Sime Gen: The Unity Trilogy

Rating:
Summary: Symbiosis Out of Balance
Review: The Unity Trilogy is a book that landed in my lap -- nearly literally! I swear, I showed up one night for the writers' group I'm in and my friend Alan was there with a white box. "Hey, remember how I mentioned we could maybe use you as a proofreader?" he asked, before handing over the box. Inside were three manuscripts, since it was a trilogy being republished as an omnibus by Meisha Merlin. A couple of weeks later, I went to start proofing and boom, I was totally hooked by the first page!

So what is Sime~Gen about?

Let see... Set some centuries in the future, Sime~Gen has the human race divided (through either evolution or genetic manipulation, nobody knows) into two groups: Simes and Gens. Both groups basically look the same, but there is one big difference which dominates all goings-on between them: Simes have tentacles on their arms and need selyn to survive, while Gens don't have tentacles and produce selyn. Selyn isn't any type of bodily fluid but an invisible life force almost like chi, which builds up naturally in Gens but whose absence in Simes will kill them if they go more than a month.

Ever since the mutation divided the species, Simes and Gens have understandably been at war. In Sime-controlled territories, Gens are raised in pens like animals and bought and sold like they're food - stripped of their selyn and tossed away. In Gen-dominated territories, by contrast, there is a saying that "The only good Sime is a dead Sime." And what makes it scary is that Gens can have Sime children and vice versa - nobody knows until they hit puberty. If Gens have Sime children, they kill them, and when Simes have them, they can of course kill them or sell them to Gen dealers.

This is the basic set up of the trilogy and the plot, as it develop, involves efforts on part of Simes and Gens to overcome all the prejudice and enmity and achieve unity. After all, if Simes kill all the Gens, they'll die, and it's already a given than Gens can't kill all the Simes.

None of this is explained in boring history lessons, but laid out in the stories of individuals. In House of Zeor the story centers of a Gen named Hugh Valleroy, who goes on a dangerous, secret assignment into Sime territory in order to rescue an important Gen official who also happens to be his girlfriend. (Yes, this sounds cheesy and it sort of is.) Hugh doesn't infiltrate Sime territory on his own, however, but instead is paired up with Klyd Farris, head of the titular House of Zeor. Even though Hugh has actually grown up as a Sime sympathizer (who expected he'd "changeover" at puberty), he's never been to Sime territory and arrives completely unprepared for what he finds.

House of Zeor is a "householding" which, running again most prevailing laws and attitudes, is a community where Simes and Gens live in harmony. Harmony is achieved by a special kind of Sime called a Channel. Unlike regular Simes, Channels don't need to kill Gens to get the selyn they need. Channels have two "selyn transport systems" and can collect selyn from dozens of Gens, just like milking cows almost, and then go to Simes, who then take the selyn - instead of killing Gens. Channels also have selyn needs of their own, of course, and for that reason, and because they're just so important to householdings, each Channel has a Companion. Companions, Hugh learns, are Gens who produce an extraordinarily large quantity of selyn and are able to give their selyn freely to serve the appetite of the Channel. Little does Hugh know that he's natural Companion material - for Klyd, the head channel of House of Zeor!

There's an awful lot of plot over the course of these three books. House of Zeor is a dive into the world of Simes and Gens and follows the story of Hugh and Klyd, while the middle book, Ambrov Keon, takes place in another part of the world. It centers on another householding, Keon, starting with the arrival of Risa Tigue, a "junct" (killing) Sime who stumbles upon a householding and learns she is a Channel. Risa has a lot to learn and although she fights it, she ends up being a big part of bringing her corner of the world towards unity. The final book, Zelerod's Doom, brings Hugh and Klyd together with the cast of of Ambrov Keon for a battle that eventually achieves the beginning of what gets to be called Unity - the day Simes and Gens begin to forge a truce. This story gets deeper into some of the relationships, in particular Hugh and Klyd's, and reveals a race struggling to figure out what they are about and how they can survive.

One thing I'll say about these books is that although I did enjoy them quite a lot, the writing style, plotting and other bits of it can get to sounding cheesy. It certainly isn't the sort of rich descriptive narrative I'm used to reading (Storm Constantine, Ursula Le Guin). Instead, it's more the kind of writing you'd find in a Star Trek book, which makes a lot of sense since the authors are huge Star Trek fans and have, in fact, written Star Trek novels. This doesn't stop the books from being enjoyable, but I think it is something that needs to be noted, in case a reader is expecting great literature.

Since reading Sime~Gen I have found myself wanting to read more and luckily, there is more to read, not only more books, which Meisha Merlin will be publishing over the next few years, but whole novels already online and a huge load of fan fiction, which the authors are OK with and even host on their own web site. I am so glad Alan handed me that white box!

Rating:
Summary: Symbiosis Out of Balance
Review: The Unity Trilogy is a book that landed in my lap -- nearly literally! I swear, I showed up one night for the writers' group I'm in and my friend Alan was there with a white box. "Hey, remember how I mentioned we could maybe use you as a proofreader?" he asked, before handing over the box. Inside were three manuscripts, since it was a trilogy being republished as an omnibus by Meisha Merlin. A couple of weeks later, I went to start proofing and boom, I was totally hooked by the first page!

So what is Sime~Gen about?

Let see... Set some centuries in the future, Sime~Gen has the human race divided (through either evolution or genetic manipulation, nobody knows) into two groups: Simes and Gens. Both groups basically look the same, but there is one big difference which dominates all goings-on between them: Simes have tentacles on their arms and need selyn to survive, while Gens don't have tentacles and produce selyn. Selyn isn't any type of bodily fluid but an invisible life force almost like chi, which builds up naturally in Gens but whose absence in Simes will kill them if they go more than a month.

Ever since the mutation divided the species, Simes and Gens have understandably been at war. In Sime-controlled territories, Gens are raised in pens like animals and bought and sold like they're food - stripped of their selyn and tossed away. In Gen-dominated territories, by contrast, there is a saying that "The only good Sime is a dead Sime." And what makes it scary is that Gens can have Sime children and vice versa - nobody knows until they hit puberty. If Gens have Sime children, they kill them, and when Simes have them, they can of course kill them or sell them to Gen dealers.

This is the basic set up of the trilogy and the plot, as it develop, involves efforts on part of Simes and Gens to overcome all the prejudice and enmity and achieve unity. After all, if Simes kill all the Gens, they'll die, and it's already a given than Gens can't kill all the Simes.

None of this is explained in boring history lessons, but laid out in the stories of individuals. In House of Zeor the story centers of a Gen named Hugh Valleroy, who goes on a dangerous, secret assignment into Sime territory in order to rescue an important Gen official who also happens to be his girlfriend. (Yes, this sounds cheesy and it sort of is.) Hugh doesn't infiltrate Sime territory on his own, however, but instead is paired up with Klyd Farris, head of the titular House of Zeor. Even though Hugh has actually grown up as a Sime sympathizer (who expected he'd "changeover" at puberty), he's never been to Sime territory and arrives completely unprepared for what he finds.

House of Zeor is a "householding" which, running again most prevailing laws and attitudes, is a community where Simes and Gens live in harmony. Harmony is achieved by a special kind of Sime called a Channel. Unlike regular Simes, Channels don't need to kill Gens to get the selyn they need. Channels have two "selyn transport systems" and can collect selyn from dozens of Gens, just like milking cows almost, and then go to Simes, who then take the selyn - instead of killing Gens. Channels also have selyn needs of their own, of course, and for that reason, and because they're just so important to householdings, each Channel has a Companion. Companions, Hugh learns, are Gens who produce an extraordinarily large quantity of selyn and are able to give their selyn freely to serve the appetite of the Channel. Little does Hugh know that he's natural Companion material - for Klyd, the head channel of House of Zeor!

There's an awful lot of plot over the course of these three books. House of Zeor is a dive into the world of Simes and Gens and follows the story of Hugh and Klyd, while the middle book, Ambrov Keon, takes place in another part of the world. It centers on another householding, Keon, starting with the arrival of Risa Tigue, a "junct" (killing) Sime who stumbles upon a householding and learns she is a Channel. Risa has a lot to learn and although she fights it, she ends up being a big part of bringing her corner of the world towards unity. The final book, Zelerod's Doom, brings Hugh and Klyd together with the cast of of Ambrov Keon for a battle that eventually achieves the beginning of what gets to be called Unity - the day Simes and Gens begin to forge a truce. This story gets deeper into some of the relationships, in particular Hugh and Klyd's, and reveals a race struggling to figure out what they are about and how they can survive.

One thing I'll say about these books is that although I did enjoy them quite a lot, the writing style, plotting and other bits of it can get to sounding cheesy. It certainly isn't the sort of rich descriptive narrative I'm used to reading (Storm Constantine, Ursula Le Guin). Instead, it's more the kind of writing you'd find in a Star Trek book, which makes a lot of sense since the authors are huge Star Trek fans and have, in fact, written Star Trek novels. This doesn't stop the books from being enjoyable, but I think it is something that needs to be noted, in case a reader is expecting great literature.

Since reading Sime~Gen I have found myself wanting to read more and luckily, there is more to read, not only more books, which Meisha Merlin will be publishing over the next few years, but whole novels already online and a huge load of fan fiction, which the authors are OK with and even host on their own web site. I am so glad Alan handed me that white box!

Rating:
Summary: One of my Longtime Favorites
Review: When you open the cover, you first "see" (visualize) two army professionals nervously awaiting a meeting with some type of spy. As yet, there is little hint that you have entered a world where emotions become real flaring beacons, where actually destroying the people you love the best is a literal possibility, and where philosophical questions take on a new depth of tangibility and beauty. The characterization brought me to these books the first time, and kept me reading as I struggled through the trick of reasoning within an alien world (a mental challenge that is incredibly attractive to science fiction readers). House of Zeor (the first book in the trilogy) has a point of view character who is also unfamiliar with the key concepts, so it makes a good starting place, and I caught on just by reading. There is a world of incredible beauty and fascination between these covers. They remain some of my favorite books (over five years after my first introduction to House of Zeor), and I am very pleased that they are finally republished. Keep on reading even through the alien words like "zlin" and "field gradient" --trust me, it's worth it. You meet people like Klyd Farris, who has a "brittle strength" and more courage than I can fathom; Risa Tigue, who says the funniest things; Muryin and Virena, two girls who come from almost opposite interpretations--and you unveil philosophical questions that seem so simple at first glance, but continue to develop and deepen, and finally remain unresolved--but tantalizing and invigorating. I would highly recommend this trilogy--probably because I still read it!

Rating:
Summary: One of my Longtime Favorites
Review: When you open the cover, you first "see" (visualize) two army professionals nervously awaiting a meeting with some type of spy. As yet, there is little hint that you have entered a world where emotions become real flaring beacons, where actually destroying the people you love the best is a literal possibility, and where philosophical questions take on a new depth of tangibility and beauty. The characterization brought me to these books the first time, and kept me reading as I struggled through the trick of reasoning within an alien world (a mental challenge that is incredibly attractive to science fiction readers). House of Zeor (the first book in the trilogy) has a point of view character who is also unfamiliar with the key concepts, so it makes a good starting place, and I caught on just by reading. There is a world of incredible beauty and fascination between these covers. They remain some of my favorite books (over five years after my first introduction to House of Zeor), and I am very pleased that they are finally republished. Keep on reading even through the alien words like "zlin" and "field gradient" --trust me, it's worth it. You meet people like Klyd Farris, who has a "brittle strength" and more courage than I can fathom; Risa Tigue, who says the funniest things; Muryin and Virena, two girls who come from almost opposite interpretations--and you unveil philosophical questions that seem so simple at first glance, but continue to develop and deepen, and finally remain unresolved--but tantalizing and invigorating. I would highly recommend this trilogy--probably because I still read it!

Rating:
Summary: One of my Longtime Favorites
Review: When you open the cover, you first "see" (visualize) two army professionals nervously awaiting a meeting with some type of spy. As yet, there is little hint that you have entered a world where emotions become real flaring beacons, where actually destroying the people you love the best is a literal possibility, and where philosophical questions take on a new depth of tangibility and beauty. The characterization brought me to these books the first time, and kept me reading as I struggled through the trick of reasoning within an alien world (a mental challenge that is incredibly attractive to science fiction readers). House of Zeor (the first book in the trilogy) has a point of view character who is also unfamiliar with the key concepts, so it makes a good starting place, and I caught on just by reading. There is a world of incredible beauty and fascination between these covers. They remain some of my favorite books (over five years after my first introduction to House of Zeor), and I am very pleased that they are finally republished. Keep on reading even through the alien words like "zlin" and "field gradient" --trust me, it's worth it. You meet people like Klyd Farris, who has a "brittle strength" and more courage than I can fathom; Risa Tigue, who says the funniest things; Muryin and Virena, two girls who come from almost opposite interpretations--and you unveil philosophical questions that seem so simple at first glance, but continue to develop and deepen, and finally remain unresolved--but tantalizing and invigorating. I would highly recommend this trilogy--probably because I still read it!