This is probably the third time I have read this book, possibly the fourth. It seems that it is a natural continuation of a cycle which begins with The Many-Colored Land and ends up with The Adversary. Inevitably, I want to read more and Intervention follows, which is also an excellent book.Sadly, after all those great reads, Jack falls somewhat flat. To be sure, there are some vague glimpses of the overstory which are appreciated, and it is interesting to see the continuing story of Remillard family and insight into the early character of Marc Remillard, but due to the nature of the setting for the plot there is far less action or wow factor to the story. Further, we now reach the point in the story where we know the eventual fate of many of the major players, so the suspense of the unfolding history which was present in Intervention is not so present. Rather, we are left with a situation of finding out how the events come to pass, not what those events actually are.Possibly due to having read this book before, the mystery elements seem to be obvious and the hints are clear. I seem to remember these being less clear the first time around, but it is difficult to really say with any degree of certainty by this stage. However, May's writing remains strong and paces chapters enjoyably between Uncle Rogi's memoirs, events surrounding Marc and key events elsewhere - important threads which will eventually be woven into the greater story.Usually, at this stage I turn to other books and fail to pick up Diamond Mask and Magnificat, both of which I have only read the once. Jack usually has the effect of killing any enthusiasm I have to reread the sequels, but this time I think I got a little more out of it, and it has perhaps been so long since that I read them that the details have faded sufficiently that I can enjoy them from a fresh point of view.In short - absent is the excitement and action of the Exile Saga or alien and metapsyhic craziness, also absent is the twisting and fascinating unfolding plot of Intervention. However, it is still a solidly written book and fans of May's connected books will still find something to enjoy, and gaps to be filled.
Amazing book, so well written and such a gripping plot.Intervention has happened and Earth is on the brink of being accepted into the Galactic milieu but things are not running smoothly, a metapsychic child is born to Teresa Kendall a member of the Remillard dynasty, he is an incredibly gifted being who is fighting for his own survival against medical odds as his body is fighting against him and only his mind is keeping him alive together with the help of medical science. Uncle Rogi and Marc Remillard are especially affected by Jack's medical problems as they have battled hard for him to be born and to survive against the reproductive laws and the family judgements so in consequence are very attuned to Jack's mind and listen when he tells them of a threat that could affect him, the rest of the Remillard family and also humanity and the Galactic milieu. Amidst this dramatic time in Earth's history and tangled political and social climate an evil entity is born and is stalking the Remillard family and casting doubt as to their validity within the political sphere by overshadowing their careers with rumours of murder and deception.Fury is born and is slowly wiping out the Remillards and other operant humans by sucking their vital and psychic life forces.But Fury is not working alone his sidekick Hydra is a five fold entity and is an amalgam of a metaconcert of five minds doing Fury's bidding. But the key to trying to find Fury is to get at Hydra first before anymore deaths but can the Remillards and in particular Marc Remillard and old Uncle Rogi find any clues in time and also save Jack Remillard before Fury turns his evil on him too to wipe out the strongest mind the world has ever seen. A sweeping epic that really makes you think and also well worth reading but not to be undertaken lightly or for a casual read as there many books in the series and they are all inextricably interlinked so would not make sense if read alone.
What do You think about Jack The Bodiless (2011)?
I first read this back in 1992 when it was published and felt it was one of the best sci-fi books I had read to that point. When I saw that it was released on the Kindle I scooped it, and the rest of the Galactic Milieu series, up and hoped it was as good as I remembered. It was. The book hasn't really grown old, the technology that she writes about is not out-dated, the central theme of the book -metaphysical powers, the effect of being a immature part of a galactic unity and the desire to stay independent, are still fresh for me. And above all the book is very well written, you get to know and understand the characters, the mystery is deep and while you may or may not figure out who the hydra is early on there are other things that remain a mystery long past the end of the book (even into the second book in the series and the plot is complex. I found that I didn't want to put the book down even though I remembered a good portion of the story. Now I hope that the first two series that are the prequels for this series.
—Hali Sowle
The scope of this saga spanning eight novels is staggering. A gate is opened to the past, specifically the Pliocene era. But it is a one-way trip. Adventurous souls travel back, and find a world unlike any they could imagine. Epic conflict rages between ancient races, and the future destiny of man is decided. The initial four books make up The Saga of Pliocene Exile. * The Many-Coloured Land * The Golden Torc * The Nonborn King * The AdversaryThese can be read as a standalone series, but who would want to stop there?The “bridge” book deals with first contact and the emergence of humans with “supernatural” powers such as telekinesis. * Intervention. In the US edition this was divided into “Intervention: Surveillance” and “Intervention: Metaconcert”.The Galactic Milieu Trilogy deals with events after humanity has entered the galactic community. * Jack the Bodiless * Diamond Mask * MagnificatWhat surprised me as I finally finished the whole thing was how May had meticulously planned the entire arc from the very beginning, with elements important to the last novels referenced in the first. This lends the whole series a sense of completion rare in such works. Considering the fact that it took over 12 years to write, the achievement is even more impressive.The characters are amazing, with rich depths and particular quirks that blend in well with the evolving destiny of humankind. The settings, especially in Exiles are fabulous.Unfortunately, the US covers are beyond awful, but don’t be put off by that. Also unfortunately, the books are out of print, but can be easily found second hand.http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=236
—Andreas
Another slow burn. My goodness you need to have your wits about you to untangle the various relationships in the dynastic 3 generations and multicultural Remillard clan. If you can keep going for about 250 pages, you'll get Jon's birth, motorbikes, flames, naked brains and alien mating habits. Conversations between the baddies Hydra and Fury are well written, and now read like twitter conversations (bizarre). Again well researched, but for a scifi fantasy it's hard work: I liken it to a mountain climb up an ice slope... Hard going but worth it at the top for the view.
—Graham
