Cloudcry

by Sydney J. van Scyoc

The report was correct as far as it went. There was no intelligent life on the planet. No one thought to look up.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

218 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

aka Sydney Joyce Brown

Reviews

[Nacho Urenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unos científicos exiliados en un planeta de cuarebtena descubren unos seres con los que la comunicación es tan difícil que pone en tela de juicio incluso la inteligencia de ambas prtes.

[Jack Deighton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have found previous books written by Scyoc to be solid if unspectacular SF/fantasy, well put together. This, though, was only her second novel (I haven’t read her first, Starmother,) and getting through it was a bit of a slog. A disease called bloodblossom has caused the book’s two main human characters, Verrons and Sadler, to be quarantined on the planet Selmarri, along with a bird-like creature variously referred to as the Ehminheer (after the name of the planet it came from,) as k’Obrohms to the humans, Tiehl to itself and Bright-Feather to Aleida, one of Selmarri’s indigenous inhabitants. Another group of humans came to Selmarri long ago and have regressed into subsistence.

Aleida’s people have an ancient history where they had the ability, now lost, to harness the sun’s energy in order to fly and to manipulate matter. Her quest to obtain the crystal material which will restore this power is intermixed with that of the humans to understand the processes whereby flutes with a calming effect on the regressed humans are dispensed from a temple. Using them tends to produce a kind of brain fog. Tiehl has a rigid sense of territoriality and as his faculties decline defends his perch with ever more ferociousness.

The conflicts between them all escalate to a climax in which all but the Eminheer come out relatively well.

[Thomas Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange SF adventure about two researchers on an alien world on the cusp of developing sapient life. Accompanied by a grumpy, flightless bird-man, they explore ancient ruins and uncover a secret of crystals and flutes and cruel hierarchy. Concurrently, a young woman from a native alien species has the spark of intelligence and ambition inside her, and is on her own quest to gain the power to change everything. It took me a while to get into this but I really ended up enjoying it. I was constantly distracted by the deluge of phallic imagery, with towering pink mesas and lovingly-blown flutes. I liked how van Scyoc contrasted the different characters and species; the coming-of-age/coming-of-intelligent-life dynamic was also cool. Glad I picked this up!

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was only one sentence I enjoyed in this book and it involved the word "booty". And yes, my childish mind had to hear the sentence over and over and over again as I laughed and laughed and laughed. "She emerged from the underground in a rush, hardly noticing that the palehands lingered in the small temple, wedging their BOOTY into the opening from which they had emerged, preventing the stone door from closing completely." THAT'S SOME BOOTY!!! Hahahaha. That sentence comes on page 210 of a 218 page book. Way to bury the lead.

The rest of the book was worthless.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, was enrapt from the beginning. Will our hero get off the world where he's been imprisoned? Will the heroine realize her dream to fly? I was surprised by the method for ending it all and kind of dissatisfied by the ending...however, I was left with questions and wanting more, what I consider the mark of an excellent story teller.

[Xabi1990 · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10. Y no he leído más de este señor.

[Lirio Dendron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very weird!
Difficult to read and to understand.

[James]

science fiction

[Erik Graff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked reading this thing, finishing it only because it wasn't too long and because of an incipient obsessive-compulsive disorder which has led to the completion of many mediocre books. My dislike probably relates to my general dissatisfaction with fantasy novels. This is more of that genre than of science fiction.