Galactic Milieau books by Julian May

[ur-monkey]

Vic Remillard was most assuredly a bad guy.

Jon Remillard was a saint. But it's true things weren't as clear-cut in't' Saga of the Exiles.

Never really got into Footie Manager, Trapper though I do follow football after a fashion...cheers anyway.


Atoning Unifex was a tremendous character. Don't quite get what happened to him at the end, though.

Spoiler

He just faded away, didn't he?

[Phantasm]

Spoiler

better to burn out than to fade away

apparantly

[ur-monkey]

The Kurgan certainly thought so...

[stonemaybe]

Trapper said:

Stonemaybe said in the first post on this thread:

"Not really any good guys and bad guys. Most characters (all?) have both good and bad aspects"

While I would agree that the Hydra were not totally to blame for what they did, they ended up being pretty much as bad as anyone in any book I've read.

I was thinking of the 4 Saga of The Exiles books there!

As mentioned earlier, I have started reading the Exiles books again. And I can't bloody put The Many-coloured Land down!

A confirmed recidivist, counterproductive to the ultimate harmony of the Galactic Mileau, which of these options do you choose?
a Permanent incarceration in Dalriada Correctional Institution
b Psychosurgical implant of a docilization unit
c Euthanasia

"None of the above," said Aiken Drum. "I choose Exile."

[ur-monkey]

As I recall, Illusio Diamond Mask gave a serial rapist / wifebeater the same choice in Magnificat but he wasn't quite as clued up as Aiken

[stonemaybe]

but he wasn't quite as clued up as Aiken

Probably not quite as f@+*ed up either!

[stonemaybe]

OK getting stuck into The Golden Torc now and 2 odd coincidences in the first 50 pages...

After all that talk of Caucasian heroes over in the ' Tank (mainly by me!), twice now Aiken Drum has had the adjective 'golliwog' used of him. Yes he's a grinning trickster type but does this also suggest an African heritage? Even though he's Scottish?

Also, while Nontusvel and Brian are talking, Julian May uses the phrase "her smiling ur-mothermind". Never come across anyone apart from SRD using the ur- prefix before!

[ur-monkey]

does this also suggest an African heritage? Even though he's Scottish?

Well, yes, I suppose he could be. Aiken was

Spoiler

mixed in a test tube from the banked sperm of metapsychic titan and Dirigent of Earth Davy MacGregor and...some unknown woman's egg.

On the other hand, it could just be a reference to his frizzy hair and being rather short.

Spoiler

I've always liked the fact that Aiken is [distantly] related to Diamond Mask as well. It gives his genealogy a certain class in spite of his delinquent background.

Never come across anyone apart from SRD using the ur- prefix before!

No? Okay, I first encountered it from him as well.

[Fist and Faith]

Just started reading Magnificat. May as well finish up the trilogy, eh? I don't always notice things, as can be seen in various Malazan questions that Murrin's answered over the years. So I don't know if I shouldn't be surprised that

Spoiler

Marc is Atoning Unifex?!?!??

But I most certainly was!!!!!!! Rogi revealed it in the first few pages. Maybe I'd have known if I'd read the Saga? Or if I hadn't missed something obvious in the first two books?

[Fist and Faith]

Finished Magnificat. The trilogy is extremely good. The psi powers are done very nicely. Several political bodies throughout. I've always been bored by politics (that's why I'm not interested in ASOIAF), but these are human, human-alien, alien, so a little different.

Being a woman, Julian May describes nearly every character's outfit of the moment. Annoying, but easy enough to skip those many chapters.

[Avatar]

So, I'd never heard of these books until Fist asked me if I'd read them, and then he sent me the Milieu and the Exiles books.

Just finished the Milieu, which I read first, and thoroughly enjoyed them.

The whole way through you just wanted to know what would happen.

Taking a break with a different book, then will read Exiles and see what I think.

Great recommendation Fist. A little unusual, but very enjoyable.

--A

[Fist and Faith]

Yeah, I thought you'd enjoy it. At your reading pace, a fairly quick read. Not the most complex stuff, but very different in ways. The Remillard family kinda grows on you. Heh.

[Orlion]

I'm currently finding the Exile series to be very enjoyable. Very intelligent... very much ahead (or behind ) its time.

[ussusimiel]

I read the Exiles series many years ago and enjoyed it a lot, I'd highly recommend it. I did try a reread recently and wasn't as gone on it. I think the originality of the series is one of its strong points.

I read the Milieu later on and enjoyed those as well. She's a very good writer who tells really interesting stories.

u.

[Avatar]

The Remillard family kinda grows on you. Heh.

Yeah...they do. And it was weird, 'cause you actually almost always know in advance what will happen...just not how it will happen.

--A

[Fist and Faith]

I hadn't heard of Intervention before I started reading Jack the Bodiless. I got the nook version and read it a few weeks ago. VERY helpful for understanding the Galactic Milieu Trilogy! Sheesh, wish I knew ahead of time. So, while I enjoyed the trilogy, I'm sure not as much as I would have. And now I have proof. I'm almost done with my reread of JtB, and just loving it! With a better handle on the characters and their histories, I'm able to get a lot more out of the other aspects of it all.

[ussusimiel]

I always felt that the timeline of the release of these books was all over the place (the Pliocene Saga was published first so I always kinda knew the story (as Av points out above)). I read Intervention before the others in the Galactic Milieu series, so I knew the background. I enjoyed the books, must do a reread.

u.

[Fist and Faith]

Finished Intervention and the Trilogy. Can't believe I was kinda lukewarm to the series the first time I read them. Absolutely loved the whole thing this time!