The Farris Channel: Sime Gen, Book Twelve

I rediscovered this book series recently after years of silence. I was an old fan, in fact I am fan #35 Lady Sirona Abrov Zeor in the Founding 400 in this very book. I promised $25 dollars in 1996 to buy a hard copy but the publishing deal fell through to bring this book to life then and life moved on and I fell out of fandom and regret it.I bought the entire series in kindle format and I am reading them in order, this being the third of the foundation of the house holding books ( First Channel, Channels Destiny, Ferris Channel, House of Zeor) I had read all of them before except this one which I just finished. This was the last for me and I feel is the best. In First Channel we meet Rimon Farris and the idea that Sime and Gen can live together, in Channel Destiny his son Zeth takes the idea across borders, But it is in the third book where the magickal aspects of the Farris Channel are explored and I feel set the groundwork for the mystical aspects of the Farrises that rings through the series, across universes and timelines. After reading Farris Channel all the minor statements and things alluded to in other novels and fan fictions makes sense. It all comes together. It is a reminder this is science fiction and FANTASY. I just am sorry this book wasn't printed in 1996 as planned things would have been so much more enjoyed so more sooner.What I found most interesting was the origin of the name Zeor for the house Zeor. I found the series in the 80's with First Channel and read it as Romantic sci fi fodder to be pleasantly surprised. I then found House of Zeor and was so taken with the idea of a House holding where the idea of excellence as a house virtue took me to such a person degree in the 80's during my divorce I considered changing my legal last name to Zeor. But I had never heard the name before or since, or anything else about it and held back. As i said, single parenthood moved life on and I fell out of fandom and time to read.Then Farris Channel came along and gives us the origin of the illustrious House of Zeor Name. A child's game where one tries to better your score form the time before. it doesn't matter if you failed, you will always try again AND TO IT BETTER THE NEXT TIME. I was stunned this is the origin of the illustrious House of Zeor? A pre-modern version of candy crush? At first I was pretty offended, then as the story developed and I saw the theme weave through the story saw it develop. Having read the story line over the years, I knew it was the development of the house, I knew it happening so in a way I knew what I was watching for like was like I was watching the founding fathers write the Gettysburg Address, in that stuffy room in July....things didn't make sense then, but minor statements made by long dead characters who echo through the series and this was where it would come from. I found myself disconnecting and literally sitting down with my kindle and reading this book cover t cover in a day (yes I am a voracious reader) I literally couldn't put it down and by the time I write this i am 10 chapters into Ambrov Keon. I have read most of the series on the last 30 years and plan to reread the entire series in order, but so far this book has been my favorite in both the series. I love the mystical aspects as well as the scifi sime~gen aspects and this Books delivers both beautifully.I never read reviews of books ( I don't care what other's views of books are they usually don't read for the same things I do anyway) and have never wrote a review of a book but i did one for Farris Channel. I was one of the Founding 400 of the book #35 Lady Sirona Abrov Zeor hehehehe life had gotten in the way, raising a child, single, working and going to school, and I had fallen out of fandom.Well, Farris channel had brought out all I loved in Sime ~Gen: the house holding era, the Farrise's and their exotic thoroughbred "look what the weird stuff we can do!" and they mystical with the gypsies and the wayfarer and the starred cross. I was in high hog heaven I literally cancelled my appointments, disengaged from life, and read for >26 hours and read the book in one sitting. Yeah that's right 389 pages in in 26 hours.What I found interesting was the origin of the name Zeor a children's game where you do some little thing try to improve your score. It doesn't matter your score, doesn't matter you failed, you will try again, and do better next time! Its a children's chant.At first I was pretty offended. I considered changing my name in the 80's to name my self after a pre industrial candy crush? But as the game was shown and the idea developed I saw how it developed into Zeor's theory of excellence. "It doesn't matter where you start, start, try, evaluate, do it again and keep doing it again each time doing it better. Do it, evaluate then and then do better."It wasn't until Farris Channel this is so plainly and clearly stated. Always before it is always some unreachable Farris ideal of excellence no human can reach; only the Farriss's can reach with weird genes. But when you realize ts based on a child's game, a concept a pre-scooler can grasp......"Try, Do, do it again, and do it better..." That is all Zeor asks and it takes your life and soul to achieve.Lady Sirona Abrov Zeor

This is a very long awaited book in the Sime~Gen Universe, this book is an amazing addition to the universe and I highly recommend it.Farris Channel is the story of the beginning of the House of Zeor, a householding that was well established at the time of the first book in the series of the same name. There were so many open questions about how things could get to that point, First Channel and Channel's Destiny were written to help fill in the gaps on how Channels came on the scene and could keep Simes from killing Gens. This book was originally going to be published as a hardcover, but the deal fell through, then later as a trade paperback and that company dropped the ball. Over 400 fans had signed up that they were willing to pay $25 for a hardcover of this book beginning way back in 1996. Those who chose names have their name in print in this book. Naming the Villain in this book was a contest and the winners are in this book. All of this is pure gravy covering the story of how Fort Rimon became the House of Zeor and it is all done so well that the reader is engaged the entire book, almost 400 pages.It would be hard to talk about a lot of the specifics without giving away too much of the story, which keeps you on edge until the very end of the book. Del Rimon Farris is the main character trying to shore up the Fort system first established in First Channel but other Forts are failing for various reasons and the remnants are making their way to Fort Rimon, putting a tremendous strain on their resources. In addition to the beginning of the House of Zeor, there are also glimpses of the end of the House of Zeor far in the distant future when space travel and other planets are taken for granted.Like any good story, this book is filled with ups and downs, successes and failures, hope and despair, but the main emphasis is that the future is well worth the effort. This entire series is one which I read again every few years in various orders and it seems that something new arises each time I read them. Farris Channel will be a book I look forward to reading again and see what other lessons I can glean from it. GREAT!

A must have for all Sime-Gen fans! It answers one of my long-wondered questions - "What is meant by RECEIVING Zeor? And why is that so important for a Sectuib?" This is a well-written, fast paced story with characters that pull you in to the wonderfully scary, beautiful world that is the sime-gen universe. If you are new to the sime-gen stories, please start with one of the other books. I would recommend either House of Zeor, or First Channel. Also if you are new to this, I envy you your journey of discovery! I'll never forget the sense of wonder I felt when reading House of Zeor for the first time as a teenager. I recently went back and re-read all the books in preparation for The Farris Channel. It stands up well and as an adult I discovered many missed ideas from the first read. Highly recommended.

The Farris Channel, Book 12 in the Sime/Gen universe continues the story leading up to the actual founding of the House of Zeor. It's the story of Del Rimon Farris, grandson to the first channel, Rimon Farris. It's also a tale of the Forts that were created as a way for Sime/Gens to live together in harmony, especially the disjuncted and junctfree.Taken all together, it's the story of always striving for the best, and if mistakes are made, they're learned from and succeeding attempts improve upon the last attempt.I've read most of these novels over the years, the first "House of Zeor" being read while a student at SUNY Geneseo. I had been an avid reader since Junior High School and enjoyed SF as escapist fiction. For me, House of Zeor brought together the major SF themes (that I loved), in one novel. I was hooked and wanted more.As a student I wish I had known about SF Fan clubs, but that was in pre-internet days. It wasn't until PCs became commonplace that the public internet came about. In the early years, the internet was all text and a lot of chat rooms. To find a certain type of room was difficult - remember the Alt groups? So it wasn't until Netscape, the first Graphic interface was released that I discovered SF Fan groups. I still didn't know about the Sime/Gen Universe fan club until I rediscovered these books on Kindle after I purchased my first tablet. Of course I bought ebooks for every novel then available. Oh I still have all my old paperback versions, and two treasured first edition hard cover novels - Rensime and Mahogany Trinrose.Anyhow, if you want to discover this unique and exciting universe, you should begin at the beginning, with the first novel in the timeline, First Channel.They're all stand alone novels, but to really understand this universe, read the books according to the timeline and not publishing date.As a SF reader for over fifty years, I highly recommend this novel and this series.

Those of us who are longtime fans of Jacqueline Lichtenberg's Sime~Gen Universe have been waiting a very long time for this book--I think I remember first hearing about it sometime back in the late '90s. The wait was worth it! This is the biggest book in the series, and tells the story of the founding of the House of Zeor. As always, the characters are likeable, believable, and it's a joy to follow their stories as they struggle their way to finding the path that will carry them through the world's history from frontier days to, someday, the stars.One of the things I've always liked most about Jacqueline's writing is her ability to pull the reader into her world, to describe complicated concepts and processes in a way that's, for lack of a better word, cinematic. In every one of her books there's at least one major scene where I find myself not *reading,* but almost sitting back *watching* the action happen in my mind's eye. It's like the words aren't even there. It's not always like that, of course, but when it works, it's amazing.Another nice thing about this book is that many of us, a long time ago, made a pledge to pay $25.00 for a hardbound copy of the book should one ever be published, and in turn we got added to the "Founding 400" list of Zeor founders, which appears at the end of the book. Many of the names on this list turn up in the actual book as characters--and not just throwaway characters, either. Some of the major forces in the novel are represented in this list. A very cool tribute to the loyal fans who've stuck with Jacqueline (and her equally talented partner-in-crime, Jean Lorrah) for all these dry years of no new books.If you're a Sime~Gen fan already, you can't go wrong with "The Farris Channel." If you're not already a fan but are curious about the series, pick up "House of Zeor" (the first published novel) or "First Channel" (the first in the chronology) before diving into this one. But after you've gobbled up all the other books in the series, come back here. This book is a treat.