Alector's Choice (Corean Chronicles, Book 4) - Hardcover

Modesitt, L. E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765313871 ISBN 13: 9780765313874

Publisher: Tor Books, 2005

Synopsis

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. returns to Corus, setting of his recent trilogy (Legacies, Darknesses, Scepters), to begin the epic story of the fall of a great civilization.
Corus has been designed to become the new home of a superior race from a distant world whose very life depends on drawing sustenance from the biological life force of a planet. After changing the climate, they have grown ordinary people to tend the plants and animals, in preparation for their eventual arrival in force. Meanwhile, their plans are supervised by a staff of Alectors, who in effect rule the world. Alectors are bigger, tougher, and have both psychic talents and technology unavailable to the natives.
The time is now fast approaching for the transfer from the old world, nearly bled dry of life force. But neither the Alectors (who will be reduced in status when the real powers arrive) nor the local humans (who seem destined to become no more than cattle, though they know nothing of this) are ready. The tension builds throughout the book, as deeper and deeper levels of complications are revealed.

About this title

About the Author

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. was born in Denver, CO in 1943. In the years since, he has been a delivery boy; a lifeguard; an unpaid radio disc jockey; a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; director of research for a political campaign; legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman; Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues; a college lecturer and writer in residence; and unpaid treasurer of a civic music arts association. In addition to his novels -- most notably the Recluce saga, Spellsong series and Corean Chronicles -- Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles (generally with boring titles), columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. He and his wife, a lyric soprano, make their home in Cedar City, UT.

From Booklist

Instead of resuming the adventures of Alcius, the fourth volume of the Corean Chronicles adopts the points of view of Dainyl, an Alector, and Mykel, one of his talented (and Talented--i.e., psychic) company captains. As previous chronicles (Legacies, 2002; Darknesses, 2003; Scepters, 2004) have imparted, Corus has been developed as a future home for aliens who live by draining one planet's biological life force before moving to another. The development is supervised by Alectors, bigger, stronger, technologically superior to the natives, and all possessed of Talent, which most natives lack. The aliens' transfer to Corus is imminent, but the highest-ranked Alectors are intriguing among themselves, making use of the natives' political and economic aspirations. Dainyl, a just-promoted Alector, is supposed to straighten out a revolt among the steers, as the natives are derisively called. He discovers that higher-up Alectors instigated it, and the rarely seen aboriginal inhabitants of the planet, the Soarers, have gotten involved. Readers of its predecessors may most relish this book, which does, however, stand on its own. Frieda Murray
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Edition details

• Publisher: Tor Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0765313871
• ISBN 13: 9780765313874
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 512