Glory Season (1993)
By David Brin
Cloning; Genetic engineering; Science fiction
An outcast from her society because she is a genetic variant (“var”), Maia tries to find a place in a matriarchal, clone-prevalent world that sees her as superfluous.
From her infancy, Maia has been aware that she would have to face hardships to prove herself a valuable member of society; as a “var,” or genetic variant, Maia is a side-effect of a mating system that relies heavily on cloning. Thousands of years before Maia’s birth, emigrants left Earth and the Human Phylum Worlds to create a pastoral society on Stratos, one in which the violence and destruction caused by an overabundance of males would be corrected through a matriarchal superstructure and female cloning. The founders of Stratos genetically engineered the first colonists to thrive in this planet’s unique atmosphere, and modified as well their mating habits. Unwilling to commit to a potentially fatal future for their descendants, the founders devised a modified reproductive cycle in which male ejaculate would “spark” female clones (amazonogenesis). Only in summers are variants born; these births are necessary to maintain male populations, and varlings like Maia are unnecessary by-products. Neither part of the clan that spawned her, nor secure in a niche beyond her community, Maia is destined for a trying existence in which her wits alone allow her to survive. A series of misadventures land her in prison along with Renna, a male visitor from the Human Phylum who has come to Stratos to warn of impending reunification between this isolated world and the rest of humanity. Several var radical groups begin to see Renna as the means of toppling the clone-dominant hierarchy, and Maia must protect him from those who would exploit him.
While the founders of Stratos could have engineered a parthenogenetic society free of men, they realized that adaptability is the key to survival of species. Their program of both cloning and sexual reproduction has several advantages, because while cloning allows for social stability, the sexually reproductive aspect allows for generational alterations to be made. Genetic variants can avoid the widespread destruction caused by illness, for instance, a problem that can entirely eliminate susceptible clone clans. The alternate-season arousal patterns for men and women seem counterintuitive, yet each gender’s inherent self-interest prevents any deprogramming that would correct this apparent oddity. For females, winter breeding produces clones with complete transference of their genetic material, while males (only aroused in summer) can be assured of passing on their genetic material during this period. In this way, self-interest is tied to the good of the community through genetically programmed responses. Renna comes to Stratos as messenger from the Human Phylum, which is attempting to reunite human societies that have become increasingly distinct through millennia of genetic drift. Because Stratos has remained isolated, its inhabitants have become a differentiated subspecies of the Hominids, and the interstellar councils worry that too much drift might isolate one planet forever. Renna can function on Stratos although he is not engineered for the planet, but his struggles illustrate the inevitable problems faced by colonists once the planet is open to intergalactic visitors. While this might point to the advantages of leaving Stratos alone, the Council sees reintegration as a means of infusing other societies with valuable variants.
Evaluation: Brin manages to create a distinct but plausible alternate universe. He eases the readers through any initial disorientation with familiar character types and a limited use of his invented lexicon. The plot is entertaining and brisk, with a few surprises along the way.
– Natalie Champ