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 Adversary
These 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
- Magnificat
What 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.
While the Exiles Saga and the Galactic Milieu Trilogy are among my favorites, May has for a far less grandiose approach here. The characters are well rounded and her elegant prose flows smoothly. Unfortunately, the story is not very engaging. Still worth a read, especially as the third book is qualitatively above the first two. My main problem with the novels is that May is just a bit too in love with the main character, and he seems to be good at everything. There’s never any big question that things are going to be all right. Fun though.
