2041. When the first alien was approaching Earth, it found itself in the grip of the all-powerful Saunder Family. Every member of this dynasty seemed at war with the other.
In the quest for the Chairmanship of the people, the Saunders must struggle and fight in a contest over Earth’s very future. Project Search is in action, while brave pilots take to the stars.
Can human civilization survive with the coming of alien life, and can the Saunders find a way to listen to one another and lead humanity to that survival?
Outward Bound
Brenna Foix Saunder is the Martian-reared daughter of Earth’s dynastic Saunder family.
Fiercely ambitious, beautiful and determined, she puts an untried and dangerous experimental star drive above her own life. Stifled by the media frenzy surrounding the Saunder family, she has utter contempt for newshunters. Charlie Dahl is one such newshunter.
Brenna must seek refuge in the arms of her lover Derek, but trouble brews when he tries to stand in the way of her dreams.
To reach the stars by passing long years in frozen sleep is the only safe and sure way to complete her star drive mission. But Brenna Saunder can’t wait. She meant to conquer the light barrier — and to hell with everything her family and her lover could do to stop her.
Legacy of Earth
Aliens are aliens, and humans are humans, and never the twain shall meet — or shall they?
Faster-than-light gravel to the stars was a discovery of the great Saunder family, and the vast Saunder fortune helped in the colonizing of alien worlds, among strange, nonhuman races.
But Anthony Saunder had no share in that fortune of heritage. He was only a clone, not truly human. And the business he had started on Procyon Four was on the brink of failure.
Then the catlike humanoid Whimeds came, asking him to use his skill in directing a presentation for the coming Interspecies Conference. And once he saw Yrae, the beautiful, almost human-seeming star, he could not refuse, though the job seemed impossible and led to endless trouble.
But all that was simple, compared to what he found at the Conference. There he ran squarely into the middle of a secret war between Whimeds and equally alien Vahnaj…
The Past of Forever
Dan McKelvey is a simple indie-hauler turned tech-mech, until a delivery leads him to a strange new planet.
His whole life he has had to live up to the legacy of his Saunder-McKelvey ancestors, but now, on this strange world, he has the chance to uncover the tragic past of a near-extinct race.
Joining Dr Juxury’s multi-racial xenoarchaeology team, Dan becomes their resident xenomechanician, helping them to restore the technologies of the native race of old.
But when Dan learns that he must travel to present the team’s scientific findings at the Twelfth Xenoarchaeological Assembly, he realises that his journey could never have been that simple.
Will Dan and his friends discover the sordid truth behind the downfall of an entire race?
Praise for Juanita
“Coulson works on an enormous canvas — sometimes almost overwhelming. The characters are always memorable.” Marion Zimmer Bradley
“… A richly detailed construction…” C J Cherryh
Juanita Coulson is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She is also widely known in filk music circles since the 1950s for her singing and songwriting; she has won several Pegasus Awards for her filking. For thirty-three years, she co-edited the science fiction fanzine Yandro with her husband "Buck" (Robert Coulson). Yandro was nominated for a Hugo Award every year from 1958-1967; it won the award in 1965, thus marking Coulson as one of the very first women to be so honored.
Juanita Ruth Coulson (née Wellons) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer most well known for her Children of the Stars books, published from 1981 to 1989. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juanita...)
Very satisfying series. I like this author a lot. And the first book really hooked me. At first it was distressing that each book is further along the timeline, so the characters I just came to love are only included as a footnote as new ones take over the stories. Yet it flows beautifully. Those previous characters have more of their stories told, all the way to the last page. Great character studies in general, good sweeping plot lines, and everything ties together across a number of generations. I will be checking out her other books!
I read this series when it first came out, and was glad to see it again. I agree with the idea that cooperation is better than rivalry, and hope more agree. I met Juanita Coulson at a science fiction convention and was able to talk with her. She said that some of her fans didn't like that she wasn't writing fantasy, while others held the opposite opinion. As for me, I like both, as she is an excellent writer.
Children of the Stars is a marathon read for those who enjoy fantasy and science fiction. Each book builds on the previous, advancing a generation or 2 in each. Enough to tie them together but allow for fresh storylines. Each individual in their own style. Excellent!
WHILE I WISH THERE COULD BE MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES, I THINK THIS WAS A VERY GOOD SERIES. AND IT COULD BE RE-VISITED LATER. GOING TO READ OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR.
This 4 part series was an easy read and fun to read. I like that, although connected, if you read any of the 4 books, you could follow the story line of each book. I feel like there might be more to come.
Too wordy. No action. I started to skip a paragraph here and there, then a page or 2, then blocks of pages. Did not finish the first book, and will not read the others.