Changes: House of Zeor (Novel)

Latest revision as of 00:28, 20 February 2019

Book One of the Sime~Gen Universe

By Jacqueline Lichtenberg

The first published novel in this bestselling series asks the question: "What if the basic human nature suddenly changed?" Hugh Valleroy of the Gen Police undertakes a covert mission into Sime Territory to rescue the woman he loves from the Sime kidnappers who would use her to destroy his government. His protector and guide?--a Sime who carefully and deliberately plans to kill him! The New York Times Book Review says of the Sime Gen Series that "It calls to mind the Frank Herbert of 'Dune' and the Walter M. Miller, Jr. of 'A Canticle for Leibowitz'."

Zeor1 - mockup3 - white — The cover to the re-print of House of Zeor.

Hozpbout — The front and back cover to the second of three mass market reprints of House of Zeor.

Cast

Aisha Rauf - Hugh Valleroy's girlfriend and Gen government Treasury's chief engraver, kidnapped by Runzi's Raiders

Amran ambrov Imil - Printer at Imil Householding and in charge of the fashion cataloug.

Andle - Cousin to Runzi, the leader of the Runzi Raiders.

Arriss - Sime teacher who Yanava called to give assistance to Raul.

Brennar ambrov Imil - Member of Imil Householding.

Charnye - A trained Companion in Zeor. Denrau - A trained Companion in Zeor. Served as Klyd's personal Donor and official Companion.

Duvan ambrov Zeor - Stacy Hawkins' nephew. Klyd Farris rescued Stacy from him at changeover.

Evahnee ambrov Zeor - Woman who was put in charge of Hugh Valleroy when he first arrived at Zeor.

Feleho ambrov Zeor - Found by Hugh Valleroy at the gate of Zeor's wall. "

Enam - One of the sime models Hugh is drawing for Imil.

Ginnie Simms - A woman from Gen Territory who Aisha knew.

Grandfather - Klyd Farris's Grandfather.

Grenel Neromein - One of the three Gens, all brothers, who were sold at the Iburan Auction and bought by Householding Imil. Heshri Sikal - Young Sime who had 'seen the numbers of Zelerod' and wanted to disjunct. Hrel - A spy for Andel

Klyd Farris - Sectuib of Householding Zeor. (Head of the Householding)

Hugh Valleroy - Working undercover with Klyd, in Sime Territory, on a mission to rescue Aisha from the Runzi Raiders.

Loyce - Companion to Sectuib Nashmar.

Lutrel - Deference bidder at the choice auction and Andle's wife.

Mildred - From out-Territory, a friend of Aisha’s who she mentions when talking to Hugh and Klyd.

Nashmar -Sectuib of Householding Imil

Norbom - The Gen who was meant to be Heshri Sikal's for his Kill.

Old Woman - The old woman who worked at the desk of the halfway house.

Prins Neromein - One of the three Gens, all brothers, who were sold at the Iburan Auction and bought by Householding Imil.

Ray Kolin Farris - Known mostly as Grandfather in House of Zeor, he is Klyd Farris's father.

Renita - One of Nashmar's assistants at Imil.

Rual - Young boy who enters changeover while Hugh is talking to Yanava.

Runzi - Andle's cousin who leads the Runzi Raiders.

Runzi Raiders - Large band of sime raiders led by Runzi.

Siml - Greets Klyd at end of the Choice Auction at Iburan.

Stacy Hawkins - District Director of Federal Police.

Tellalian - The man in charge of the main Runzi encampment.

The Auctioneer - A wizened leathery-skinned Sime who sells Gens at the Iburan auction

Tyte Narvoon - Loses in a bidding war over three male Gens to Nashmar

Vrian Neromein - One of the three Gens, all brothers, who were sold at the Iburan Auction and bought by Householding Imil.

Yenava - Klyd Farris's Wife. Pregnant when Hugh first arrives at Zeor

Zelerod - Zelerod is a Sime mathematician who calculates that within 100 years Simes will run out of Gens and then die off if they do not find an alternative to Killing.

Zinter - A young Householding Imil channel to be traded to Zeor for 4 days of Hugh's work on Imil's catalog.

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 [[Zinter]] - A young Householding Imil channel to be traded to Zeor for 4 days of Hugh's work on Imil's catalog.
-'''Reviews for House of Zeor'''
-From Amazon
-Koren55
-.0 out of 5 stars
-First novel in the Sime~Gen universe
-January 24, 2019
-Format: Kindle Edition
-There was a mutation in mankind, one that split the
-population into Simes or Gens. Gens generate [[Selyn (Term)|selyn]], a life giving force. [[Sime (Term)|Simes]] simulate selyn, they need it to live. Simes became predators, hunting down Gens
-and sucking their life out of them. Then another mutation appeared, or was
-always there, and a channel was born.
-Channels can take selyn from Gens safely, without killing,
-and then transfer it to Simes. There was no longer the need to kill. Thus the [[Householding (Term)|Householdings]] were born. The first being run by the [[Farris Family (General Background)|Farris's]]. This story takes
-place after the householdings have formed the Tecton, a loose conflagration of
-householdings. It's a time when changes are taking place on both sides of the
-border. And it's the time of [[Zelerod's Doom (Term)|Zelerod's doom]], the mathematical proof that Simes will kill all the available Gens, dooming mankind.
-The story centers on a Gen who's girlfriend was abducted by Simes raiding across the border. It's the story of his search, and his education of householdings and the current Sime government. It's a great story, and a welcome beginning to this universe. I first read this novel as a College
-student in the seventies. I knew right away it was something new, something
-unique. Over the years I've read all the novels in this universe. And now I'm rereading them as ebooks.
-As a long time reader of SF I highly recommend these novels. But, don't read in publishing order, read them according to their place in history, beginning with "First Channel".
-Have fun, and don't forget "Live long and
-prosper".
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-pjf
-.0 out of 5 stars
-Very good at emotional yearning, together with action
-adventure
-October 8, 2011
-Format: Kindle Edition
-House of Zeor is a quasi Vampire story, written when Vampire
-stories were a subculture rather than a mainstream fad. The good part of this
-story is the writer's ability to create emotional connections between
-characters in a very few scenes - a buddy/sidekick one between Hugh and [[Klyd Farris|Klyd]] who are the main heroes of the book, between Klyd and [[Denrau]], his donor, Klyd and his family members, [[Yenava]] his wife and his [[grandfather]], and so on. The relationship is closest between channel (the quasi vampire like character) and
-donor, closer perhaps than between man and wife, because one requires the other
-to live. The characters Lichtenberg creates in this book are exquisitely drawn and likable. The theme of opposites (predator and prey) working together to save an apocalyptic world are rich with promise. A reader can develop a real
-emotional connection to the characters and the premise, particularly as Klyd the quasi Vampire character begins to fixate on Hugh as a potential if
-reluctant donor, as the border policeman goes off to rescue his girlfriend, with Klyd's help, from a band of renegades. And the book has humor at times. In all respects it is well worth a read.
-The downsides are this is a first novel, so expect
-occasional clumsiness in mechanics and phrasing in the first few pages. Don't
-let that turn you off as it is minor and disappears as the author reaches her
-stride. I think the plot and characterization and dialogue are very good. And
-while I could never warm up to the hysterical rescue me type female character
-the heroes need to save, this author can write realistic women, as Yenava, Klyd's wife is one.
-If you like buddy style relationships with reluctant heroes
-tasked to save the world, this is a good example of one. There are many other
-books in the series, but this is the first. It stands on its own.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Serene Night
-.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, and now in audio
-June 16, 2012
-Format: Kindle Edition
-I really loved this story. When a human spy must infiltrate
-Sime territory to try to rescue a young woman he loves, he must rely on the help of someone he assumes would be an enemy: Klyd Farris. As time passes [[Hugh Valleroy|Valleroy]] realizes Klyd isn't the evil monster he initially assumes.
-The two men become close friends and partners, as Valleroy comes to realize the true nature of the Sime~Gen bond. What can I say? I loved
-this book. I am totally fascinated by the wonderful Simes and all their really interesting abilities, including the ability to sense emotions and their sort of directional sense which is inborn.
-Yes, I realize this is a first novel, but it didn't feel
-that way to me. It was truly entertaining and gripping from start to finish.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Raelzan
-.0 out of 5 stars I love the GEN/SIME Series
-April 27, 2017
-Format: Hardcover
-This book is one of the best Sci-Fi books ever
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Kindle Customer
-''4.0 out of 5 stars ''Fun
-August 28, 2016
-Format: Kindle Edition
-Like a lot of people, I read the first few Zeor books years ago and then
-lost track of the series. I am delighted to find these again, and more delighted to find myself still intrigued by the Zeor universe.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-BiosDude
-.0 out of 5 stars Love this series!
-January 11, 2012
-Format: Kindle Edition
-I bought this series when it first came out in paperback. I've since lost those books to the moving gods! I'm excited to see them being re-released again in digital form since digital is the only format I buy now. I'm rereading the series to get to the new ones I haven't read yet.
-people found this helpful
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Mary A. Satlin
-.0 out of 5 stars Happy to find it again
-January 10, 2014
-Format: Mass Market Paperback
-I read it years ago and thought it was out of print. Thanks for finding it and bringing it to me to enjoy again,
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Amazon Customer
-.0 out of 5 stars... had been properly proofread - typos distract from the great story!
-February 4, 2015
-Format: Kindle Edition
-I wish it had been properly proofread - typos distract from
-the great story!
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-J. A. Davis
-.0 out of 5 stars Only the beginning . . . of a great
-series
-November 4, 2011
-Format: Kindle Edition
-I can't tell you when I first read "House of
-Zeor", but it was back when I was thin and my hair wasn't. I found it
-amazing, when, last month, after not reading it for perhaps 20 years, I picked
-it up and was immediately transported back into a fondly (and well) remembered
-world. This book is one of the most complex, painfully realistic and memorable psycho-sociological thrillers I've ever read, and the foundation for an entire universe of stories, the complexity and beauty of which would definitely win awards at [[Arensti Competition (Term)|Arensti]] (and you'll have to read it to find out what that means).
-Ms. Lichtenberg, her eventual co-author for later books, Jean Lorrah, and the entire community of Sime-Gen world-builders have imagined characters, societies and situations that embed themselves on your brain and don't let go. I suppose it's indicative of something that I remembered many of the terms used in House of Zeor for decades -- mostly Sime-specific curse
-words, I confess, but they're used in context so clearly you have no problem knowing exactly what they mean.
-I've been reading science fiction for nearly 50 years (yes,really). I can count the number of authors and series that have stuck with me this well easily on two hands, and I've read a LOT of SF in those years. The Sime-Gen books make you want to KNOW these people, and make you CARE about what
-happens to them . . . and their society, which comes painfully to the brink of
-collapse and ultimate calamity.
-I've heard them called "vampire-analog" stories, "chick books" and more, but at base, what they are is good stories, well told, about characters you can get into. READ THEM!
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Bruce Gray
-.0 out of 5 stars Begin your exploration of the Sime~Gen
-Universe
-December 1, 2002
-Format: Mass Market Paperback
-The Sime/Gen universe started with this book, and it's easy
-to see why the universe developed a large fan following.
-Somewhere back in the pre-history of this Earth, something
-happened to humans - separating them forever into two types. The first main character, [[Hugh Valleroy]], is a "[[Gen (Term)|gen]]". Gens are humans that appear perfectly normal, but generate an internal energy field that helps keep them alive. The second main character, [[Klyd Farris|Klyd]] (pronounced like "Clyde") Farris, is a [[Sime (Term)|Sime]]. Sime have tentacles growing out of their arms, some of which
-they use for manipulation of objects, but, more importantly, some of which they
-use to drain the energy from Gens. Simes need this energy to live, but the
-draining process generally kills the Gen providing the energy. This is where
-the similarity to a vampire story ends. But Klyd is different. He is a "[[Channel (Term)|Channel]]" - a Sime that can take energy from a Gen without killing
-them and transfer it to another Sime that needs it.
-And it is this interaction between Simes that Channel and Simes that do not, and the Simes and Gens themselves that make these novels popular. Klyd and Hugh are sent deep into Sime territory to rescue another Gen, who also happens to be the love interest of Hugh. Hugh makes a few friends among the Simes and Gens that live in [[Sime Territory (Term)|Sime territory]]. But that doesn't help him
-deal with the fact that his lover is in a camp of Simes that do not have Channels. The fact that most Gens in Gen territories do not trust Simes (because all they know is that if they are drained of energy they die), and most Simes would kill a Gen for their energy rather than use the rare Channels makes this story similar to vampire fiction, but different enough to hold your interest through many books.
-The differences between this and a vampire novel could not be more apparent. There are no vampires that can transfer the blood they steal to another vampire. And The Farrises, who run a camp called The [[House of Zeor (Location)|House of Zeor]], are devoted to making the world a better place by making sure that Gens are
-safe from marauding Simes who have no channels - some of which do not want channels.
-It is these differences that make this novel a fascinating start to the
-Sime-Gen universe. The sequel, "Unto Zeor Forever" is an even better
-novel, but I'd recommend that you begin with this one in order to understand
-some of the events in the sequel.
-This book is scheduled for reprinting shortly, and it will be a welcome addition to any SF fan's library.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Leigh H. Kimmel
-.0 out of 5 stars Where it all began
-April 2, 2003
-Format: Mass Market Paperback
-This is the original Sime~Gen novel, the one that started it
-all.
-It's the story of Hugh Valleroy, who's trying to be just
-another ordinary guy, but has a deadly secret -- his mother was a refugee from Sime Territory. Simes are mutants, energy vampires who suck the life out of a person like Hugh every month. His mother escaped that fate, but she couldn't leave behind her memory of her upbringing, in a mirror society where Simes are people
-and Gens (the ordinary people of Hugh's society) are fodder. She taught Hugh Simelan, the speech of the Simes, and while it's made him a superb intelligence officer, it also has subtly changed his perceptions.
-And then a Sime raider kidnaps his girlfriend, an engraver
-who could be forced to forge Gen money and bring the entire society of free
-Gens to its knees. Hugh's only hope for his beloved and for his society is a
-daring deep-cover operation with a Sime outcast, Klyd Farris ambrov Zeor.
-Klyd is a new kind of Sime known as a channel, who can safely take life force from a Gen without killing and transfer it to other Simes. However, his kind are reviled as perverts by the mainstream of Sime society, and live in isolated ghettos known as Householdings, where they associate only with others who abjure the kill.
-But can Hugh trust this bizarre story of Simes who don't [[Kill (Term)|kill]]? To save his beloved and his people, he has to trust Klyd with his life.
-This novel has been out of print and almost impossible to
-obtain for years. However, Meisha Merlin is now reprinting it as a part of
-their omnibus Unity Trilogy edition, along with Ambrov Keon and Zelerod's Doom. If you missed out the first time around, or if your copy is crumbling like mine is, don't miss out on the chance to get this new edition.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-winterhawk
-.0 out of 5 stars Long time favorite
-February 13, 2011
-Format: Kindle Edition
-I first read "House of Zeor" in around 1978, because it was recommended in "Star Trek Lives!" Despite the horrible cover the library copy had, I read it anyway and loved it. I continued reading
-the series through "[[Unto Zeor, Forever (Novel)|Unto Zeor Forever]]," "[[First Channel (Novel)|First Channel]]," and all the other wonderful titles as they came out, eagerly waiting for each one. Other reviewers have already described the basic premise of the series--this book, being the first and the "simplest," is definitely
-the most accessible for new readers who want to familiarize themselves with the world of Simes and Gens.
-It does look like we've come full circle, though--this cover
-is the most appallingly bad one I've seen since my first reading in 1978 (two
-blobby bald guys facing each other, one with tentacles, on a puke green background--what were they *thinking*?). Please, please, don't let the cover put you off. The story is great, the characters are fascinating, and the world is fresh and original. Just buy the book, flip quickly past the ugly red and orange dude, and give yourself a treat.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Amazon Customer
-.0 out of 5 stars First of the Sime/Gen novels-good to see back in print
-January 2, 2011
-Format: Paperback
-Too many of the classic science fiction novels have gone out of print; it's good to see one come back into print. This is the first of the Sime/Gen novels, specifically the tale of Hugh Valleroy and Klyd Farris. While the writing is not the tightest ever seen, Ms. Lichtenberg definitely deserves kudos for creating one of the most interesting "future histories" ever created. I would be very glad to see more tales in this universe - hence my purchasing the re-release as opposed to a used version. It's worth the 4X price to show the publisher that there IS a market for these books. BRAVO!
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-P. Meese
-.0 out of 5 stars long-awaited
-February 10, 2011
-Format: Kindle Edition
-began reading this excellent series as a young adult with "First Channel" then read this one and was hooked on the authors and the Sime-Gen universe. Great balance between action and introspection as characters struggle with survival at personal and species levels
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Jennifer Lawrence
-.0 out of 5 stars The first non-children's book (and first SF) I ever read
-September 15, 2010
-Format: Mass Market Paperback
-The Sime/Gen books were one of the first series of books I ever read that weren't children's books. I stumbled across "House of
-Zeor" at the age of 10 (1977, a few years after it came out in 1974) and was instantly hooked. I have the whole series, and I re-read them all every few years; they are some of my favorite comfort reading. The allegory for the struggle of human rights in those books has shaped a great deal of the way I think as an adult.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-average
-.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader
-September 2, 2007
-Format: Mass Market Paperback
-A state of conflict exists between the Sime and Gen races, as one basically likes to enslave and eat the other. However, a new mutation, that of the Channels has arisen, and this threatens the conservatives of the Sime order. Also, a Gen spy has a Sime mother, not a nice secret to have to keep.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Amazon Customer
-.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
-November 2, 2016
-Format: Paperback
-My favorite in the series. If your unfamiliar, this is a wonderful place to start.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-GreyDay
-.0 out of 5 stars Got me started with the series
-February 10, 2011
-Format: Kindle Edition
-This is the book that got me started with the series. It is
-one of the few series that I liked well enough to buy in hardback when they were first printed. The world she invented divided between the warring Sime and Gen territories and the Households struggling to bridge the divide between the two peoples was fascinating. For anyone who enjoys vampire novels these novels of Gens who produce an energy essential to life and the Simes who must draw this energy from Gens in order to live, killing the Gen in the process will be enjoyed. The House of Zeor introduces the Household of Zeor which was the first to find a way for Simes and Gens to live together in harmony but they are pariahs to both the non-Household Simes and Gens alike and suffer frequent attacks by both.
-<nowiki>*****</nowiki>
-From Amazon
-Amazon Customer
-.0 out of 5 stars wonderful book
-August 19, 2017
-Format: Kindle Edition
-The introduction to the Sime~Gen universe it is a wonderful
-book, but best read in order time line wise. I feel in love with the series starting with this book and have not been disappointed
 [[Category:Sime~Gen Novel]]