Matriarch (novel)

Matriarch
	Matriarch
Author	Karen Traviss
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Wess'Har Series
Genre	Science fiction
Publisher	HarperCollins
Publication date	September 2006
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	387
ISBN	978-0-06-088231-0
OCLC	71520045
LC Class	CPB Box no. 2665 vol. 12
Preceded by	The World Before
Followed by	Ally

Last updated September 22, 2019

Matriarch is a science fiction novel by the British writer Karen Traviss published in September, 2006. It is the fourth book in the Wess'Har Series, following The World Before and preceding Ally .^[1]

Science fiction Genre of speculative fiction

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that has been called the "literature of ideas". It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations.

Karen Traviss is a science fiction author from Wiltshire, England. She is the author of the Wess'Har series, and is also known for writing tie-in material based on Star Wars, Gears of War, Halo, and G.I. Joe. Her work crosses various forms of media including novels, short stories, comics, and video games.

<i>The World Before</i> book by Karen Traviss

The World Before is a science fiction novel by British writer Karen Traviss, published in October 2005. It is the third book in the Wess'Har Series.

Plot summary

Mohan Rayat and Lindsay Neville have been sent to the bottom of the ocean, after having been infected with c'naatat in the World Before, to spend forever living with the bezeri to help them rebuild and recover. But first they must undergo cellular reconstruction in order to survive in the depths, which happens at an astounding rate. Ade Bennett and Aras have the unpleasant duty to tell Shan Frankland, their isan, what they did. Since Shan threw herself into deep space to keep c'naatat from Rayat and Earth's government, she was not pleased that the symbiont was just given to them. She tells Esganikan of the Eqbas Vorhi about the development and she agrees to take precautions against it being spread.

Neville and Rayat are changed people, literally. They have developed gills and can sense their surroundings using sonar. The bezeri have put them to work extracting maps from a contaminated zone that the bezeri cannot enter. Rayat wants to acquire the bioluminescence ability that Shan has so he can try to communicate with the bezeri without the aid of the translation lamp. Shan had acquired bioluminescence in a previous encounter and passed that on to Ade. He in turn would have passed that on to Rayat and Neville when he infected them but this has not manifested itself. In an effort to make it manifest, Rayat asks for cells from the bezeri. The matriarch of the group brings the body of a youth that has recently died and Rayat and Lindsay put some of its tissue and blood into their own bloodstream.

Sonar technique that uses sound propagation

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect objects on or under the surface of the water, such as other vessels. Two types of technology share the name "sonar": passive sonar is essentially listening for the sound made by vessels; active sonar is emitting pulses of sounds and listening for echoes. Sonar may be used as a means of acoustic location and of measurement of the echo characteristics of "targets" in the water. Acoustic location in air was used before the introduction of radar. Sonar may also be used for robot navigation, and SODAR is used for atmospheric investigations. The term sonar is also used for the equipment used to generate and receive the sound. The acoustic frequencies used in sonar systems vary from very low (infrasonic) to extremely high (ultrasonic). The study of underwater sound is known as underwater acoustics or hydroacoustics.

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria and terrestrial invertebrates such as fireflies. In some animals, the light is bacteriogenic, produced by symbiotic organisms such as Vibrio bacteria; in others, it is autogenic, produced by the animals themselves.

Ade, Shan and Eddie have gone with the Eqbas to visit Umeh. While there, Shan and Ade finally consummate their relationship. The Eqbas are attacked by the Maritime Fringe, a neighboring state of Jejeno, but the attack causes no damage to the Eqbas and the Eqbas retaliate swiftly by destroying most of the far city of Buyg. They all take a trip in the Eqbas ship to visit that city and determine if they are now willing to cooperate. The Maritime Fringe responds with ineffective violence which is met with return fire from the Eqbas. Ade has noticed that his bioluminescence and Shan's seem to respond to each other and to other lights. He thinks the possibility exists that c'naatat is sentient and is communicating. Others don't want to think of that as possible so they are avoiding the issue. Shan calls Aras to let him know they are coming back to Wess'ej and discover that Vijissi, who was thrown into space with Shan because he refused to abandon her, has been found and is alive—infected with c'naatat.

Related Research Articles

<i>I Am Legend</i> (novel) Science fiction horror novel by Richard Matheson

I Am Legend is a 1954 post-apocalyptic horror novel by American writer Richard Matheson. It was influential in the development of the zombie-vampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007). It was also an inspiration behind Night of the Living Dead (1968).

Gilded Balloon is a producer and promoter of live entertainment events, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and best known as one of the Big Four venue operators at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe each August.

City of Pearl is a science fiction novel by British writer Karen Traviss. Published in March, 2004, it is the first book of the Wess'Har Series. Among the main characters are Shan Frankland, the hardened cop and forceful commander; Josh Garrod, the devout Christian and gentle leader; Aras, the lonely Wess'har, outcast by his horrible disease; and Lindsay Neville, the Marines Commander dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. City of Pearl is a book that deals with morals, especially concerning environmentalism, and keeps action sequences to a minimum.

<i>Betrayal</i> (<i>Star Wars</i> novel) book

Betrayal is a science fiction novel by American writer Aaron Allston, released in hardcover on May 30, 2006. It is the first of nine books in the Legacy of the Force series, which is set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe. The paperback edition was released in May 2007 and also contained a small excerpt from Bloodlines by Karen Traviss, and reprints of two short stories, "In His Image" and "A Two-Edged Sword" by Karen Traviss. The book takes place 35 years after Return of the Jedi. Betrayal is followed by the second book in the series, Bloodlines.

<i>Crossing the Line</i> (novel) book by Karen Traviss

Crossing the Line is a science fiction novel by British writer Karen Traviss, published in November 2004. It is the second book of the Wess'Har Series. Its predecessor was called City of Pearl, published in February of the same year. Some of the main characters include Shan Frankland, hardened copper now infected with c'naatat; Aras, the lonely Wess'har, outcast by his horrible disease; Eddie Michallat, journalist who finds himself in a position to affect history; and Lindsay Neville, the Marines Commander trying to deal with the loss of her newborn son David, and bent on revenge on Shan.

The Wess'har Wars series is a six book science fiction novel series written by author Karen Traviss and is set several hundred years in the future. It involves humanity's contact with a number of alien species with conflicting interests and beliefs, while her central character, Shan Frankland, is caught in the middle of a coming conflict. All six novels have been published by Eos, an imprint of HarperCollins: City of Pearl, Crossing the Line, The World Before, Matriarch and Ally. The last book of the series, Judge was released on March 25, 2008.

Georgia Rule is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall. The film stars Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan, with supporting cast Dermot Mulroney, Garrett Hedlund and Cary Elwes. The original music score was composed by John Debney. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but the lead cast was praised for their performances.

<i>Mr As Amazing Maze Plays</i> play written by Alan Ayckbourn

Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays is a play written by Alan Ayckbourn in 1988. It relies heavily on the audience for many scenes inside Mr Accousticus' house.

<i>Judge</i> (novel) science fiction novel by Karen Traviss

Judge is a science fiction novel written by Karen Traviss. It is the sixth and last book of the Wess'Har Series. It was nominated for the 2009 Philip K. Dick Award.

Mandalorians are a fictional race of people from the planet Mandalore in the Star Wars science fiction franchise created by George Lucas. First conceptualized for The Empire Strikes Back as a group of white-armored "supercommandos", the idea developed into a single bounty hunter character, Boba Fett. Although the term "Mandalorian" is never used in the films, the popularity of Boba Fett inspired an extensive number of works about Mandalorians in the Star Wars expanded universe, also known as non canon Legends.

"What Lies Below" is the 13th episode of the second season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. Set in a quarantined Boston office building, the episode revolves around a thousands-year-old viral hemorrhagic fever that infects and then influences its victims to attempt to spread the viral particles outside of the building.

"The Cure" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. It followed two women suffering from a fictional disease, who are then given radiation drugs and exploited by a pharmaceutical company to cause nearby individuals' brains to boil.

Silver (<i>90210</i>) fictional character on The CW television series 90210

Erin Silver, known mononymously as Silver, is a fictional character on The CW television series 90210, the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. Portrayed by Jessica Stroup, the character was originally introduced in Beverly Hills, 90210 as Kelly Taylor and David Silver's half sister.

Madea's Neighbors from Hell is a 2014 parodic comedy-drama play created, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tyler Perry as Mabel "Madea" Simmons, and Madea's neighborhood takes a turn for the worse when a foster mother moves in with her unruly kids.

Stutterer is a short drama film written and directed by Benjamin Cleary and produced by Serena Armitage and Shan Christopher Ogilvie.

Shiera Sanders Hall is a fictional supporting character and later superheroine as Hawkgirl appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Shiera Sanders Hall was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in Flash Comics #1 as a romantic interest of Hawkman. Then later as one of DC's earliest super-heroines, she has appeared in many of the company's flagship team-up titles including the Justice Society of America.

Karen Taylor (EastEnders) Fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders

Karen Taylor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lorraine Stanley. She made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 15 June 2017. Stanley previously appeared in the show's 2004 spin off Pat and Mo as a young Mo Harris, and in the main show as Thelma Bragg, the mother of Linzi Bragg in 2016. For her portrayal as Karen, Stanley has won an award and has been nominated for several awards.

References

↑ Sherryl Vint (13 November 2006). "Matriarch by Karen Traviss". Strange Horizons. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)

This article about a 2000s science fiction novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Sherryl Vint (13 November 2006). "Matriarch by Karen Traviss". Strange Horizons. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)