The Prisoner
Olrona #1
by Sara Allyn
Published: August 29,
2018
Genre: Science
Fiction, Aliens
Blurb:
"No one knows for certain why the ground of the
mountain moves or why it speaks. What we do know is that where it moves, it
speaks and where it speaks, it moves."
- Orook, First Engineer of Pegasea
------------------------------------------
Maria is an American graduate student lured to the planet of
Olrona by the naverkoo, a mysterious entity with a nearly limitless power to
create and transform life. In what she believes to be a dream, she walks onto
an inter-planetary transport ship and is taken to the secluded mountain city of
Pegasea on the planet of Olrona.
The highly evolved people of Pegasea struggle to maintain
their population despite a dire shortage of Pegasean women. In order to avoid
social strife as they face inevitable extinction, they live under a strict set
of social rules known as the Pegasean Rules of Order and Etiquette (or
"PROEs”), which quickly become the bane of Maria’s existence as she tries
to adapt to life in this alien city.
Long before Maria arrived on Olrona, human women from Earth
were initially brought to Pegasea with the hope that cross-breeding would be
possible. When such efforts proved fruitless, the women from Earth were
incorporated into Pegasean society in such a way which allows them to live in
peace and comfort, but with few legal rights. Believed to be ill-suited for
life on their own, they are assigned to Pegasean "keepers" who are
responsible for caring for them and keeping them out of trouble.
Shortly after arriving in Pegasea, Maria is matched with a
Pegasean man named "Orook," the city's First Engineer. Orook is cold,
rigid, and has little use for, or interest in, human women. However, like all
Pegasean men, he is cordial and dutiful. After Maria prevents a vengeful
vocunine from trapping him in a cave, Orook confides in Maria, expressing his
longing to know his son, whom he is not permitted to meet until the child comes
of age. This connection, however, is fleeting as Orook continues to mostly
ignore Maria, who is still haunted in her dreams by the naverkoo. Bored and
lonely, Maria trespasses into the Pegasean nursery, which is strictly off
limits to unauthorized personnel, and especially to humans. As Maria's keeper,
Orook is held responsible for Maria's transgressions. As punishment, he is
suspended from work for two weeks and ordered to spend this time helping his
companion become oriented to the ways of the city. Over time, Orook and Maria
form a tentative bond. Despite his relentless arrogance, Maria finds comfort in
Orook’s confident and commanding presence and admires his intellect and
integrity.
While the Pegaseans suffer from a multitude of emotional
voids, the deepest of these is the one left by the vocunine, a lupine species
which abandoned them over a 1,000 years ago. When a formidable species of
predator invades the valley, the First Sociologist, Pullmoo, orchestrates a
plan to reconnect the mountain vocunine with the people of Pegasea. As her plan
unfolds, Maria receives an unexpected summons, requesting that she accompany
the First Guardsman into the Eye of Olrona. Orook is skeptical of their motives
and concerned for Maria’s safety, but leaves the decision to Maria. Ultimately,
Maria agrees to go into the mountain, where she at last comes fact-to-face with
the naverkoo. The naverkoo makes an unexpected request of Maria and offers
Maria an unexpected gift in exchange.
My Review:
Maria has a dream where she walks onto a transport ship
heading for the planet Olrona. Maria is a student in America and believes she
has been dreaming that is until she wakes up on Olrona and meets the Pegasean.
Maria is given a keeper. A keeper is someone who will look
after Maria and take care of her. There are a lot of rules that humans have to
follow on Olrona, rules that Maria has a difficult time obeying. Maria doesn’t
like being told what to do or ordered around. They say the rules are put in
place to protect the human women from the Pegasean.
Pegasean first started taking human women when they
discovered there was a shortage of females being born on their planet and they
were in danger of extinction. They thought if they cross-breed with human women
it would solve their problems and keep them from going extinct but they had
some complications.
I love the world that the author has created for The Prisoner.
The way she describes the planet Olrona makes you feel as if you are there on
the planet. I love how Maria is so inquisitive getting us all the information
on the Pegasean, naverkoo, vocunine, planet, and all the rules. Once I picked
up The Prisoner I didn’t want to let it go. The ending left me wanting more. I
can’t wait for the next book.
The Prisoner reminded me a lot of the TV shows Defiance and
Star Trek. I would recommend The Prisoner to anyone who likes TV shows like
Defiance or Star Trek.
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