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Triptych JM Frey 9781897492130 Books

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Triptych JM Frey 9781897492130 Books

Refugee extraterrestrials from outerspace land on Earth, and some wonderful progressive liberal-minded humans choose to adopt the alien custom of three-way "menage-a-trois" marriage, albeit mixing human and non human, thus attracting the wrath of benighted bigots on Earth who think marriage should be between two humans, presumably a guy and girl. Throw in a light touch of time-travel to pursue the righteous battle into the fourth dimension and you have the storyline. The question to answer when judging this novel is whether the liberal "let's be open-minded" messaging detracts from the story to the point that it becomes a plodding adventure in self-justifying the author's mindset. On balance the answer is no. Granted, it is disturbing to see on one hand condemnation of extrajudicial killings by bad guys yet on the other hand gentle treatment of similar killings by good institutional forces who merely and unfortunately overstep their legal mandates on a police raid, you understand, but the author writes with a grim smile and a good heart, knowing who are the good guys and who are not. In any case, this and other similar opiniated writing shoud not detract from the tale overall. As a scifi story, Triptych is true to its principles certainly, and well told. Addressing the time travel paradoxes --a daunting task in the best of times-- was done reasonably well, and the story holds together. The scifi genre is meant to push people out of their boxes while entertaining, and in this the story succeeds.


Tags : Triptych [J.M. Frey] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. IN THE NEAR FUTURE, humankind has mastered the arts of peace, tolerance, and acceptance. At least, that's what we claim. But then they</i> arrive. Aliens--the last of a dead race. Suffering culture shock of the worst kind,J.M. Frey,Triptych,Dragon Moon Press,1897492138,Science Fiction - Space Opera,Extraterrestrial beings,Extraterrestrial beings;Fiction.,Human-alien encounters,Human-alien encounters;Fiction.,Science fiction,Science fiction.,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction Science Fiction General,Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera,Fiction : Literary,FictionLiterary,Literary,Science Fiction - General

Triptych JM Frey 9781897492130 Books Reviews

The worst part about Triptych is falling in love with Kalp, just as the humans, Gwen and Basil do, all the while knowing that he dies. No, that's not a spoiler. His murder occurs right in the first few pages of the book and I was impressed by the way Frey's clipped and intense descriptions conveyed Gwen and Basil's emotional turmoil.

Unfortunately, the next chapter was a bit problematic with Basil seeming to suddenly develop a British accent and affectations, too much focus on the inside jokes that result when people from the future visit the past, and far too much time spent with the use of parentheses mid-sentence to redundantly point out the actual (obvious) intent and emotion of a particular character's thoughts. Fortunately, while annoying, I could get used to Basil's poor British representation as time passed, and the parenthesized thoughts were confined to that one section.

The next section introduces Kalp and is the highlight of the book. The few remaining aliens of Kalp's world who escaped its destruction have arrived on earth, welcomed by the Institute (formed by the UN or such) with integration as the goal. Kalp is teamed with Gwen and the brilliant science-type, Basil. I enjoyed reading about Kalp's awkwardness and seeing humans and humanity through his eyes. Frey did an excellent job with this and with the creation of this alien race and their physiology and customs. This part of the book clearly defines it as a bittersweet love story.

There is some tension created in the knowledge that triptych is fated to fall apart and the knowledge that perhaps it could be saved with some convenient time travelling, but I felt the conclusion of the book fell a bit flat. As expected with alien encounter stories, fear and prejudice is a prominent theme, but I did not enjoy the dastardly plan revealed at the end in a rather clumsy series of "action" sequences and a villain who was rather two dimensional.

Overall, not a bad book and certainly very impressive for a first novel.
J.M .Frey’s science fiction novel, Triptych, is about time travel, aliens in human culture, one of the many faces of love, and the challenges of accepting new cultural norms. At heart, it is a character-driven and very moving love story of two human scientists, Gwen and Basil, and the alien engineer, Kalp.

Kalp is one of the few survivors of a destroyed planet who manage to make their way to Earth seeking asylum. A near-future earth takes in the shattered survivors and quarantines them in the Institute, where they learn earth customs from watching reruns of television programs. Kalp is assigned to work with Gwen and Basil and when they discover that he is forced to sleep in the sterile “barracks” of the Institute, they offer him the spare bedroom in their home.

On Kalp’s world, adults join in triads, one to bear children, one to work, and one to protect the others. To him, it is normal and eminently practical. One of the most endearing parts of this novel is how Kalp reacts to earth culture and to his human companions who have already formed an intimate bond. Frey brings great wisdom and humor to Kalp’s reactions to everyday human experiences.

It was easy to care about Kalp as he struggles to understand and be accepted in the alien human culture. Still mourning the loss of his former partners who were killed when his planet exploded, Kalp gradually falls in love with both Gwen and Basil, and they form the first human-alien triptych. It is a mark of the writer’s skill how all the relationships work and seem natural.

This book works on many levels. As a gripping sci-fi adventure, as a mystery, and as an exploration of gender roles and prejudice. I enjoyed the unique beginning, the alternate points of view and the relationship struggles of Gwen and her mother, which is highlighted in the time travel aspect.

For a first novel, it is very well written and intelligent. The characters are complex and well-drawn, the plot worked, and I was not overwhelmed by technical descriptions which often blunt my enjoyment of sci-fi novels. This book is different, thoughtful, and well worth a read, whether you enjoy exploring social, scientific, or the psychological aspects of sci-fi.

For those interested in LGBT relationships, this one is different, believable, and heart-breaking. I will not soon forget it.
Refugee extraterrestrials from outerspace land on Earth, and some wonderful progressive liberal-minded humans choose to adopt the alien custom of three-way "menage-a-trois" marriage, albeit mixing human and non human, thus attracting the wrath of benighted bigots on Earth who think marriage should be between two humans, presumably a guy and girl. Throw in a light touch of time-travel to pursue the righteous battle into the fourth dimension and you have the storyline. The question to answer when judging this novel is whether the liberal "let's be open-minded" messaging detracts from the story to the point that it becomes a plodding adventure in self-justifying the author's mindset. On balance the answer is no. Granted, it is disturbing to see on one hand condemnation of extrajudicial killings by bad guys yet on the other hand gentle treatment of similar killings by good institutional forces who merely and unfortunately overstep their legal mandates on a police raid, you understand, but the author writes with a grim smile and a good heart, knowing who are the good guys and who are not. In any case, this and other similar opiniated writing shoud not detract from the tale overall. As a scifi story, Triptych is true to its principles certainly, and well told. Addressing the time travel paradoxes --a daunting task in the best of times-- was done reasonably well, and the story holds together. The scifi genre is meant to push people out of their boxes while entertaining, and in this the story succeeds.