Customer Reviews

Molt Brother

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book, the first of a promised "Lifewave" series (the second book, "City of a Million Legends", is also sadly out-of-print) gives us some aliens that are truly alien.

Starting with the postulation that an alien race could have evolved from a snake-like species, Molt Brother goes further. It gives ideas on what might happen on a world that has humans and Kren living together. The Kren are the snake-like humanoids, and they have a fascinating physiology that comes into play in several areas of this book.

Kren can raise venom - they are poisonous, and can bite and kill humans if necessary. Kren lay eggs. Kren shed skin - a process that makes them unusually vulnerable during the time that their new skin is curing.

It is the story of how the humans and Kren interact that make this story a wonderful read. Humans are visitors to the Kren's world, and it is unheard of that a Kren should choose a human to be a "molt brother" - that is, a person who would be trusted to watch over a Kren during the shedding of old skin and the curing of new skin. This look at an alien civilization from the alien point of view is very refreshing.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book a perfect five stars is Lichtenberg's use of reincarnation. Although it =is= necessary for the story, I have never been a believer in reincarnation, and it detracted slightly from my enjoyment of an otherwise fine read.

I'd still recommend this book to SF fans for it's portrayal of a truly alien race from the alien's point of view. It's unfortunately out-of-print, but can be found in used bookstores inexpensively. The sequel, "City of a Million Legends" is also out-of-print, and it's sad that no other books were ever written about this unusual alien race and culture.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg is known for her "intimate" SF and this is a fine example of it. Rather than depending on technology, or action and adventure, she tells the story through relationships. Those who like technology or action and adventure will not be disappointed, there is plenty of that.

The universe is well fleshed out with the aliens and humans being living characters rather than sterotypes. The Kren are a race of snake-like humanoids who are capable of having a non-sexual intimate partnership with members of their own species and with humans. The main characters are human and Kren's in this special partnership which is as close or closer than the relationship between married couples.

One reveiwer mentioned reincarnation. This is a critical part of the story, so if you don't believe in reincarnation or karma, just suspend belief. For those that do, the story seems to match what little I know about past lives and how one discovers their past lives.

One thing you may find interesting, is that Jacqueline Lichtenberg invented the Internet!!! Think of the "Interface" characters as being a human (or alien) Search Engine.

I don't read science fiction. Or fantasy. And I hate snakes. I don't believe in reincarnation, or karma. Yet I think _Molt Brother_ is a work of high imaginative quality. Translation: It's a great read.

As all the other reviews have pointed out, the story centers around a Kren (snake-like humanoid) and a human who have a close relationship, so close that the female Kren chooses the human to be her "Molt Brother," someone to watch over her while she sheds her skin and the new skin hardens.

Ms. Lichtenberg and I met on Twitter, and finding that I didn't read sci/fi or fantasy, she offered to send me a copy to educate me about that genre. When I received it, I began with considerable trepidation to read it. I couldn't stop.

She makes the relationship between reptile and human totally believable, and a creature with fangs completely sympathetic. I lost my sense of disbelief in sympathy with the Kren. I mean, how embarrassing is it to have your fangs drop because of a passing tremor of fear or irritation? You see what I'm saying? I live where it can be wise to carry a rattlesnake venom antidote, but for petesake I liked the Kren.

While wholeheartedly recommending _Molt Brother_ to anyone who reads English, and I'll be happy to read anything else by Ms. Lichtenberg, I have to admit I still hate snakes.

I think of Molt Brother and it's sequel City of a Million Legends as "a science so advanced it is indistinguishable from magic".

You can read free chapters of this Intimate Adventure on Jacqueline Lichtenberg's homepage simegen dot com/jl/ , and soon you will be able to buy the new trade paperback edition here on amazon. There are plans for a Larp and perhaps series of one-act plays with new characters in this universe.

These novels tell the story of a human, Zref Ortenau, raised on an alien planet who has acculturated to the alien point of view to become almost alien in his thinking. These aliens have a very strong magical view of the universe that works for them.

Zref is the son of two archeologists searching for the truth about a civilization that existed turns of the galaxy ago and left relics too large to be identified as relics, "mighty works." And of course some legends survive as inscriptions in long dead tongues.

The legend seems to talk about an object of power, so of course the race is on. There are those who want the Object in order to get power. And there are those who want it to keep people who want power from getting it.

And there's always the question of whether such a legend has any grain of truth in it at all. The question would be merely academic if there weren't those willing to kill to find out.