It’s time for Science Fiction Romance Brigade again. (Click on the logo above for more information and the links to this week’s participants.) I’m still posting from Homecoming, my first book published. Cinda is replying to Marna’s question on what is the relationship between R’il’nians and Humans.
“Parent and child,” she responded, “or maybe parent and teenager would be more like it. All Humans have a little R’il’nian ancestry. A long time ago–over a hundred thousand years, Lai says–my ancestors were just starting to learn to talk. They could communicate, and they were pretty good group hunters, but they weren’t really good at abstract ideas. It’s gotten all mixed up in religion, and history and philosophy, but a R’il’nian got stranded on the Human home planet. My people thought he was a god, because he never got older. And he had children, and those children had children, until all of my people had a little bit of his line behind them. And he taught them, too. Eventually he taught them to build starships, and led some of them back to his people. Those he led were my ancestors. Those who didn’t follow him are still on Earth–or rather, their descendants are.”
Next month I’ll be participating in the A to Z Challenge. I think I’ve figured out how to use the letter of the day for all of my SFRB posts, but I will be jumping around quite a bit from book to book!
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Great snippet, Sue Ann! I’m intrigued.
Hope people are intrigued enough to buy the book.
I love how the introduction of one individual can alter the genes of a population just enough.
Including us. But it’ll be a while yet before we get to that in Jarn’s Journal.
I love the link to the story in Jarn’s Journal and also the idea of how he eventually built another ship and returned home. Really a fun snippet!
Remember Jarn’s got a very long life span. He’s been on planet about 10 years; it’ll take him a couple of thousand to get home.