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Childe Cycle #10

by Gordon R. Dickson

“Call me Bleys,” said the figure, in a soft but resonant baritone that had the ability to send a thrill—of what, they did not know—through those now listening, even though they knew the man who used it. His eyes were dark brown, dark almost to blackness, under level brows and equally dark brown, slightly wavy hair, cut short about his head.

“I speak for no church,” he said in that oddly memorable, compelling voice, “for no political party or policy. If I am anything, I am only a philosopher: a philosopher in love with humanity; and concerned about its future…”

The voice went on, filling the car, holding the five people captive with its sounds and its words, in spite of their familiarity with the message and the one who spoke it. Only Joshua, glancing for a moment sideways at his father’s face, saw that Henry’s eyes had gone as hard as the blue-white stones of yard and field.

Now a political power on the planet Association, home of the Friendlies, and with his Others in place on all the new worlds, Bleys Ahrens is ready to take his message to the greater human public. He will begin with New Earth itself, taking on its powerful Corporate rulers and equally powerful Guildmasters. Bleys knows that the true road to control of a world is through the hearts of its common people.

But within his inner circle is Henry McLean, Soldier of God, and a True Faith-Holder. Henry fears for the soul of his nephew Bleys, and while he guards, he also watches, and judges.

And outside Bleys Ahrens’s control is Hal Mayne: the one man in all the human worlds who can challenge Bleys for control. For Hal Mayne is the true culmination of the Cycle’s grand design. Bleys would give anything to convert Hal Mayne to his purpose, or failing that, to destroy him.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Collections

378 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This covers much the same time period as the previous book, The Final Encyclopedia, but is told from the other point of view (pun intended). It doesn't go quite as far along as the previous book, either, but does fill in a lot of blanks & helps us understand Bleys much better as Hal's primary antagonist.

There is one more book, Antagonist, which was published after Gordon R. Dickson's death. David W. Wixon wrapped everything up from Dickson's notes. I should have the book shortly & will read it ASAP since the series has stretched out over almost 50 years. It's amazingly cohesive & good, not dated much at all.

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10
This book, sequel to Young Bleys and part of the Childe Cycle, continues the story of Bleys Ahrens, a uniquely gifted "philosopher" intent on unifying the New Worlds under the control of his Others. The majority of the books of the Childe Cycle have centered on Hal Mayne and the forces that produced him, and it is Hal Mayne who is the historical counterpoint to Bleys Ahrens.

Author Gordon R. Dickson started the Childe Cycle with a series of compact books, stories tightly told. But as the years passed and the series progressed, it seems the underlying philosophical, social, and moral themes became more important that the story itself. Instead of using the characters, events, and consequences to convey the themes and ideas so important to the author, this book is a series of essays and lectures strung together by episodes that slowly move the plot forward. Overall, it made for pages of tedious reading broken up by some well-written conversations, meetings, or action sequences.

I am a completist, so I will finish this series, but not until I've taken a fairly long break. Unfortunately, Dickson died before writing the final confrontation between Hal Mayne and Bleys Ahrens, a book meant to be titled "Childe", so the last published book in the series, Antagonist (which was completed by Discon's assistant), will no doubt provide a rather unsatisfactory conclusion.

[Stuart Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bleys Ahrens pursues his plan to take over the galaxy. He has set up a clandestine group to take power, now he sets events in motion. He goes from planet to planet and the same thing happens every time. He meets with the world leaders, sometimes more than one group, and they all react the same. They try to bribe him with money or power, then they try more direct measures. These include beating him up, kidnapping him, poisoning him, and even murder. Bleys perseveres.

Could have been shorter. There is a great deal of intrigue and politics, and there is a great deal of filler where Bleys thinks about what it would be like to be a sandstorm or a wolf. It is well written but repetitious, and Bleys spends much time on introspection. It is an interesting attempt to show the different viewpoints of Bleys and Hal Mayne, who also followed much the same path in an earlier book. A rather slow story and not the best in the series.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't hate it, but found it falls squarely into the segment of hard sf (in this case hard psychology?) where the characterization is very thin, and the female characters an afterthought at best. The novel is very strongly inside Bleys' head, and while he's introspective, he doesn't really think about other people on an individual basis, which also enhances the distance from other characters.

I've re-read this whole series in the last year, as I was in the mood for the familiar, and don't plan to return to them again anytime soon.

[Wayfarer · Rating 2 out of 5]

An extremely difficult book to read. Not because it might be intellectually challenging, but rather because it’s simply boring. Poorly constructed dialogues, tons of unnecessary details which only make the reading an ordeal. Some severe editing would’ve done it a huge service as all that’s worth telling in this book could’ve easily been told in a work about two thirds shorter. I give it two stars only because I managed to read it through.

[John Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was Required reading

[Dwight Pratt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad end for a 10 book series that was meant to be much more.

Would have liked to see the finish of the series, but and it’s not to be. Here are the required words

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in a series of rereading books I for some reason held onto for many years, after which I generally donate them to a local library.

This is the second book in Gordon R. Dickson's Childe Cycle about the "Other" Bleys Ahrens. It continues what was started in Young Bleys, and covers the start of joining the new planets together in a community that will-- as Bleys sees it-- realize the full potential of the human race, saving it from the decline that would otherwise happen. It succeeds in making the antagonist of the series seem very understandable and sympathetic. Overall a decent though not great read; it's a little wordy at times but there's enough action to keep the reader interested.

Dickson died before completing the cycle, so we'll never really know how the final conflict is resolved, though later events have been covered from a different perspective in his novels The Chantry Guild and The Final Encyclopedia.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many pages going nowhere. Okay, this is Bley's book number two, the story of how he pulled the 14 worlds into his grasp to wield against Earth and the Final Encyclopedia. I struggled to get through simply because I am a completist but I wish I had just skipped buying the Bleys trilogy and never heard of it. It really adds nothing to the Childe saga.

[mark mathurin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling

As is reflected in the rest of the series, it fascinates the mind to take in the riveting story telling of Gordon Dickson with his atypical rather the archetypal iconic figures that represents man's greater and lesser struggles to achieve and become something as yet unknown but acceptingly fantastic. Wish the series to continue..

[Rich]

WANTED,Childe Cycle #11