Young Bleys (Childe Cycle/Gordon R. Dickson)

The Splinter Cultures' longtime experimentation in human genetics pits Hal Mayne, hero of the Young Worlds, against power-hungry Bleys Ahrens and his greedy half-brother, Dahno

Dickson ( Wolf and Iron ) returns to his monumental Childe Cycle, begun in 1959 with Dorsai! Stepping back from the events of the past two volumes, this installment details the childhood and maturation of the visionary leader Bleys Ahrens. Precocious Bleys becomes a nuisance to his mother and is sent to live with his uncle, a pious farmer on the backwater planet Association. There his elder brother Dahno, simlarly exiled, recruits him as partner in his interstellar organization of Others, those whose parentage is mixed among the three Splinter Cultures: Exotics, Friendlies and Dorsai. Eventually Bleys takes over the organization and turns it to his own, grander ends--the dominance of the many worlds by the Others. Dickson's work harks back to an earlier decade: there are no cyberpunks here; many of the SF trappings, such as floating chairs and electronic "readers" instead of printed books, seem outdated; women are practically invisible. Nevertheless the book is engaging and the prose serviceable, and fans of the series will not be disappointed. Dickson's work leaves the borders of the genre unchallenged, but reveals some of that genre's traditional strengths.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Removed from the care of his "Exotic" mother and sent to the demanding planet of Association (ruled by humans known as "Friendlies"), halfbreed Bleys Ahrens discovers a covert organization of crossbred humans which provides a focus for his growing sense of destiny. Set against the panoramic background of the Splinter Cultures, with their three distinct genetic strains of humans, Dickson's latest addition to his enduring "Childe Cycle" depicts a young man's coming of age and sets the stage for momentous events to come. Recommended for libraries that own previous series titles.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.