The Ship
The Free Trader starship Lydis appears to be making an ordinary run to the Planet Thoth, carrying incense for the great temples of Kartum. And so she is-until a civil war lands her in the middle of a battle between ancient powers and nameless evil, with a Forerunner treasure at its heart.
The Crew
The crew, too, seems normal enough – until you loook closely at two of its members: Krip Vorlund, a man who walks in a body not his own, and his pet, a four-legged beast hiding the mind of Maelen the Moon Singer, a woman whose esper powers can save them all – or bring them to peril and eternal destruction.
The Story
An extraordinary novel of interplanetary adventure in a world where strange and compelling powers of the mind hold sway. Ander Norton has created another fabulous tale that will keep you entralled from the first page to last. Enter once agian into the world of Moon of Three Rings, and let Andre Norton’s magic carry you into the stars…
Excerpt
Lidj had the door open. And, with that, light flashed within. There sat the Throne, facing us squarely. They has not recrated it as yet. Only the cavity in the back was closed again. The captain turned to me.
“Well, what is it?”
But in turn I looked to Krip. “Do you feel it?”
He faced the Throne, his face now blank of expression, his dark Thassa eyes fixed. I saw his tongue pass over his lower lip.
“I feel–something–” But his puzzlement was strong.
Both the other Traders looked from one of us to the other. It was plain they did not share what we felt. Krip took a step forward–put his hand to the seat of the Throne.
I cried aloud my protest. But too late. His finger tips touched the red metal. A visible shudder shook his body; he reeled back as if he had thrust his hand into open fire…
Review
Wrestling to keep one’s identity, even for us, ordinary humans, has always been a challenge. How much harder would it be, if you’ve got at least the memories and habits of one or two beings in your brain, and one not even remotely humanoid. This is exactly what Krip and Maelen strive to stay strong against. And compared to all their other problems, one to two personalities is small potatoes.
In the planet of Sehkmet, Krip, Maelen and the crew of Lydis battle, a cryogenized colony of ancient beings who have enormous esper abilities. They can steal your body at will and control your being, but for Krip and Maelen, the fight is even more painful, because having already lost their own bodies once, to know that their current ones can be taken again is terrifying.
For Maelen, she has been body-transferred only one time by her people, the Thassa, as punishment for a grave transgression(which was never mentioned in this book, to my dismay). However, The transfer has, in no way, been easy for her because with her exchange of bodies, her once powerful esper abilities as a renouned Moon Singer have been greatly reduced. And even harder, she has been transferred into the body of a galia (a four-footed animal which seems to be described as more intelligent and affectionately loyal than a dog).
For Krip, he has been transferred two times. Once, when he was greatly injured and Maelen transferred him into the body of a four-footed animal reminiscent of a wolf, and the second time when he was transferred into the body of a Thassa. He has three insticts warring in his brain, to be Krip Vorlund, animal, and Thassa. All intrude, and it is hard to know if his own actions are truly his own, or are they the habits or memories of the Thassa who is more humanoid than the animal, and therefore more dangerous to Krip Vorlund.
For people like Maelen who has survived one body, and for Krip who has survived two, it must be horrifying to realize that with from the power of one mind, their bodies can be taken so easily. The bodies they now reside in have been freely given, and the thought of a forced transference has never occurred to them. However, they are not totally defenseless in their struggle against the Old Ones, remnants of a powerful Precursor race. Because of their esper abilities, they have known that the only way to fight is to keep into their minds, that one important image of themselves. That essence which embodies who they are through all the changing shells. Sadly, their crew mates are not as lucky.
It’s like a fight between David and Goliath. Here you have this mixed crew of aliens and humans, and aside from Maelen and Krip, the rest have only a smidgen of esper abilities. They are almost defenseless, and if it were not for Maelen’s ability to sense the growing dangers around them, they would be even more unprepared than they are now. The plan of the aliens isn’t only abduction of these small group of bodies. Imagine a crew of these Old Ones flying in Space, and like parasites, taking control of one body after another.
As bodies go, I found it interesting how Krip referred to his two other bodies as if they were external casings. He missed them, but the way he spoke sometimes, it is as if, he’s just one mind being contained in a vessel. He reminisces of times when he dwelt in one such former body, as if it were a house long vacated, and he feeling a touch of homesickness for the moment. For Maelen, she misses her Thassa body more, though she hides it well. How can she not? When she was Moon Singer, she was powerful and respected. It is clearly seen she was arrogant as well, and no doubt her arrogance led her to doing something forbidden enough to merit punishment.
Throughout this book, what kept me interested was all the tiny little details that made situations sharper and kept the rhythm on. When things seemed hopeless, they were, and when scenes seemed gray, they just got darker. Krip and Maelen were not the only ones in danger, even the crew were not spared as one of their own, Griss, was brutally ripped from his own body and transferred to the shell of the alien. His terror was seemed so real. The torture of a mind trapped in the dark, unable to move, unable to speak, slowly going crazy, brought home just how painful the experience was. And amazingly enough, there wasn’t too much description, just a few lines here and there to make the experience felt by the reader, but not too much that you feel over-saturated.
Overall, it has been both an insightful(weird/creep), and exciting, read. Despite body-snatching being a frightening idea, wouldn’t it be awesome if we could transfer bodies like ghosts? And to have Precursor races so powerful, it’s frightening, and yet fascinating at the same time. I would love to see this book in a movie. Krip and Maelen would be difficult characters to mimic.
Synopsis:
