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The Archives of Varok
The View Beyond Earth
This current first title in the Archives of Varok series, touches questions of sustainability even more relevant today. The story re-imagines the 21st Century Solar System as Tandra, the elll Conn and the varok Orram disentangle the alien from the familiar to reach the embattled human population, and each other.
237 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Cary Neeper
9 books32 followersCurrent Blogs
---Book reviews of critical nonfiction appear on my Goodreads blog--re many issues now critical to today's threats and choices.
--Following new information re astrobiology:
https://astronaut.com/whos-star-chips...
--Exploring work on animal sentience in our animal friends' stories and current books--How The Hen House Turns at the Los Alamos Daily Post (http://ladailypost.com) monthly.
As the author of the Archives of Varok series--set in an alternate 21st century solar system, populated with three or more intelligent (see log lines below)--my challenge has been to stay as realistic as possible in order to portray the frustrations, challenges and solutions of our current dilemmas here on Earth.
Meanwhile, the Kepler discoveries have told us that we are very likely not alone in this universe, so it’s even more important to ask who we are as human beings, a major theme in the books.
In spite of the aliens, I’m realistic about facts like the enormity of space between stars and the energy and time required to travel anywhere else. We are actually isolated out here, so we had better take care of planet Earth, as portrayed in the Archivees.
It could be that one thing I have wrong is the Archives’ time setting of 20-70 C.E. We may not have so many decades left to pull back and get it right. At the same time, the complexity of our lives is real, so that anything we do has the potential to trigger significant effects in the long run, (the theme of The Alien Effect).
See:
https://eauthorresource.wordpress.com/
Here are the brief synopses of The Archives of Varok:
The View Beyond Earth
In a 21st C. Oz (our solar system plus close neighbors) a young woman finds herself in trusting her child's instincts.
The Webs of Varok -(Nautilus Silver Medal 2013 YA Division and ForeWord Finalist for adult scifi 2012)
The Alien Effect
As the mixed family continues to untangle their story toward a secure future, it illustrates how complexity works--i.e." nothing we do is inconsequential." Who we are and what we do matter.
An Alien's QuestOur young woman raised by the mixed family reviews religious philosophy and finds Meaning close at hand.
Besides The Archives of Varok, I have written book reviews for the Christian Science Monitor, technical papers, newspaper articles, and essays; produced two musicals based on a sci-fi spoof; conducted workshops; and taught courses in sustainability and complexity at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos. My blogs include How the Hen House Turns for the Los Alamos Daily Post (stories from 40 years with domestic birds and dogs) and Who's Out There for astronaut.com
---Book reviews of critical nonfiction appear on my Goodreads blog--re many issues now critical to today's threats and choices.
--Following new information re astrobiology:
https://astronaut.com/whos-star-chips...
--Exploring work on animal sentience in our animal friends' stories and current books--How The Hen House Turns at the Los Alamos Daily Post (http://ladailypost.com) monthly.
As the author of the Archives of Varok series--set in an alternate 21st century solar system, populated with three or more intelligent (see log lines below)--my challenge has been to stay as realistic as possible in order to portray the frustrations, challenges and solutions of our current dilemmas here on Earth.
Meanwhile, the Kepler discoveries have told us that we are very likely not alone in this universe, so it’s even more important to ask who we are as human beings, a major theme in the books.
In spite of the aliens, I’m realistic about facts like the enormity of space between stars and the energy and time required to travel anywhere else. We are actually isolated out here, so we had better take care of planet Earth, as portrayed in the Archivees.
It could be that one thing I have wrong is the Archives’ time setting of 20-70 C.E. We may not have so many decades left to pull back and get it right. At the same time, the complexity of our lives is real, so that anything we do has the potential to trigger significant effects in the long run, (the theme of The Alien Effect).
See:
https://eauthorresource.wordpress.com/
Here are the brief synopses of The Archives of Varok:
The View Beyond Earth
In a 21st C. Oz (our solar system plus close neighbors) a young woman finds herself in trusting her child's instincts.
The Webs of Varok -(Nautilus Silver Medal 2013 YA Division and ForeWord Finalist for adult scifi 2012)
The Alien Effect
As the mixed family continues to untangle their story toward a secure future, it illustrates how complexity works--i.e." nothing we do is inconsequential." Who we are and what we do matter.
An Alien's QuestOur young woman raised by the mixed family reviews religious philosophy and finds Meaning close at hand.
Besides The Archives of Varok, I have written book reviews for the Christian Science Monitor, technical papers, newspaper articles, and essays; produced two musicals based on a sci-fi spoof; conducted workshops; and taught courses in sustainability and complexity at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos. My blogs include How the Hen House Turns for the Los Alamos Daily Post (stories from 40 years with domestic birds and dogs) and Who's Out There for astronaut.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 29, 2015
Review of
Cary Neeper
View Beyond Earth
Please note - The author kindly gave me this book in exchange for a fair review
Tandra Grey is a ‘normal’ human being who is struggling to combine a career with her role as single parent. She enjoys her life and does not hanker for adventure. But, then she receives an invitation to a party; an invitation to meet a stranger. Reluctantly, she goes to the party. The alien stranger that she meets there will change; her life, her views on her identity, the two species she encounters, and our world. This meeting will change her life forever.
The stranger invites her to be a; human ambassador, guinea pig, and scientist on his own planet/spaceship. Tandra accepts and the alien whisks her and her child into; space, into the heart of a complex community and into a new understanding of life and identity. She is thrust into the heart of a strange community of aliens; a community that is a synthesis of two of very different alien races: one race highly sensual; while, the other is rational and scared of touch. Tandra must form relationships with both of these very Alien races. She must learn to accept, and celebrate their alienness. She must learn to see beyond her own race/species, learning to see her new friends’ uniqueness. She must learn to see them as themselves rather than a mirror of her own human identity. She must cast aside her human-centred view of the universe. If she is to save, both; the important new relationships she has made and humanity as a whole.
This is an important lesson for the Human Race as a whole. We must learn how to accept and celebrate the ‘other’; seeing them, not as a mirror of our own identity, but, as beings ensconced within their own uniqueness. This book challenges us to question the way that we treat the ‘other’; human or otherwise.
So, this book deals with important issues but like most of the best science fiction it encases these issues in a really good story. The main characters, human and alien, are interesting in, both their sameness and difference. The world is excellently drawn and very believable. This book is reminiscent of classic science fiction. The type of story that, those of a certain age, read as a child. But, this story has a modern outlook that makes this old-fashioned tale feel modern and relevant. If you are looking for a, good science fiction story, then this is a good place to land
Cary Neeper
View Beyond Earth
Please note - The author kindly gave me this book in exchange for a fair review
Tandra Grey is a ‘normal’ human being who is struggling to combine a career with her role as single parent. She enjoys her life and does not hanker for adventure. But, then she receives an invitation to a party; an invitation to meet a stranger. Reluctantly, she goes to the party. The alien stranger that she meets there will change; her life, her views on her identity, the two species she encounters, and our world. This meeting will change her life forever.
The stranger invites her to be a; human ambassador, guinea pig, and scientist on his own planet/spaceship. Tandra accepts and the alien whisks her and her child into; space, into the heart of a complex community and into a new understanding of life and identity. She is thrust into the heart of a strange community of aliens; a community that is a synthesis of two of very different alien races: one race highly sensual; while, the other is rational and scared of touch. Tandra must form relationships with both of these very Alien races. She must learn to accept, and celebrate their alienness. She must learn to see beyond her own race/species, learning to see her new friends’ uniqueness. She must learn to see them as themselves rather than a mirror of her own human identity. She must cast aside her human-centred view of the universe. If she is to save, both; the important new relationships she has made and humanity as a whole.
This is an important lesson for the Human Race as a whole. We must learn how to accept and celebrate the ‘other’; seeing them, not as a mirror of our own identity, but, as beings ensconced within their own uniqueness. This book challenges us to question the way that we treat the ‘other’; human or otherwise.
So, this book deals with important issues but like most of the best science fiction it encases these issues in a really good story. The main characters, human and alien, are interesting in, both their sameness and difference. The world is excellently drawn and very believable. This book is reminiscent of classic science fiction. The type of story that, those of a certain age, read as a child. But, this story has a modern outlook that makes this old-fashioned tale feel modern and relevant. If you are looking for a, good science fiction story, then this is a good place to land
Displaying 1 of 1 review