Beneath the Gated Sky

Veil of Stars #2

by Robert Reed

In the New York Times notable book Beyond the Veil of Stars, Porsche and Cornell fell in love as they infiltrated an alien world for the sake of humanity. In Beneath the Gated Sky they return to Earth, only to discover a conspiracy so deep that it casts doubt on those to whom they've entrusted their lives. A blend of Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick, Beneath the Gated Sky will intrigue and entertain all the way to its riveting end.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

He has also been published as Robert Touzalin.

Reviews

[David Nadas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sequel to, "Beyond The Veil Of Stars," by Robert Reed was captivating, diving into the detail where the first novel left off. As a former biologist, I love the concept this author came up with for moving between worlds. As a Sci-Fi writer, I'm a little freaked out at some of the same concepts fReed came up with that exist in my ow, having never read any of his work until now. The main protagonist (Porsche) is someone I would follow into these other worlds. So well written and the tech not dated, which is a true testament to excellent Sci-Fi writing. If you are looking for great classic Sci-Fi, it does not get better than this, but it requires reading ever y word and keeping things in order. This read could easily trip up the Sci-Fi reader newbie.

[Eowyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Beyond the Veil of Stars, and I read both of these books in the 90s when they were published. They hold up as creative, character-driven, thought-provoking science fiction. I had a vague memory that the story didn't end and so was curious to re-read--and this book does end with a big revelation. But I don't think the author wrote anymore--I wish he would!

[Lord Humungus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another of Reed’s books that I read back in the day. Just like its predecessor, it wasn’t nearly as compelling as the material I’d come to expect from this author. Over the years I’ve had my ups and downs with Reed’s short stories and novellas, but this book underscores my preference for his short form work. The fact I remember next to nothing of this book should tell me something.

[Ray Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average SciFi sequel

Robert Reed's alien concepts are actually alien. I always enjoy his work. Fascinating story. Great Science Fiction, I look forward to more of his work.

[Duncanator · Rating 3 out of 5]

The two books in this series are pretty good and hint at a really great story, but it seems unrealised in the end. The greatship novels are better, although these are good.

[Ron Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book did not appeal to me as much -- mystery was replaced by the lives of not-alien-enough aliens. I wanted more of the foreboding weirdness of the first book.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce roman raconte donc l’histoire de Porsche, une joyeuse héroïne, qui est finallement quelqu’un d’assez étrange…
Difficile d’en dire plus sans dévoiler l’histoire, mais je vais essayer. On le sait dès qu’on regarde la couverture, il sera question d’extraterrestres. Un coup d’oeil à la quatrième de couverture évoque des inspirations aussi glorieuses que X-Files ou Men in black (sic). C’est vrai, mais c’est également complètement faux. Si ce roman utilise, comme les choses susnommées, une espèce de théorie américaine du complot, des extraterrestres et de la manipulation du bon peuple, ce roman, lui, n’utilise pas ces ressorts pourtant faciles. Ou plutôt, ils sont tellement noyés dans une masse de faits qu’ils en perdent leur côté cousu de fil blanc pour s’intégrer à une trame bien plus réaliste.
Mais ça n’est pas côté le plus exaltant de ce roman. Celui-ci est une réussite parce qu’il arrive à nous faire voir par les yeux d’un extraterrestre doté de deux jambes, et de quatre bras, menant une vie nocturne sur une planète géante. Ca ne paraît pas évident comme ça mais, durant tout le roman, on suit avec passion les aventures des héros. En fait, je crois que je vais avoir du mal à en dire plus, tant c’est un roman étrange.
Pourtant, je ne peux que vous conseiller de le lire, tant il me paraît intéressant et bien fichu.

[Tom Loock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two brief notes:
1. No spoilers, though it is difficult to avoid them ...
2. I do not agree with the description of the book. It's not "a blend of Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick" and "a conspiracy so deep (...)" is not the main subject of this novel.

Thoroughly enjoyable direct sequel to Beyond the Veil of Stars, which had Cornell Novak and his UFO-[re]searching father as the main characters, while this second novel stars his girlfriend Porsche, a member of the Few, with the Novaks simply trailing along.

While the main narrative continues the story from the first book, parts of it take place during Porsche's past, usually when it contributes to the story. Some places Reed describes (like the highly advanced ape culture in giant trees) are very intriguing.

I thoroughly hope there will be a third novel in this series. Though the story lines are resolved in a satisfactory manner, there is a lot more mileage in this one.

[Deathburst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Étrange mais intéressant. Est-ce un bout d'une série plus longue ? Pas réussi à trouver une réponse définitive. Mais en tout cas la fin laisse un peu sur sa faim.
Étrange mélange entre un roman d'aventure et de la science-fiction. L'aspect prospectif/intellectuel de ma SF favorite est relativement absent, remplacé par la narration de mondes et de cultures étranges et exotiques.

[Erica Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Caveat, I didn't read the first in the series. But I had a hard time keeping up with this book's plot with the way people and events were described. I found myself wondering who we were talking about and what had just happened more often than I'm used to. I love the concept of the travel to other worlds, though.

[Chris Stutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where's the next book, dammit!