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Rahne is many things.
A soft, warm planet, the force of life on that planet, the inhabitants of its luxuriant, sentient paradise.
The most powerful man in his universe, Fletcher was Lord of them all, Lord of the gomen, the lankomen, and the slimy gudra. Soon he would tame the horn snake, and soon, too, he would take a beautiful bride, one to share with him through all eternity his domination of Rahne and its obsidian and marble Secret City. Together they would realize the destiny decreed by the controlling consciousness of the Kanadoth, a telepathic race living in underground sanctuaries. Together they would sleep a long, long sleep as their lush, loving world passed into chrysalis.
But their happiness is cut short by a Raider mind probe. From across the stas the Raiders come, determined to plunder the Secret City. Only one man stands between them, one man and the magical power of Rahne.
A soft, warm planet, the force of life on that planet, the inhabitants of its luxuriant, sentient paradise.
The most powerful man in his universe, Fletcher was Lord of them all, Lord of the gomen, the lankomen, and the slimy gudra. Soon he would tame the horn snake, and soon, too, he would take a beautiful bride, one to share with him through all eternity his domination of Rahne and its obsidian and marble Secret City. Together they would realize the destiny decreed by the controlling consciousness of the Kanadoth, a telepathic race living in underground sanctuaries. Together they would sleep a long, long sleep as their lush, loving world passed into chrysalis.
But their happiness is cut short by a Raider mind probe. From across the stas the Raiders come, determined to plunder the Secret City. Only one man stands between them, one man and the magical power of Rahne.
- GenresScience Fiction
206 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
18 people want to read
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December 7, 2018
A mysterious sci-fi series with almost no internet presence, a lady author, and an intriguing summary? This is how I came to have Rahne sitting in my hands a few weeks ago - and it absolutely paid off! This book is a delight to read, with a vivid setting, interesting characters, and a lovely fusion of pulpy adventure and romance.
Rahne is a deceptively slim volume, just over 200 pages - but it's dense, and covers a lot of ground. The writing style takes some getting used to, but as both the author finds her stride and as you get used to it, it's evocative.
What's it about? Rahne is the story of Fletcher, a wild man who lives alone on the forbidding planet of Rahne. He declares himself to be the Guardian of Rahne, Master of the Lowlies, and Friend to the Kanadoith - and it's all true. Rahne itself is a sentient planet, and she has appointed Fletcher as her trusted guardian. His task is to keep all enemies off of Rahne - no mining, no exploration, no settling! - and to do so, he has become the telepathic master of all of the creatures on Rahne. The various monsters of Rahne - the lilem, the gonem, the gudra - he defeated their lords in single combat, and rules their hordes and treats them as friends.
In other words: sci-fi Tarzan. Fletcher came from a group of colonists who settled on Rahne, but when Raiders came and killed everyone, he survived and was taken in by the planet herself. And so he's grown up alone on this alien world, fierce and thoughtful and the perfect love interest for anyone who can get close to him.
Yet - he's not merely a stock Tarzan or brooding male figure. I'll stop myself from going on and on about him, but suffice it to say that as the lead character in the novel, with the majority of the POV scenes, he's compelling and more than wily muscle.
So there's the premise. What's the plot? It's layered: the first section of the novel involves his meeting Cairy, a woman from off-planet who he falls in love with. I'll note that while I found their relationship to be charming, it did seem rather fast - and it segues into tragedy quickly, as Raiders return and kill her. ... Yeah, I know. She's fridged almost as soon as she shows up, and is the driving motivation behind Fletcher's burning hatred of all Raiders from then on - in the rest of the book he wrestles with his grief for her, his hatred of Raiders, and the complications the other characters throw in his path.
I absolutely argue that this book is worth reading despite Cairy's early death. It's not kind, it's not nice, but there is a point to it beyond the author wanting Fletcher to suffer. I promise.
So Fletcher spends years destroying literally every ship that lands on Rahne - not just Raiders, but the other factions as well.
This ends when a Tholian ship lands on Rahne after a neat starship vs starship sequence (Tholian vs Raider) and it sends out its captain Sebe and its Tempath (telepath/empath/healer) Sueleah out to try to talk to the Madman of Rahne.
I'll stop describing the plot here to avoid spoiling you - but man does it go places. Every loose end is collected and considered. There's a big cool fight sequence where Fletcher fights a snake/sea-monster with a knife. Sueleah becomes an equal heroine to Fletcher - surprise, she's the second love interest!, and she helps him heal as much as he helps her. This romance takes more time, and feels more... cromulent, so to speak. Less like Fletcher falling for the first spunky lady he met, and more like finding an equal - and she decides that she wants him, on her own time.
The stakes go high, and the Rahne-approved couple gets separated, and here I need to add warnings: rape is mentioned and happens but is not explicit nor on-screen. There is a short sequence where Fletcher discovers that a child has been raped. Torture is described, but not graphically. Bad things happen to these characters. Here is the caveat: it's handled well, and the author makes a point of punishing the rapists when the plot gives her a chance. (I almost don't want to mention these warnings, because the book is so good and handles these subjects quite well - but seriously, take care of yourself and don't read something that would bother you!)
I genuinely loved reading Rahne, and I hope more people put in the effort to find it. I haven't found anything else quite like it, and I'm going to dig into the sequels soon. (The sequels appear to be standalones, following the theme of sentient planets more than returning to Rahne over and over. I'll write reviews as I get through 'em!)
Highly recommended, as long as you mind my warnings!
Rahne is a deceptively slim volume, just over 200 pages - but it's dense, and covers a lot of ground. The writing style takes some getting used to, but as both the author finds her stride and as you get used to it, it's evocative.
What's it about? Rahne is the story of Fletcher, a wild man who lives alone on the forbidding planet of Rahne. He declares himself to be the Guardian of Rahne, Master of the Lowlies, and Friend to the Kanadoith - and it's all true. Rahne itself is a sentient planet, and she has appointed Fletcher as her trusted guardian. His task is to keep all enemies off of Rahne - no mining, no exploration, no settling! - and to do so, he has become the telepathic master of all of the creatures on Rahne. The various monsters of Rahne - the lilem, the gonem, the gudra - he defeated their lords in single combat, and rules their hordes and treats them as friends.
In other words: sci-fi Tarzan. Fletcher came from a group of colonists who settled on Rahne, but when Raiders came and killed everyone, he survived and was taken in by the planet herself. And so he's grown up alone on this alien world, fierce and thoughtful and the perfect love interest for anyone who can get close to him.
Yet - he's not merely a stock Tarzan or brooding male figure. I'll stop myself from going on and on about him, but suffice it to say that as the lead character in the novel, with the majority of the POV scenes, he's compelling and more than wily muscle.
So there's the premise. What's the plot? It's layered: the first section of the novel involves his meeting Cairy, a woman from off-planet who he falls in love with. I'll note that while I found their relationship to be charming, it did seem rather fast - and it segues into tragedy quickly, as Raiders return and kill her. ... Yeah, I know. She's fridged almost as soon as she shows up, and is the driving motivation behind Fletcher's burning hatred of all Raiders from then on - in the rest of the book he wrestles with his grief for her, his hatred of Raiders, and the complications the other characters throw in his path.
I absolutely argue that this book is worth reading despite Cairy's early death. It's not kind, it's not nice, but there is a point to it beyond the author wanting Fletcher to suffer. I promise.
So Fletcher spends years destroying literally every ship that lands on Rahne - not just Raiders, but the other factions as well.
This ends when a Tholian ship lands on Rahne after a neat starship vs starship sequence (Tholian vs Raider) and it sends out its captain Sebe and its Tempath (telepath/empath/healer) Sueleah out to try to talk to the Madman of Rahne.
I'll stop describing the plot here to avoid spoiling you - but man does it go places. Every loose end is collected and considered. There's a big cool fight sequence where Fletcher fights a snake/sea-monster with a knife. Sueleah becomes an equal heroine to Fletcher - surprise, she's the second love interest!, and she helps him heal as much as he helps her. This romance takes more time, and feels more... cromulent, so to speak. Less like Fletcher falling for the first spunky lady he met, and more like finding an equal - and she decides that she wants him, on her own time.
The stakes go high, and the Rahne-approved couple gets separated, and here I need to add warnings: rape is mentioned and happens but is not explicit nor on-screen. There is a short sequence where Fletcher discovers that a child has been raped. Torture is described, but not graphically. Bad things happen to these characters. Here is the caveat: it's handled well, and the author makes a point of punishing the rapists when the plot gives her a chance. (I almost don't want to mention these warnings, because the book is so good and handles these subjects quite well - but seriously, take care of yourself and don't read something that would bother you!)
I genuinely loved reading Rahne, and I hope more people put in the effort to find it. I haven't found anything else quite like it, and I'm going to dig into the sequels soon. (The sequels appear to be standalones, following the theme of sentient planets more than returning to Rahne over and over. I'll write reviews as I get through 'em!)
Highly recommended, as long as you mind my warnings!
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