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Galactic Milieu Trilogy #3
Magnificat
"FASCINATING . . . May has cemented her position as one of this generation's foremost storytellers. . . .This satisfying end to a remarkable feat of the imagination is a necessary purchase."
--Library Journal
By the mid-twenty-first century, humanity is beginning to enjoy membership in the Galactic Milieu. Human colonies are thriving on numerous planets, life on Earth is peaceful and prosperous, and as more humans are being born with metapsychic abilities, it will not be long before these gifted minds at last achieve total Unity.
But xenophobia is deeply rooted in the human soul. A growing corps of rebels plots to keep the people of Earth forever separate, led by a man obsessed with human Marc Remillard. Marc's goal is nothing less than the elevation of human metapsychics above all others, by way of artificial enhancement of mental faculties. His methods are unpalatable, his goal horrific. And so Marc and his coconspirators continue their work in secret.
Only the very Unity he fears and abhors can foil Marc's plans. And only his brother, Jack the Bodiless, and the young woman called Diamond Mask can hope to lead the metaconcert to destroy Marc, Unify humanity, and pave the way for the Golden Age of the Galactic Milieu to begin . . .
"A CERTAIN CROWD-PLEASER."
--Kirkus Reviews
--Library Journal
By the mid-twenty-first century, humanity is beginning to enjoy membership in the Galactic Milieu. Human colonies are thriving on numerous planets, life on Earth is peaceful and prosperous, and as more humans are being born with metapsychic abilities, it will not be long before these gifted minds at last achieve total Unity.
But xenophobia is deeply rooted in the human soul. A growing corps of rebels plots to keep the people of Earth forever separate, led by a man obsessed with human Marc Remillard. Marc's goal is nothing less than the elevation of human metapsychics above all others, by way of artificial enhancement of mental faculties. His methods are unpalatable, his goal horrific. And so Marc and his coconspirators continue their work in secret.
Only the very Unity he fears and abhors can foil Marc's plans. And only his brother, Jack the Bodiless, and the young woman called Diamond Mask can hope to lead the metaconcert to destroy Marc, Unify humanity, and pave the way for the Golden Age of the Galactic Milieu to begin . . .
"A CERTAIN CROWD-PLEASER."
--Kirkus Reviews
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
66 people are currently reading
807 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
August 11, 2016
It's hard to even say this is the last book in the trilogy when the trilogy almost immediately leads into the Saga of Pliocene Exile (which was published before this) which then leads back to "Intervention" which brings us right back to the beginning of this series again. May has written herself a loop that Joyce would be proud of.
In fact she's written that loop so tautly that I think to actually gauge the real effect of it you have to read all the books pretty much straight through, maybe more than once to really capture all the nuances. I read "Pliocene Exile" so long ago I don't even remember what shelf I buried them in and while it was easy enough to get up to speed here, it also helps to remember that Marc Remilliard is important to that series as well in ways that aren't clear until you put the whole tapestry together. In a way the series suffers a little for that reason because by this point she's kind of filling in on stuff that was hinted at in previous books (who Fury really is, the Mental Man concept, the Metaphysic Rebellion) and after all the in-book hype its hard to say that it could be brought to life on the page as well as it could be in our minds. A lot of stuff like the ultimate fates of the characters have been told to us already and so a lot of this volume is seeing all those foretellings finally fulfilled as everyone gets what fate has coming for them.
Still, by this point there's so much going on that its seems like May is just winding the characters up and letting them coast on momentum alone. The focus here is supposed to be the Rebellion's growing plans as it seeks to combat the upcoming Unity but what I find interesting is how May almost goes out of her way to avoid having good guys and bad guys in the argument, even though the Unity crew seems to come across as more rational in their acceptance of it (throughout the whole book May can't really seem to convince that the Rebellion's whole foundation is based on "my gut says this isn't a good idea" despite there being very little evidence its not a good idea) she puts plenty of sympathetic characters on the Rebellion side, including good ol' Uncle Rogi, he of the endless bystander status, making it difficult to immediately dismiss them as cranky people who just didn't get a good night's sleep.
But the Rebellion is just one strand in what turns out to be a whirling mesh of plots, sometimes so dense that it almost obscures what should be the central plot, the gradual turn by Marc into the leader of the Rebellion and the guy who orchestrated its most heinous actions. His coming around to their point of view is graded so subtly that it does come across as May flicking a light switch and having him turn and I think that's because there's so much going on his change gets lost in the shuffle. The threads have been there all along but she lets it fly low until the clouds clear and its right in your face. Once Marc does grab hold of the plot he pretty much singlehanded drags it toward the end, with everyone unwillingly along for the ride, although by this point the sense of May filling in the blanks sort of sucks any surprise out of any of the proceedings. Its like having a friend tell you all the best parts of a movie and then making you watch the movie.
As usual, where May succeeds is the characterizations. Despite everyone acting like some version of superheroes (between the psychic healing powers and the later ability to teleport you could put a bald man in charge and assume this was the X-Men) she gets a lot of mileage out of the relationships she's spent several books building up. With Rogi as the observer who keeps getting dragged into things we see how everyone reacts to each other and how the weight of years affects those interactions. It adds a needed heft to the final appearances of a lot of the long time characters (balancing out that we never have to worry about Rogi because its clear that he lives since he's telling us the story) and a sense of tragedy as a bunch of people who hoped they were doing the right thing discovered the right thing had a cost or that it was never the right thing in the first place. All the close characters are believable as family, for better or for worse, whether its Marc's glowering superiority, Rogi's cowardly non-alcoholism, Jack's knowing innocence (in fact, watching him develop has been one of the real delights of this series), Diamond Mask's gradual comfort with herself or any of the random Remillards that pepper the landscape.
If not for these people the book might not succeed. Despite everything happening as we're told its ultimately going to, its difficult to escape the somewhat cartoony feel of events as we race toward the end. Multiple personalities, people seducing others under false identities, psychic vampires, groups of people with mental powers blowing up spaceships and planets, the next generation of evolution being forcibly brought to life, all of that and more starts happening at once but May has done too good a job at grounding everything so it jars with everything that's gone before. It needs to accelerate to a desperate, feverish pitch when all we're doing is walking in the footsteps that were already laid out. We're being asked to push events toward Doc Smith "Lensmen" levels of over the top SF pulp but it never reaches that screeching wail. Instead things progress as they always have, calmly and inevitably. The family tree stretched out at the back seems to promise a massacre when a certain year is reached but it hardly seems like most of the deaths are even mentioned. Even something like Fury seems out of place in all this, the evil phantom lurking in the wings and killing someone occasionally merely to remind everyone that he's still around. Despite the body count and adeptness at hiding, he never feels like a real threat toward the end, just another loose end to be tied up and kept going.
But its the people who stick in the mind, the little interactions between Jack and Marc, Rogi and Dorothea, Dorothea and Jack, Rogi and Denis, any of the Remillards with each other, even the minor characters who populate the story toward the end, they have a close held bond to each other that only comes when they've really been alive, full of love and quarrels and disagreements and loss and joy. In a sense it seems like that May at times is suggesting in her backgrounding of important events, her structure of the series as an infinite closed loop fated to feed on itself, that history isn't perhaps the most important part of events, its merely the sequence that everyone agrees on. And if history isn't as important as we're supposed to think it is, that leaves only one other aspect to carry us through: the people. I may not remember half the plot of this book a year from now, but I'll remember the people in it, and that's probably the harder accomplishment to pull off.
In fact she's written that loop so tautly that I think to actually gauge the real effect of it you have to read all the books pretty much straight through, maybe more than once to really capture all the nuances. I read "Pliocene Exile" so long ago I don't even remember what shelf I buried them in and while it was easy enough to get up to speed here, it also helps to remember that Marc Remilliard is important to that series as well in ways that aren't clear until you put the whole tapestry together. In a way the series suffers a little for that reason because by this point she's kind of filling in on stuff that was hinted at in previous books (who Fury really is, the Mental Man concept, the Metaphysic Rebellion) and after all the in-book hype its hard to say that it could be brought to life on the page as well as it could be in our minds. A lot of stuff like the ultimate fates of the characters have been told to us already and so a lot of this volume is seeing all those foretellings finally fulfilled as everyone gets what fate has coming for them.
Still, by this point there's so much going on that its seems like May is just winding the characters up and letting them coast on momentum alone. The focus here is supposed to be the Rebellion's growing plans as it seeks to combat the upcoming Unity but what I find interesting is how May almost goes out of her way to avoid having good guys and bad guys in the argument, even though the Unity crew seems to come across as more rational in their acceptance of it (throughout the whole book May can't really seem to convince that the Rebellion's whole foundation is based on "my gut says this isn't a good idea" despite there being very little evidence its not a good idea) she puts plenty of sympathetic characters on the Rebellion side, including good ol' Uncle Rogi, he of the endless bystander status, making it difficult to immediately dismiss them as cranky people who just didn't get a good night's sleep.
But the Rebellion is just one strand in what turns out to be a whirling mesh of plots, sometimes so dense that it almost obscures what should be the central plot, the gradual turn by Marc into the leader of the Rebellion and the guy who orchestrated its most heinous actions. His coming around to their point of view is graded so subtly that it does come across as May flicking a light switch and having him turn and I think that's because there's so much going on his change gets lost in the shuffle. The threads have been there all along but she lets it fly low until the clouds clear and its right in your face. Once Marc does grab hold of the plot he pretty much singlehanded drags it toward the end, with everyone unwillingly along for the ride, although by this point the sense of May filling in the blanks sort of sucks any surprise out of any of the proceedings. Its like having a friend tell you all the best parts of a movie and then making you watch the movie.
As usual, where May succeeds is the characterizations. Despite everyone acting like some version of superheroes (between the psychic healing powers and the later ability to teleport you could put a bald man in charge and assume this was the X-Men) she gets a lot of mileage out of the relationships she's spent several books building up. With Rogi as the observer who keeps getting dragged into things we see how everyone reacts to each other and how the weight of years affects those interactions. It adds a needed heft to the final appearances of a lot of the long time characters (balancing out that we never have to worry about Rogi because its clear that he lives since he's telling us the story) and a sense of tragedy as a bunch of people who hoped they were doing the right thing discovered the right thing had a cost or that it was never the right thing in the first place. All the close characters are believable as family, for better or for worse, whether its Marc's glowering superiority, Rogi's cowardly non-alcoholism, Jack's knowing innocence (in fact, watching him develop has been one of the real delights of this series), Diamond Mask's gradual comfort with herself or any of the random Remillards that pepper the landscape.
If not for these people the book might not succeed. Despite everything happening as we're told its ultimately going to, its difficult to escape the somewhat cartoony feel of events as we race toward the end. Multiple personalities, people seducing others under false identities, psychic vampires, groups of people with mental powers blowing up spaceships and planets, the next generation of evolution being forcibly brought to life, all of that and more starts happening at once but May has done too good a job at grounding everything so it jars with everything that's gone before. It needs to accelerate to a desperate, feverish pitch when all we're doing is walking in the footsteps that were already laid out. We're being asked to push events toward Doc Smith "Lensmen" levels of over the top SF pulp but it never reaches that screeching wail. Instead things progress as they always have, calmly and inevitably. The family tree stretched out at the back seems to promise a massacre when a certain year is reached but it hardly seems like most of the deaths are even mentioned. Even something like Fury seems out of place in all this, the evil phantom lurking in the wings and killing someone occasionally merely to remind everyone that he's still around. Despite the body count and adeptness at hiding, he never feels like a real threat toward the end, just another loose end to be tied up and kept going.
But its the people who stick in the mind, the little interactions between Jack and Marc, Rogi and Dorothea, Dorothea and Jack, Rogi and Denis, any of the Remillards with each other, even the minor characters who populate the story toward the end, they have a close held bond to each other that only comes when they've really been alive, full of love and quarrels and disagreements and loss and joy. In a sense it seems like that May at times is suggesting in her backgrounding of important events, her structure of the series as an infinite closed loop fated to feed on itself, that history isn't perhaps the most important part of events, its merely the sequence that everyone agrees on. And if history isn't as important as we're supposed to think it is, that leaves only one other aspect to carry us through: the people. I may not remember half the plot of this book a year from now, but I'll remember the people in it, and that's probably the harder accomplishment to pull off.
August 30, 2025
I have finally finished Julian May's complicated future history, and although I am glad to know the ending and to be finished, I am left rather disappointed. Maybe that's what I feel. Underwhelmed, perhaps? Obviously the author was passionate about her creation, but I have consistently lost steam since reading The Many-Colored Land. It was the pinnacle for me and all the following books have led downhill.
In this novel, we move into the far future. All those goddam Remillards are still there to plague us, blast those rejuvenation tanks and immortality genes! None of them are particularly pleasant people and some of them (Marc, I'm looking at you and all your Rebel buddies) are downright repugnant. At least I finally know what drove Marc and his cronies through the Time Gate into the Pliocene. The end of this book curls around to intersect with the earlier Saga of Pliocene Exile.
I have inadvertently skipped Intervention, the connective tissue between the Pliocene and the Galactic Milieu series. May is a good enough storyteller that I am tempted to track it down, but realistically I have far too many more shiny new books to read (and old favourites to reread) to seriously pursue the matter. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
In this novel, we move into the far future. All those goddam Remillards are still there to plague us, blast those rejuvenation tanks and immortality genes! None of them are particularly pleasant people and some of them (Marc, I'm looking at you and all your Rebel buddies) are downright repugnant. At least I finally know what drove Marc and his cronies through the Time Gate into the Pliocene. The end of this book curls around to intersect with the earlier Saga of Pliocene Exile.
I have inadvertently skipped Intervention, the connective tissue between the Pliocene and the Galactic Milieu series. May is a good enough storyteller that I am tempted to track it down, but realistically I have far too many more shiny new books to read (and old favourites to reread) to seriously pursue the matter. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
November 17, 2009
It took me 20 years to get from Intervention to the end of Magnificat. I suppose that is a risk you take when you get involved in a series while it is still being written.
The main surprise in this book (I won't give a spoiler here, though it was introduced at the very end of Diamond Mask) was a great shock. I've known the character involved for all of those 20 years and his/her ending was very sad. And knowing why it had to happen was even worse. I'm pleased to say that I didn't feel the need to cry, but it was probably a close call.
I don't think this series is necessarily for everyone, but I loved it. It was exciting and interesting and internally coherent.
Now I'd best read the Exiles.
The main surprise in this book (I won't give a spoiler here, though it was introduced at the very end of Diamond Mask) was a great shock. I've known the character involved for all of those 20 years and his/her ending was very sad. And knowing why it had to happen was even worse. I'm pleased to say that I didn't feel the need to cry, but it was probably a close call.
I don't think this series is necessarily for everyone, but I loved it. It was exciting and interesting and internally coherent.
Now I'd best read the Exiles.
January 31, 2023
Um, I didn't enjoy this as much upon rereading it as when I originally read this I the 90"s.
Many of the concepts are dated. There's a cringey amount of sexism, racism, elitism, racial slurs, colonialist modeling, and a frankly unsettling amount and interest in incest.
Still, as always, I did enjoy Uncle Rogi. Especially at the end of his tale, what a well-deserved ending for a beloved narrator.
I also enjoy the general quirky nature of the Lylmik and other alien cultures
I like the character arc with this series and the Saga of the Pliocene Exile.
Not every aspect works for me but I do enjoy a well executed narrative and this was that.
Many of the concepts are dated. There's a cringey amount of sexism, racism, elitism, racial slurs, colonialist modeling, and a frankly unsettling amount and interest in incest.
Still, as always, I did enjoy Uncle Rogi. Especially at the end of his tale, what a well-deserved ending for a beloved narrator.
I also enjoy the general quirky nature of the Lylmik and other alien cultures
I like the character arc with this series and the Saga of the Pliocene Exile.
Not every aspect works for me but I do enjoy a well executed narrative and this was that.
June 21, 2019
Fury, the mental monster hiding among the Remillard Clan, has been rousted out and forced to run. His vulnerabilities are dangerously exposed. But from his new identity, his determination remains the same. He will overturn the Galactic Milieu and rule a new empire, one in which every human being is his absolute tool, dependent on him. He has enticed a new helper, one of the most powerful he could hope for.
Marc Remillard’s quest for absolute control of himself has been nearly fulfilled by the development of the CE rig, a full-body armor which freezes the wearer’s body and leaves the mind operating unencumbered and amplified. The only way to surpass the power and control of Marc wearing a CE rig is the concept known as Mental Man. Mental Man is Marc’s secret project. He has forgotten that it was suggested to him in his dreams by Fury.
When Mental Man is flatly rejected by the Milieu government, Marc accepts the leadership of the Rebels so that he will be able to command help with his Mental Man scheme. Few other Rebels care about Mental Man – they just want to be free to develop their own individuality, instead of being guided by aliens. They have put themselves into the hands of a leader with an appalling agenda, who doesn’t know he has Fury as a collaborator.
Even Marc Remillard has a vulnerability. He has finally, fatedly, fallen in love. His bride Cyndia is uncomfortable with the Mental Man scheme, but she loves Marc so much she supports him throughout the whole disaster-ridden project – until the final straw.
Uncle Rogi, the obscure elder of the Remillard Clan, is again a pivotal factor behind the scenes. Helped by someone with special sources of knowledge, Rogi is there to support Cyndia as she makes the hardest decision of her life. He has been privy to secrets of Marc and Cyndia’s passionate marriage, and he knows what kinds of conflicts Marc is facing even better than Marc does. Rogi is the authority on Fury.
MAGNIFICAT is the culmination of the nine-book series set in the universe of the Galactic Milieu, with its final confrontation between Marc, his brother Jack the Bodiless, and Illusio Diamond Mask. In a transcendent moment, humanity’s future is decided. Marc and a small band of his supporters escape into the Pliocene era – as they must, because they also decide humanity’s future.
Are you confused about the time line? The Saga of Pliocene Exile was written first, and should be read first. Throughout the series, the gradual unveiling of the most influential characters is beautifully judged. Pliocene Exile and Intervention provide background understanding, adding “Ohhhhh!” moments of revelation for readers of the Galactic Milieu Trilogy.
When author Julian May created the Galactic Milieu, she created one of those universes which take on life and exist parallel to our own. The concept of a community of minds with special powers for good answers many of our fondest dreams. The mental abilities that seem, for most of us, to lie out of our reach are freed and sent into the arena, to aim for the best we can achieve. Every character in the series provides another dimension of the human condition. Most of us will find ourselves described there.
Read 4 times
Marc Remillard’s quest for absolute control of himself has been nearly fulfilled by the development of the CE rig, a full-body armor which freezes the wearer’s body and leaves the mind operating unencumbered and amplified. The only way to surpass the power and control of Marc wearing a CE rig is the concept known as Mental Man. Mental Man is Marc’s secret project. He has forgotten that it was suggested to him in his dreams by Fury.
When Mental Man is flatly rejected by the Milieu government, Marc accepts the leadership of the Rebels so that he will be able to command help with his Mental Man scheme. Few other Rebels care about Mental Man – they just want to be free to develop their own individuality, instead of being guided by aliens. They have put themselves into the hands of a leader with an appalling agenda, who doesn’t know he has Fury as a collaborator.
Even Marc Remillard has a vulnerability. He has finally, fatedly, fallen in love. His bride Cyndia is uncomfortable with the Mental Man scheme, but she loves Marc so much she supports him throughout the whole disaster-ridden project – until the final straw.
Uncle Rogi, the obscure elder of the Remillard Clan, is again a pivotal factor behind the scenes. Helped by someone with special sources of knowledge, Rogi is there to support Cyndia as she makes the hardest decision of her life. He has been privy to secrets of Marc and Cyndia’s passionate marriage, and he knows what kinds of conflicts Marc is facing even better than Marc does. Rogi is the authority on Fury.
MAGNIFICAT is the culmination of the nine-book series set in the universe of the Galactic Milieu, with its final confrontation between Marc, his brother Jack the Bodiless, and Illusio Diamond Mask. In a transcendent moment, humanity’s future is decided. Marc and a small band of his supporters escape into the Pliocene era – as they must, because they also decide humanity’s future.
Are you confused about the time line? The Saga of Pliocene Exile was written first, and should be read first. Throughout the series, the gradual unveiling of the most influential characters is beautifully judged. Pliocene Exile and Intervention provide background understanding, adding “Ohhhhh!” moments of revelation for readers of the Galactic Milieu Trilogy.
When author Julian May created the Galactic Milieu, she created one of those universes which take on life and exist parallel to our own. The concept of a community of minds with special powers for good answers many of our fondest dreams. The mental abilities that seem, for most of us, to lie out of our reach are freed and sent into the arena, to aim for the best we can achieve. Every character in the series provides another dimension of the human condition. Most of us will find ourselves described there.
Read 4 times
March 27, 2022
9/10
A fitting ending to the Galactic Milieu trilogy. The author mixes Uncle Rogi’s personal memoirs and reflections with more traditional omniscient narration giving insights into the other main characters thoughts and feelings. By doing so, May gives the reader a full appreciation of the Metapsychic Rebellion, the Mental Man project, and the Fury/Hydra plot from the perspectives of the Rebels, the Loyalists, the plotters, the victims, and the exotic races. All the books (the Saga of the Pliocene Exile, Intervention, and this trilogy) are connected and now the links among them are clear.
A tiny, tiny quibble—too many words are devoted to describing the decor of rooms and the clothes of the characters. While it adds to the readers’ ability it visualize the scenes, it also takes the reader (well, this reader) out of the flow of the story.
A fitting ending to the Galactic Milieu trilogy. The author mixes Uncle Rogi’s personal memoirs and reflections with more traditional omniscient narration giving insights into the other main characters thoughts and feelings. By doing so, May gives the reader a full appreciation of the Metapsychic Rebellion, the Mental Man project, and the Fury/Hydra plot from the perspectives of the Rebels, the Loyalists, the plotters, the victims, and the exotic races. All the books (the Saga of the Pliocene Exile, Intervention, and this trilogy) are connected and now the links among them are clear.
A tiny, tiny quibble—too many words are devoted to describing the decor of rooms and the clothes of the characters. While it adds to the readers’ ability it visualize the scenes, it also takes the reader (well, this reader) out of the flow of the story.
February 21, 2015
After all the build up to the Rebellion, both in this trilogy and the Pliocene Saga, I have to confess to feeling cheated. I understand that rendering metaphysical concepts in prose is necessarily tricky, but the final result had me flicking pages to check I hadn't accidentally skipped an entire chapter (or more). I can't imagine May was writing to a deadline, but considering the attention to detail she has previously lavished (and I use the word both pejoratively and admiringly), it's one of the few explanations I can offer. The only other option is that the dramatic undercutting of this mythic turning point in the whole cosmology was a deliberately flicked finger to the idea of any historical fulcrum being innately dramatic at its origin. :/
September 3, 2013
A magnificent end to an epic, sweeping saga.
The world is nearly ready for Unity and the Rebel factions are gaining momentum in opposition to the Milieu.
Jack the bodiless and Dorothea MacDonald are fighting Jack's brother Marc who takes up the reins of the Rebel faction and supposedly wants Earth to retain its individuality and not join the Milieu in Unity but beneath all the Rebel dogma he is fomenting a secret plan of his own to advance the human race into a society of fully operant and metapyschic beings.
This will be brought about by a scheme called Mental man but is this scheme any better for the humans on Earth or is it enslavement by another name?
The world is in confusion and the evil of Fury and Hydra is overshadowing everything until the evil being is finally unmasked.
Can Jack and Dorothea with the help of the old narrator Uncle Rogi stop Marc is in his tracks from exchanging one brand of tyranny with another?
Well thought out and a great plot that keeps you guessing and unable to put the book down but NOT for the faint hearted as there are eight books in all and its not a novel that you can just pick up and read as its totally useless without the other volumes in the sets.
Definitely worth reading though if you are a fan of the genre as this is not just run of the mill sci fi / fantasy, the author has taken a lot of time over this saga.
The world is nearly ready for Unity and the Rebel factions are gaining momentum in opposition to the Milieu.
Jack the bodiless and Dorothea MacDonald are fighting Jack's brother Marc who takes up the reins of the Rebel faction and supposedly wants Earth to retain its individuality and not join the Milieu in Unity but beneath all the Rebel dogma he is fomenting a secret plan of his own to advance the human race into a society of fully operant and metapyschic beings.
This will be brought about by a scheme called Mental man but is this scheme any better for the humans on Earth or is it enslavement by another name?
The world is in confusion and the evil of Fury and Hydra is overshadowing everything until the evil being is finally unmasked.
Can Jack and Dorothea with the help of the old narrator Uncle Rogi stop Marc is in his tracks from exchanging one brand of tyranny with another?
Well thought out and a great plot that keeps you guessing and unable to put the book down but NOT for the faint hearted as there are eight books in all and its not a novel that you can just pick up and read as its totally useless without the other volumes in the sets.
Definitely worth reading though if you are a fan of the genre as this is not just run of the mill sci fi / fantasy, the author has taken a lot of time over this saga.
October 19, 2012
Why is this book called 'Magnificat'?
The final installment in both the Galactic Milieu Trilogy and the eight book series which began with The Many-Coloured Land - the first book of the Saga of Pliocene Exiles - this is essentially a prequel, but has elements of an epilogue to the entire series as well.
With a return to more exciting style of Intervention, May hypes up the action as things forment and the inevitable rebellion finally fulminates. Unlike Jack the Bodiless or Diamond Mask, the focus of this book is not on any particular character, but touches on a cast who have been introduced over the last three - or more books. Marc Remillard shows his true characters and we see the evolution what changes him into the arrogant revolutionary who is Abaddon, and the events which made his own children despise him and in turn rebel against him. Uncle Rogi is in the thick of things and his role is somewhat more integral than simply a passive observer and helpful cats paw of Atoning Unifex. Jack and Dorothea play their parts, and a host of rebels and loyalists line up for the grand show down - and of course, the Fury and Hydra side story are finally wrapped up.
The final climax of the book is almost over before it begins. The rebellion and the war which almost breaks the Milieu is over with surprisingly fast - even having read this before. The aftermath is also wrapped up so very quickly, that is could easily leave the reader with a feel of anti-climax. However, in effect, this trilogy - and the book which came before it - are merely explanations and fill in details which help the original Saga make sense. This is probably the best of the Trilogy, despite its abrupt ending - but it is still not as powerful or vibrant as the either the original four books of the Saga, nor the excellent Intervention.
And in the end... I still do not know why it is called Magnificat.
The final installment in both the Galactic Milieu Trilogy and the eight book series which began with The Many-Coloured Land - the first book of the Saga of Pliocene Exiles - this is essentially a prequel, but has elements of an epilogue to the entire series as well.
With a return to more exciting style of Intervention, May hypes up the action as things forment and the inevitable rebellion finally fulminates. Unlike Jack the Bodiless or Diamond Mask, the focus of this book is not on any particular character, but touches on a cast who have been introduced over the last three - or more books. Marc Remillard shows his true characters and we see the evolution what changes him into the arrogant revolutionary who is Abaddon, and the events which made his own children despise him and in turn rebel against him. Uncle Rogi is in the thick of things and his role is somewhat more integral than simply a passive observer and helpful cats paw of Atoning Unifex. Jack and Dorothea play their parts, and a host of rebels and loyalists line up for the grand show down - and of course, the Fury and Hydra side story are finally wrapped up.
The final climax of the book is almost over before it begins. The rebellion and the war which almost breaks the Milieu is over with surprisingly fast - even having read this before. The aftermath is also wrapped up so very quickly, that is could easily leave the reader with a feel of anti-climax. However, in effect, this trilogy - and the book which came before it - are merely explanations and fill in details which help the original Saga make sense. This is probably the best of the Trilogy, despite its abrupt ending - but it is still not as powerful or vibrant as the either the original four books of the Saga, nor the excellent Intervention.
And in the end... I still do not know why it is called Magnificat.
April 1, 2021
The third and final volume of the Galactic Milieu Trilogy finishes up the epic story begun in the 4 volume Saga of the Pliocene Exiles and continued in the 2 books of Intervention. That's a 9 book series in total.
May's writing is consistently great through out this series. None of these are particularly easy reads as May benefited from a vocabulary way beyond the average reader. Having access to an encyclopedia is well advised if you're going to read these. Some words are so unusual that even Google couldn't find them right off. Many times I encountered more than one strange word in single sentence.
There are a few slow spots but the world building, characters and overall imagination are very high throughout. The grand scheme story covers a vast variety of subjects and a long timeline, and there is a little bit of something for everyone here. (Maybe not so much if you prefer fast moving action packed stories.) There are easily identifiable good and bad characters but there are also a couple in the 'grey' category, are they good or bad? It depends on your point of view. The big question in my mind after finishing the series is does it begin at the beginning and end at the end? Or begin at the end and finish at the beginning? I can say for certainly that the big twist comes in the middle.
At the end of the book is a short poem by T.S. Eliot that sums it up perfectly.
And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end.
And all is always now.
Well worth the effort. I read the first 4 books over 30 years ago and I'm now glad I went back, reread them and then read the series to its conclusion.
May's writing is consistently great through out this series. None of these are particularly easy reads as May benefited from a vocabulary way beyond the average reader. Having access to an encyclopedia is well advised if you're going to read these. Some words are so unusual that even Google couldn't find them right off. Many times I encountered more than one strange word in single sentence.
There are a few slow spots but the world building, characters and overall imagination are very high throughout. The grand scheme story covers a vast variety of subjects and a long timeline, and there is a little bit of something for everyone here. (Maybe not so much if you prefer fast moving action packed stories.) There are easily identifiable good and bad characters but there are also a couple in the 'grey' category, are they good or bad? It depends on your point of view. The big question in my mind after finishing the series is does it begin at the beginning and end at the end? Or begin at the end and finish at the beginning? I can say for certainly that the big twist comes in the middle.
At the end of the book is a short poem by T.S. Eliot that sums it up perfectly.
And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end.
And all is always now.
Well worth the effort. I read the first 4 books over 30 years ago and I'm now glad I went back, reread them and then read the series to its conclusion.
January 23, 2022
What I loved is the scope of May's imagination: some story lines are so well woven in all of the books in this galaxy... What I liked less is that sometimes in this books she tips over from story telling into explaining (politics or technology). And after all these years the way people banter is outdated but that is not her fault, simply the touch of time. The big story kept me reading despite my tiredness of the disadvantages. But the very last sentence was a deadknocker for me that ruined a lot of the fun in the whole story. Such an unbelievable and disconnected from all else "happy end".... Brrr I regret having read that line, it spoiled a lot of my feeling of wonder over this big story.
June 1, 2022
Weer een paar jaar geduldig op dit derde deel gewacht.
July 5, 2020
The story is set in a futuristic world in which humanity has colonized planets in outer space, which have organized themselves into a collective alliance known as the Galactic Milieu. Earthlings co-exist peaceably with exotic races in other worlds and travel freely throughout the galaxy using gravity-defying vehicles that span light years within hours or days. Humans have learned to communicate telepathically and must raise “mind walls” to prevent others from probing the depths of their minds and thoughts.
The Galactic Milieu has been attempting for some time to incorporate Planet Earth into the Galactic Milieu through a process of “unification”, but a rebellious faction on Planet Earth, led by a brilliant and charismatic leader, is resisting unification for fear that human beings on Earth will lose their individuality and free will once they are absorbed into the planetary collective. The conflict between the Galactic Milieu, which favors unification, and the rebel faction on Earth that resists unification, is heating up to a point where war seems inevitable, and much of the story revolves around efforts to prevent this from happening.
The basic concept of this novel is interesting in that it mirrors what is happening on our planet right now with globalization and the attempts of some entities to eliminate individual nations and create a “one-world government” on Planet Earth.
Readers should be aware that this book is part of a series and can be difficult reading for those who have not read the preceding works in the series, as was the case for me. But for those who can get past the first hundred pages, it is an interesting and entertaining read, even for those who are not fans of science fiction.
The Galactic Milieu has been attempting for some time to incorporate Planet Earth into the Galactic Milieu through a process of “unification”, but a rebellious faction on Planet Earth, led by a brilliant and charismatic leader, is resisting unification for fear that human beings on Earth will lose their individuality and free will once they are absorbed into the planetary collective. The conflict between the Galactic Milieu, which favors unification, and the rebel faction on Earth that resists unification, is heating up to a point where war seems inevitable, and much of the story revolves around efforts to prevent this from happening.
The basic concept of this novel is interesting in that it mirrors what is happening on our planet right now with globalization and the attempts of some entities to eliminate individual nations and create a “one-world government” on Planet Earth.
Readers should be aware that this book is part of a series and can be difficult reading for those who have not read the preceding works in the series, as was the case for me. But for those who can get past the first hundred pages, it is an interesting and entertaining read, even for those who are not fans of science fiction.
August 2, 2016
The climactic book in the sweeping saga of the Pliocene Exile and the Galactic Milieu - I'm not sure exactly why, but this last volume was less memorable to me than most of the others. In particular I had forgotten the details of Fury's end and even some of the critical events of the final confrontation of the rebellion.
Also if it's not too harsh to say, I felt as if May's impressively polished writing might have slipped just a bit here - yes, some of the cleverness and playful salaciousness was back in evidence here, along with the well plotted machinations of the Concilium, the Rebels, the wild card factors Fury and the remaining Hydra, and Rogi's solid dependable narration. But a few episodes came across as ever so slightly slapdash, not a seamless fit within the sweeping saga.
However, in the end, these are minor complaints. The epic story comes to a conclusion as grand as can be expected from the preceding books, and the fact that May could keep things engaging in spite of the fact that the finale is basically known to the reader almost from the beginning of the series is a significant accomplishment.
So this book still deserves the four star rating I gave it on my first reading, and the entire nine book series remains one of my all time favorite works of SF/Fantasy/speculative fiction; highly recommended for its brilliant writing, creativity, and all around enjoyability.
For anyone not familiar with the series, I recommend reading them all, starting with The Many-Colored Land.
Also if it's not too harsh to say, I felt as if May's impressively polished writing might have slipped just a bit here - yes, some of the cleverness and playful salaciousness was back in evidence here, along with the well plotted machinations of the Concilium, the Rebels, the wild card factors Fury and the remaining Hydra, and Rogi's solid dependable narration. But a few episodes came across as ever so slightly slapdash, not a seamless fit within the sweeping saga.
However, in the end, these are minor complaints. The epic story comes to a conclusion as grand as can be expected from the preceding books, and the fact that May could keep things engaging in spite of the fact that the finale is basically known to the reader almost from the beginning of the series is a significant accomplishment.
So this book still deserves the four star rating I gave it on my first reading, and the entire nine book series remains one of my all time favorite works of SF/Fantasy/speculative fiction; highly recommended for its brilliant writing, creativity, and all around enjoyability.
For anyone not familiar with the series, I recommend reading them all, starting with The Many-Colored Land.
April 25, 2018
The final entry of possibly my favorite series of books ever (except for LoTR, natch). This one shows signs of being perhaps a little rushed, but given the overall quality of the series I think I can give Julian May some leeway here.
Two separate series of books are based in this universe:
The Pliocene series (the Many-Coloured Land series)
The Galactic Milieu series
Magnificat, the last book in the Galactic Milieu series, is the story of the rebellion of a part of humanity against the peaceful Galactic Milieu, and from the fallout of the rebellion comes the events of the Pliocene series.
The entire set is chock full of space opera and Jungian psychology, sort of like Alfred Bester but with an optimistic mindset. It's a crazy kaleidoscope of well-defined characters doing seemingly fated things.
Julian May wrote a couple of well-received science fiction stories in the early 50s, and then put fiction writing aside for several decades as she didn't think she could make a living doing it. In the late 70s she came to the conclusion that the public might be tired of gritty anti-heroic science fiction and would be interested in her sort of space opera again. It seems to have been true!
This book is the last one she wrote, and I always got the impression that she was running on fumes at this point. The other books were all so full of dense characterization and description; this one seems to have less thought and less fun in it. It's still good, and a fitting end to the series, but it's a bit thinner than the others.
Two separate series of books are based in this universe:
The Pliocene series (the Many-Coloured Land series)
The Galactic Milieu series
Magnificat, the last book in the Galactic Milieu series, is the story of the rebellion of a part of humanity against the peaceful Galactic Milieu, and from the fallout of the rebellion comes the events of the Pliocene series.
The entire set is chock full of space opera and Jungian psychology, sort of like Alfred Bester but with an optimistic mindset. It's a crazy kaleidoscope of well-defined characters doing seemingly fated things.
Julian May wrote a couple of well-received science fiction stories in the early 50s, and then put fiction writing aside for several decades as she didn't think she could make a living doing it. In the late 70s she came to the conclusion that the public might be tired of gritty anti-heroic science fiction and would be interested in her sort of space opera again. It seems to have been true!
This book is the last one she wrote, and I always got the impression that she was running on fumes at this point. The other books were all so full of dense characterization and description; this one seems to have less thought and less fun in it. It's still good, and a fitting end to the series, but it's a bit thinner than the others.
November 8, 2012
Finally, the end of this epic . . . no, that sounds as if I am glad it is over. Not so, though the whole thing (eight large volumes!) does leave one with a certain feeling of relief when the end is reached, simply because of its size!
Here, at last are some resolutions, some tying of loose ends. Four stars - it deserves that at least, just for getting me to the end of something so large. And the epic that this is part of is, in my opinion, the best stuff May has written (I haven't yet written reviews of Trillium or Orion Arm - I just don't want to! They did not approach this standard!)
Don't start here - start with either The Many-Coloured Land (my review here ) or possibly with Intervention (my review here ).
This can not be reviewed beyond that point on its own, it can not stand alone. Go read the others first, and if you like SF/Fantasy with serious mindpowers stuff, then this Saga is for you.
Here, at last are some resolutions, some tying of loose ends. Four stars - it deserves that at least, just for getting me to the end of something so large. And the epic that this is part of is, in my opinion, the best stuff May has written (I haven't yet written reviews of Trillium or Orion Arm - I just don't want to! They did not approach this standard!)
Don't start here - start with either The Many-Coloured Land (my review here ) or possibly with Intervention (my review here ).
This can not be reviewed beyond that point on its own, it can not stand alone. Go read the others first, and if you like SF/Fantasy with serious mindpowers stuff, then this Saga is for you.
July 6, 2020
I love these books but I would have a hard time recommending the Galactic Milieu trilogy to anyone, because the pacing of the books is so off. This third book is the worst offender of the three. It’s a slow, sometimes monotonous crawl to a very rushed ending, with too many stops along the way to describe outfits for every character in a scene, or share details on food or architecture.
The way the story circles back to the Pliocene Exile, how May must have it all planned out from the beginning, how it all fits together so perfectly. That will always amaze me as an accomplishment. But I’ve read this trilogy (and the Intervention duology) twice in my life now, and I think that’s enough. Whereas the four books of the Pliocene Exile I’ve read more than a few times. And as I will be reading them again next, I’m curious to see if they still hold up for me in a way their sequels did not.
The way the story circles back to the Pliocene Exile, how May must have it all planned out from the beginning, how it all fits together so perfectly. That will always amaze me as an accomplishment. But I’ve read this trilogy (and the Intervention duology) twice in my life now, and I think that’s enough. Whereas the four books of the Pliocene Exile I’ve read more than a few times. And as I will be reading them again next, I’m curious to see if they still hold up for me in a way their sequels did not.
May 6, 2011
Speaking from a plot standpoint, if you've read the other Galactic Milieu / Pliocene Exile books, there are few surprises in store for you. The Rebellion arrives, characters die, and the saga of the Remillards comes to an end. I felt as if there should have been more of an emotional payoff since I was pretty invested in the first volume, but May had to spend too much time resolving Fury/Hydra to give Jack and Dorothea their due. It would be nice to talk with someone about Unity/Rebellion one day. May succeedd in making one thoughtful about the whole issue, although the characters are polarized (like American political debate today).
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.
December 9, 2010
Liked the story, but the climax was two pages long, and was speeded through. The detailed events in the rest of the book had led me to expect similar clarity in the final pages. The attack, which had been anticipated for over a decade of book-time, was sketchy at best; it was as if the narrator had not been given all the details, and had mumbled through the explanation.
Read
September 12, 2015Despite very much liking the two preceding books - Jack the Bodiless and Diamond Mask - I was very put off by this one. The writing seemed pedantic and the story disjoint.
Maybe I should have read the Saga books first? Thoughts from those who've read the entire spread of books set in this universe?
Maybe I should have read the Saga books first? Thoughts from those who've read the entire spread of books set in this universe?
August 3, 2017
A solid ending to one of the best series I've ever read. A good conclusion that left me to speculate what will happen when Rogi releases his memories to the world. The worst part is I really wanted to see that epilogue as well as see Marc reveal himself to the true shocked surprise of his kids and the Galactic Mileu.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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.
April 7, 2020
I love coming across a series of books that I can get all wrapped up in. This series has done that for me. Certainly a keeper in my library, to be read again. Welcome to a new earth.
November 14, 2021
This book took me longer to read than the previous two in the trilogy. Not because I didn't enjoy it, because I did - very much so - but because this was a bringing together of all the disparate parts, not only of the Galactic Milieu trilogy, but also of the Saga of the Exiles, whose story begins after this one, but which takes part, mostly, in an Earth of six million years previous to this one.
So much of Julian's writing is full of her characters - their emotions, their needs, and wants, their dreams, and the realities of their lives but, what it all seems to boil down to, is that need we all have for a fulfillment, whether of our sexual needs, our need of family and friends, or our need to build something bigger than ourselves, that will live on after us.
She also describes the worlds surrounding her characters, in a way that the reader could almost be there, themselves - even to the point of smelling the scents surrounding them!
The fact that Julian has used a family who carry the genes of near immortality is both relevant to the story, but is also a blind, that diverts the reader from what's really important - that unconscious need in humanity for some kind of unity with all of those around us.
From the moment that humanity looked up at the stars, and wondered whether we were alone in the universe, and had the imagination to people it, we have told each other tales of what, or who, might be out there.
So many writers over the centuries have peopled the universe with gods, and monsters - and gods who are so monstrous, that they resemble ourselves far too well!
Julian, though, chose to use five races of Unified Mental stalwarts who, despite their being as unalike as possible, still found a oneness among themselves, that drew them to seek others to guide along the same pathway as themselves.
The irony of this, of course, is that they are steered in this way, by the very man who almost caused a holocaust to start, because they chose to help mankind achieve that same Unity!
Julian continues to write that theme of a continuous circle of time. A loop where, because Marc was so determined to have Mental Man in the way that he had been quietly steered to, by both Fury, and Hydra, that he goes back in time, six million years in the past, still determined to follow his plan, but diverted in the end, and made to see just how badly he had erred.
He then spends the next six million years, trying to atone for all the deaths he had caused and, through his own great uncle, Rogi Remillard, steers his young self, and his family, into that self-perpetuating circle of time, where nothing can be changed, only slightly steered, to an ending that will bring humanity either to a cataclysmic end - or resting within true Unity with the rest of the universe.
I don't have the words to describe the many themes that are used throughout these books, but Magnificat brings them all together in an amazing conclusion, and so I'm really glad that I went ahead and bought this series, after reading Saga of the Exiles.
If you enjoyed that series, then this one will please as well, because Julian has written them in a way that both entertains, but also makes you think about the unthinkable. To investigate human morality, and of all the decisions we make either through love, or through arrogance - and how every decision we make, impinges on everyone around us!
I look forward to the time when I reach Julian's books again, to read - it'll probably be about 6 years, because I have thousands of books, and love to read every single one, then start all over again! Lol
So much of Julian's writing is full of her characters - their emotions, their needs, and wants, their dreams, and the realities of their lives but, what it all seems to boil down to, is that need we all have for a fulfillment, whether of our sexual needs, our need of family and friends, or our need to build something bigger than ourselves, that will live on after us.
She also describes the worlds surrounding her characters, in a way that the reader could almost be there, themselves - even to the point of smelling the scents surrounding them!
The fact that Julian has used a family who carry the genes of near immortality is both relevant to the story, but is also a blind, that diverts the reader from what's really important - that unconscious need in humanity for some kind of unity with all of those around us.
From the moment that humanity looked up at the stars, and wondered whether we were alone in the universe, and had the imagination to people it, we have told each other tales of what, or who, might be out there.
So many writers over the centuries have peopled the universe with gods, and monsters - and gods who are so monstrous, that they resemble ourselves far too well!
Julian, though, chose to use five races of Unified Mental stalwarts who, despite their being as unalike as possible, still found a oneness among themselves, that drew them to seek others to guide along the same pathway as themselves.
The irony of this, of course, is that they are steered in this way, by the very man who almost caused a holocaust to start, because they chose to help mankind achieve that same Unity!
Julian continues to write that theme of a continuous circle of time. A loop where, because Marc was so determined to have Mental Man in the way that he had been quietly steered to, by both Fury, and Hydra, that he goes back in time, six million years in the past, still determined to follow his plan, but diverted in the end, and made to see just how badly he had erred.
He then spends the next six million years, trying to atone for all the deaths he had caused and, through his own great uncle, Rogi Remillard, steers his young self, and his family, into that self-perpetuating circle of time, where nothing can be changed, only slightly steered, to an ending that will bring humanity either to a cataclysmic end - or resting within true Unity with the rest of the universe.
I don't have the words to describe the many themes that are used throughout these books, but Magnificat brings them all together in an amazing conclusion, and so I'm really glad that I went ahead and bought this series, after reading Saga of the Exiles.
If you enjoyed that series, then this one will please as well, because Julian has written them in a way that both entertains, but also makes you think about the unthinkable. To investigate human morality, and of all the decisions we make either through love, or through arrogance - and how every decision we make, impinges on everyone around us!
I look forward to the time when I reach Julian's books again, to read - it'll probably be about 6 years, because I have thousands of books, and love to read every single one, then start all over again! Lol
January 27, 2023
Saying goodbye to Uncle Rogi one more time, I’m sure it won’t be the last
I was first given Intervention a thousand thousand years ago and very slowly I read the Pliocene Exiles and waited patiently for the paperbacks of the Galactic Milieu to reach my small suburban bookstore, finally culminating of a mass read of Magnificat where no one wanted to finish because we would miss Uncle Rogi so much
Reading as an aged adult rather than in the 90s…oh my how I’ve changed and how much more I understand, especially about Marc and Fury’s Mental Man project, and what ever happened to Felice
I will go on to reread the Pliocene exile soon enough
I was first given Intervention a thousand thousand years ago and very slowly I read the Pliocene Exiles and waited patiently for the paperbacks of the Galactic Milieu to reach my small suburban bookstore, finally culminating of a mass read of Magnificat where no one wanted to finish because we would miss Uncle Rogi so much
Reading as an aged adult rather than in the 90s…oh my how I’ve changed and how much more I understand, especially about Marc and Fury’s Mental Man project, and what ever happened to Felice
I will go on to reread the Pliocene exile soon enough
November 9, 2022
By far the worst of the series, padded out with endless verbiage - I'm not interested in what all the participants were wearing at all the parties they went to - and a couple of contenders for the Bad Sex awards.
The major events are described in such a way that I didn't really understand what was going on, and certainly didn't understand why. I know that the Great Carbuncle was central to both, but that was never fully explained.
A disappointing ending.
The major events are described in such a way that I didn't really understand what was going on, and certainly didn't understand why. I know that the Great Carbuncle was central to both, but that was never fully explained.
A disappointing ending.
May 21, 2017
Last of the Galatic Milieu series, which leads into the Pliocene Exile in a satisfactory loop.
I think that it's the weakest of all the 7 books, feeling a bit rushed, and with a lot of galatic politics to wade through. Still, the characters remain compelling, and it's necessary to read it to finish off the series.
I've done my re-read, I can probably leave it for another 10 years or so, but I bet I'll come back to them again..
I think that it's the weakest of all the 7 books, feeling a bit rushed, and with a lot of galatic politics to wade through. Still, the characters remain compelling, and it's necessary to read it to finish off the series.
I've done my re-read, I can probably leave it for another 10 years or so, but I bet I'll come back to them again..
May 1, 2025
Reading this felt like a slog compared to the other books. Maybe I was just tired of the Milieu and ready to move on. I think some events are drawn out and others happen very quickly. The showdown with Fury seemed anticlimactic to me. Likewise, the climax with Marc and the Rebels at the very end of the book. It felt like moving puzzle pieces around to get events lined up with the Pliocene Exile. The romance between Jack and Dorothee was too saccharine sweet. At least the Rebels did have a valid point of view and seemed believable.
August 4, 2019
The final volume in the Galactic Milieu Trilogy (and also the entire series) -- if you've read May's Saga of Pliocene Exile, then you know how this ends. It ends where it begins, and the journey is worth it.
I bought these all in the original hard back as I will re-read these again one day. I already miss looking forward the next one...
I bought these all in the original hard back as I will re-read these again one day. I already miss looking forward the next one...
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