Monday, February 18, 2008


The Shadow and Night - Tour Day 2
by Chris Walley

Web site - http://www.chriswalley.net/
Author blog - http://chriswalley.blogspot.com/




On the second tour day for The Shadow and the Night, I wanted to mention some of the technology and how it fits into Assembly socity. Worlds are connected by Gates that enable vast ships to jump 40 or 50 light years at a time in a matter of moments. Short travel jumps between gates help the Assembly worlds stay connected both economically and socially.

Merral's almost fiance, Isabella, works as a child pyschologist to compare her patients against the Assembly norm. This continous re-evaluation has helped strengthen the stability among the star systems for past 11,000 years. Technology and the environment are checked and rechecked on the made worlds - humanly modified dead worlds. The pre-story begins with the remote seeder ship Leviathon-D preparing the world for future colonization.

Society accepts technology as long as it doesn't create harm to another being. Growing and modifying new plants is an ongoing process, yet plants are as advanced a life form as they may change. Merral's young cousin first sights one of the alien creatures in the high woods overlooking her town. Merral and Vero travel to the wilds, and find another more dangerous creature in league with the first. Both creature types appear as modified humans; a clear blasphemy of the laws.

Wars have been ended, so when Merral and Vero are forced to fight the mutated creatures in the Northern expanse, the fighting is seen as an alien concept to both. Yet, they must learn quickly if they, and Farholme, are to survive. The pair try to warn a ship's captain about impending doom of the Gate, but are told again and again that the Gate never fails; it just works.

The second book takes up days after the greatest catastrophe Farholme has faced since it's founding. Families and friends have been seperated by light years, and society appears to be unraveling. Electronic diary security has been compromised, and Merral begins to wonder who can be trusted. A darkness is settling over Farholme containing both physical and spiritual danger.


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2 comments:

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

Great summary, Tim. Hope you liked the book.

Becky

1:43 PM
Fantasythyme said...

Yes, I'm still reading the final chapters tonight. I like the way Mr. walley builds the setting and helps a mood of expectency in the story.

Tim

9:45 PM

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