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Title details for The Sky People by S. M. Stirling - Available

The Sky People

#1.0 in series

by S. M. Stirling
Todd McLaren
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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Marc Vitrac was born in Louisiana in the early 1960's, about the time the first interplanetary probes delivered the news that Mars and Venus were teeming with life—even human life. At that point, the "Space Race" became the central preoccupation of the great powers of the world.


Now, in 1988, Marc has been assigned to Jamestown, the US-Commonwealth base on Venus, near the great Venusian city of Kartahown. Set in a countryside swarming with sabertooths and dinosaurs, Jamestown is home to a small band of American and allied scientist-adventurers.


But there are flies in this ointment—and not only the Venusian dragonflies, with their yard-wide wings. The biologists studying Venus's life are puzzled by the way it not only resembles that on Earth, but is virtually identical to it. The EastBloc has its own base at Cosmograd, in the highlands to the south, and relations are frosty. And attractive young geologist Cynthia Whitlock seems impervious to Marc's Cajun charm.


Meanwhile, at the western end of the continent, Teesa of the Cloud Mountain People leads her tribe in a conflict with the Neanderthal-like beastmen who have seized her folk's sacred caves. Then an EastBloc shuttle crashes nearby, and the beastmen acquire new knowledge... and AK47's.


Jamestown sends its long-range blimp to rescue the downed EastBloc cosmonauts, little suspecting that the answer to the jungle planet's mysteries may lie there, among tribal conflicts and traces of a power that made Earth's vaunted science seem as primitive as the tribesfolk's blowguns. As if that weren't enough, there's an enemy agent on board the airship...


Extravagant and effervescent, The Sky People is alternate-history SF adventure at its best.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Lords of Creation

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 1, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400123452
      • File size: 306370 KB
      • Duration: 10:38:16

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The space race is on between the United States and the Eastern Bloc countries as they vie for control of the new frontier, Venus. Modern day explorers find themselves confronting dinosaurs, mammals, and a wide variety of tribespeople in a habitat that is strangely identical to Earth. Todd McLaren takes advantage of the opportunity to draw on his store of accents of various nationalities and regions. He sets a steady pace that keeps the plot moving. In this fantastical alternate universe, McLaren imparts a sense of adventure that does justice to the pulp fiction overtones of the book, creating the mood of the sci-fi books and movies of the '50s. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 18, 2006
      For this rollicking first of an alternate history series, Stirling (Island in the Sea of Time
      ) uses the terrific premise that Mars and Venus are exactly as depicted in pulp-era SF, eerily Earth-like and populated by prehistoric people and creatures. When 1960s space probes find that Venus is habitable, the Americans and Russians scramble to set up colonies and get in good with the natives. In 1988, a Russian rocket crashes in the wilderness and can only be reached by an airship from the U.S. Commonwealth base of Jamestown, crewed by a classic love triangle: Ranger Lt. Marc Vitrac, Harlem-born geologist Cynthia Whitlock and ultra-British anthropologist Christopher Blair. Stirling doesn't stint on old-fashioned elements, most notably the gorgeous native princess with magical powers, but the multiculturalism sidesteps most stereotypes while retaining a broad-brush pulp sensibility; the science is refreshingly realistic; and everyone cusses (sometimes in awkward translation). Readers will eagerly anticipate a trip to Mars in the sequel, In the Halls of the Crimson Kings
      .

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 30, 2007
      Undeterred by modern science’s discoveries of the true nature of Venus and Mars, Stirling posits an alternate history/reality where the pulp-era visions of those two planets were actually correct. In this first volume of the series, the American and Soviet space programs send emissaries to the lush jungle planet of Venus—which they find is inhabited by dinosaurs and intelligent natives—to vie for control of the planet’s valuable resources. McLaren reads in a rich, resonant baritone and deftly handles dialogue, throwing a nice variety of accents into the mix—adding just enough to flavor the performance without overwhelming it. The pulpy nature of the narrative makes it well-suited to audio; it harks back to the days of the old radio dramas. McLaren conveys this essence while keeping his performance in line with modern narration standards. Stirling does a fine job updating and bringing some scientific rigor to the “planetary romance” genre pioneered by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and McLaren delivers an engaging performance that will leave listeners no choice but to stay tuned for Stirling’s next episode. Simultaneous release with the Tor hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 18).

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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