The Sky People (Sci Fi Essential Books)

By S.M. Stirling

Book Overview

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."

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765353768
• ISBN13: 9780765353764
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 323 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.7" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Great Homage to Classic Sci-Fi

I remember visiting my grandparents as a kid and discovering the stash of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Venus and Mars books. They were an absolute blast to read, and I gobbled them up. Now Stirling promises a good ole fashioned yarn in the spirit of those books and thankfully delivers in spades. It's a great combination of pulp adventure, updated science fiction, and alternative history. True, Stirling does use a number of character and plot cliches (beautiful native princess for instance), but they are simply updated versions of the pulp-era stereotypes, which is in fact the whole point of the book. Don't read this book expecting mind-blowing characterization. Instead expect a fun "what if" adventure novel in the pulp tradition that explores a well thought out and conceived world.

Barsoom, carson of Venus, Pellucidar and then there were the Sky People

I generally like Mr. Stirlings books. I've enjoyed very much the Island in the Ocean of Time series (any more coming mr. Stirling?), I liked the older Draka series as well and of course the new series starting with Dies the Fire (and their link with the island series). But this book did even more for me. Since my teen years in the '70s I enjoyed SF, mainly those considered the big names as Heinlein, Asimov, Vance, ..., but I equally enjoyed the books (and genius) from Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, Sprague de Camp and especially the ones of E.R. Burroughs. Many were the moments that I (re)read with a lot of pleasure the Barsoom stories or the moon-men books. And Stirling has not only dedicated this new work to these great masters, he has masterly achieved to capture the special athmosphere of the originals. Extremely well done, so much so, that immediately following this book I restarted on Burroughs Pellucidar stories! Mr. Stirling I hope we will see many more from you! I'm certainly eagerly awaiting the next Mars story!

S.M. Stirling at his finest

Forget Harry Turtledove! When S.M. Stirling is at the top of his form, the lawyer/historian turned author is unbeatable in Alternate History sub-genre SF! THE SKY PEOPLE is such a book, giving promise of a series that will be at least as good as the Island in the Sea of Time Series! The plot centers on the premise that Venus and Mars are habitable and inhabited by Terran species, including man. When this is discovered on Earth, it triggers a US-USSR space race that results in each bloc with a Venusian colony. Now the Eastern Bloc shuttle is down, 6000 miles from base, and can only be aided by the airship from Jamestown base. There ensues a ripping adventure, full of wild species, a love triangle, a traitor, and plenty of action. Those who enjoy S.M. Stirling will expect well-done flora and fauna, a multi-cultural and non-sexist plot-line, plenty of buffed out protagonists, and lots of action. As usual, there is just a hint of deus-ex-machina, but not too much. For those who haven't read Stirling before, this is a great place to start. New reader or old hand, buy this book and get reading! A real page turner!

An engagingly powerful alternate history of the Space Race

S. M. Stirling never fails to entertain, and "The Sky People" is definitely his best novel to date. It is a wonderfully realistic alternate-historical portrayal of 'the Space Race' and 'Cold War'--which in themselves would make a great premise for a novel, but Stirling goes much further. The colorful and quirky Solar System of old pulp science fiction novels is featured with the well populated Venus many of us would have loved to have seen. Earthlike dinosaurs, sabretooths and Neanderthal-like beastmen abound, forming the mystery of the plot as the protagonist investigates, while enemy Russian agents turn up at every turn. The plot is fast moving, characters are colorful and interesting, and the humor is spot on. It is a bit of Mad Magazine's "Spy vs. Spy" crossed over with authors Ben Bova and Joe Haldeman, and humorist Robin Williams thrown into the mix. A Highly Recommended novel which will keep you thinking, and grinning.

Venus as it Should Have Been

Science fiction readers of a certain age remember those stories written before the 60s where Venus was covered with jungles, teaming with life. Alas, modern space probes discovered instead a hell world, choking in a sulferous atmosphere with temperatures of near nine hundred degrees. Steve Stirling imagines a Venus as it should have been, with the jungles, the teaming life (including dinosaours!), and human space explorers. A space race such as people could only dream about is on, with America and the British Commonwealth on one side, the Soviet Bloc on the other. A US/British expedition is sent forth to rescue the crew of a crashed Soviet space ship. An adventure begins such as we have not seen since the first Mariners and Veneras ruined things for us. Enjoy.