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Book: The Webs of Varok by Cary Neeper

categories: Book, Aliens, Humor, Sustainability, Relationships, Human Identity, Economics, Alternate Solar System, 21st Century, Mind-Links, Current Issues, Future, Soft Science Fiction

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Cary Neeper

about this book: The Webs of Varok might be called soft or relational or women's science fiction, because it features a mixed family of aliens and humans, in an alternate 21st century solar system, dealing with their complex relationships. Its aliens provide more fun than in most scifi stories, while the main thrust of the story deals with current economic issues.

The family is determined to see that an overcrowded Earth finds a way to solve its dilemmas. They decide that Varok would serve as a good model for how to maintain a sustainable, equitable society. However, when the family arrives on Varok, after a realistically long voyage, they find their trust in each other and in Varokian economics threatened by an ambitious traitor. The story's metaphor for human double-dealing is presaged in the first scene, in which the lovely human protagonist practices her mind-link with her varokian partner. The varokian traitor has learned to block her mind from its natural openness, giving her unusual leverage in the society.

The Webs of Varok is told by two storytellers. The human protagonist TANDRA tells her first person view on things as she leaves Earth for the alien planet Varok. When she is not present, the third person omniscient storyteller gets into the other interesting heads, pushing the plot forward. The most fun is the ahlork Nidok, not too literate and yet able to exchange ripe insults with his best friend, the aquatic elll of the mixed family, CONN.

I was inspired to write this book and the others in The Archives of Varok because I'm convinced, as a member of steadystate.org and a student of ecological economics since the 1970's, that a story can help people understand why it is important and what we must do to achieve it. I've done many years of research on the topic. The hardest part of writing a novel with such a mission is incorporating the economic principles into the action of the story. I have revised and updated it several times over the last 40 years and have learned with the help of my excellent editor how to expand on the characters and their relationships. I was delighted when the publisher asked me to paint the book covers. I hope I have delighted your imagination and given you some ideas to ponder at the same time. Reviews are on Amazon, Bookspotcentral.com, and Library Thing.