Eternal Light by Paul J. McAuley
"Eternal Light" is a science fiction novel by J. McAuley that continues the journey of Dorthy Yashida, a young Japanese woman endowed with exceptional psychic powers, first introduced in his earlier work, "Four Hundred Billion Stars." Set against a backdrop of a devastating historical conflict involving the Alea, an alien race, the narrative explores themes of war, survival, and the quest for knowledge. The story unfolds as Dorthy is kidnapped by Talbeck Barlstilkin, a wealthy individual seeking to exploit the secrets of a rogue star that poses a danger to Earth.
As the plot progresses, Dorthy and Talbeck are rescued and embark on a perilous expedition to investigate the rogue star and its accompanying gas giant and moon, which serve as gateways to the galaxy’s center. Throughout their journey, they encounter a realm inhabited by angels and the spirits of the Alea, where they uncover the true mission to thwart rogue Alea known as the Marauders. The climax sees Dorthy and her allies battle against existential threats, leading to profound revelations about the connection between existence and the cosmos. The story concludes with Dorthy, her daughter, and the liberated Alea spirits finding refuge on a new planet, signaling a hope for renewal amidst the remnants of conflict.
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Eternal Light
First published: 1991
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—future war
Time of work: The distant future
Locale: Various locations on Earth and in space
The Plot
Paul J. McAuley’s Eternal Light continues the story of Dorthy Yashida, a young Japanese woman with extraordinary psychic abilities, that began in his first novel, Four Hundred Billion Stars (1988). A terrible war and exodus by an alien race, the Alea, from the center of the galaxy millions of years before the time of the novel serves as the catalyst for the books events.
The Alea and humanity fought a tragic war that ended in the slaughter of the aliens. In an effort to evaluate a potential threat to Earth, two expeditions race to a rogue star heading toward the solar system. The expeditions eventually are transported to the center of the galaxy, where they confront and defeat a threat to the universe. Fifty years later, the survivors return to find a greatly changed Earth and try to adapt to the new order.
The novel begins when Dorthy Yashida is kidnapped by Talbeck Barlstilkin, a rich man who desires to build a personal empire by discovering the secrets of the rogue star traveling faster than the speed of light toward Earth. Talbeck forces Dorthy to join his expedition, but they have to be rescued by a Navy ship, the Vingança, after they are trapped in orbit around a neutron star. Traveling aboard the ship, Talbeck and Dorthy finally reach the rogue star and start to investigate a gas giant and its moon that orbit the star. The moon was created to serve as a gateway to the center of the galaxy. It is riddled with holes that are actually wormholes.
The Vingança travels through the moon and is transported to the center of the galaxy. Suzy Falcon, a naval pilot, and her mechanical companion, Robot, who shares his mind with another robot, Machine, go through a wormhole in the moon as well. Before arriving at the galactic core, Suzy and Robot/Machine discover a realm where a mysterious race called angels dwell with the spirits of the dead Alea. In this realm, the two learn that their real mission is to stop the Marauders, rogue Alea who drove the other members of their race from the galactic core using stolen technology found around a massive black hole in the core. The dead Alea female who shares Dorthy’s mind eventually reveals this information to her as well.
Through their combined efforts, Dorthy, the Alea female, Robot, Suzy, and Machine succeed in their efforts to stop the Marauders mission of destroying the universe by drawing too much energy from other universes. As Dorthy, Robot, and Talbeck travel through the wormhole again, they arrive in the realm of the angels, where they are to take the spirits of the Alea so the aliens can live again. While they are in the angels realm, Talbeck uses a device that connects his mind with every other being in the universe.
Although Talbeck dies, his actions cause a revolution on Earth that leads to a takeover by the Witnesses, religious fanatics who believe that gods live in the galactic core. Dorthy, her baby daughter, and Robot eventually escape from Earth with the spirits of the Alea. Dorthy and her daughter settle on the planet Iemanja, where they free the Alea spirits and live in relative peace.