Jane Lindskold: Artemis Duology
May. 27th, 2018 08:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bibliogrammaThe world of Artemis was created as a pleasure planet for the richest citizens of a technologically advanced galactic empire, one in which both science and psionics interacted to enable almost fantastic feats of science and engineering.
Created from an airless asteroid, seeded with genetically engineered life - even to the humanoid servants who lived on the planet, serving as resort personnel - Artemis was a playground for the elites. But empires end, and violent power struggles among the ruling families of this empire brought about its destruction. Lost is much of the psionic technology, and the remaining planetary civilisations, while still space-faring, are much diminished. Lost also is the location of Artemis, where for 500 years, the genetically altered humans and animals have been left to build a functioning society. Their past as a vacation resort is still very much a part of their way of life - they have no advanced technology of their own, and live in the same simple agrarian ways set for them by the long-absent “seegnurs.”
Griffin Dale is a historian, archeologist, and anthropologist, whose field of research is the old Empire. In his research, he discovers clues to the location of long-lost pleasure planet Artemis, and being somewhat young, over-confidant, and a bit hungry for glory, he sets out alone to check his findings. But not only does he find Artemis, but his shuttle, which he intended to use to observe the planet from a closer distance than the high orbit of his spaceship, suffers mechanical failure due to the presence of destructive nanobots in the atmosphere, a relic of the wars that raged between imperial factions even on Artemis. Trapped on the planet, he is fortunate to encounter three Artemisians - two genetically adapted humans, Adara and Terrell, and an adapted puma, Sand Shadiw, who is telepathically bonded to Adara.
Together they embark on a quest to uncover what may remain of the old technologies, so that Griffen can go home again.
In Artemis Awakening, the first of two novels following the hunt of Griffin, Adara and Terrell seek information from a respected loremaster who has studied the technology left behind by the seegnurs - an adapted human known as the Old One Who Is Young because of some mutation that has left him with an extended life span. But instead they are drawn into his unsavoury secret plots, which include a forced breeding program intended to re-establish the psionic powers of the ancients in a new generation of Artemisians who would be bound to him.
As they work together to foil his scheme and rescue the unwilling participants of his program, both Terrell and Adara begin to manifest unexpected abilities. Terrell, descended from a line of Artemisians bred to be the perfect tour guides, turns out to have the ability to link telepathically with Griffin, who is, after all, descended from seegnur stock. And Adara, together with her bondmate, is somehow in communication with the awakening consciousness of the artificially created planet itself. The developing love triangle between Griffin, Adara and Terrell is handled in a refreshing manner, with both men keeping the lid on the potentials for pointless competition and jealously, and acknowledging Adara’s right to make her own choices, or no choice at all, in her own time.
Artemis Invaded, the second novel, finds Griffin, Adara, Sand Shadow and Terrell on a mission to explore a forbidden region of Artemis known to its inhabitants as Maiden’s Tear. Legend has it that the surviving seegnurs of a massacre fled to that region - but were killed by their enemies before they could use whatever they sought to fight back, or escape. Griffin hopes that he will find another secret installation of the seegnurs, and something to help him return to his home planet.
But the Old One and his chief lieutenant, Julyan, who escaped to destruction of his secret breeding facility, are on their trail, seeking revenge. And unknown to Griffen, others from his own civilisation have followed his trail to Artemis, fully intending to find, and use, the old imperial technology to rebuild an empire. Where Griffin wants knowledge, and to help his companions maintain the integrity of their own world, those around him seek power that could unleash horrors not seen in war since the end of the old empire. But to prevent that from happening, he may need to give up all ties to his family and his own world.
The Artemis books are quite a lot of fun. It’s refreshing to see a post-apocalypse story where what survives may actually be more worth preserving than what preceded it. And the ways in which the narrative subverts all the romantic tropes of handsome offworlders and spirited alien women is a pleasant change from the usual. An enjoyable story, complete in two volumes, but with room for more if the author ever decides to return to Artemis.
Created from an airless asteroid, seeded with genetically engineered life - even to the humanoid servants who lived on the planet, serving as resort personnel - Artemis was a playground for the elites. But empires end, and violent power struggles among the ruling families of this empire brought about its destruction. Lost is much of the psionic technology, and the remaining planetary civilisations, while still space-faring, are much diminished. Lost also is the location of Artemis, where for 500 years, the genetically altered humans and animals have been left to build a functioning society. Their past as a vacation resort is still very much a part of their way of life - they have no advanced technology of their own, and live in the same simple agrarian ways set for them by the long-absent “seegnurs.”
Griffin Dale is a historian, archeologist, and anthropologist, whose field of research is the old Empire. In his research, he discovers clues to the location of long-lost pleasure planet Artemis, and being somewhat young, over-confidant, and a bit hungry for glory, he sets out alone to check his findings. But not only does he find Artemis, but his shuttle, which he intended to use to observe the planet from a closer distance than the high orbit of his spaceship, suffers mechanical failure due to the presence of destructive nanobots in the atmosphere, a relic of the wars that raged between imperial factions even on Artemis. Trapped on the planet, he is fortunate to encounter three Artemisians - two genetically adapted humans, Adara and Terrell, and an adapted puma, Sand Shadiw, who is telepathically bonded to Adara.
Together they embark on a quest to uncover what may remain of the old technologies, so that Griffen can go home again.
In Artemis Awakening, the first of two novels following the hunt of Griffin, Adara and Terrell seek information from a respected loremaster who has studied the technology left behind by the seegnurs - an adapted human known as the Old One Who Is Young because of some mutation that has left him with an extended life span. But instead they are drawn into his unsavoury secret plots, which include a forced breeding program intended to re-establish the psionic powers of the ancients in a new generation of Artemisians who would be bound to him.
As they work together to foil his scheme and rescue the unwilling participants of his program, both Terrell and Adara begin to manifest unexpected abilities. Terrell, descended from a line of Artemisians bred to be the perfect tour guides, turns out to have the ability to link telepathically with Griffin, who is, after all, descended from seegnur stock. And Adara, together with her bondmate, is somehow in communication with the awakening consciousness of the artificially created planet itself. The developing love triangle between Griffin, Adara and Terrell is handled in a refreshing manner, with both men keeping the lid on the potentials for pointless competition and jealously, and acknowledging Adara’s right to make her own choices, or no choice at all, in her own time.
Artemis Invaded, the second novel, finds Griffin, Adara, Sand Shadow and Terrell on a mission to explore a forbidden region of Artemis known to its inhabitants as Maiden’s Tear. Legend has it that the surviving seegnurs of a massacre fled to that region - but were killed by their enemies before they could use whatever they sought to fight back, or escape. Griffin hopes that he will find another secret installation of the seegnurs, and something to help him return to his home planet.
But the Old One and his chief lieutenant, Julyan, who escaped to destruction of his secret breeding facility, are on their trail, seeking revenge. And unknown to Griffen, others from his own civilisation have followed his trail to Artemis, fully intending to find, and use, the old imperial technology to rebuild an empire. Where Griffin wants knowledge, and to help his companions maintain the integrity of their own world, those around him seek power that could unleash horrors not seen in war since the end of the old empire. But to prevent that from happening, he may need to give up all ties to his family and his own world.
The Artemis books are quite a lot of fun. It’s refreshing to see a post-apocalypse story where what survives may actually be more worth preserving than what preceded it. And the ways in which the narrative subverts all the romantic tropes of handsome offworlders and spirited alien women is a pleasant change from the usual. An enjoyable story, complete in two volumes, but with room for more if the author ever decides to return to Artemis.