Primary Inversion (1995) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Sauscony Valdoria (Soz): Sauscony is a Jagernaut in the Skolian army and the main character.Soz Valdoria has been among Asaro's most popular characters. A portion of Primary Inversion is devoted to Soz's attempts to deal with the emotional repercussions of being both a highly sensitive empath and an advanced military weapon. In that guise, the story deals with themes of post traumatic stress syndrome. James Schellenberg at Challenging Destiny Reviews has noted that Asaro "understands one of Roger Ebert's dictums about what makes for interesting drama, namely that it's not what we do, but how we feel when we're doing it", and that Soz is "a strong, dynamic character, one that people of either gender can easily identify with. However, Sauscony is not a one-note monolith of fortitude and brawn—she is articulate, funny, and empathic to boot." Asaro uses the character to highlight questions of humanity in asking what happens to soldiers who are turned into weapons. And in dealing with role reversal in "Primary Inversion," she explores traditional gender roles in the process of breaking them.
• Rex Blackstone: Rex is a Jagernaut in the skolian army and Sauscony's friend.
• Jaibriol Cox: Jaibriol is an Aristo heir and a main character.
• Taas: Taas is Sauscony's companion and also a Jagernaut.
• Helda: Helda is a Jagernaut in the Skolian army, Sauscony's companion.
• Kurj: Add a description of this character.
• Highton Heir
• Rhon
• Tager
• O'neill
• Tiller Smith
• Delos
• Aristo
• Calloway
• Tarque
• Kelric
• Diesha
• Kryx Quaelen
• Tams
• Comtrace
• Pulli

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Solo
• Skolian
• Skol-net
• Triad
• Athens
• Rebeka
• Althor
• Hypron

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Bitons: A subelectronic building block. They are most weakly interacting particles found that coupled to the electromagnetic field. Electrons consisted of bitons—hundreds of thousands of bitons.
• Biomech: A biomechanical system implemented into human body to enhance it's functionality (imlemented only into Jagernauts).
• Cyberlock: Cyberlock is a brain implant. When activated, the lock produced a field tuned to its owner's brain waves. Low-keyed fields sounded an alarm when penetrated, mid-keyed fields repulsed intruders, and high-keyed fields killed them.
• Inversion: To go at faster-than-light speeds, or superluminal, meant passing through the speed of light, where our mass would become infinite compared to slower objects, our length shrink to nothing, and our time stop. At superluminal speeds, mass and energy became imaginary, square roots of negative numbers. To reach the superluminal universe, we needed only to add an imaginary part to our speed. To go from real to compley space (speeds) means to invert.
• Jagernaut: Jagernauts are bioengineered fighter pilots, elite officers in the Imperial Space Command of Skolia.
• Jumbler: Jumbler is a type of photon gun. Jumblers had to be big; each contained a particle accelerator. . It carried abitons for fuel, antiparticles of the biton. When the Jumbler is fired, abitons whipped around the accelerator and ejected in a beam. Abitons annihilated bitons, creating photons, which meant a Jumbler turned electrons into light. The gun got its name from the way solids looked after we shot them.
• Kyle space: Kyle space, sometimes called psiberspace, is a kind of internet for telepaths. In Kyle space thoughts are represented as waves and the telepath who "loggs in" can instantenously communicate with other people in the net.
• Nervoplex: Nervoplex is used to cover boardwalks. The network of molecular fibers and nanochips woven into it reacted to the distribution of weight it experienced, letting the boardwalk analyze and interact with pedestrian traffic as if it sensed moods.
• Psicon: An image similar to the icons on a computer, except that psicons appeared in the mind.
• Rhon psion: Rhon psions are the most powerful empaths and telepaths.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Matriarchy: The Skolian Empire is based on the remnants of the more powerful, ancient Ruby Empire, which was a true matriarchy. Physically, the women were taller and bigger than men. In many descriptions of women in her book, Asaro compares them to the "ancient warrior queens." Although the society is currently egalitarian, and the Imperator is male, remnants of matriarchy remain.The main character, Sauscony Valdoria is a warrior, a Jagernaut (biomechanically enhanced fighter and pilot) with the rank of a Primary (military status equivalent to general) and very tough. She admits to being bad with words and emotions, she suppresses her feelings and hides her weaknesses. She is much more comfortable with physical rather than emotional confrontation. In her relationship with Jaibriol Qox, she also takes the dominant role. She is more than twice his age, more experienced and powerful. When he is captured, she rescues and more-or-less physically carries him out of his cell.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Catch the Lightning.

Preceded by The Last Hawk, and followed by The Radiant Seas.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Catherine Asaro (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Copyright Status: Public Domain
• Library of Congress: PS3551.S29 P75 1995
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

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Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction › Space Opera
• Books › Literature & Fiction