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 Magnificat by Julian May
reviewed by Helen Ryder
Original appearance: Albedo one issue 11, 1996
Magnificent! That's Magnificat, Julian May's new novel and the final part of the Galactic Milieu trilogy. To review this book on its own without reference to the works leading up to it would be almost in explicable to those who have not read any of the initial books, so I would like to give an overview of the two relevant series and their linking volume.
For those who haven't been around for the past two decades, this is the epic that Julian wanted to write all those years ago but was afraid would not take very well in the publishing climate that was around at the time. Instead she gave us the highly acclaimed (also a bloody good read) Saga of the Pliocene Exile which brought misfits and idealists from the highly technological and multispecied Galactic Milieu to a supposedly virgin past so that they could pursue their lives in a manner which would have been counter to the ideals of the Galactic Milieu. Unfortunately the time period they alighted in was populated by a renegade band of aliens (exotics) who ruled through the use of metaphysical power-enhancing torcs, enslaving the humans who passed through a time gate. This story is told in The Many-Coloured Land, The Golden Torc, The Non-Born King and The Adversary. A band of renegade humans with extraordinary metapsychic powers have also journeyed to the Pliocene era in the wake of an unsuccessful rebellion in the time of the Milieu. This is the story which May wanted to really tell, and by dropping huge references to the Metapsychic Rebellion, the martyrs and heroines, and the consequential exile of the failed rebels, May set up a trilogy which all her readers wanted and which her publishers could hardly refuse to print.
So came Intervention. This confused a lot of us in that it wasn't the Trilogy promised. Instead it is used as a most unusual preface, a history of the development of Earth's telepaths and other talents in the face of hostility from 'normal' humans. They are hounded and killed, leading Earth to the brink of an atomic war. The planet is only saved by the unprecedented intervention of the coadunate races of the Galactic Milieu who have been waiting for the humans to reach such a stage in their evolution as to be admitted to this harmonious, metapsychically-aware conglomeration of otherwise diverse alien races. The intervention is unprecedented because the Milieu, rather than leaving the subject species to survive or die this possibly final war, intervened to save the Earth when the ancient and non-corporeal species called the Lylmik saw the extraordinarily dynamic potential of the humans. Intervention introduced us to the most powerful family telepaths of all the humans, the awesome and flamboyant Remillard clan, a French-Canadian family whose offspring were numerous and in the main increasingly talented. They also possess a unique gene mutation so that barring accidents (or deliberate acts of violence) they are destined to live forever. They were to take up the reins of human politics in the Grand Assembly or council of the Milieu, and were potentially its ruin. Intervention, and all the subsequent books, are narrated by Rogatien (Uncle Rogi) Remillard, who is one of the weakest members of the family but who will prove to be one of the pivotal characters. Uncle Rogi is also one of the few who know of the 'family ghost', a seeming spirit who demands this historical recitation from Rogi and has been known to intervene in the stupendous events following The Great Intervention.
The Galactic Milieu Trilogy proper started in Jack The Bodiless, which introduced Jon (Jack ) Remillard, a mutant amongst mutants, whose flawed genetic makeup destroyed his feeble body but left his paramount metapsychic powers which held the energy of his psyche/ego to allow him to live on as a bodiless brain. These powers became such that he could build around him a 'physical' body so that he could interact with other humans. Jack was the youngest of the Remillards and his older brother Marc was acknowledged as the most brilliant and powerful of his generation. Marc, Jon and their father Paul lead the human delegation to the Galactic Assembly and are instrumental in maintaining a powerful presence for the humans amongst the exotics of the Galaxy. Earth is a probationary world. For full membership the telepathic maturity of the human race must develop to the point of coadunation, where a full interactive harmony, called Unity, with the psyche of the universe is attained.
However the Remillards start to be attacked by Fury, an unknown assailant who utilises other beings known as its' 'Hydra', in a calculated and concerted assault focused on the destruction of the family and its' members. Fury manifests after the death of Donatien, brother of Rogi, father of First Magnate Denis Remillard and grandfather of Marc and Jack. Don was a warped, self-interested, evil personality who brutally dominated his talented children.
Diamond Mask is the history of Dorothea MacDonald, a paramount metapsychic bred from a strong line of telepaths who were prominent prior to Intervention. Raised after the death of her mother at the hands of the Remillard Hydra by her normal father on the Scottish world of Caledonia. Adversity there in unsympathetic hands and a tough climate prompts the breakthrough of her metapsychic powers. At first Dorothea denies the distant voice which intrudes into her self-imposed solitude from her family, but gradually she opens up to this presence, who is Jack Remillard. Jack and Dorothea unwittingly fall in love despite Jack's physical disabilities.
Caledonia suffers from tectonic movements which have somehow become increased recently, and when an extremely violent shift threatens the colony Dorothea and Jack become the focus through a power-enhancing device developed by Marc of a concert of metapsychics to divert the resulting conflagration which threatens to destroy Caledonia. In the process Dorothea is horribly scarred but rather than spending months in a healing tank she takes to wearing a diamond face mask, hence her nickname.
In the meantime Fury becomes more active in its depredations against the clan until the identity of the components of the 'hydra' creation are exposed to be four junior members (cousins) of the Remillards whose psyches were all penetrated during a telepathic session held including their mothers with Donatien prior to their births.
Unrest arises in the Milieu as a rebel group of metapsychics become distrustful and resenting of the overwhelming propulsion of mankind towards Unity by the other races in the Milieu. Humans have always had a streak of individualism and superiority which now begins to coalesce around certain prominent members of the human delegations.
Magnificat ties up all the loose ends. The Family Ghost who prompts and guides Uncle Rogi is finally revealed. Marc Remillard pushes his work on his metaconcert apparatus beyond the limits acceptable by the exotic members of the Galactic Concilium who try to ban further work into developing what Marc calls 'Mental Man' This is a concept of total, pure power of paramount levels, which he believes can only be bred from within his unique family or more specifically, himself. His role model is the bodiless existence of his brother Jack. Inbreeding would fix the genes most likely to create paramount metapsychics, and Fury tries to manipulate him through the remaining members of the Hydra creature into the most intimate of inbreeding. In this way it is hoped that the children of the future would be held under the tight control of the Fury manifestation. Marc however takes a wife for love but even that love is put to the test when Marc leads the rebels into a final confrontation with the Milieu with results reaching total destructive displays.
Finally the identity of Fury is confirmed and is a shock to both the Remillard clan and the reader. The reasoning is confusing but not flawed and a considerable sympathy can be felt for the person who was ensnared into this most violent of roles.
From the time of reading the original Pliocene Saga this history has been primed. In fact I went back to that series once I had finished Magnificat to fill in the gaps which so confused me in the first read through. The constant change of viewpoints - from Rogi's account as a family history; to Jack and Dorothea as defenders of the Concilium; to Marc's descent into a tunnel view of his vision - makes sure that the reader employs all his or her mental faculties to untangle these intricate familial and political webs. As can be seen, it is a massive work and deserving of the highest praise. All those who have followed the series may give a hearty sigh both of relief that it is finally completed and of some dismay that there is no more of this remarkable family. For those who have not yet read this series I hope this potted history has helped somewhat and that I can urge you to attempt this epic series.
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