. I have friends who have read JACK THE BODILESS without reading the preceding books; they read with pleasure but not with the same understanding. The entire nine-book cycle is a high-momentum, intelligent, pleasantly complex, movingly human ride, and I strongly recommend you get the full enjoyment of it by starting at the beginning.
The sequel to JACK THE BODILESS is DIAMOND MASK, recognizable to readers of The Saga of Pliocene Exile as Jack’s wife and co-savior of the Galactic Milieu.
Read 5 times
April 13, 2010
This is one of the best series I have read. Though I read it back in the 80's, I have since re-read it a couple of times and I still find it engaging. Personal tastes I suppose...
January 2, 2013
read before June 1993
love this whole series, but especially liked this part of it
love this whole series, but especially liked this part of it
June 7, 2013
One of my favorite books. This is the first one that sucked me into the Galactic Milieu series and then later into the Pliocene prequel series. So Jack the Bodiless is technically book #6 since its based in the future, but only if you look at like the stupid Star Wars re-numbering insanity lol. Actually its Pliocene 1-4, Intervention which is book 5 (though some countries broke it into two books) and then the Galactic Milieu which are books 6-8. (honestly I had to re-edit this as I confused myself). I guess there's an argument about which to start with first, but I'm not sure it really matters that much, you'll get ah ha moments either way. Lastly the Pliocene series reads more like a fantasy story as the technology is used more like magic.
Back to Jack. Its based in the future where there is high technology, burgeoning psychic powers, and alien proctors helping Earth become part of the galactic milieu (kinda like Star Trek: Enterprise with less bitchy Vulcans). The story's main character is Jack who belongs to a relatively rich and influential family, which has the genetic mutation that allows psychic abilities (even though they don't say it you know there has to be some cousin on cousin action going on to keep that gene in the family). Jack ends up with the full whammo of the mutation and develops what they believe is cancer and his body is eaten away, but either due to this being a part of his natural development or his innate ability being fully activated, he sheds his body and basically becomes a floating brain with the ability to control matter at the atomic level. Luckily he makes a body out of whatever is laying around, because the whole floating brain thing makes it a challenge to have him interact with other characters. Even though that sounds completely insane it actually works out fine and you forget that hes really just a floating brain. The rest of the story involves him and his numerous relatives, but mostly his crazy Uncle and their near soap opera intrigue. I'm not sure how Julian May does it but what should be insanity ends up being intriguing and intelligent.
Back to Jack. Its based in the future where there is high technology, burgeoning psychic powers, and alien proctors helping Earth become part of the galactic milieu (kinda like Star Trek: Enterprise with less bitchy Vulcans). The story's main character is Jack who belongs to a relatively rich and influential family, which has the genetic mutation that allows psychic abilities (even though they don't say it you know there has to be some cousin on cousin action going on to keep that gene in the family). Jack ends up with the full whammo of the mutation and develops what they believe is cancer and his body is eaten away, but either due to this being a part of his natural development or his innate ability being fully activated, he sheds his body and basically becomes a floating brain with the ability to control matter at the atomic level. Luckily he makes a body out of whatever is laying around, because the whole floating brain thing makes it a challenge to have him interact with other characters. Even though that sounds completely insane it actually works out fine and you forget that hes really just a floating brain. The rest of the story involves him and his numerous relatives, but mostly his crazy Uncle and their near soap opera intrigue. I'm not sure how Julian May does it but what should be insanity ends up being intriguing and intelligent.
March 27, 2011
The scope of this saga spanning eight novels is staggering. A gate is opened to the past, specifically the Pliocene era. But it is a one-way trip. Adventurous souls travel back, and find a world unlike any they could imagine. Epic conflict rages between ancient races, and the future destiny of man is decided. The initial four books make up The Saga of Pliocene Exile.
* The Many-Coloured Land
* The Golden Torc
* The Nonborn King
* The Adversary
These can be read as a standalone series, but who would want to stop there?
The “bridge” book deals with first contact and the emergence of humans with “supernatural” powers such as telekinesis.
* Intervention. In the US edition this was divided into “Intervention: Surveillance” and “Intervention: Metaconcert”.
The Galactic Milieu Trilogy deals with events after humanity has entered the galactic community.
* Jack the Bodiless
* Diamond Mask
* Magnificat
What surprised me as I finally finished the whole thing was how May had meticulously planned the entire arc from the very beginning, with elements important to the last novels referenced in the first. This lends the whole series a sense of completion rare in such works. Considering the fact that it took over 12 years to write, the achievement is even more impressive.
The characters are amazing, with rich depths and particular quirks that blend in well with the evolving destiny of humankind. The settings, especially in Exiles are fabulous.
Unfortunately, the US covers are beyond awful, but don’t be put off by that. Also unfortunately, the books are out of print, but can be easily found second hand.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=236
* The Many-Coloured Land
* The Golden Torc
* The Nonborn King
* The Adversary
These can be read as a standalone series, but who would want to stop there?
The “bridge” book deals with first contact and the emergence of humans with “supernatural” powers such as telekinesis.
* Intervention. In the US edition this was divided into “Intervention: Surveillance” and “Intervention: Metaconcert”.
The Galactic Milieu Trilogy deals with events after humanity has entered the galactic community.
* Jack the Bodiless
* Diamond Mask
* Magnificat
What surprised me as I finally finished the whole thing was how May had meticulously planned the entire arc from the very beginning, with elements important to the last novels referenced in the first. This lends the whole series a sense of completion rare in such works. Considering the fact that it took over 12 years to write, the achievement is even more impressive.
The characters are amazing, with rich depths and particular quirks that blend in well with the evolving destiny of humankind. The settings, especially in Exiles are fabulous.
Unfortunately, the US covers are beyond awful, but don’t be put off by that. Also unfortunately, the books are out of print, but can be easily found second hand.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=236
May 7, 2011
I first read this back in 1992 when it was published and felt it was one of the best sci-fi books I had read to that point. When I saw that it was released on the Kindle I scooped it, and the rest of the Galactic Milieu series, up and hoped it was as good as I remembered. It was. The book hasn't really grown old, the technology that she writes about is not out-dated, the central theme of the book -metaphysical powers, the effect of being a immature part of a galactic unity and the desire to stay independent, are still fresh for me. And above all the book is very well written, you get to know and understand the characters, the mystery is deep and while you may or may not figure out who the hydra is early on there are other things that remain a mystery long past the end of the book (even into the second book in the series and the plot is complex. I found that I didn't want to put the book down even though I remembered a good portion of the story. Now I hope that the first two series that are the prequels for this series.
January 24, 2007
How can you go wrong with a book that starts with "It was a dark and stormy night..."? This is the first book of The Galactic Milieu Trilogy. In addition there is a set of prequels and post-quels to the trilogy.
I'm a sucker for good plot and this series definitely has it. In addition, it also has great humor, lots of big words (a dictionary by my side at all times), and impeccable research (who knew that you could still buy ice axes are REI in the year 2113?).
And so the first paragraph continues with "...as so many nights were on Denali, where topography and climate conspired to produce some of the Galaxy's worst weather. Worst from a human point of view, of course, unless that human was addicted to Nordic skiing..."
I'm a sucker for good plot and this series definitely has it. In addition, it also has great humor, lots of big words (a dictionary by my side at all times), and impeccable research (who knew that you could still buy ice axes are REI in the year 2113?).
And so the first paragraph continues with "...as so many nights were on Denali, where topography and climate conspired to produce some of the Galaxy's worst weather. Worst from a human point of view, of course, unless that human was addicted to Nordic skiing..."
June 17, 2013
Galactic Milieu is probably my favourite series ever. I re-read all of them (including the prequels Surveillance and Metaconcert) every few years or so and they never disappoint. In my opinion, one of the strengths of this series is its characterisation. I adore Jack (who despite his physical state is so very very human), but I also love Rogi and Marc and Denis and Dorothea/Diamond Mask and basically all of the other characters. In some places the writing gets a bit tedious (I don't particularly care how much cheese etc. they take with them) and telepathic speech is a bit unclear at times and could have benefited from different formatting (italicising). Other than that, I absolutely loved it. The intricate plot, the brilliant characterisation... A must-read, in my opinion.
October 31, 2021
10/10
What a unique book—a survival story (really, two of them—Rogi and Teresa in the wilderness and then Jack after his birth), but also the stories of the seeds of rebellion, the diabolical plots of the murderous Hydra and Fury, and the politics of bringing the human of Earth into the Galactic Milieu. Can’t wait to continue this series!
What a unique book—a survival story (really, two of them—Rogi and Teresa in the wilderness and then Jack after his birth), but also the stories of the seeds of rebellion, the diabolical plots of the murderous Hydra and Fury, and the politics of bringing the human of Earth into the Galactic Milieu. Can’t wait to continue this series!
August 31, 2020
After rereading Intervention back in March, I quickly realised I'd also be rereading the next books in the series and possibly also going back to the Saga of the Exiles.
Sure enough, here I am, rereading Jack the Bodiless and I loved it all over again.
I am having so much fun rereading these, especially picking up the hints for the revelations I now know are coming, and I look forward to moving on to Diamond Mask, hopefully before too many months go by.
Sure enough, here I am, rereading Jack the Bodiless and I loved it all over again.
I am having so much fun rereading these, especially picking up the hints for the revelations I now know are coming, and I look forward to moving on to Diamond Mask, hopefully before too many months go by.
December 29, 2013
The strongest of the four books in May's Galactic Milieu series, Jack the Bodiless packs a punch that will leave readers breathless. Brilliant plotting. (Note that the series starts with a prequel, Intervention.)
June 1, 2022
Mooie vervolg op het land der zieners 1 en 2 en start van de trilogie over het galactisch milieu.
July 29, 2013
Amazing book, so well written and such a gripping plot.
Intervention has happened and Earth is on the brink of being accepted into the Galactic milieu but things are not running smoothly, a metapsychic child is born to Teresa Kendall a member of the Remillard dynasty, he is an incredibly gifted being who is fighting for his own survival against medical odds as his body is fighting against him and only his mind is keeping him alive together with the help of medical science.
Uncle Rogi and Marc Remillard are especially affected by Jack's medical problems as they have battled hard for him to be born and to survive against the reproductive laws and the family judgements so in consequence are very attuned to Jack's mind and listen when he tells them of a threat that could affect him, the rest of the Remillard family and also humanity and the Galactic milieu.
Amidst this dramatic time in Earth's history and tangled political and social climate an evil entity is born and is stalking the Remillard family and casting doubt as to their validity within the political sphere by overshadowing their careers with rumours of murder and deception.
Fury is born and is slowly wiping out the Remillards and other operant humans by sucking their vital and psychic life forces.
But Fury is not working alone his sidekick Hydra is a five fold entity and is an amalgam of a metaconcert of five minds doing Fury's bidding.
But the key to trying to find Fury is to get at Hydra first before anymore deaths but can the Remillards and in particular Marc Remillard and old Uncle Rogi find any clues in time and also save Jack Remillard before Fury turns his evil on him too to wipe out the strongest mind the world has ever seen.
A sweeping epic that really makes you think and also well worth reading but not to be undertaken lightly or for a casual read as there many books in the series and they are all inextricably interlinked so would not make sense if read alone.
Intervention has happened and Earth is on the brink of being accepted into the Galactic milieu but things are not running smoothly, a metapsychic child is born to Teresa Kendall a member of the Remillard dynasty, he is an incredibly gifted being who is fighting for his own survival against medical odds as his body is fighting against him and only his mind is keeping him alive together with the help of medical science.
Uncle Rogi and Marc Remillard are especially affected by Jack's medical problems as they have battled hard for him to be born and to survive against the reproductive laws and the family judgements so in consequence are very attuned to Jack's mind and listen when he tells them of a threat that could affect him, the rest of the Remillard family and also humanity and the Galactic milieu.
Amidst this dramatic time in Earth's history and tangled political and social climate an evil entity is born and is stalking the Remillard family and casting doubt as to their validity within the political sphere by overshadowing their careers with rumours of murder and deception.
Fury is born and is slowly wiping out the Remillards and other operant humans by sucking their vital and psychic life forces.
But Fury is not working alone his sidekick Hydra is a five fold entity and is an amalgam of a metaconcert of five minds doing Fury's bidding.
But the key to trying to find Fury is to get at Hydra first before anymore deaths but can the Remillards and in particular Marc Remillard and old Uncle Rogi find any clues in time and also save Jack Remillard before Fury turns his evil on him too to wipe out the strongest mind the world has ever seen.
A sweeping epic that really makes you think and also well worth reading but not to be undertaken lightly or for a casual read as there many books in the series and they are all inextricably interlinked so would not make sense if read alone.
January 18, 2010
Within the first 13 chapters I realized this book had a fatal flaw -- multiple personality disorder. Rogi is the protagonist, and he works in that regard. But there are at least a dozen other characters, many of them too minor to deserve a POV of their own. Due to this fact, I never felt a great connection to any of the characters. The reader never stays in the head of any of them long enough (with the sole exception of Rogi). The POV problem felt glaring, especially early on. I didn't like jumping into first person POV for Rogi's "memoirs" and back to third person for the rest. It added to the inconsistency of the book.
Too much telling. Some was interesting, some not so much. It added to the detachment I felt from the characters. I especially disliked reading characters rehash historic and philosophical stuff. Skipped through some because it felt like I was being lectured to. And it didn't have much relevance. Too many adverbs. Passive voice needed some work as well. Terrible opening hook. Too much foreshadowing.
The plot just wasn't all that interesting. Same old cliche mysterious entity causing havoc while others try to determine whodunit. Very little action or sense of danger despite the fact there was the potential for it. No fleshing out of the villain. The other thread followed Jack, but due to the way the story was framed, the reader more or less knows how it will turn out. While the relationship between Rogi-Teresa-Marc-Jack was developed well, it felt like that's all the book was.
The speculative universe didn't seem that imaginative. The alien races were interesting but they played no major role in the book. The telepathic conversations needed work, formatting wise. I didn't care for how that was done.
A little disappointed in this one. By fixing a few things, it could've been pretty decent. It was just too all over the place for me.
Too much telling. Some was interesting, some not so much. It added to the detachment I felt from the characters. I especially disliked reading characters rehash historic and philosophical stuff. Skipped through some because it felt like I was being lectured to. And it didn't have much relevance. Too many adverbs. Passive voice needed some work as well. Terrible opening hook. Too much foreshadowing.
The plot just wasn't all that interesting. Same old cliche mysterious entity causing havoc while others try to determine whodunit. Very little action or sense of danger despite the fact there was the potential for it. No fleshing out of the villain. The other thread followed Jack, but due to the way the story was framed, the reader more or less knows how it will turn out. While the relationship between Rogi-Teresa-Marc-Jack was developed well, it felt like that's all the book was.
The speculative universe didn't seem that imaginative. The alien races were interesting but they played no major role in the book. The telepathic conversations needed work, formatting wise. I didn't care for how that was done.
A little disappointed in this one. By fixing a few things, it could've been pretty decent. It was just too all over the place for me.
June 23, 2020
Despite being a long and 'wordy' tome that covers only a couple of years of the Remillard dynasty where the titular character isn't even born for the first 3/4 of the book, this was compelling reading. The strongest element of the book is Uncle Rogi, the narrator, who is a lovable rogue who somehow carries the entire Remillard clan through all their trials and tribulations. The character of Marc is also very relatable while he's still yet to begin his obsessions over Mental Man.
This book also deals with some philosophical and cultural discussions including God, equality, eugenics and freedom.
There's also a serial killer going about bumping off characters occasionally. This adds a good bit of mystery and impending threat to the story.
As a reread, I had forgotten quite a bit of it, but had retained enough to know the main beats. The 'spoiler' at the beginning of the book featuring the Remillard family tree including birth and death dates should be avoided as a first read to avoid giving away certain plot details.
Totally compelling and hugely enjoyable.
This book also deals with some philosophical and cultural discussions including God, equality, eugenics and freedom.
There's also a serial killer going about bumping off characters occasionally. This adds a good bit of mystery and impending threat to the story.
As a reread, I had forgotten quite a bit of it, but had retained enough to know the main beats. The 'spoiler' at the beginning of the book featuring the Remillard family tree including birth and death dates should be avoided as a first read to avoid giving away certain plot details.
Totally compelling and hugely enjoyable.
July 13, 2019
An absolute blockbuster of a fantasy novel. The future is full of aliens and humanity is developing mind powers to rival and overtake even the most powerful of the 5 species of alien who participate in a mental Unity. Mankind’s acceptance into this Galactic Milieu is dependent on their good behaviour, and this includes some reproductive restrictions. Teresa Remillard is willing to flaunt the restrictions placed on her as she believes the baby growing within her will have amazing powers and play a significant role in humanity’s future despite his destructive genes.
Good old Uncle Rogi is persuaded to hide Teresa in the frozen north until the baby is born. Meanwhile the mind creatures Fury and Hydra are running amock and posing a real hazard to the Remillard dynasty.
Evocative writing and a great plot make this one of my favourite books.
Good old Uncle Rogi is persuaded to hide Teresa in the frozen north until the baby is born. Meanwhile the mind creatures Fury and Hydra are running amock and posing a real hazard to the Remillard dynasty.
Evocative writing and a great plot make this one of my favourite books.
August 4, 2024
This book had crazy vocabulary and it took a bit to get into the story, but I couldn't stop reading. I ordered the second book in the series through my library and can't wait to find out more about the characters.
Don't bother reading this book if you don't plan on reading the whole series though, because none of the plot lines were wrapped up by the end of this book really, there's great development, lots of excitement, and many deaths, but every bit of new information leads to more questions; looking forward to getting the rest of the story.
Don't bother reading this book if you don't plan on reading the whole series though, because none of the plot lines were wrapped up by the end of this book really, there's great development, lots of excitement, and many deaths, but every bit of new information leads to more questions; looking forward to getting the rest of the story.
March 31, 2007
Simply the best space opera, and the best series of novels I've ever read. This is the first of the nine, and while the last three show signs of fatigue, these novels capture a cast of characters, and one in Marc Remillard, that are truly memorable. From the worlds and milieu May imagines to her evocative themes, the novels capture humanity with all its foibles and promise, and if you stick around for #6, you'll get the best plot twist in all of bookdom.
August 3, 2008
This book was kinda interesting. It was just good enough for me to finish, but when it was over I realized it was total garbage. Most of what happens in the middle of the book doesn't have any bearing whatsoever on the end or the beginning. It's about 300 pages of wasted words. If it weren't for the somewhat amusing character of Uncle Rogi, I would've given up on it long ago. As it stands, I started reading the second one, and I may never stop regretting that mistake.
October 7, 2013
I've read it before. Enjoyed it more now. Family and Science. What a combo. Hollywood should try this series. Don't know why they haven't. Humans & Exotics just trying to get along. A very sick little boy to worry about. And a Metapsychic bogyman to contend with. A trilogy that ends and circles around to begin with The Pliocene Exiles series. This trilogy starts with The Intervention duo and shouldn't be missed.
May 30, 2020
The Galactic Milieu Trilogy is my ABSOLUTE favorite within Scifi. I read the books before #3 was ready, and had to wait impatiently for the end of the plot.
I have read the Trilogy at least 3 times - and often think about the characters.
I have read the Trilogy at least 3 times - and often think about the characters.
July 20, 2016
This is one of my all time favorite SF books. EXCELLENT!
This actually falls in the "middle" of the world Julian May has created, but it was an EXCELLENT place to dive in.
This actually falls in the "middle" of the world Julian May has created, but it was an EXCELLENT place to dive in.
September 28, 2015
Characters were too self absorbed for me to get all the way through this. Then there's the prospect of two more lengthy novels. Couldn't make myself do it.
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