High Couch of Silistra

Last updated
Returning Creation
High Couch of Silistra front cover.jpg
First edition
Author Janet Morris
Country United States
Language English
SeriesSilistra
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Bantam Books
Publication date
July 1977
Media typePrint (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-553-10522-3
Followed by The Golden Sword  

High Couch of Silistra (renamed as Returning Creation for the integral edition of the series) is a science fiction novel, the first book in the Silistra quartet by American writer Janet Morris, published in 1977 by Bantam Books. [1] High Couch of Silistra was the debut title of Morris' writing career. The series went on to have more than four million copies in print and was also published in French, Italian and German.

Contents

Setting

Silistra is a post-apocalyptic planet devastated by a war that forced its populace to go into underground shelters for centuries and, even many centuries later, the planet has not recovered. Infertility is one of the worst problems facing the planet's populace—thanks to the fallout of that deadly war. Silistra is ruled by a theocratic caste named the Day-Keepers who control the planet by monopoly on technical and divine knowledge and through a brutal police force named the Slayers.

The planet is administratively divided into city-states founded around procreation centres named Wells that were originally introduced by the Day-Keepers as a solution to Silistra's infertility problem. In time, the Wells attracted men from various planets and virtually turned into brothels, while women who manage the Wells founded aristocratic lineages named Well-Keepresses that form a peculiar matriarchy.

Politically, Silistra is part of the Bipedal Federation, a polity dominated by the technologically advanced merchant planet M'ksakka, which is also the de facto suzerain of Silistra. Astria is the Well that first made alliance with M'ksakkans to pioneer the current model of Silistran city-states and the Well-Keepresses of Astria who carry the title High Couch of Silistra have maintained their at least nominal hegemony over other Well-Keepresses.

Plot

In The High Couch of Silistra, Estri, Well-Keepress of Astria and holder of the ultimate seat of control begins an epic adventure to discover her origins and save the dwindling population.

Critical reception

Charles N. Brown of Locus , is quoted on the Baen Books reissues of the series as saying, "Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure".[ citation needed ] Frederik Pohl is quoted there as saying "The amazing and erotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in tomorrow's universe."[ citation needed ] The book has been called "the best single example of prostitution used in fantasy." [2] Stephen Andrews' 100 Must-Read Fantasy Novels recommends High Couch of Silistra to readers who have enjoyed Jane Gaskell's The Serpent . [3]

Notes

  1. Schlobin 1982, p. 101.
  2. Kaler 1991, p. 131.
  3. Andrews 2009, pp. 59–60.

Related Research Articles

<i>Gor</i> Setting of John Normans novels

Gor is the fictional setting for a series of sword and planet novels written by philosophy professor John Lange, writing as John Norman. The setting was first described in the 1966 novel Tarnsman of Gor. The series is inspired by science fantasy pulp fiction works by Edgar Rice Burroughs, such as the Barsoom series. It also includes erotica and philosophical content. The Gor series repeatedly depicts men abducting and physically and sexually brutalizing women, who grow to enjoy their submissive state. According to The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Norman's "sexual philosophy" is "widely detested", but the books have inspired a Gorean subculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne McCaffrey</span> Irish science fiction writer (1926–2011)

Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American writer known for the Dragonriders of Pern science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction and the first to win a Nebula Award. Her 1978 novel The White Dragon became one of the first science-fiction books to appear on the New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>The Colour of Magic</i> 1983 Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

The Colour of Magic is a 1983 fantasy comedy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the Discworld series. The first printing of the British edition consisted of only 506 copies. Pratchett has described it as "an attempt to do for the classical fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns."

<i>The War Hound and the Worlds Pain</i> 1981 novel by Michael Moorcock

The War Hound and the World's Pain is a 1981 fantasy novel by English writer Michael Moorcock, the first of the "von Bek" series of novels.

<i>The Sword of Shannara</i> 1977 novel by Terry Brooks

The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by American writer Terry Brooks. It is the first book in a titular trilogy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy literature</span> Literature set in an imaginary universe

Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fantasy literature may be directed at both children and adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planetary romance</span> Subgenre of science fiction focussing on adventures on alien planets

Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place against the background of a future culture where travel between worlds by spaceship is commonplace; others, particularly the earliest examples of the genre, do not, and invoke flying carpets, astral projection, or other methods of getting between planets. In either case, it is the planetside adventures which are the focus of the story, not the mode of travel.

<i>The Weapon Shops of Isher</i> 1951 novel by A.E. van Vogt

The Weapon Shops of Isher is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in 1951. The novel is a fix-up created from three previously published short stories about the Weapon Shops and Isher civilization:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Richards</span> British writer (born 1961)

Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written science fiction and fantasy novels, including series set in Victorian or early-20th-century London, and also adventure stories set in the present day. He has written many spin-off novels, reference books and audio plays based on the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Consultant for the BBC Books range of Doctor Who novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of fantasy</span>

Elements of the supernatural and the fantastic were an element of literature from its beginning. The modern genre is distinguished from tales and folklore which contain fantastic elements, first by the acknowledged fictitious nature of the work, and second by the naming of an author. Works in which the marvels were not necessarily believed, or only half-believed, such as the European romances of chivalry and the tales of the Arabian Nights, slowly evolved into works with such traits. Authors like George MacDonald (1824–1905) created the first explicitly fantastic works.

Mark Morris is an English author known for his series of horror novels, although he has also written several novels based on the BBC Television series Doctor Who. He used the pseudonym J. M. Morris for his 2001 novel Fiddleback.

Christian science fiction is a subgenre of both Christian literature and science fiction, in which there are strong Christian themes, or which are written from a Christian point of view. These themes may be subtle, expressed by way of analogy, or more explicit. Major influences include early science fiction authors such as C. S. Lewis, while more recent figures include Stephen Lawhead.

Janet Ellen Morris is an American author of fiction and nonfiction, best known for her fantasy and science fiction and her authorship of a non-lethal weapons concept for the U.S. military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Serpent (novel)</span> 1963 novel by British writer Jane Gaskell

The Serpent is a novel by British writer Jane Gaskell. It was first published in 1963. It is the first part of the Atlan series, a set of four fantasy novels set in prehistory. The following novels are Atlan, The City, and Some Summer Lands. The stories are set in Atlantis and South America.

<i>The Golden Sword</i> 1977 novel by Janet Morris

The Golden Sword, published in 1977, is a science fantasy novel by American writer Janet Morris, the second title in her High Couch of Silistra series.

<i>Wind from the Abyss</i> 1978 novel by Janet Morris

Wind from The Abyss is a science fantasy novel by American writer Janet Morris, published in 1978. It is the third book of her Silistra series.

<i>Star Rangers</i> (novel) 1953 novel by Andre Norton

Star Rangers, also known as The Last Planet, is a science fiction novel by the American author Andre Norton. The novel was published on August 20, 1953, by Harcourt, Brace & Company. This is one of Norton's Central Control books, which lay out the history of a galactic empire through events suggested by Norton's understanding of Terran history.

References