Status
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Description
The fourth and culminating volume in Julian May's dazzling quartet of science-fiction novels brings to a climax the struggle for the Many-Colored Land--the Earth six million years ago--and completes the series that has become an international best-seller and multiple award nominee. Human time-travelers from the sophisticated Galactic Milieu of the twenty-second century came to the Pliocene Epoch seeking a Garden of Eden. What they found was slavery under the knightly Tanu race, who had been exiled to Earth from a far galaxy. Freed by the usurper Aiken Drum, the humans enjoy a brief period of dominance. But now King Aiken's rule is threatened by the dwarfish Firvulag, who scheme to destroy both humans and Tanu in the nightfall War, a ritual Gotterdammerung that had been postponed when Tanu and Firvulag were banished to Pliocene Earth. This menace becomes almost incidental when Aiken discovers that his realm is about to be invaded by another human who possesses metapsychic powers even greater than Aiken's own. He is Marc Remillard, the Adversary, instigator of the Metapsychic Rebellion, who nearly conquered the Milieu, and then fled through the time-gate after his defeat. Marc and his surviving followers come against Aiken when it seems that a new time-gate is about to be built--one that will provide a two-way portal between the Many-Colored Land and the future world of the Milieu. "The Adversary, "like its predecessors "(The Many-Colored Land, The Golden Tore, "and "The Nonborn King), "combines science and fantastic imagery with rousing adventure, humor, and an optimistic view of the human character as it contends against mental and physical perils.… (more)
User reviews
PS I hate the cover art on the edition I got and changed it to this much more pleasing look. Bad cover art can really impact a book!
The maneuvering to build the time gate is the main plot of THE ADVERSARY. The title character, the Adversary himself, is Marc Remillard. His driving urge is the urge for dominance: humans over other species, himself over humans, his descendants mutated into forms which will allow them to dominate their universe. But Marc’s methods thus far have been so draconic that his children find them – and him – repugnant. One of his son Hagan’s goals in returning to Elder Earth and the government of the Galactic Milieu is to help the Milieu find and destroy his father. So when Marc starts visiting Elizabeth and helping her heal children, all anyone can think of is the terrifying power Marc is developing: learning to jump instantaneously anywhere in the universe, carrying along anything he chooses to bring. Everyone knows that soon Marc will be able to stop the building of the time gate.
It's interesting how she seals Felice up and never comes back to