Harmony
Cultures clash and romance blooms in this tepid series opener set on Harmony, a cult-governed planet. The highest ranks of the Harmonic Empire have rewritten history to hide its origins and maintain the harsh caste-based social order that supports the rich and powerful while keeping the underclasses trapped in slavery. Harmony is also the only source of Badger Metal, used to shield spaceships from the vagaries of radiation and hyperspace. The Confederated Star Systems desperately need the material for warships, and they send CSS Maj. Jake Hannigan undercover to Harmony to obtain the secret of making Badger Metal. His task is complicated by the social and political shakeup when Sissy, a pious young Worker caste woman, reveals a gift for prophecy and an amazing ability to quell earthquakes and storms by emotionally bonding with the planet itself. Historian Bentley's blend of mysticism, space opera and social commentary is too scattered and self-conscious to rise above its familiar themes.(Aug.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.