Confused? You will be. Because time is weird and even the geniuses of their age or various species still find it a bit tricky. An almost immortal being who was usually a space trader decided to help even a few of the females of a race governed by a brutal and nasty patriarchy. (Is there any other kind?) They come to an earth in which humanity is doomed. And keep coming back a little earlier each time when they find out the whole planet is doomed. Meanwhile before they arrive a reporter struggles with a ceaseless and inexplicable adulation while a history professor is helped to get over this fascination with Helen and they work together to navigate the strange creatures the aliens in their future send back. They arrive by the millions. They're not very smart and take a lot of looking. Why are they turning up? Kirby, Elouise and Hope of the East are all involved somehow. Even Emma's involved. Time travel, a nemesis, a love story, daring reportage and the Ageless One. Heroine of Villain? Time is Weird. This book is weird.
Snippets '
What I received in The Passage is not an Infallible.' Chrona allowed that to hang there. Hoping that she'd been inadvertently provided a working version rather than the final. However what she saw in the Renewal Plan was too intentional. Too strategic. Though
very well concealed. Anyway there was no such
thing as an Infallible. She'd led the Sisterhood
believe that such a thing existed to make the whole process more dramatic. Ritualistised. Now she was tired of dramatic. It had all happened so many times. But this was different. This was dangerous.
Basilica realised she had been thrown a hand grenade rather than having an honour bestowed upon her. The honour was conferred on her, part through her tireless efforts to demonstrate worthiness. Also it was a demonstration, at that very late hour, that youth was valued in leadership. The Authoring Envoy and Precipt of the Suffragaito, both very long serving, made the selection having given very few advancement opportunities to the younger generations elsewhere. Now this token appointment confronted a serious problem. Not of her making and initially beyond her understanding.
'
Do you think I could cut it as a nun. Meditate all the time.' Helen paused. Looking for something else to add to that list. 'That's about all from what I understand. Meditate all the time. Lose a bit of weight maybe.'
The Bhante laughed. 'There are a range of practices, but what you describe is at the core. Weight loss being optional.'
'Are there different classes of nun. You know. Could I be the kind of nun who still enjoys occasional casual sex, alcohol binges, TV streaming, overwork.' She nodded to herself as if in revelation. 'I guess I'm describing my life. Is there a part-time nun program?'
A girl raised her hand. 'Is this why women aren't in combat roles. They don't have enough aggression. Too reasonable.'
'It's one of them.' Said the History Professor.
'Would there be wars if women ran everything?' She said. There was some laughter from across the gender spectrum.
Paul thought about this for a while. 'You know, I don't think there would be. There would probably be some nasty snits every now and then.
'My strange and more and more inconvenient magnetism,
which we haven't talked about yet, no doubt has no boundaries across species.' She stopped and was silent in thought for a minute. 'I've only realised now a dog has never barked at me.'
'My heart goes out to you.'
