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Sime~Gen: The Unity Trilogy

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The Unity Trilogy is a book that landed in my lap -- nearly literally! I swear, I showed up one night for the writers' group I'm in and my friend Alan was there with a white box. "Hey, remember how I mentioned we could maybe use you as a proofreader?" he asked, before handing over the box. Inside were three manuscripts, since it was a trilogy being republished as an omnibus by Meisha Merlin. A couple of weeks later, I went to start proofing and boom, I was totally hooked by the first page!

So what is Sime~Gen about?

Let see... Set some centuries in the future, Sime~Gen has the human race divided (through either evolution or genetic manipulation, nobody knows) into two groups: Simes and Gens. Both groups basically look the same, but there is one big difference which dominates all goings-on between them: Simes have tentacles on their arms and need selyn to survive, while Gens don't have tentacles and produce selyn. Selyn isn't any type of bodily fluid but an invisible life force almost like chi, which builds up naturally in Gens but whose absence in Simes will kill them if they go more than a month.

Ever since the mutation divided the species, Simes and Gens have understandably been at war. In Sime-controlled territories, Gens are raised in pens like animals and bought and sold like they're food - stripped of their selyn and tossed away. In Gen-dominated territories, by contrast, there is a saying that "The only good Sime is a dead Sime." And what makes it scary is that Gens can have Sime children and vice versa - nobody knows until they hit puberty. If Gens have Sime children, they kill them, and when Simes have them, they can of course kill them or sell them to Gen dealers.

This is the basic set up of the trilogy and the plot, as it develop, involves efforts on part of Simes and Gens to overcome all the prejudice and enmity and achieve unity. After all, if Simes kill all the Gens, they'll die, and it's already a given than Gens can't kill all the Simes.

None of this is explained in boring history lessons, but laid out in the stories of individuals. In House of Zeor the story centers of a Gen named Hugh Valleroy, who goes on a dangerous, secret assignment into Sime territory in order to rescue an important Gen official who also happens to be his girlfriend. (Yes, this sounds cheesy and it sort of is.) Hugh doesn't infiltrate Sime territory on his own, however, but instead is paired up with Klyd Farris, head of the titular House of Zeor. Even though Hugh has actually grown up as a Sime sympathizer (who expected he'd "changeover" at puberty), he's never been to Sime territory and arrives completely unprepared for what he finds.

House of Zeor is a "householding" which, running again most prevailing laws and attitudes, is a community where Simes and Gens live in harmony. Harmony is achieved by a special kind of Sime called a Channel. Unlike regular Simes, Channels don't need to kill Gens to get the selyn they need. Channels have two "selyn transport systems" and can collect selyn from dozens of Gens, just like milking cows almost, and then go to Simes, who then take the selyn - instead of killing Gens. Channels also have selyn needs of their own, of course, and for that reason, and because they're just so important to householdings, each Channel has a Companion. Companions, Hugh learns, are Gens who produce an extraordinarily large quantity of selyn and are able to give their selyn freely to serve the appetite of the Channel. Little does Hugh know that he's natural Companion material - for Klyd, the head channel of House of Zeor!

There's an awful lot of plot over the course of these three books. House of Zeor is a dive into the world of Simes and Gens and follows the story of Hugh and Klyd, while the middle book, Ambrov Keon, takes place in another part of the world. It centers on another householding, Keon, starting with the arrival of Risa Tigue, a "junct" (killing) Sime who stumbles upon a householding and learns she is a Channel. Risa has a lot to learn and although she fights it, she ends up being a big part of bringing her corner of the world towards unity. The final book, Zelerod's Doom, brings Hugh and Klyd together with the cast of of Ambrov Keon for a battle that eventually achieves the beginning of what gets to be called Unity - the day Simes and Gens begin to forge a truce. This story gets deeper into some of the relationships, in particular Hugh and Klyd's, and reveals a race struggling to figure out what they are about and how they can survive.

One thing I'll say about these books is that although I did enjoy them quite a lot, the writing style, plotting and other bits of it can get to sounding cheesy. It certainly isn't the sort of rich descriptive narrative I'm used to reading (Storm Constantine, Ursula Le Guin). Instead, it's more the kind of writing you'd find in a Star Trek book, which makes a lot of sense since the authors are huge Star Trek fans and have, in fact, written Star Trek novels. This doesn't stop the books from being enjoyable, but I think it is something that needs to be noted, in case a reader is expecting great literature.

Since reading Sime~Gen I have found myself wanting to read more and luckily, there is more to read, not only more books, which Meisha Merlin will be publishing over the next few years, but whole novels already online and a huge load of fan fiction, which the authors are OK with and even host on their own web site. I am so glad Alan handed me that white box!

When you open the cover, you first "see" (visualize) two army professionals nervously awaiting a meeting with some type of spy. As yet, there is little hint that you have entered a world where emotions become real flaring beacons, where actually destroying the people you love the best is a literal possibility, and where philosophical questions take on a new depth of tangibility and beauty. The characterization brought me to these books the first time, and kept me reading as I struggled through the trick of reasoning within an alien world (a mental challenge that is incredibly attractive to science fiction readers). House of Zeor (the first book in the trilogy) has a point of view character who is also unfamiliar with the key concepts, so it makes a good starting place, and I caught on just by reading. There is a world of incredible beauty and fascination between these covers. They remain some of my favorite books (over five years after my first introduction to House of Zeor), and I am very pleased that they are finally republished. Keep on reading even through the alien words like "zlin" and "field gradient" --trust me, it's worth it. You meet people like Klyd Farris, who has a "brittle strength" and more courage than I can fathom; Risa Tigue, who says the funniest things; Muryin and Virena, two girls who come from almost opposite interpretations--and you unveil philosophical questions that seem so simple at first glance, but continue to develop and deepen, and finally remain unresolved--but tantalizing and invigorating. I would highly recommend this trilogy--probably because I still read it!

As true, classic science fiction, the Sime~Gen Universe examines a "What if this goes on" question relating to the current human condition: Fear (of pain, of loss) permeates our lives. What if humanity mutated in such a way that our very physiology made fear a death sentence--for individuals, whole societies, and even the race itself? When what was required for survival was not just *control* of fear, but deep *lack* of fear--complete trust between people. This is the situation faced by the characters in the three novels making up the Unity Trilogy.

These novels are simple, involving *stories*, with adventure, romance, and deeply moving relationships. If you like "buddy stories", if in your life you find yourself reaching for unusually, unexpectedly deep friendships regardless of age or gender, if you somehow feel a tremendous need to give, if you see a pattern of relationships and energies in the world that others fail to see ... this book will speak to you.

I've read all the Sime~Gen novels, am tremendously pleased to see them coming back into print, beginning with the Unity Trilogy, and am looking forward to reading the new stories now being written.

... & goes from there. These 3 books contain the heart & souls of the Sime/Gen conflict. This review is without spoilers ... who'd want to spoil such a fascinating universe?

After an unnamed catastrophe, humanity alters into 2 types. Gens look like ordinary humans, but produce a field of selyn, life-giving energy that Simes do not prouce and must take from Gens by force, killing them in the process. Simes also look human except for the 6 tentacles protruding from their arms; they are stronger, healthier, and - luckily - not as common as Gens. But there is no telling one from another until puberty, and the process itself is chancy, thus making the teen years an agonizing time of uncertainty: will they die in the process of changeover, or mature ... and into less-destructive Gens or powerful Simes?

In -House of Zeor-, Gen Hugh Vallory learns about the Channels - an important Sime mutation - as he struggles w/his fear of the tentacled Simes. Hugh, searching for his abducted love Aisha, is taken in by a leader of the Channels, Sectuib Klyd Farris of the infamous Householding of Zeor. "Infamous" because Klyd's people can take selyn, life energy, from Gens without killing them as Simes usually do. The House of Zeor hopes to disjunct all Simes from killing Gens by taking selyn from the Channels ... and to most Simes, that's a change signaling not a benign mutation, but a flaw that needs be eradicated!

In -Ambrov Keon- Sime Risa Teague is shipwrecked by the Mizipi River and rescued by Sergei ambrov Keon -- a Gen Companion who serves Channels by protecting them and donating selyn to them. Sergei immediately recognizes that Risa is potentially a Channel. But Risa was raised by regular Simes, and kills Gens to get her life-necessiating selyn. Can Sergei train her into being a true Channel ... and in time to save his own life?

In -Zelerod's Doom-, the true need for the Channels becomes frighteningly apparent. A prediction comes true when, in a distant & inaccessible village, the number of ordinary Simes exactly matches that of the Gens on hand. All the Gens are killed and then, needing selyn to survive, Sime turns upon Sime and all die in the resultant struggle. Can the Houses of Zeor and Keon redeem their dreams ... or are all Simes as doomed as Gens in a future without Channels?

Background. Humanity evolved into two species following the cataclysm. On the surface the only obvious physical difference is the arms of the Sime. However, in reality, the Simes were much bigger, faster, and deadlier than the Gens. The Sime need selyn to survive while the Gens contain that energy source within their bodies. Over time the Sime began drugging and herding the Gen into pens so that they could suck dry selyn from its source leaving the Gen dead.

"House of Zeor". Gen intelligence operative Hugh Valleroy is considerably distraught over his beloved Aisha being apparently abducted by the Sime. He plans to risk his life to bring her home, but to do so he must meet with Klyd, a Sime. Klyd is a new type of Sime. He serves as a channel between the species, killing no one but providing nutrients for his race. Both are little regarded amongst their respective people. Hugh is considered a Sime lover because he speaks the language, which he learned from his Sime expatriate mother. Klyd and his House of Zeor are considered lunatics because the Gens are a source of food and death is a by-product of that feeding frenzy. Neither trusts the other. Yet if they fail to cooperate, they not only will falter on their quest to save Aisha, but they will also destroy any hope of peaceful coexistence as dreamed of by both men.

"Ambrov Keon". Simes Morgan Tigue and his daughter Risa were sailing home on the Mizipi River when the storm suddenly hit killing the father. Risa barely survives, but to do so drains much of her internal supply of life energy selyn. She must find herself a Gen so that she can replenish her source of life-energy. Risa meets Gen Sergi ambrov Keon, who has the uncanny ability to provide selyn yet control the Sime so as to give enough for the feeder to live yet not die in the process. Sergi offers shelter and selyn to Risa. Having just failed to keep alive a channel, he hopes she is the one that along with him will prove they can live in harmony. Sergi believes she has that ability, but can he persuade her to stop the killing.

"Zelerod's Doom". The end times have arrived for both species of the human race. To survive the life giving Gens and the feeder Simes must find a way to cooperate with channels being the obvious avenue. Failure to do so means the end of the Gens, which mathematically implies the termination of the Simes. Most Gens never heard of channels while most Simes think these renegades are depraved lunatics. Humanity is on the brink of extinction unless the two species stop the animosity and prejudice to reunite the human race into one people. Together in harmony all live, but divided in discord all die.

The Sime-Gen novels are some of the best post apocalypse books written and to see this reprinting in one volume will bring plenty of pleasure to genre fans. The tales focus on the Gen-Sime relationship, but the key to these three books is that the two species seem real regardless of whether Jacqueline Lichtenberg or Jean Lorrah or both wrote the tale. Readers will be caught up in the action, but will appreciate the depth to the prime cast members such as Hugh and Risa. Whether the player is a Sime or a Gen they seem genuine and stay true to their people. Fans of vampire tales in a different setting than Transylvania or London will clearly want to read the great Unity Trilogy novels rolled together in one superb collection.

Harriet Klausner

I just finished House of Zeor from Sime~Gen and loved it! I look forward to finishing the other two stories. I have actually spent my entire night reading - it's now 5:36am and I have had no sleep. Shame on Jacqueline Lichtenberg for writing such a captivating story! What a brilliant feat to create the Sime~Gen world. It is hard to believe this is her first novel published in 1974. It is not dated at all. I look forward to loosing more sleep.

How many ways can you read the same book? A light-hearted romp through a fantasy world, a cautionary tale with a moral, a vampire-like sensuality story?

Which would you like to read?

These books can be read over, and over, and you see a different aspect of the same story.

Anyone reading the Unity Trilogy SC for the very first time will be amazed at just how incredibly fantastic it all is. But for those who are more familiar with her writings there should be no real surprise. Anything by Jacqueline Lichtenberg is always ranked among the very best in fantasy and science fiction.

Jacqueline has been a professional author and member of the Science Fiction Writers of America for many years. Her vivid imagination has taken readers to places well beyond wherever most other sci fi can only pretend to. Her Sime~Gen works are just such wonderous reading.

There are always curious twists and turns along the plotlines, as well as a wide array of interesting characters. Even for those who are not fanatical sci fi enthusiasts, the Unity Trilogy will still hold interest. Jacqueline always includes a wide scenereo of sub-plots, highly believable relationships, and endless difficulties to overcome.

The reader finishes the book always wanting more, but nevertheless having enjoyed it thoroughly. And, perhaps best of all, actually having learned much. But don't just stop with this work, by all means go on to any and all other Lichtenberg books. There's many more surprises in store. And the educational adventure, combined with the entertainment value, never fails.

You definitely won't be disappointed.

{:-) Jeff Redmond
redmondjeff@hotmail.com
www.erdabooks.net

In a time when I was wondering if there was any good in the world, if there was any good in mankind, if anyone could even _imagine_ any good in mankind, I picked up one of these books. I read _Ambrov Keon_ in one night, went back for _House of Zeor_ and then for _Zelerod's Doom_ as fast as I could find them.

They deal with a hard, inhumane world where mankind has split into two groups. One group generates energy the other needs to survive. But if the Generator is frightened, he dies, leaving the taker addicted to Killing. For someone like me, raised in a compulsive/addictive society -- workaholic, perfectionistic, deadline-driven -- the books are the perfect mirror into what is wrong. They also hold up a second mirror -- how to heal the problem.

Compassion. Love. Caring for others.

If I'd just been reading for story, I'm sure story is all I would have seen. The serendipity is that the timing was perfect: I was ready for the message beneath the story, and so it came through. And since then, I've been working on applying it in my own affairs. My life has settled, steadied, evened out. I've finished a post-graduate program and launched a writing career. I've established a 16-year-and-counting relationship. I've made several long-term friends. (It's been a LONG time since I first read these books -- and the changes in my life they've made hade been bearing a LOT of fruit already!) I reread them several times a year, in fact.

If you want a rip-roaring trio of stories without any deep philosophizing, try the Unity trilogy. Don't worry about the messages. They won't intrude.

If you want something more, try the Unity trilogy. You'll find it here!