I recently finished reading a wonderful nine book science fiction series by Julian May. It is an older series, but well worth tracking down and reading. It was very creative and very well written.
The Saga of Pliocene Exile which contains four novels:
The Many-Colored Land, The Golden Torc, The Nonborn King, and The Adversary.
This opening four novel series in the greater nine novel series spans some six million years and two galaxies in its breadth and scope.
In Earth's future, Mankind has earned a place in the Galactic Milieu, a confederation of races who span the galaxy and exist together in peace and friendship. But since humans only recently entered the Milieu, there are still some individuals who simply cannot fit in with greater society for one reason or another.
One of their options is to travel through a one way time gate to Pliocene France, some six million years in Earth's past. They are given survival training and allowed to take things back in time with them that will allow their survival and a simple living through a craft or trade. The women are rendered sterile.
One group of refugees traveling back to the Pliocene has some remarkable individuals. One is a highly trained hospice worker suffering from burn out. Another once had galactic class mental powers, which she lost in a bad accident that had nearly killed her and did kill her husband. One is a teen aged girl who is crazy and violent, but has incredible latent mind powers. Another is a charming crook with vast latent mind powers. Yet another is a retired professor of geology.
They receive the surprise of their lives when they go through the gate to find that Earth is under the control of a dimorphic alien race! And the aliens have a technology that can bring latent mind powers to life with the torques they fasten around the necks of the subject humans...and the aliens reverse the sterility of the women and use them for breeding...
Some of the challenges they will face: simple survival under the control of the aliens in a world very unlike the one they left behind; trying to break free of slavery; trying to find a way to warn the people of future Earth to close the gate so that nomore humans are sent back in time; trying to survive in between two warring brother races; and perhaps the greatest challenge - facing the greatest rebels in the history of the Galactic Milieu in Marc Remillard and his followers (murderers of billions) who proceeded them into exile...
Unique and wonderful, this is a series that should be read by all science fiction fans.
Intervention by Julian May, which consists of two novels:
The Surveillance, Metaconcert
During World War II, humans developed the power to destroy the Earth, so nature intervened in pushing humans towards the next step of evolution, the development of awesome mind powers.
While the races of the Galactic Milieu quietly watch and hope, various people on earth are born with the powers; if enough people who value humanity and peace are born with the powers that they can come together in one mental voice of love and friendship then the Milieu can intervene in Earth affairs and bring Mankind into the Milieu.
One of the key families is the Remillards, from New Hampshire, but of French Canadian ancestry. Twin boys, Rogatien and Donatien, are born with the powers. Don's children are born with even greater powers. Rogi is a decent man who does his best to help out Don's oldest son, Denis, but Don himself is an alcoholic rotter. And his second son, Victor, is a monster.
It shows what a good author Julian May is in that we already know that the Intervention will happen, and that Mankind will become the sixth race in the Galactic Milieu, but you are still glued to these two books!
The Galactic Milieu Trilogy which contains three novels by Julian May:
Jack the Bodiless, Diamond Mask, and Magnificat
These three novels fill in the gap between Intervention and the Saga of Pliocene Exile. Mankind has earned a provisional place in the Galactic Milieu, but has not yet gained Unity, the galactic master mind, where people are so mind and heart linked that they cannot even imagine harming each other.
Many humans fear a loss of individuality in Unity, and wish to withdraw from the Galactic Milieu as a result. Others support the Milieu in every way, and work for Unity in every way they can.
Both factions are led by members of the Remillard family. Two brothers, sons of Paul, grandsons of Denis, lead the two factions.
Marc is the leader of the rebels. He wishes to be able to be free to work on a monstrous scientific project called Mental Man. And he doesn't mind murdering billions of people to gain that freedom.
Jack, a horribly physically deformed man with huge mental powers, and Jack's wife, leader of the Scottish world Caledonia, work towards peace and unity. And they are willing to give their lives towards that goal.
Again, it is telling that, while we know what is coming from The Saga of Pliocene Exile, we are still glued to our seats. And it is very easy to love both Jack and his wife Dorothea the Diamond Mask, and to be frustrated at Marc, who has so much potential to do so much good but commits so much evil. Marc is one of the greatest anti-heroes and stories of redemption in all of science fiction.
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