This book is very captivating. It's an action adventure, romance, drama that includes psychics and vampires as well as various alien races. A very cool and fun read.

Krinata, a loyal servant of the empire, is a debriefing officer for the emperor Zinzik, (A position similar to researcher, as far as I can surmise). When the emperor, an evil man, plots to rid the world of the near immortal Dushau who have helped to found their civilization, Krinata becomes involved inadvertently. Soon it becomes a race against time to rescue the Dushau before its too late.

This was truly a fascinating read! The Dushau are a fascinating race, of blue, humanoids who are near-immortal. They possess a telepathic gift (although the Dushau really deny this), and they work in something called an 'oliat' which is a group of Dushau who work together, and have a sort of communal mind.

The hero, Jindigar, is a Dushau prince and a rebel. His telepathic gifts make him a really sensitive yet pragmatic type which I found appealing. Krinata is a smart capable non-whiny heroine who makes mistakes but knows how to get things done! Minor characters such as Arlai, the ships AI, and Storm, the Ensyvian were also well done. (I would've loved to have a description of the Ensyvian's, I could never quite figure out what they were supposed to look like)!

Lichtenberg writes Science Fiction that you can really sink your teeth into. This is an older book, but better than most modern fiction. I recommend this book for fans of character driven drama, or those who like telepathic man characters! Excellent.

When I picked up the first Sime-Gen book in 1973 it really spoke to me. Despite the cover artwork, it wasn't just some slashy teen sci-fi popcorn paperback. Every book spoke to me of the differences in the human condition, and the struggle to come to terms with those differences. The parallels it drew... the Simes versus the Gens. Predator & prey. Of how there could be a peaceful solution to the often violent clash of the usual power-struggles. The erotic undercurrent of need, the surprise of finding compassion & understanding where there's usually fear & hatred... and the all-too often fatal consequences of prejudice. These were issues then and now, and this book talked about them intelligently in a science-fiction setting. I see the present civil-rights struggles of GLBT people today reflected in the pages of the Sime-Gen series. And I can't wait to share my copies of those wonderful books with my own daughter.

Perhaps the strongest of the Sim/Gen series, which had a strong following during the 70's. Fans of the Vampire filled with angst over the nature of his existance will love this. The series is set in the unspecified future when the human race has split into two species, the Sim who require a monthly feeding of the Energy produced by the Gen. Children are born neither, and at the onset of puberty, become one or the other. When the series opens the Sim and Gen are split into separate nations, with the Sim killing the Gen when they take their energy. However the population will be domed to extinction, unless a way can be found to take the energy required by the Sim from the Gen without harming them. This installment deals with the struggles of the house of Zeor to establish trust between the Sim and Gen and try to spread their solution of a Channel - a special Sim who can energy from Gens without harming them and then transfer it to other Sims

After a mysterious mutation divided the human race into Simes and Gens, the two kinds have lived in a deadly embrace of fear and hatred. To live, each Sime must kill a Gen every month, stripping this human being of vital life energy. Gens, being human, object and band together to keep the Simes from killing, while the Simes work together to capture and enslave Gens. Neither see the other as real people.

But there is another way, by which specially talented Simes can safely take life energy from willing Gens and give it to other Simes. Yet these channels are reviled by the bulk of Sime society as perverts, and are not even known by the free Gens.

However, a crisis is coming. Civilized Simes are outrunning their ability to raise Gens in captivity for the kill. A leading mathematician has demonstrated that it is impossible for civilization to continue to be based upon monthly kills -- and died trying to live on channel's transfer, convinced that he had to back his theory with his life. Some killer Simes are following his example and turning to the channels, but not quickly enough. It's decision time for all humanity -- embrace channel's transfer, or become extinct.

This novel has been out of print and almost impossible to find for far too long. But it's finally being reprinted as part of the Unity Trilogy by Meisha Merlin. If you missed out on the original printing, or your copy is crumbling like mine is, don't miss out on the chance to get this omnibus reissue, along with Ambrov Keon and House of Zeor.

I also read these books in years past. Both the channel series and the dashau series. I would like to get my hands on copies again and reread. They were inventive,with great character development.

First Channel covers the beginnings of a new way of cooperation in a future world of impossible strifes and distrusts. When Rimon discovers his girl has 'turned out wrong', he risks his life to save her - and finds out that she is the one capable of saving him. How they work out a new life in a hostile land, gather around them a few others who prefer cooperation over killing, and found a new way of life is a good read on many levels: frontier adventure, relationship adventure , and learning to challenge old assumptions.

I read it about twice a year, just for the joy of it.

The Sime-Gens Novels were the most innovative I have ever read. i wish they would return to print so that I could give them to others to read

... I read this book. I could have been exploring the different ecology, the different culture, and instead I was exploring the world behind my eyelids.

It hooked me.

Long out of print, Those of My Blood is soon to be re-released.

Titus Shiddehara once died before the eyes of the woman he loved. Now he must conceal his true nature -- vampire -- from her, according to the Law of the Blood all vampires must live by. Yet how can he lie to this woman who is open, direct, and courageous?

To complicate matters, how can he hide his relation to an alien spacecraft crashed on the moon?

The book deals with how to handle an intimate relationship without resorting to manipulation or falsehood. It's a can't-put-down read. If you don't get some ideas on how to carry on your own intimate relationships from Those of My Blood, I'll be very surprised. The best novels relate to our own challenges. Those of My Blood does so in a riveting and thoughtful way.

I read this book and loved it. It appealed to me both as a vampire fan and a sci-fi fan. If you can find a copy READ it.

This book, the first of a promised "Lifewave" series (the second book, "City of a Million Legends", is also sadly out-of-print) gives us some aliens that are truly alien.

Starting with the postulation that an alien race could have evolved from a snake-like species, Molt Brother goes further. It gives ideas on what might happen on a world that has humans and Kren living together. The Kren are the snake-like humanoids, and they have a fascinating physiology that comes into play in several areas of this book.

Kren can raise venom - they are poisonous, and can bite and kill humans if necessary. Kren lay eggs. Kren shed skin - a process that makes them unusually vulnerable during the time that their new skin is curing.

It is the story of how the humans and Kren interact that make this story a wonderful read. Humans are visitors to the Kren's world, and it is unheard of that a Kren should choose a human to be a "molt brother" - that is, a person who would be trusted to watch over a Kren during the shedding of old skin and the curing of new skin. This look at an alien civilization from the alien point of view is very refreshing.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book a perfect five stars is Lichtenberg's use of reincarnation. Although it =is= necessary for the story, I have never been a believer in reincarnation, and it detracted slightly from my enjoyment of an otherwise fine read.

I'd still recommend this book to SF fans for it's portrayal of a truly alien race from the alien's point of view. It's unfortunately out-of-print, but can be found in used bookstores inexpensively. The sequel, "City of a Million Legends" is also out-of-print, and it's sad that no other books were ever written about this unusual alien race and culture.

I think of Molt Brother and it's sequel City of a Million Legends as "a science so advanced it is indistinguishable from magic".

You can read free chapters of this Intimate Adventure on Jacqueline Lichtenberg's homepage simegen dot com/jl/ , and soon you will be able to buy the new trade paperback edition here on amazon. There are plans for a Larp and perhaps series of one-act plays with new characters in this universe.

These novels tell the story of a human, Zref Ortenau, raised on an alien planet who has acculturated to the alien point of view to become almost alien in his thinking. These aliens have a very strong magical view of the universe that works for them.

Zref is the son of two archeologists searching for the truth about a civilization that existed turns of the galaxy ago and left relics too large to be identified as relics, "mighty works." And of course some legends survive as inscriptions in long dead tongues.

The legend seems to talk about an object of power, so of course the race is on. There are those who want the Object in order to get power. And there are those who want it to keep people who want power from getting it.

And there's always the question of whether such a legend has any grain of truth in it at all. The question would be merely academic if there weren't those willing to kill to find out.

This book was recommended to me and I'm very glad I picked it up. It gives a thorough accounting of Tarot NOT being used for divination but for prodding the unconscious to awaken the sleeper in all of us.

If you are open-minded and are more than a little interested in learning about the 'mysteries' of Christianity, then this is a book which should interest you.

At first, I thought that this book began a little slowly, over explaining what I thought should be easy to grasp ideas from philosophy and theology, but as I continued reading, I realized that the author was merely using these ideas as stepping stones, which grew larger and larger as the work became more complex. This book presents a new and unique view of how we should consider Tarot cards and their place in the world and our lives. It is a logical philosophy well versed in the history of the tarot, the occult in general, theology of different denominations, culture, and even science. This book is a must have for anyone interested in reading or having a reading done of the Tarot cards, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in religion, philosophy, or the occult. I read this book in one evening, and I will read it again in years to come. This book is a book of many answers, but it is also a book of even more and more complex questions. I am in great anticipation of the next books in this series.

This first book of the Sime/ Gen universe is a little rough, but is worth reading. The sequel was much better, and by the end of that one , you're hooked! The Star Trek like philosophy held by the Members Of Zeor is compelling. This book is written by a Star Trek Fan, payment in kind.

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". Gens are humans that appear perfectly normal, but generate an internal energy field that helps keep them alive. The second main character, Klyd (pronounced like "Clyde") Farris, is a 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" - 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. 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, 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.

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? 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.