Species Imperative #2 Migration [Mass Market Paperback]

Julie E. Czerneda is certainly a rising star in science fiction! Her "Survival (Species Imperative, No.1)" was a great start to what will be a great trilogy, assuming she stops there. Her second book, "Migration (Species Imperative, No. 2)" was also difficult to put down. While I have not read her other works, from these two I think she has the makings of a classic science fiction writer. I am a professional biologist and I tend to like my science fiction less with the standard galactic battle scenes and more with scientific depth and character development. Herself an ex-biologist, Czerneda has sprinkled her biological knowledge throughout her novels, with the odd life cycle of the Dhryn central to the story. Despite the weirdness of such apparently alien cycles, we have plenty to rival it on earth, such as salmon (as noted in this book), ichneumon wasps, schistosomes, malarial parasites, and even many migratory birds. In the first book the Dhryn's life cycle has become a danger for other life forms. Enter the Myrokynay (or the Ro) "arch enemy" of the Dhryn. The latter seem bent on destroying all life associated with the Ro's? apparently ancient transect (now used by many alien races for interstellar travel), while the Ro (on the theory that my enemy's enemy is my friend) seem to be the only one who can stop them.

In the current volume Czerneda's protagonist, Dr. Mackenzie Conner (or "Mac" as she is usually known), a field biologist specializing in salmon life cycles, finds herself, her would be lover and interstellar spy (Nikolai Trojanowski), her forest conservation overseer (Charles Mudge III, whom she calls "Oversight"), plus her old colleague Emily and numerous aliens, including the Sinzi, the Trisulians (a species of apparent vultures who may be benefiting from the Dhryn's predations) and the wise-cracking Mygs, are caught up in the attempt to keep the Dhryn from the complete destruction of the civilizations in their path. But what is their path and what is their purpose? Most importantly why did they set out on this destructive rampage and can the Ro stop them? All this leads to a council held on the South Island of New Zealand, in the end attended by representatives of both the Dhryn and the Ro. Needless to say this is gripping drama and very well constructed as well.

If you got hooked on the first volume in the series than you will have to read the second. I now eagerly await the third. Science fiction may be having a re-birth after a fairly sterile period and Czerneda is one of those leading the way.

Julie Czerneda has recently become one of my favorite authors. I'd never so much as heard of her until a couple of weeks ago when on a whim I picked up the first book, Survival. Just some light reading to keep me occupied on a boring road trip, I thought. Wrong. I was _immediately_ enthralled and read it cover to cover in two days, before rushing out and getting my hands on this sequel, which does not dissapoint.

Mackenzie Connor (call her Mac...) is one of the most likeable characters I've come across in a long time; brilliant, tempermental, and even when yanked away from her salmon research and into intergalactic politics, she has a down-to-Earth personality and perspective that helps to put even the bizzarest situation in perspective. There's a lot of humor in both of the Species Imperative books --this one had me in stiches multiple times-- but the bigger picture being an ominous, all life in imminent peril sort of thing, as well as betrayal, intrigue, and threats to the people and things Mac cares about on a more personal level, there were just as many times the books had me near tears.

Migration picks up where Survival left off and ups the ante in a big way. The last book focused mainly on the Dhryn, where Mac got to know them as individuals (in Brymn's case as good friends) and find out important information about their culture and physiology, making their sudden transformation all the more horrifying - it just wouldn't have had the same impact if they'd started out as faceless Bad Guys(tm). This time around we get to know several other aliens as they work with Mac to try to find a way to save themselves from the Dhryn. The Sinzi are wonderful, (you'll have to read it yourself to find out about the Trisulians and the Myg :D) and the Ro are more terrifying and ruthless than ever.

It was a real pleasure to follow along as the mystery of the Dhryn, how they became the way they are and who was responsible, was put together piece by piece. (I figured it out before Mac did, but only by a few pages.) Everything tied in nicely with the events of the last book, though I'm glad there are still a few details and unanswered questions that will have to be resolved in the next. The only thing I don't like is the fact that I must now begin the agonizing wait until the next book comes out. I just hope Czerneda is a fast writer...

Migration (2005) is the second SF novel in the Species Imperative series, following Survival. In the previous volume, Mackenzie Winfred Elizabeth Wright Conner and Brymn the Dhryn were rescued from the breakup of Haven, the current Dhryn homeworld, by Emily Mamani Sariento. After their transfer to the original Dhryn homeworld, Mac then liberated Brymn from Emily. After waking Brymn and persuading him to leave his dig, Mac led Brymn across a nearby hill to an Interspecies Union field site, where they learned that a Ministry ship was in transit from the nearest transect node.

A dust storm hit them before the ship arrived and Brymn was injured by a toppled transport. The injury started his next metamorphosis and he turned into a feeder form, converting an injured human into green glop. As she had promised, Mac killed Brymn before he could take more victims, but she loses an arm to the green fluid.

In this novel, Mac returns to the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility -- Base -- to resume her duties as coadministrator of the project. The Ministry of Extra-Sol Human Affairs apparently is not interested in any insights that she may have on the Dhryn or the Ro. The damage to Base has been explained as an attack by human xenophobes and her loss of an arm and reading problems are attributed to a traffic accident. The staff and students at Base are skeptical about these cover stories, particularly after the loss of Emily.

Persephone Stewart was appointed on the staff as a theoretical statistician while Mac was offplanet, hired to help John Ward, Mac's postdoc, teach the grad students some analytical skills. However, Mac recognizes 'Sephe as one of the Ministry agents involved in her offplanet activities. Of course, 'Sephe is well qualified for the position and even thinks that she manipulated the Ministry to get her dream job, but Mac knows that Nikolai Trojanowski has arranged the whole thing.

Then Oversight -- Charles Mudge III -- sneaks onto Base 3 and requests admission at the front entrance. He is ordered off the property by the Ministry guards, but refuses to leave. Mac tells the new security force to admit him and allows him to stay overnight. After he tries to swim ashore in the dark, the exasperated Mac promises to take him into the Wilderness Trust later in the day.

Mac flies Mudge ashore in her old lev, which moans and groans the whole way. Once on dry land, Mac follows the rapidly moving Oversight over the elevated walkways, trying to duck the branches he lets spring back. While walking, she receives a strange message that includes Emily's picture. Still thinking about the possible presence of the Ro, she absent-mindedly becomes engrossed in examining slugs on a nearby tree while Mudge runs into Ministry agents. Apparently the Ro had just landed in the Trust lands to send the message and then immediately departed; they left another forced clearing within the Wilderness Trust and the agents are examining it for anything left behind. Oversight is NOT pleased.

Mudge's protests are now futile since the Ministry has bypassed his office, but they become moot after the earthquake. All Base personnel survive, but two Ministry agents are killed. The Trust lands are trashed by the violence of the land and water, so Norcoast orders all the Pods, except Base 2, to be moved to the Tannu River mouth. Base 2 will stay behind to study the recovery sequences, but all other personnel are ordered back to Vancouver.

Mac wants to stay behind to continue the salmon studies, but she is persuaded to take a vacation. Slipping away from the Ministry guards, she travels to her family cabin on Little Misty Lake. While she is there, two aliens reserve a trip through the Canadian wilderness and are settled in her cabin. Arslithissiangee Yip the Fourteenth and Kay quarrel incessantly, but Kay is an excellent cook and Fourteen isn't a bad canoeist. Yet they haven't really come for the canoe trek, but to deliver an invitation from the IU to join a special group studying the Dhryn. Nik shows up shortly after the aliens arrive.

In this story, Mac has several insights into the genetic basis of Dhryn depredations, which include overwhelming multiple worlds and stations in their migration. She suspects that they have innate reasons for migrating to safe habitats. The IU appoints her as head of the Origins Team to study her insights and suspicions. Since this group consists basically of the people she had met on the Dhryn homeworld, she has to clear up a few misperceptions of her involvement with Brymn.

Although she continues to think of herself as a salmon researcher, Mac has contributed much to studies of the Dhryn and continues to do so. Under her guidance, the Origins Team begins to make significant discoveries in their data and to suggest other areas of research. She soon finds herself being touted as the foremost expert on the Dhryn species.

Highly recommended for Czerneda fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of scientific research, alien relations and adventure.

-Arthur W. Jordin

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