The Termite Queen Volume One The Speaking of the Dead eBook Lorinda J Taylor
Download As PDF : The Termite Queen Volume One The Speaking of the Dead eBook Lorinda J Taylor 
In the 30th century, an off-world expedition returns to Earth with a specimen of giant termite whose behavior suggests intelligence. Kaitrin Oliva, a strong-willed and ambitious young linguistic anthropologist, is charged with finding a way to access its unique form of bioelectric communication. However, the insect dies and the team members realize too late that they have unintentionally murdered an intelligent lifeform. A second expedition is mounted with the purpose of making first contact and reparations. Griffen Gwidian, the entomologist heading the expedition, is a complex man with a dark personal secret. He falls in love with Kaitrin and against her better instincts Kaitrin responds. The result is a love story by turns turbulent and funny, passionate, tender, and troubled.
Meanwhile, civil discord is brewing on the termite planet. Mo’gri’ta’tu, the Queen’s Chamberlain, resents the power of the Holy Seer Kwi’ga’ga’tei and plots to assassinate her. She has engaged the services of an outland Champion, Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head, to fight this terrifying entity which has descended on them from the skies, murdered one of the fortress’s citizens, and abducted another. This alienates the aging Commander Hi’ta’fu the Unconquered, who is lured by the word-crafty Chamberlain into joining the conspiracy.
At the very moment that the murder is about to be committed, the second expedition arrives at the planet …
Discover the exciting conclusion of the adventure in Volume Two, "The Wound That Has No Healing."
The Termite Queen Volume One The Speaking of the Dead eBook Lorinda J Taylor
Book Review by Jack A. Urquhart; The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead; author, Lorinda J. TaylorLorinda J. Taylor's ambitious science-fiction novel The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead marks a notable literary debut. A writer possessed of considerable narrative and storytelling talents, Ms. Taylor creates a 30th century adventure that, with but few interruptions, keeps the reader turning pages.
At the center of the action is Ms. Taylor's young, ambitious, and rule-pushing protagonist, Kaitrin Oliva, an `Associate' Linguistic Anthropologist (apparently there are no doctorates in the 30th century; rather, the academic hierarchy, from lowliest to most exalted, runs `assistant,' `associate,' `professor'). Kaitrin's expertise is brought to bear in the aftermath of a disastrous off-world expedition. Her task: decode the bioelectric communication patterns of an alien specimen--a giant termite--collected during the unhappy mission. Kaitrin's linguistic and intuitive gifts soon yield a surprising conclusion: the termite, who suffers an untimely and poignantly rendered demise once removed to earth, is an intelligent life form.
Soon preparations are afoot for a second expedition to the termite planet and Kaitrin joins the team headed by the enigmatic (and sometimes downright oblique!) Griffen Gwidian, Professor of entomology. The two get off to a rocky start, but gradually their relationship morphs into the novel's central love story.
Interspersed with Kaitrin's and Griffen's story is an equally tempestuous second storyline unfolding amongst the inhabitants of the termite planet. This reader confesses to savoring the termite chapters--written in the manner of a play--for the communal culture mindset Ms. Taylor skillfully creates. Her termite aliens--despite genetically embedded caste and belief systems (the latter understandably rooted in a `Great Goddess' concept)--mirror mankind's record for machinations of the type that flare when competing egos collide.
It should be noted that Ms. Taylor, an active member of the `conlang' community (constructed or planned languages) has devoted extraordinary attention to developing, explicating, and rendering in text, the varied languages of her cast of dozens.
Given the author's interest in linguistics, it is not surprising that The Termite Queen is propelled by dialogue--a writerly skill at which Taylor excels. Volume One features pages and pages of dialogue rendered in character-specific voices. With few exceptions, these conversations, and a minimally intrusive narrative voice, drive the story, building tension and momentum while revealing and/or suggesting the mysteries and foibles of the human and the alien heart.
A word about those rare exceptions. Some readers may stumble over the portions of the novel that seem inserted to provide context and historical background (this reader had occasionally to resist the urge to skim). For example, chapter 14, part one, pauses to summarize 900+ years of earth history prior to the 30th century; chapter 9, part two, presents a discussion (between characters) of interplanetary religious customs and practices, while chapter 10, part two, introduces an overview of interplanetary marriage customs and practices. These interludes are not without interest, but they do suspend--however briefly--the story's forward momentum. Yet, given Ms. Taylor's remarkable attention to detail, this reader is willing to trust that nothing has been included that will not eventually--with the release of volume two (?)--serve to facilitate a richer, fuller understanding of the novel.
Finally, a word about Ms. Taylor's interplanetary cast of characters and their otherworldly, tongue-twisting, eye-ball-popping appellations. The Termite Queen Volume One is filled with names to which the reader may occasionally have trouble attaching a personality. Some examples: Mo'gri'ta'tu, Kwi'ga'ga'tei, Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, Hi'ta'fu, A'a'ma, to `name' a few. The phonetically challenged reader may find it useful, as I did, to develop a sight vocabulary--a 21st century strategy for navigating a vividly rendered, rewarding, and compelling 30th century universe.
Avid readers of science fiction may also find it useful to visit Ms. Taylor's blog site for additional information and explication of her 30th century world and its human and alien inhabitants.
Conclusion: Highly recommended.
Jack A. Urquhart is the author of several works of fiction, including So They Say Collected Stories.
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The Termite Queen Volume One The Speaking of the Dead eBook Lorinda J Taylor Reviews
The two volumes here comprise a classic first-contact scifi story, and opposites attract romance, and a court intrigue "historical novel". At least. And they all flow together smoothly into a satisfying whole. The scifi part has the usual unexplainable "science" bits, but they are used judiciously as vehicle, not hinges for the whole plot. The real science -- of Linguistics, mainly, is accurate within its limits and well presented. The romance is credible and the intrigue is made new again by being adapted to structure of termite society and the realities of termite physiology (about which we learn a good deal as well). The only complaints I have are to the assumed panspermia (or whatever puts all discovered life forms on the terran tree) and the needless complex (from a linguistic point of view, not from a scifi novelist's) phonology of the termites.
Les Miserables is 1500 pages long. About a third of it is exposition, essays, and other thoughts that popped in Hugo's head while he wrote an epic tale of exploitation and redemption. It appears that the extra 500 or so pages didn't deter readers from making this one of the most famous and well-read novels of all time.
Yes, you are reading a review of The Termite Queen. The above paragraph describes a bit of what you'll face reading the two volumes. Really great story, characterizations, plot, and brilliant descriptions of how language works. For all of these very positive reasons, I encourage any reader who is not daunted by the length, to jump in and purchase both volumes of Lorinda Taylor's great science fiction tale.
The story follows the main character, Kaitrin Oliva, a xenolinguist, who discovers the giant termites found on an alien world are not simply bugs, but are an intelligent species with a complex language she is determined to understand. When one of the captive insects dies in her arms, she had recorded the brain waves of the dying creature. What seems like static to the uninitiated, Kaitrin recognizes as a language transmitted not by sound waves or even telepathy, but by broadcast radio waves (for want of words which accurately describe the language transmission). When Kaitrin realizes what she has discovered, she must convince her friend Prf. A'a'ma and the xenoentomologist, Griffin Gwydian. A mission is put together to return to the termite world with Oliva enthusiastically going along to discover the secrets of the termite language.
In the meantime, the story follows the palace intrigue in the termite world. We get to know some of the main power players in the termite society, and how that society works with its warriors, workers, and alates all serving a nameless queen (part of the religion of the termites).
It's a very complex story following humans, aliens like A'a'ma (of an intelligent bird species, and the completely alien termite society.
Volume 1 ends just as the expedition reaches the termite planet. Volume 2, no doubt, will take us into the discovery of the termite society and how the expedition members deal with something so alien.
This is a hard book because Ms. Taylor has bits and pieces of multiple languages, some familiar to humans, and several languages of the aliens, both friendly and unknown. I soon gave up trying to keep the termites straight in my mind, and relied on the context to figure out which were friends and which foes. Inj (English) is also morphed into a future-speak that might throw some readers. I kept wanting to correct "misspellings" which weren't misspelled at all, but were invented by Taylor to illustrate how language changes over centuries of use.
Reading this book is a serious undertaking by the reader. Be ready to really think about what's going on. If you prefer light romances, move along, there's nothing here for you. If you're ready to be challenged, then jump right in, but pay attention. I've got this sneaking feeling like there'll be a written quiz at the end of Volume 2.
Book Review by Jack A. Urquhart; The Termite Queen Volume One The Speaking of the Dead; author, Lorinda J. Taylor
Lorinda J. Taylor's ambitious science-fiction novel The Termite Queen Volume One The Speaking of the Dead marks a notable literary debut. A writer possessed of considerable narrative and storytelling talents, Ms. Taylor creates a 30th century adventure that, with but few interruptions, keeps the reader turning pages.
At the center of the action is Ms. Taylor's young, ambitious, and rule-pushing protagonist, Kaitrin Oliva, an `Associate' Linguistic Anthropologist (apparently there are no doctorates in the 30th century; rather, the academic hierarchy, from lowliest to most exalted, runs `assistant,' `associate,' `professor'). Kaitrin's expertise is brought to bear in the aftermath of a disastrous off-world expedition. Her task decode the bioelectric communication patterns of an alien specimen--a giant termite--collected during the unhappy mission. Kaitrin's linguistic and intuitive gifts soon yield a surprising conclusion the termite, who suffers an untimely and poignantly rendered demise once removed to earth, is an intelligent life form.
Soon preparations are afoot for a second expedition to the termite planet and Kaitrin joins the team headed by the enigmatic (and sometimes downright oblique!) Griffen Gwidian, Professor of entomology. The two get off to a rocky start, but gradually their relationship morphs into the novel's central love story.
Interspersed with Kaitrin's and Griffen's story is an equally tempestuous second storyline unfolding amongst the inhabitants of the termite planet. This reader confesses to savoring the termite chapters--written in the manner of a play--for the communal culture mindset Ms. Taylor skillfully creates. Her termite aliens--despite genetically embedded caste and belief systems (the latter understandably rooted in a `Great Goddess' concept)--mirror mankind's record for machinations of the type that flare when competing egos collide.
It should be noted that Ms. Taylor, an active member of the `conlang' community (constructed or planned languages) has devoted extraordinary attention to developing, explicating, and rendering in text, the varied languages of her cast of dozens.
Given the author's interest in linguistics, it is not surprising that The Termite Queen is propelled by dialogue--a writerly skill at which Taylor excels. Volume One features pages and pages of dialogue rendered in character-specific voices. With few exceptions, these conversations, and a minimally intrusive narrative voice, drive the story, building tension and momentum while revealing and/or suggesting the mysteries and foibles of the human and the alien heart.
A word about those rare exceptions. Some readers may stumble over the portions of the novel that seem inserted to provide context and historical background (this reader had occasionally to resist the urge to skim). For example, chapter 14, part one, pauses to summarize 900+ years of earth history prior to the 30th century; chapter 9, part two, presents a discussion (between characters) of interplanetary religious customs and practices, while chapter 10, part two, introduces an overview of interplanetary marriage customs and practices. These interludes are not without interest, but they do suspend--however briefly--the story's forward momentum. Yet, given Ms. Taylor's remarkable attention to detail, this reader is willing to trust that nothing has been included that will not eventually--with the release of volume two (?)--serve to facilitate a richer, fuller understanding of the novel.
Finally, a word about Ms. Taylor's interplanetary cast of characters and their otherworldly, tongue-twisting, eye-ball-popping appellations. The Termite Queen Volume One is filled with names to which the reader may occasionally have trouble attaching a personality. Some examples Mo'gri'ta'tu, Kwi'ga'ga'tei, Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head, Hi'ta'fu, A'a'ma, to `name' a few. The phonetically challenged reader may find it useful, as I did, to develop a sight vocabulary--a 21st century strategy for navigating a vividly rendered, rewarding, and compelling 30th century universe.
Avid readers of science fiction may also find it useful to visit Ms. Taylor's blog site for additional information and explication of her 30th century world and its human and alien inhabitants.
Conclusion Highly recommended.
Jack A. Urquhart is the author of several works of fiction, including So They Say Collected Stories.
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