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Quintara Marathon #1
The Demons at Rainbow Bridge
Three unique empires threatened by the discovery of alternate life...
The Exchange are consuming the universe's resources through the powers of their cybernetic leaders.
The Mycohlians are parasitic beings who, like a virus, can invade and take over other life forms.
The Mizlaplan are a brilliant, long-lived race who will use any means possible to spread the word of the Cosmic All.
These three empires, maintaining a delicate balance of power, have very little in common - except a strange, recurring legend of a horned demon. Now, a shocking event will change their lives the discovery of two horned creatures, seemingly lifeless and perfectly preserved...
The Exchange are consuming the universe's resources through the powers of their cybernetic leaders.
The Mycohlians are parasitic beings who, like a virus, can invade and take over other life forms.
The Mizlaplan are a brilliant, long-lived race who will use any means possible to spread the word of the Cosmic All.
These three empires, maintaining a delicate balance of power, have very little in common - except a strange, recurring legend of a horned demon. Now, a shocking event will change their lives the discovery of two horned creatures, seemingly lifeless and perfectly preserved...
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1989
9 people are currently reading
406 people want to read
About the author
Jack L. Chalker
132 books354 followersBesides being a science fiction author, Jack Laurence Chalker was a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for a time, a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake.
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 15, 2011
Ahhhh...my first Jack L. Chalker novel. For some time, I’ve had a handful of Chalker's books sitting around patiently waiting for me to pick one up and give it a try. The problem was that the CHEESY covers and the even CHEESIER titles had me thinking that they would be ...sort of...well...
At best, they seemed like mediocre to decent “light” read that would not overly tax my brain matter. Well after finishing American Psycho and starting Atlas Shrugged my brain cells were fried and in need of some down time. Then, I saw this book and thought that a “light” read was EXACTLY what I needed. Sort of a literary sorbet to cleanse the mind palate.
Well, much to my surprise, the story turned out to be pretty good with some interesting ideas and concepts and a fast-paced engaging story. The background of the story (which in this first book of a trilogy is probably 80% of the whole book) is that there are 3 distinct galactic “empires” each controlling about a third of the known galaxy and comprising hundreds of species. Humans, who had the unfortunate luck to be expanding into space at one of the intersections of the three empires, have been incorporated into all three empires, making up a minority, and relatively powerless, class in each one.
Much of the book is spent introducing us to the three empires (one section taking place in each so that the reader can learn the background of each society as well as the organizational structure of their governments). At the same time, the overall plot framing the narrative (which I will discuss below) is being slowly advanced and leading up to the final section of the book.
Empire #1 is The Exchange (think stock exchange) and is based on a laissez-faire, free market economy. The Exchange is ruled by the unseen “Guardians” who maintains its rule by controlling the exchange by which all goods and services are bartered and in maintaining a monopoly on the military (think Gordon Gecko from Wall Street)
.
.
.
Empire #2 is The Mizlaplan. This empire is ruled as a Theocracy where the governing race, the Mizlaplans, are literally viewed as gods. The Mizlaplan have the ability (though only in close physical proximity) to completely override the free will of any sentient being (other than the Mycohilians that make up Empire #3) and create complete devotion to them. Dissidents or “non-believers” are subject to a forced and permanent conversion to the One Faith. Thus, the whole society is predicated on fervent religious mania keeping everyone in line.
.
.
.
Empire #3 is The Mycohilians which is shown as a brutal, militaristic empire where advancement and achievement through one’s own skill (and by any means necessary) is valued above all. This one reminded me a lot of the “mirror universe” version of Star Fleet from Star Trek.
As I mentioned above, there is considerable time spent “getting to know” each empire in the context of a sub-plot that introduces the major characters. There are a number of interesting alien species along with individuals with various mental powers from each empire (telepathy, empathy and mind control) that add to the flavor of the story’s background.
Okay, once the background of the series is firmly....and I mean firmly established, we finally get to what the framing plot of the story (from which the title is derived) is all about. This I thought was very
.
It turns out that throughout all three empires, which include hundreds of different species and thousands of different belief systems, there is ONE common thread…DEMONS. Each species has in their ancient legends a creature that looks similar to the “classic” human depiction of demons (horns, cloven feet, bat-like wings, etc) and in each culture they represent the epitome of “evil,” except, of course, for the Mycohilians who revere them as the ultimate power and thus the epitome of “good”....it’s that whole mirror universe thing again.
Well the story opens with an Exchange survey ship discovering on an uncharted planet a highly advanced and non-indigenous structure that contains two perfectly preserved specimens of...drum roll please...you guessed it...DEMONS. From there it is a race among all three empires to claim the planet and discover the secret of these legendary creatures that appear to be over a million years old.
Good writing, solid world-building and an interesting plot. I liked it and intend to read the next book in the series which brings me to my final comment. The book ends on a cliff-hanger so you might want to have book two of the series in hand when you start. 3.5 Stars Recommended!!!
At best, they seemed like mediocre to decent “light” read that would not overly tax my brain matter. Well after finishing American Psycho and starting Atlas Shrugged my brain cells were fried and in need of some down time. Then, I saw this book and thought that a “light” read was EXACTLY what I needed. Sort of a literary sorbet to cleanse the mind palate.
Well, much to my surprise, the story turned out to be pretty good with some interesting ideas and concepts and a fast-paced engaging story. The background of the story (which in this first book of a trilogy is probably 80% of the whole book) is that there are 3 distinct galactic “empires” each controlling about a third of the known galaxy and comprising hundreds of species. Humans, who had the unfortunate luck to be expanding into space at one of the intersections of the three empires, have been incorporated into all three empires, making up a minority, and relatively powerless, class in each one.
Much of the book is spent introducing us to the three empires (one section taking place in each so that the reader can learn the background of each society as well as the organizational structure of their governments). At the same time, the overall plot framing the narrative (which I will discuss below) is being slowly advanced and leading up to the final section of the book.
Empire #1 is The Exchange (think stock exchange) and is based on a laissez-faire, free market economy. The Exchange is ruled by the unseen “Guardians” who maintains its rule by controlling the exchange by which all goods and services are bartered and in maintaining a monopoly on the military (think Gordon Gecko from Wall Street)
.
.
.
Empire #2 is The Mizlaplan. This empire is ruled as a Theocracy where the governing race, the Mizlaplans, are literally viewed as gods. The Mizlaplan have the ability (though only in close physical proximity) to completely override the free will of any sentient being (other than the Mycohilians that make up Empire #3) and create complete devotion to them. Dissidents or “non-believers” are subject to a forced and permanent conversion to the One Faith. Thus, the whole society is predicated on fervent religious mania keeping everyone in line.
.
.
.
Empire #3 is The Mycohilians which is shown as a brutal, militaristic empire where advancement and achievement through one’s own skill (and by any means necessary) is valued above all. This one reminded me a lot of the “mirror universe” version of Star Fleet from Star Trek.
As I mentioned above, there is considerable time spent “getting to know” each empire in the context of a sub-plot that introduces the major characters. There are a number of interesting alien species along with individuals with various mental powers from each empire (telepathy, empathy and mind control) that add to the flavor of the story’s background.
Okay, once the background of the series is firmly....and I mean firmly established, we finally get to what the framing plot of the story (from which the title is derived) is all about. This I thought was very
. It turns out that throughout all three empires, which include hundreds of different species and thousands of different belief systems, there is ONE common thread…DEMONS. Each species has in their ancient legends a creature that looks similar to the “classic” human depiction of demons (horns, cloven feet, bat-like wings, etc) and in each culture they represent the epitome of “evil,” except, of course, for the Mycohilians who revere them as the ultimate power and thus the epitome of “good”....it’s that whole mirror universe thing again.
Well the story opens with an Exchange survey ship discovering on an uncharted planet a highly advanced and non-indigenous structure that contains two perfectly preserved specimens of...drum roll please...you guessed it...DEMONS. From there it is a race among all three empires to claim the planet and discover the secret of these legendary creatures that appear to be over a million years old.
Good writing, solid world-building and an interesting plot. I liked it and intend to read the next book in the series which brings me to my final comment. The book ends on a cliff-hanger so you might want to have book two of the series in hand when you start. 3.5 Stars Recommended!!!
September 21, 2018
86 points/100 (4 ½ stars/5)
February 20, 2025
It's crazy how well Chalker painted a picture of as many characters as he did, across three separate backgrounds, in less than 300 pages. A fairly creative premise to me, though I had forgotten in part that this book is ... pretty much all prologue, as the demons from the title are never actively seen on the page. I did have to roll my eyes at Chalker's Soviet references (this was first published in '89).
February 12, 2025
chalker is unfortunately one of that breed of scifi authors who sees high technology settings as an opportunity to invent new forms of female trauma
April 25, 2010
This series was most interesting for its three rival galactic empires: you had the hyper-capitalist society which casually discards the poor and disenfranchised; the religious theocracy where believers live happy, carefree lives but dissidents are turned into mind-controlled slaves; and the military empire run as a brutal meritocracy.
There were protagonists from each one, and through them we saw that all of their societies were equally repugnant to one another. The characters themselves all had heroic traits, but none of them were, strictly speaking, "good guys" either. This gave the story a wonderfully murky morality, as you could never be sure who you wanted to root for.
The overarching plot, however, of ancient godlike beings frozen in stasis, waiting to be unleashed on the galaxy, took a long time to develop.
There were protagonists from each one, and through them we saw that all of their societies were equally repugnant to one another. The characters themselves all had heroic traits, but none of them were, strictly speaking, "good guys" either. This gave the story a wonderfully murky morality, as you could never be sure who you wanted to root for.
The overarching plot, however, of ancient godlike beings frozen in stasis, waiting to be unleashed on the galaxy, took a long time to develop.
October 8, 2019
I picked this up at the local library simply based on the description of the book. And honestly that was also the third time I had done that for a novel by Jack L. Chalker and this series has since become one of my favorites of his.
The story is the universe as we know it is in a kind of uneasy alliance between three main empires. There's the freewheeling Exchange where anything can be bought and sold for a price and nothing is really illegal. There's the holy rollers of the Mizlaplan who want nothing more than to spread the truth of their religion. And then finally there's the brutal and authoritarian empire of the Mycohl. Humans have traveled to the stars and belong in all three empires and people in those empires feel more at home with other denizens of their empire than their own race of people from a different empire. And yet 90% of all the different races in all three empires have similar stories and legends of large bipedal horned creatures that we know as "demons". And today a scout from the Exchange has located two of them, trapped in amber, at a location known as "Rainbow Bridge". Three groups, one from each empire, is on route to this location to secure it for themselves. The Quintara Marathon is now on.
If you've read a lot of Chalker you'll find that there's a lot of... similarity in his works. This series is no different. There are elements that you could almost make a bingo game out of. But that shouldn't distract you from the main story as this is one of the series that seems to avoid a lot of the tropes he's known for. Not all of them mind you but some and others are touched on without going into great detail.
The characters are quite interesting and it spends a good deal of time talking about them and expanding on the different empires before they all arrive on Rainbow Bridge. Nothing really deep although in some cases I felt the characters were well defined with actual personalities. Once everybody gets to Rainbow Bridge and discovers what happens the race is well and truly on to discover the story behind these giant horned demons and what their relationship to the three empires is all about.
The story is the universe as we know it is in a kind of uneasy alliance between three main empires. There's the freewheeling Exchange where anything can be bought and sold for a price and nothing is really illegal. There's the holy rollers of the Mizlaplan who want nothing more than to spread the truth of their religion. And then finally there's the brutal and authoritarian empire of the Mycohl. Humans have traveled to the stars and belong in all three empires and people in those empires feel more at home with other denizens of their empire than their own race of people from a different empire. And yet 90% of all the different races in all three empires have similar stories and legends of large bipedal horned creatures that we know as "demons". And today a scout from the Exchange has located two of them, trapped in amber, at a location known as "Rainbow Bridge". Three groups, one from each empire, is on route to this location to secure it for themselves. The Quintara Marathon is now on.
If you've read a lot of Chalker you'll find that there's a lot of... similarity in his works. This series is no different. There are elements that you could almost make a bingo game out of. But that shouldn't distract you from the main story as this is one of the series that seems to avoid a lot of the tropes he's known for. Not all of them mind you but some and others are touched on without going into great detail.
The characters are quite interesting and it spends a good deal of time talking about them and expanding on the different empires before they all arrive on Rainbow Bridge. Nothing really deep although in some cases I felt the characters were well defined with actual personalities. Once everybody gets to Rainbow Bridge and discovers what happens the race is well and truly on to discover the story behind these giant horned demons and what their relationship to the three empires is all about.
April 5, 2025
Premier tome de la série "The Quintara marathon"
Les humains ont essaimé dans la galaxie. Mais ils avaient été précédés et sont assimilés dans les trois grands empires qui se partagent la galaxie dans une neutralité armée. Trois empires qui ont leurs caractéristiques :
L'Échange qui mise sur l'exploitation des ressources et dirigé par des puissances cybernétiques.
Les Mycohlians qui sont portés sur le mal et sont dirigés par de puissants parasites qui peuvent prendre le contrôle des autres formes de vie.
Les Mizlaplan qui abhorrent le mal et visent à répandre la bonté et dont les dirigeants sont considérés comme des dieux qui peuvent imposer leur volonté aux autres.
En plus, à cause des long voyages spatiaux de leurs ancêtres et des radiations subies dans l'espace, certains ont hérité de divers talents comme la télépathie (communication par la pensée), l'empathie (sentir ou projeter des émotions). la télékinésie (bouger les objets sans contact physique), influencer les autres, etc.
Les empires maintiennent un équilibre délicat de balance de pouvoir et partagent toutes de vielles légendes de démons cornus extrêmement puissants et dangereux.
Or, on vient de découvrir, sur une planète en dehors de l'espace connu, des êtres géants, humanoïdes et cornus, conservés dans des enveloppes de cristal et préservés depuis des centaines de millions d'années.
La table est mise. On présente différentes équipes des trois empires, et leurs aventures avant de regrouper tout cela vers la fin. Donc, j'ai été déçu, car l'appât, les démons, semblait appétissant. Mais on a gardé cette aventure surtout pour les romans suivants.
J'ai aimé car l'histoire et les personnages sont intéressants, mais je m'attendais à plus. Espérons que ce n'est que partie remise.
Les humains ont essaimé dans la galaxie. Mais ils avaient été précédés et sont assimilés dans les trois grands empires qui se partagent la galaxie dans une neutralité armée. Trois empires qui ont leurs caractéristiques :
L'Échange qui mise sur l'exploitation des ressources et dirigé par des puissances cybernétiques.
Les Mycohlians qui sont portés sur le mal et sont dirigés par de puissants parasites qui peuvent prendre le contrôle des autres formes de vie.
Les Mizlaplan qui abhorrent le mal et visent à répandre la bonté et dont les dirigeants sont considérés comme des dieux qui peuvent imposer leur volonté aux autres.
En plus, à cause des long voyages spatiaux de leurs ancêtres et des radiations subies dans l'espace, certains ont hérité de divers talents comme la télépathie (communication par la pensée), l'empathie (sentir ou projeter des émotions). la télékinésie (bouger les objets sans contact physique), influencer les autres, etc.
Les empires maintiennent un équilibre délicat de balance de pouvoir et partagent toutes de vielles légendes de démons cornus extrêmement puissants et dangereux.
Or, on vient de découvrir, sur une planète en dehors de l'espace connu, des êtres géants, humanoïdes et cornus, conservés dans des enveloppes de cristal et préservés depuis des centaines de millions d'années.
La table est mise. On présente différentes équipes des trois empires, et leurs aventures avant de regrouper tout cela vers la fin. Donc, j'ai été déçu, car l'appât, les démons, semblait appétissant. Mais on a gardé cette aventure surtout pour les romans suivants.
J'ai aimé car l'histoire et les personnages sont intéressants, mais je m'attendais à plus. Espérons que ce n'est que partie remise.
October 9, 2022
Chalker writes a novel that is approximately 1000 pages, breaks it down into chapters of 30 pages each and splits those chapters into 3 books of 13. This is one story in 3 books. The first is quite good. It introduces the reader to 3 parties of adventurers from conflicting worlds. In all something like 15 characters, some with special abilities, usually to do with reading minds. The 3 parties embark on the same quest and meet at the end of the first book on the planet with the demons.
The second book has our 3 groups killing each other for the majority of the time. I found this a little repetitive and was mostly bored by the end.
In the third book, what's left of the 3 parties, realise they have to group together to defeat the common enemy. This is where our author appears to significantly increased the dosage of what ever drug he was smoking when he thought up this adventure. What had been mostly a sci-fi story has now turned into a cross between Alice in Wonderland, Hammer horror and Marvel. All the characters that are left have gained super-powers, and they use wooden spikes, silver crosses and pentagons to combat the enemy. Not only did I lose what was left of a plot, I also lost interest in any of the characters and reading any further. I did manage to finish, but little made any sense, and I have no interest in trying to figure out what was going through author's mind at the end.
The second book has our 3 groups killing each other for the majority of the time. I found this a little repetitive and was mostly bored by the end.
In the third book, what's left of the 3 parties, realise they have to group together to defeat the common enemy. This is where our author appears to significantly increased the dosage of what ever drug he was smoking when he thought up this adventure. What had been mostly a sci-fi story has now turned into a cross between Alice in Wonderland, Hammer horror and Marvel. All the characters that are left have gained super-powers, and they use wooden spikes, silver crosses and pentagons to combat the enemy. Not only did I lose what was left of a plot, I also lost interest in any of the characters and reading any further. I did manage to finish, but little made any sense, and I have no interest in trying to figure out what was going through author's mind at the end.
October 2, 2020
I'm primarily a fantasy reader, so Sci-Fi is a wonderful change of pace for me most of the time. And this book was no exception. Dropped into three separate narratives that come together in the end, it's a fascinating tale of finding similarities despite all the differences - whether between alien races, empires, or even just men and women. It's a tad dated, as Sci-Fi is destined to become with each new technological advance of the real world, but it still holds up well and its theme is not lost in the slightest.
I think the most brilliant part of it is how we're first introduced to Faction #1, and we hear about Factions 2 and 3 from a biased viewpoint. But as the narrative switches to 2 and then eventually to 3, we see that things are not so simple as they seem at the start. The "evil empire" has its questionable beliefs and policies, to be sure, but the people who live within it are not just cut-and-paste bad guys. No more so than all the members of the "holy empire" are all good guys. Life is never so simple.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes, as we only get the briefest glimpses of the titular demons and what they can do.
I think the most brilliant part of it is how we're first introduced to Faction #1, and we hear about Factions 2 and 3 from a biased viewpoint. But as the narrative switches to 2 and then eventually to 3, we see that things are not so simple as they seem at the start. The "evil empire" has its questionable beliefs and policies, to be sure, but the people who live within it are not just cut-and-paste bad guys. No more so than all the members of the "holy empire" are all good guys. Life is never so simple.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes, as we only get the briefest glimpses of the titular demons and what they can do.
March 8, 2020
Starts off strong but then you just wonder where it's all going until you reach the end of the book which is really the beginning of the story... The Demons at Rainbow Bridge is a protracted introduction to a sci-fi/fantasy genre blender that needs more demons. There's some interesting but limited characterization across the three empires - the Exchange, Mizlaplan, and Mycohl. Each has its own belief system and thus, its own reason for needing to respond to a distress signal. The response teams from each empire are variations on a theme, every character has its parallel. Most of the novel is steeped in needless exposition to frame the empires. Hopefully it gets more exciting...
July 9, 2023
How come people don't rave about Jack Chalker?
I loved this book.
I loved the way it has set things up for the next 2 books in the series.
3 empires with different philosophies, but similar mixes of human and alien members.
This book covers the previous mission of each team of talents from each of the empires before they converge on the demon planet. 3 stories with different casts, each generally with a different dilemna and a bit of a twist in the solution, sort of who-dunnits.
Actually having trouble deciding which team I'm barracking for or who my favourite character is.
Hope I don't get disappointed with the next book.
I loved this book.
I loved the way it has set things up for the next 2 books in the series.
3 empires with different philosophies, but similar mixes of human and alien members.
This book covers the previous mission of each team of talents from each of the empires before they converge on the demon planet. 3 stories with different casts, each generally with a different dilemna and a bit of a twist in the solution, sort of who-dunnits.
Actually having trouble deciding which team I'm barracking for or who my favourite character is.
Hope I don't get disappointed with the next book.
July 10, 2021
Interesting idea, not quite perfect execution. Chalker does a pretty good job of giving us three different space empires although only two are really fleshed out. There's the lasiev-faire capitalists, the religious crusaders, and some other group. Strangely enough all three groups seem to have a competent roughish type male captain. And of course, shape shifters and people switching bodies. It's a Chalker book. It takes 300 some pages for everyone to arrive at the "demons" that are introduced in the prologue so don't hope for a fast moving plot.
December 9, 2021
An enticing first entry in a trilogy, with a setting worth getting lost in. Almost a novella collection, it follows three entirely separate protagonist groups until finally setting up the three with what is to be the plot of the following novels, and each story has its own interesting spin based in the characters and factions they represent. Well worth a look for the ideas and world building on display if nothing else, and I personally ended up having a lot of fun with it overall.
June 8, 2022
A good first book to introduce the different races and kingdoms that will be in the following books. You get a good idea of their religion/beliefs, societies and motivations. Looking forward to reading book 2.
July 26, 2017
Jay! Guilty pleasure SF. Interesting concepts - well told (evidence the reading speed).
Diving into the second part of the story with anticipation now...
Diving into the second part of the story with anticipation now...
August 25, 2018
Very slow. You can skip the first book. All setup and important parts are repeated later.
April 25, 2019
Loved this at the time.
June 23, 2021
I love Jack Chalker.
I wish I would have started reading him years ago.
Thankfully he was a prolific author, so I have tons more books to look forward to.
I wish I would have started reading him years ago.
Thankfully he was a prolific author, so I have tons more books to look forward to.
September 23, 2013
I really enjoyed this book - A great mystery adventure. I haven't read all Jack's stuff, but really loved the Rings of the Masters (read that twice), and the Change Winds series. Certainly not hard science, it's
"anything goes" type science fiction, but great characters, and an interesting premise. Reminds me alot of Peirs Anthony's Cluster series. Many different characters, and different intelligent species, but also they are collected in three different cultures - indifferent Capitalists, theistic communists, and a brutal Facist like culture. but it's not really about a political position as much as experiencing their different approaches. Too bad about the juvenile cover art, but dont let it stop you!
"anything goes" type science fiction, but great characters, and an interesting premise. Reminds me alot of Peirs Anthony's Cluster series. Many different characters, and different intelligent species, but also they are collected in three different cultures - indifferent Capitalists, theistic communists, and a brutal Facist like culture. but it's not really about a political position as much as experiencing their different approaches. Too bad about the juvenile cover art, but dont let it stop you!
July 31, 2010
First book in a science fiction trilogy concerning three teams from three different competing galactic civilizations that are investigating a discovery at a boundary of the known universe, called Rainbow Bridge. Three different casts of characters from three differing societies make THE DEMONS OF RAINBOW BRIDGE a sometimes complicated read, but Chalker's story is solid and, along with detailed descriptions of his characters, interesting. Because it is the first book in a trilogy, the book ends rather abruptly. If you make it through the complicated story set-up through to the end, you will be hooked.
November 18, 2013
I was amazed at the complexity, richness and depth and fun of the series. This was the first book. The trilogy is incredibly ambitious. 3 different inter-galactic cultures, with 3 different core organizational paradigms for each culture create teams, one team per culture of 5-7 people each. This book covers how the teams are formed. The sheer number of characters, different paradigms and personalities was just amazing. The plot is further enriched by different members of each team being able to communicate telepathically. Absolutely loved the series, this book, and the creativity Chalker displayed.
January 8, 2024
A good read this one. Bit of a setup up for the rest of the trilogy, with it seems almost like 3 connected novellas here, but all are good, painting a somewhat grim picture of a potential future for humanity amongst other star faring species. The characters are well fleshed out here I think, if somewhat concentrated on humans, but given how well he portrays how differently other races are, I think it only makes sense to concentrate on humans else we would have trouble comprehending it :) Good individual stories, and the overall framing story with the demons is a very intriguing one. Really enjoyable read.
September 11, 2008
Another series that a bit too convoluted and slow moving. The exploration on the three galactic empires, and the species and individuals from those societies, are great. But the main plot element, a race of "demons" and the race to discover and ward off a possible incursion by them, is handled rather boringly.
October 1, 2011
This isn't your usual science fiction, particularly given the H.P. Lovecraftian premise of stumbling upon demons in space. However, I did enjoy Chalker's wide range of alien characters and how easily he delved into the perspectives of the opposing sides sent out on missions to unravel the mystery of these demons suspended animation and, ultimately, how the universe itself manifested.
March 14, 2013
I'm a big fan of all of Chalker's works. Revisiting this trilogy on my complete re-read of his works. The first novel is a good set up for the other two. As usual Chalker does a great job of character creation and creating plot tension. Chalker has written some great series and this one is in the middle to high range in quality of all his works.
June 26, 2018
This is perhaps my favorite Chalker series. The Demons at Rainbow Bridge introduces the three empires and their respective teams which end up chasing the Demons down a rabbit hole. Each of the empires are great in their own way: the uber capitalist Exchange, the evil empire of Mycohl, and the god squad of the Mizlaplan. Fascinating characters with a great story line. 4.5 stars
August 8, 2010
Another brilliant beginning to a series with the seeds of all of Chalker's usual themes. Presented of course in a completely different light. He had such a great imagination and I am very much looking forward to the rest of The Quintara Marathon.
February 17, 2015
I read this a hundred times when I was young and I still think it's a fun space opera with some nice world building (coupled with some old school sci-fi writer iffy dialogue and character choices, sigh). The sequels, though. Oh, the sequels.
May 11, 2008
Best in the series so far, still have to read the third.
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