Mode series
Encyclopedia
The Mode series is a quartet of novels by Piers Anthony
. Like many of Anthony’s other fictional works, it explores themes of violence, the abuse of power, sexism and male dominance, gender roles, the environment
, integrity and personal honor, sapient animal life, parallel and alternative evolution, space travel, alternate dimensions, paradox
, obscure concepts in physics and mathematics, sexual assault
and abuse, child and adolescent sexuality, and suicide
.
Though initially marketed as fantasy, the Mode series is similar to the Incarnations of Immortality
and the Apprentice Adept
series, blending fantasy
and science fiction
.
plane that cuts across many realities. It requires five points
, represented both by anchor modes and anchor persons, to hold it in place. When someone hears the call of the Virtual Mode, he may reach out with his mind and set his anchor point, thereby becoming an anchor person. When two or more persons act in tandem to attach the Virtual Mode, both will become anchors. Only anchor persons may travel freely on the Virtual Mode; other travelers must remain in contact with the anchors lest they become lost in one of the non-anchor modes. In addition, only objects from anchor modes may be transported on the Virtual Mode; any other materials will remain in their mode of origin. Once the anchor point is fixed, mode travelers may step in and out of the Virtual Mode at that point, thereby being able to interact fully in the anchor reality. Anchor persons may only travel ten feet across non-anchor modes before crossing the border into the next reality. Though each mode is only ten feet deep, it is infinitely wide; anchor persons may travel as far as they like to the side as long as they don’t cross the border. Each reality is like an individual sheet of mica
, and when each individual plane is placed next to others, together they form the whole Virtual Mode. Each mode has its own rules which determine which aspects of science and magic
will work there.
Only the death or purposeful release of an anchor person can free an anchor point. When that happens, the Virtual Mode is unstable until another person invokes their anchor. Few people are able to sense the Virtual Mode; only those who can may become anchor persons. In the series, those who invoke the Virtual Mode are typically individuals who have some great need for change in, or escape from, their current situation that only access to the Virtual Mode will provide. In addition, the Chip that invokes the Virtual Mode has different settings which determine the realities that will be included in any given Virtual Mode. Though it can be set to include only modes populated by human beings, the Virtual Mode in the novels is set instead to include sapience of any type, including non-living beings
such as machines.
universe. In order to summon the Megaplayers, a group of musical giants
, to help her, she dances by a sea cliff and unwittingly becomes the new anchor person.
After Colene, Darius, Seqiro, and Provos arrive in Julia Mode, Nona and her friend Stave prompt them to report to the nearest despot
castle. Though the despots attempt to discredit Darius, rape
Colene, and steal Seqiro, the four companions escape captivity and rejoin Nona and Stave. They help Nona travel to Jupiter, where she again seeks the Megaplayers. Angus, a native of Jupiter, advises Nona on how to bring the anima and ferries the party back to Oria.
Nona, who must stand on a specific rad to summon the magic of the anima, has no idea how find the correct one. Colene and Provos travel back to Earth in order to learn enough nomenclature to allow Colene to help Nona number the rads. While in the Earth mode, Colene rescues an abused girl, Esta, and her uncle, Slick, from a life of crime
and despair. Though Slick and Esta plan to flee the country together, a police pursuit forces them to seek refuge on the Virtual Mode.
Meanwhile, Darius, Seqiro, Nona, and Stave have been forced to hide from the despots in the underwater caves
of the rabble, a community of quasi-humans
who are able to transform
their bodies. Though the rabble initially plan to force all four companions to remain until they breed with one thousand rabble each, they agree to free Darius, Seqiro, and Nona if Stave will remain for four thousand breedings. Nona promises to allow four thousand rabble to live on the surface after she brings the anima, whereupon they will release Stave.
Colene and her companions return to Oria and reunite with the rest of the anchor persons. Colene helps Nona find the correct rad while the others distract the despots, and Nona successfully invokes the anima, shifting the magic of Oria to favor women. Nona joins the party on the Virtual Mode, and they return to Provos’ anchor, where Provos plans to adopt
Slick and Esta as son and granddaughter. Provos releases her anchor, and Colene, Darius, Seqiro, and Nona slide through the Virtual Mode to the newest anchor, Shale.
to other hives. After he contacted a hive which suffered from the mental disease of bigotry
, his own hive cast him out and forced him to flee across the plains. Bereft of his community, he eagerly becomes an anchor person and joins the companions of the Virtual Mode. Colene, Darius, Seqiro, and Nona are initially concerned that the new anchor person may be an alien monster
, but Seqiro soon helps Nona to establish mental contact
, and their fears are allayed. Colene soon realizes that this reality is the product of Earth’s alternative evolution, and she names the mode Shale
and the new anchor Burgess.
Though the party plans to continue traveling the Virtual Mode, Colene is soon pursued by the mind predator which once attacked Provos. The anchor persons, attacked by the hivers near the anchor point, are forced to spend several days in Shale. While there, each of the humans learns to relate to Burgess, and Burgess declares the strange group to be his new hive. Though the companions encounter many hostile native creatures, they are eventually able to reach the anchor point and return to the Virtual Mode.
As the companions approach the Julia mode, the mind predator returns and attacks Colene. Only Burgess seems able to mitigate the effect, so he carries Colene while the pursuit continues. The party, once again forced to wait in an anchor mode, soon discovers that Oria is in a martial state due to the lack of strong magical leadership. Because Nona doesn’t want to remain and become queen, she enlists Angus’ help to recruit Amazons
from a slightly larger anima
world to become regents on Oria. Afterwards, Nona feels free to return to the Virtual Mode with the others.
As they travel toward Earth, Burgess’ health begins to fail, and the anchor persons plan to spend some time in the Earth mode while he recuperates. Colene and Nona enlist the help of Amos Forell to cure Burgess’ malady, which turns out to be a magnesium deficiency
. In order to repay Amos, Darius and Seqiro help a troubled boy by spreading his despair to his unsympathetic community. While in the bad part of town, they are also able to seek revenge on the group of delinquents
who mugged Darius in the first novel, as well as the boys who rape
d Colene. Colene reconciles with her parents, who agree to allow her to marry Darius, but she misses her own wedding while tiding Burgess through a bad reaction. Nona, however, acts as Colene’s proxy
, so Darius and Colene do become legally married on Earth.
While passing through the modes of the telepathic
animals, Colene is once again attacked by the mind predator. The companions, forced to seek refuge in Seqiro’s mode, discover a mare who has been mind-blasted, telepathically attacked and stripped of her memories. Colene heals the mare by imprinting her with the character of her imaginary friend, Maresy Doats. After defeating his rival Koturo, Seqiro becomes herd stallion
. Though he would prefer to remain on the Virtual Mode, Seqiro is forced to free his anchor to relieve Colene of the mind predator’s pursuit. Colene, Darius, Nona, and Burgess slide through the modes until they reach the newest anchor mode, DoOon.
trio of Tom, Cat, and Pussy are in disgrace, they enter a dangerous contest to regain their social status. After the Felines and their Caprine companions win the competition, a no-holds-barred game of capture the flag
, they are educated about Colene and Darius and trained to become the next mode anchors. The six nulls, along with four unknown individuals, become co-anchors as soon as Seqiro frees his anchor, and Colene, Darius, Nona, and Burgess are immediately captured by Ddwng.
The companions are taken to the primitive planet Chains, where they are forced to remain until Darius agrees to give the Chip to Ddwng. While there, Burgess and the humans form close bonds with the Felines and with Doe, the Caprine female. Colene persuades the predatory dragons of the world to prey on rats instead of nulls, and Darius agrees to give Ddwng the Chip in return for the continued safety of Chains and its inhabitants.
Once on the Virtual Mode, the party attempts to evade the pursuit of the four unknown anchor persons. Colene regains mental contact
with Seqiro, but the mind predator soon finds her, and the group must return to Earth. When Colene discovers her mother Morna is the victim of hallucinations brought on by improper medical treatment, she and her companions force the insurance representative to approve RTMS, an experimental treatment, to cure Colene’s and Morna’s depression. Nona, Burgess, and Tom repay Amos Forell for his financial help by giving him one of Tom’s alien germs to claim as a scientific discovery. Colene returns after one week of her two-week treatment, and the anchor persons return to the Virtual Mode.
Unfortunately, the mind predator soon finds Colene, and the companions attempt to wait it out by staying in Oria. Though one of the regents tries to persuade Nona to stay and become queen, she is unwilling to leave the Virtual Mode. The mind predator remains tenacious, however, and Nona is forced to free her anchor. Nona, who has been engaging in sexual intercourse with Tom, asks him to stay in Julia mode and marry her. Tom loves Nona and realizes his trio is facing destruction anyway, so he agrees.
As soon as Nona frees her anchor, Seqiro and Maresy become co-anchors. Colene, Darius, Burgess, Cat, and Pussy slide to the Horse Mode, where the horses join the party. After passing through several more modes, one of which resembles Xanth
, the companions finally arrive at Darius’ home mode. Burgess and the horses settle comfortably on a pasture dais
and Colene and Pussy join Darius’ household.
After obtaining the Chip, Cat returns to DoOon to discharge his commitment, and Darius shuts down the Virtual Mode. Though Cat is honest, Ddwng suspects treachery and plans to torture it. Cat uses its link to Seqiro and the Key it has secretly swallowed to rescue Doe from Chains, though her trio is destroyed. After transporting back to Darius’ mode, Cat and Doe recover, and the Felines adopt Doe as the third member of their new trio.
Though Colene and Darius are married and home at last, Colene remains unable to perform sexually. Pussy convinces Colene to face the mind predator in order to come to terms with her worst fears. After an intense psychological battle, Colene defeats the mind predator, and she is finally healed.
, U.S.A. This mode is portrayed realistically, with ordinary laws of physics; however, psionic power
and some other forms of magic are functional though somewhat limited.
Colene’s house, which is in the suburbs, is close enough to her school that she is able to walk there. Colene calls her house the "Charles Mansion," a dark pun on Charles Manson
. She spends much of her time in Dogwood
Bumshed, a wooden shed behind the house, so named because of the dogwood tree it stands under and as a pun on the comic strip character Dagwood Bumstead
. Dogwood Bumshed is slightly larger than a playhouse. Colene stores her important possessions there, such as her journal and her picture of a horse, captioned For Whom Was That Neigh?, that is the basis for her imaginary pet horse, "Maresy Doats".
(such as emotional transfer and conjuration
) are native to this mode. Psionic power is operational.
The people of Darius’ mode live and work on dais
es high above the ground, due to the numerous sharp crystals covering the land surface. The crystals are multicolored, as are the clouds in the sky. Trees have green trunks and black leaves, and feed from the nutrients contained in the colored clouds. The people wear clothes Colene describes as "Oriental," and women are required to wear secure halters and diapers under their clothing in order to hide their feminine contours. Sexual expression
is an important part of culture: concubines are common, and the age of consent is non-existent.
The Mode series makes a referential crossover into the Xanth series in Question Quest
, where the Good Magician Humfrey makes a note in his book about Darius being the "Cyng of Hlahtar".
The horses, though of inferior intelligence, rule by borrowing the mental potential of their human servants. Horses are socially stratified
; notably, a lead stallion heads each community. Their telepathic powers can be used not only to communicate, but to control their servants or increase their ability or skill. They are also capable of stunning humans with a telepathic attack, or even "mind-blasting" other horses, effectively erasing their personalities.
and seem to have a symbiotic relationship with their environment
. Houses are tall and narrow so as to avoid interfering with the environment, and are anchored by guy-wires to the thick yellow-trunked and blue-leaved trees. Farming is done wherever space is available without clearing the land. People travel by walking or by public transportation in the form of a large, tame snake with attached seats, which travels along a channel rather like a monorail. Food is organic, and clothing is made of natural fibers.
The people of the primary planet have created technology which is able to bypass some of the laws of physics, such as the speed of light
, making FTL travel possible. They have refined the science of genetic engineering
; people suffer from no genetic diseases
and few effects of aging
. They are also able to manufacture android-like beings called "nulls" from leftover genetic material. In addition, interstellar travel
has made it possible for them to conquer and colonize many of the planets of their galaxy and beyond.
Ddwng’s people, though scientifically advanced, have tastes Colene describes as " lowbrow American." In addition, the more powerful members of the mode seem quite ruthless and cruel: in the past, they had attempted to conquer their neighboring modes in order to exploit their resources. Due to these actions, a confederation of other modes confined the DoOon to their home mode and prevented their use of Virtual Mode chips. Leaders possess pain dials which can be used to cause pain directly to the nervous system of anyone within the radius of the possessor. Pain dial levels are graded rather like Star Trek phasers
or The Machine in The Princess Bride
.
, rather than spherical, in nature. Her planet, Oria, is one rad on a Mandelbrot set
in a Julia
universe. Psionic power (not including emotional transfer), conjuration, levitation
, and various other magic is operational; however, ordinary laws of physics such the square-cube ratio
do not apply.
The culture resembles that of the Middle Ages
: the social structure is similar to the feudal system, and few advances have been made in technology. The peasant class has few rights, and women are expected to marry and produce offspring. Because even peasants are expected to possess the magic of simple illusion
, those who do not become outcasts, or "rabble," and are forced to live under the land’s surface.
Every few generations, the source of power on each planet shifts between animus, the male force, and anima
, the female force. When the animus is in power, men possess the greater magic, the firstborn sons of firstborn sons being most powerful of all. When the anima is in power, women possess the greater magic, the lastborn daughters of lastborn daughters being the most powerful of all. Sex and social class is easily identifiable by tunic color: male despots
/peons wear black, female despots/peons wear white, male theows/Amazons wear blue, and female theows/Amazons wear red. Those of unknown rank wear green, and animals wear yellow.
survived the Cambrian period
, evolution might never have given rise to chordates. Shale is populated by hivers, such as Burgess, and evolved versions of many other creatures, such as giant land crabs, giant Hallucigenia
, land-bound Marella, and giant Anomalocaris
. Most of the creatures of this mode seem largely predatory in nature. For example, the beach area is populated by shears, flying creatures with scissor-like beaks that attack in swarms, and the ground of the plains area conceals huge carnivorous underground worms. Hivers such as Burgess appear to be the only creatures that have created a form of civilization.
, is a fourteen-year-old girl, a high school freshman from Oklahoma
. Though pretty and popular, she has a dark secret: stresses from her dysfunctional family
and lasting depression
from a past rape have made her suicidal. Incredibly intelligent and creative, she is also stubborn, willful, and somewhat immature at times. Her past experiences have given her an urge to flirt with death and a tendency to sexual exhibitionism. Colene has a great love of horses, and writes letters to an imaginary friend named "Maresy Doats" based on a picture of a horse.
Darius:Darius is Cyng of Hlahtar, the one responsible for the emotional transfer of joy to the people of his homeland. Darius is handsome and intelligent, but without great physical prowess. Though mature, he is still considered a young man in his culture, and he holds somewhat romantic notions about the nature of his post. Darius’ code of ethics
is rigid, like Piers Anthony’s own, and he considers his honor binding and ultimate.
Seqiro:Seqiro is a telepathic horse, a large stallion of approximately eighteen hands
. Though he possesses little native intelligence, he is adept at relating to human minds and using their intelligence to buttress and enhance his own. Because the other leading stallions felt threatened by Seqiro, they attempted to confine him to his stall. Seqiro appreciates female human company, particularly Nona’s, but his ultimate love and loyalty lie with Colene.
Nona:Nona is the "ninth of the ninth"—the ninth daughter of the eighth daughter of the seventh, back nine generations. The significance of her birth gives her strong magic and the ability to bring the anima, the female magical force. She also possesses significant physical beauty and musical skill. Though she is kind and relatively intelligent, her extreme innocence and naïveté hamper her ability to adapt to some situations.
Burgess:Burgess is a hiver, the evolutionary equivalent of a human being in the Shale Mode. Because he is unable to return to his own hive, he joins the party of anchor persons out of necessity. He soon adapts to their mode of communication, even though he is unaccustomed to individuality and emotion. Unhampered by human foibles, he is direct and honest, and sometimes surprisingly insightful, particularly regarding Colene.
Pussy:Pussy is a seductive null of the Feline
persuasion. Like other female nulls, she is trained to provide for her employer’s sexual and emotional needs.
Cat:Cat is a neuter null of the Feline persuasion. Imminently calm and rational, he is the intellectual backbone of his null trio.
Tom:Tom is a muscular male null of the Feline persuasion. Though trained to be relentless in physical combat, he is rather insecure in emotional matters.
but cannot foresee the past. She becomes an anchor because her memory of future events has become foggy — there’s a blank space which troubles her, and she quests to recover these lost memories. Because of her backward memory, the others have difficulty communicating with her to any great extent.
Maresy Doats, a fictional mare to whom Colene addresses her journal entries. She represents Colene’s mature and rational self, and Colene considers Maresy her best friend until she meets Seqiro. Late in the series, Maresy becomes incarnate in a telepathic mare from Sequiro's Mode whose memories and personality have been erased due to persecution from the dominant horses of that society. Rather than leave the mare mentally impaired, Colene uses her improving telepathic power to imprint the personality of "Maresy Doats" upon the mare; in the process, Colene essentially creates the perfect mate for Sequiro.
Ddwng, pronounced d.d.wŋ, is the emperor of the DoOon. Ruthless and unethical, Ddwng is determined to coerce Darius into giving him the Chip that will allow him to travel to and exploit the Virtual Mode. Though clever, he is extremely suspicious, particularly after having been previously balked.
The mind predator, a creature of the Virtual Mode who attacks travelers whose minds are in conflict. It first attempts to feed on Provos, but later pursues Colene. It can be escaped by crossing into anchor modes, where it cannot pursue.
Prima, a mode traveler from a mode similar to Darius’ home who was captured on the Virtual Mode. Prima possesses an ability to magnify joy which rivals Kublai’s; in their youth, they sought to place Prima in post as Cyng of Hlahtar, but were denied because of sexual bias
.
Doe, a null of the Caprine persuasion, has the appearance of a beautiful woman with a face suggestive of that of a goat.
Garret, Colene’s father. A victim of depression
and the spouse of an alcoholic, Garret seeks to avoid troubles at home by having extramarital affairs. Though often absent, he attempts to be understanding to Colene and encourages her when she seeks to become more independent.
Morna, Colene’s mother. A victim of chronic, untreated depression, Morna turns to alcohol to dull her pain. Though she is aware of her husband’s infidelity, she generally avoids conflict lest he criticize her for her alcoholism
. Brought up Roman Catholic, she attempts to instill many of her traditional values in Colene.
Amos Forell, aspiring biologist
and Colene’s former eighth grade science teacher.
Kublai, a former Cyng of Hlahtar who assumes Darius’ post while he is traveling the Virtual Mode. After being forced to marry and discard many women during his tenure, Kublai has finally married Koren, the woman he loves.
Koren, once Kublai’s wife, must instead become his mistress
while he performs the role of Cyng of Hlahtar.
Angus, a giant from the planet Jupiter in the Julia Mode who helps Nona after becoming enraptured with her music.
Slick, a member of the criminal underworld in Colene’s home town. Though he is a hired killer
who carries a straight razor, he longs for a normal life. Slick longs to see his niece Esta, but her mother, his sister, has barred him from doing so because of his unsavory connections.
Esta, Slick’s niece, is a depressive twelve-year-old with an unhappy home life.
Stave, a peasant of Oria, is a friend and possible love interest of Nona.
.
Darius was a common name for kings in ancient Persia.
Maresy Doats is named for the song "Mairzy Doats
." Colene was unaware of the proper spelling at the time she named her imaginary friend.
Kublai is reminiscent of Kublai Khan
, a Chinese emperor.
Koren is possibly derived from the Greek word kore, "maiden."
Prima may be a feminization of Primus, which means "first" in Latin.
Tom is the name for a male cat and may also be a shortened form of tomcat, a slang term indicating sexual promiscuity.
Pussy
is a double-entendre on the name for a female cat and a slang term for the female sex organ. Female cats are more commonly called "queens."
Nona means "ninth" in Latin.
Burgess’ real name is a series of electrical impulses, so Colene calls him after the Burgess Shale
.
Doe is a generic name for female animals of several hoofed species. Though a female goat may be called a "doe," they are often called "nannies" as well.
Morna is the anglicized form of Muirne, which means "beloved" in Irish. It also sounds similar to the word mourn, meaning "to grieve."
. Because the number of paperback copies ordered is based on the number of hardcovers sold, the series never achieved the widespread popularity Anthony had hoped for. Subsequent novels in the series continued to suffer from the inadequate sales of the first, finally finding Anthony unable to find a publisher for the fourth novel. Anthony credits the Internet with raising his awareness of fan support for the series and of alternative publishing methods. Though the final book, DoOon Mode, was eventually published by Tor
, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, its publication was delayed until 2001, eleven years after the writing of the first book, Virtual Mode.
Piers Anthony
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob is an English American writer in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is most famous for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xanth.Many of his books have appeared on the New York Times Best...
. Like many of Anthony’s other fictional works, it explores themes of violence, the abuse of power, sexism and male dominance, gender roles, the environment
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, integrity and personal honor, sapient animal life, parallel and alternative evolution, space travel, alternate dimensions, paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
, obscure concepts in physics and mathematics, sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
and abuse, child and adolescent sexuality, and suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Though initially marketed as fantasy, the Mode series is similar to the Incarnations of Immortality
Incarnations of Immortality
Incarnations of Immortality is the name of an eight-book fantasy series by Piers Anthony. The first seven books each focus on one of seven supernatural "offices" in a fictional reality and history parallel to ours, with the exception that society has advanced both magic and modern technology...
and the Apprentice Adept
Apprentice Adept
Apprentice Adept is a seven-book fantasy and science fiction novel series by Piers Anthony. The series takes place on Phaze and Proton, two worlds occupying the same space in two different dimensional planes. Phaze is a lush planet of magic, where Proton is a barren mining planet of science...
series, blending fantasy
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
.
Mode theory
Mode, in the series, is another word for "reality" or "universe." The Virtual Mode is like a three-dimensionalDimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a space or object is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus a line has a dimension of one because only one coordinate is needed to specify a point on it...
plane that cuts across many realities. It requires five points
Point (geometry)
In geometry, topology and related branches of mathematics a spatial point is a primitive notion upon which other concepts may be defined. In geometry, points are zero-dimensional; i.e., they do not have volume, area, length, or any other higher-dimensional analogue. In branches of mathematics...
, represented both by anchor modes and anchor persons, to hold it in place. When someone hears the call of the Virtual Mode, he may reach out with his mind and set his anchor point, thereby becoming an anchor person. When two or more persons act in tandem to attach the Virtual Mode, both will become anchors. Only anchor persons may travel freely on the Virtual Mode; other travelers must remain in contact with the anchors lest they become lost in one of the non-anchor modes. In addition, only objects from anchor modes may be transported on the Virtual Mode; any other materials will remain in their mode of origin. Once the anchor point is fixed, mode travelers may step in and out of the Virtual Mode at that point, thereby being able to interact fully in the anchor reality. Anchor persons may only travel ten feet across non-anchor modes before crossing the border into the next reality. Though each mode is only ten feet deep, it is infinitely wide; anchor persons may travel as far as they like to the side as long as they don’t cross the border. Each reality is like an individual sheet of mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
, and when each individual plane is placed next to others, together they form the whole Virtual Mode. Each mode has its own rules which determine which aspects of science and magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
will work there.
Only the death or purposeful release of an anchor person can free an anchor point. When that happens, the Virtual Mode is unstable until another person invokes their anchor. Few people are able to sense the Virtual Mode; only those who can may become anchor persons. In the series, those who invoke the Virtual Mode are typically individuals who have some great need for change in, or escape from, their current situation that only access to the Virtual Mode will provide. In addition, the Chip that invokes the Virtual Mode has different settings which determine the realities that will be included in any given Virtual Mode. Though it can be set to include only modes populated by human beings, the Virtual Mode in the novels is set instead to include sapience of any type, including non-living beings
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
such as machines.
Fractal Mode
Nona is the woman ordained to bring the anima, the force of female magic, to her home planet of Oria, which is part of a fractalFractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
universe. In order to summon the Megaplayers, a group of musical giants
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
, to help her, she dances by a sea cliff and unwittingly becomes the new anchor person.
After Colene, Darius, Seqiro, and Provos arrive in Julia Mode, Nona and her friend Stave prompt them to report to the nearest despot
Despotism
Despotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual, as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy...
castle. Though the despots attempt to discredit Darius, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
Colene, and steal Seqiro, the four companions escape captivity and rejoin Nona and Stave. They help Nona travel to Jupiter, where she again seeks the Megaplayers. Angus, a native of Jupiter, advises Nona on how to bring the anima and ferries the party back to Oria.
Nona, who must stand on a specific rad to summon the magic of the anima, has no idea how find the correct one. Colene and Provos travel back to Earth in order to learn enough nomenclature to allow Colene to help Nona number the rads. While in the Earth mode, Colene rescues an abused girl, Esta, and her uncle, Slick, from a life of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and despair. Though Slick and Esta plan to flee the country together, a police pursuit forces them to seek refuge on the Virtual Mode.
Meanwhile, Darius, Seqiro, Nona, and Stave have been forced to hide from the despots in the underwater caves
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
of the rabble, a community of quasi-humans
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
who are able to transform
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
their bodies. Though the rabble initially plan to force all four companions to remain until they breed with one thousand rabble each, they agree to free Darius, Seqiro, and Nona if Stave will remain for four thousand breedings. Nona promises to allow four thousand rabble to live on the surface after she brings the anima, whereupon they will release Stave.
Colene and her companions return to Oria and reunite with the rest of the anchor persons. Colene helps Nona find the correct rad while the others distract the despots, and Nona successfully invokes the anima, shifting the magic of Oria to favor women. Nona joins the party on the Virtual Mode, and they return to Provos’ anchor, where Provos plans to adopt
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
Slick and Esta as son and granddaughter. Provos releases her anchor, and Colene, Darius, Seqiro, and Nona slide through the Virtual Mode to the newest anchor, Shale.
Chaos Mode
Burgess, a hiver, acted as a diplomatDiplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
to other hives. After he contacted a hive which suffered from the mental disease of bigotry
Bigotry
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs...
, his own hive cast him out and forced him to flee across the plains. Bereft of his community, he eagerly becomes an anchor person and joins the companions of the Virtual Mode. Colene, Darius, Seqiro, and Nona are initially concerned that the new anchor person may be an alien monster
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
, but Seqiro soon helps Nona to establish mental contact
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, and their fears are allayed. Colene soon realizes that this reality is the product of Earth’s alternative evolution, and she names the mode Shale
Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
and the new anchor Burgess.
Though the party plans to continue traveling the Virtual Mode, Colene is soon pursued by the mind predator which once attacked Provos. The anchor persons, attacked by the hivers near the anchor point, are forced to spend several days in Shale. While there, each of the humans learns to relate to Burgess, and Burgess declares the strange group to be his new hive. Though the companions encounter many hostile native creatures, they are eventually able to reach the anchor point and return to the Virtual Mode.
As the companions approach the Julia mode, the mind predator returns and attacks Colene. Only Burgess seems able to mitigate the effect, so he carries Colene while the pursuit continues. The party, once again forced to wait in an anchor mode, soon discovers that Oria is in a martial state due to the lack of strong magical leadership. Because Nona doesn’t want to remain and become queen, she enlists Angus’ help to recruit Amazons
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
from a slightly larger anima
Anima
Anima may refer to:*the Latin term for the "animating principle", see vitalism**the Latin translation of Greek psyche**in Christian contexts, the soul**see also spirit...
world to become regents on Oria. Afterwards, Nona feels free to return to the Virtual Mode with the others.
As they travel toward Earth, Burgess’ health begins to fail, and the anchor persons plan to spend some time in the Earth mode while he recuperates. Colene and Nona enlist the help of Amos Forell to cure Burgess’ malady, which turns out to be a magnesium deficiency
Magnesium deficiency (medicine)
Magnesium deficiency refers to an intake of dietary magnesium below minimal levels, which can result in numerous symptoms and diseases. These can generally be remedied by an increase of magnesium in diet or oral supplements...
. In order to repay Amos, Darius and Seqiro help a troubled boy by spreading his despair to his unsympathetic community. While in the bad part of town, they are also able to seek revenge on the group of delinquents
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
who mugged Darius in the first novel, as well as the boys who rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d Colene. Colene reconciles with her parents, who agree to allow her to marry Darius, but she misses her own wedding while tiding Burgess through a bad reaction. Nona, however, acts as Colene’s proxy
Proxy marriage
A proxy wedding or is a wedding in which the bride or groom is not physically present, usually being represented instead by another person...
, so Darius and Colene do become legally married on Earth.
While passing through the modes of the telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
animals, Colene is once again attacked by the mind predator. The companions, forced to seek refuge in Seqiro’s mode, discover a mare who has been mind-blasted, telepathically attacked and stripped of her memories. Colene heals the mare by imprinting her with the character of her imaginary friend, Maresy Doats. After defeating his rival Koturo, Seqiro becomes herd stallion
Horse behavior
Horse behavior is best understood from the perspective that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight instinct. Their first response to a threat is to flee, although they are known to stand their ground and defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is...
. Though he would prefer to remain on the Virtual Mode, Seqiro is forced to free his anchor to relieve Colene of the mind predator’s pursuit. Colene, Darius, Nona, and Burgess slide through the modes until they reach the newest anchor mode, DoOon.
DoOon Mode
Because the FelineFelidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
trio of Tom, Cat, and Pussy are in disgrace, they enter a dangerous contest to regain their social status. After the Felines and their Caprine companions win the competition, a no-holds-barred game of capture the flag
Capture the flag
Capture the Flag is a traditional outdoor sport generally played by children, where two teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base," and bring it safely back to their own base...
, they are educated about Colene and Darius and trained to become the next mode anchors. The six nulls, along with four unknown individuals, become co-anchors as soon as Seqiro frees his anchor, and Colene, Darius, Nona, and Burgess are immediately captured by Ddwng.
The companions are taken to the primitive planet Chains, where they are forced to remain until Darius agrees to give the Chip to Ddwng. While there, Burgess and the humans form close bonds with the Felines and with Doe, the Caprine female. Colene persuades the predatory dragons of the world to prey on rats instead of nulls, and Darius agrees to give Ddwng the Chip in return for the continued safety of Chains and its inhabitants.
Once on the Virtual Mode, the party attempts to evade the pursuit of the four unknown anchor persons. Colene regains mental contact
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
with Seqiro, but the mind predator soon finds her, and the group must return to Earth. When Colene discovers her mother Morna is the victim of hallucinations brought on by improper medical treatment, she and her companions force the insurance representative to approve RTMS, an experimental treatment, to cure Colene’s and Morna’s depression. Nona, Burgess, and Tom repay Amos Forell for his financial help by giving him one of Tom’s alien germs to claim as a scientific discovery. Colene returns after one week of her two-week treatment, and the anchor persons return to the Virtual Mode.
Unfortunately, the mind predator soon finds Colene, and the companions attempt to wait it out by staying in Oria. Though one of the regents tries to persuade Nona to stay and become queen, she is unwilling to leave the Virtual Mode. The mind predator remains tenacious, however, and Nona is forced to free her anchor. Nona, who has been engaging in sexual intercourse with Tom, asks him to stay in Julia mode and marry her. Tom loves Nona and realizes his trio is facing destruction anyway, so he agrees.
As soon as Nona frees her anchor, Seqiro and Maresy become co-anchors. Colene, Darius, Burgess, Cat, and Pussy slide to the Horse Mode, where the horses join the party. After passing through several more modes, one of which resembles Xanth
Xanth
Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.-History:The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books...
, the companions finally arrive at Darius’ home mode. Burgess and the horses settle comfortably on a pasture dais
Dais
Dais is any raised platform located either in or outside of a room or enclosure, often for dignified occupancy, as at the front of a lecture hall or sanctuary....
and Colene and Pussy join Darius’ household.
After obtaining the Chip, Cat returns to DoOon to discharge his commitment, and Darius shuts down the Virtual Mode. Though Cat is honest, Ddwng suspects treachery and plans to torture it. Cat uses its link to Seqiro and the Key it has secretly swallowed to rescue Doe from Chains, though her trio is destroyed. After transporting back to Darius’ mode, Cat and Doe recover, and the Felines adopt Doe as the third member of their new trio.
Though Colene and Darius are married and home at last, Colene remains unable to perform sexually. Pussy convinces Colene to face the mind predator in order to come to terms with her worst fears. After an intense psychological battle, Colene defeats the mind predator, and she is finally healed.
Earth, late 20th century
Colene’s anchor mode is a contemporary town or small city in OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, U.S.A. This mode is portrayed realistically, with ordinary laws of physics; however, psionic power
Psionics
Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
and some other forms of magic are functional though somewhat limited.
Colene’s house, which is in the suburbs, is close enough to her school that she is able to walk there. Colene calls her house the "Charles Mansion," a dark pun on Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
. She spends much of her time in Dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
Bumshed, a wooden shed behind the house, so named because of the dogwood tree it stands under and as a pun on the comic strip character Dagwood Bumstead
Dagwood Bumstead
Dagwood Bumstead is a main character in comic artist Chic Young's long-running comic strip Blondie. He first appeared sometime prior to 17 February 1933....
. Dogwood Bumshed is slightly larger than a playhouse. Colene stores her important possessions there, such as her journal and her picture of a horse, captioned For Whom Was That Neigh?, that is the basis for her imaginary pet horse, "Maresy Doats".
The Cyngdom of Hlahtar
The specific name of Darius’ anchor mode is unknown; Colene calls it the "Land of Laughter" or the "Kingdom of Laughter." Sympathetic magicSympathetic magic
Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence.-Similarity and contagion:The theory of sympathetic magic was first developed by Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough...
(such as emotional transfer and conjuration
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
) are native to this mode. Psionic power is operational.
The people of Darius’ mode live and work on dais
Dais
Dais is any raised platform located either in or outside of a room or enclosure, often for dignified occupancy, as at the front of a lecture hall or sanctuary....
es high above the ground, due to the numerous sharp crystals covering the land surface. The crystals are multicolored, as are the clouds in the sky. Trees have green trunks and black leaves, and feed from the nutrients contained in the colored clouds. The people wear clothes Colene describes as "Oriental," and women are required to wear secure halters and diapers under their clothing in order to hide their feminine contours. Sexual expression
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
is an important part of culture: concubines are common, and the age of consent is non-existent.
The Mode series makes a referential crossover into the Xanth series in Question Quest
Question Quest
-Plot summary:The book begins with Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins, seeking a way to fix her "dull" life. To do so she comes to ask Grey, Ivy's betrothed and pro-tem magician of knowledge, for the answer. However, Grey doesn't want to answer her question because he knows that...
, where the Good Magician Humfrey makes a note in his book about Darius being the "Cyng of Hlahtar".
The Horse Mode
Seqiro’s anchor mode, which remains unnamed, is the home of primitive humans and telepathic horses.The horses, though of inferior intelligence, rule by borrowing the mental potential of their human servants. Horses are socially stratified
Social stratification
In sociology the social stratification is a concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions."...
; notably, a lead stallion heads each community. Their telepathic powers can be used not only to communicate, but to control their servants or increase their ability or skill. They are also capable of stunning humans with a telepathic attack, or even "mind-blasting" other horses, effectively erasing their personalities.
Provos’ mode
The name of Provos’ anchor mode is unknown, and little time is spent there in the novels. The people possess a unique kind of prescience they remember the future, but not the past. They are highly environmentally-consciousEnvironmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and seem to have a symbiotic relationship with their environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
. Houses are tall and narrow so as to avoid interfering with the environment, and are anchored by guy-wires to the thick yellow-trunked and blue-leaved trees. Farming is done wherever space is available without clearing the land. People travel by walking or by public transportation in the form of a large, tame snake with attached seats, which travels along a channel rather like a monorail. Food is organic, and clothing is made of natural fibers.
DoOon
Ddwng’s anchor mode, pronounced du.o.an, is a super-science reality in which psionic power, including emotional transfer, is possible in limited form, but sympathetic magic is non-operational.The people of the primary planet have created technology which is able to bypass some of the laws of physics, such as the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
, making FTL travel possible. They have refined the science of genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
; people suffer from no genetic diseases
Genetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....
and few effects of aging
Senescence
Senescence or biological aging is the change in the biology of an organism as it ages after its maturity. Such changes range from those affecting its cells and their function to those affecting the whole organism...
. They are also able to manufacture android-like beings called "nulls" from leftover genetic material. In addition, interstellar travel
Interstellar travel
Interstellar space travel is manned or unmanned travel between stars. The concept of interstellar travel in starships is a staple of science fiction. Interstellar travel is much more difficult than interplanetary travel. Intergalactic travel, or travel between different galaxies, is even more...
has made it possible for them to conquer and colonize many of the planets of their galaxy and beyond.
Ddwng’s people, though scientifically advanced, have tastes Colene describes as " lowbrow American." In addition, the more powerful members of the mode seem quite ruthless and cruel: in the past, they had attempted to conquer their neighboring modes in order to exploit their resources. Due to these actions, a confederation of other modes confined the DoOon to their home mode and prevented their use of Virtual Mode chips. Leaders possess pain dials which can be used to cause pain directly to the nervous system of anyone within the radius of the possessor. Pain dial levels are graded rather like Star Trek phasers
Weapons of Star Trek
The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. As with most science fiction franchises, the series focuses primarily on energy weapons...
or The Machine in The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride (film)
The Princess Bride is a 1987 American film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman...
.
Julia
Nona’s anchor mode corresponds to the planet Earth, but in a universe which is fractalFractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
, rather than spherical, in nature. Her planet, Oria, is one rad on a Mandelbrot set
Mandelbrot set
The Mandelbrot set is a particular mathematical set of points, whose boundary generates a distinctive and easily recognisable two-dimensional fractal shape...
in a Julia
Julia set
In the context of complex dynamics, a topic of mathematics, the Julia set and the Fatou set are two complementary sets defined from a function...
universe. Psionic power (not including emotional transfer), conjuration, levitation
Levitation
Levitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
, and various other magic is operational; however, ordinary laws of physics such the square-cube ratio
Square-cube law
The square-cube law is a principle, drawn from the mathematics of proportion, that is applied in engineering and biomechanics. It was first demonstrated in 1638 in Galileo's Two New Sciences...
do not apply.
The culture resembles that of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
: the social structure is similar to the feudal system, and few advances have been made in technology. The peasant class has few rights, and women are expected to marry and produce offspring. Because even peasants are expected to possess the magic of simple illusion
Illusion
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....
, those who do not become outcasts, or "rabble," and are forced to live under the land’s surface.
Every few generations, the source of power on each planet shifts between animus, the male force, and anima
Anima
Anima may refer to:*the Latin term for the "animating principle", see vitalism**the Latin translation of Greek psyche**in Christian contexts, the soul**see also spirit...
, the female force. When the animus is in power, men possess the greater magic, the firstborn sons of firstborn sons being most powerful of all. When the anima is in power, women possess the greater magic, the lastborn daughters of lastborn daughters being the most powerful of all. Sex and social class is easily identifiable by tunic color: male despots
Despotism
Despotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual, as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy...
/peons wear black, female despots/peons wear white, male theows/Amazons wear blue, and female theows/Amazons wear red. Those of unknown rank wear green, and animals wear yellow.
Shale
Burgess’ anchor mode is the product of alternative evolution on Earth, predicated on the assumption that, had the creatures of the Burgess ShaleBurgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
survived the Cambrian period
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
, evolution might never have given rise to chordates. Shale is populated by hivers, such as Burgess, and evolved versions of many other creatures, such as giant land crabs, giant Hallucigenia
Hallucigenia
Hallucigenia is an extinct genus of animal found as fossils in the Middle Cambrian-aged Burgess Shale formation of British Columbia, Canada, represented by the species H. sparsa, and in the Lower Cambrian Maotianshan shale of China, represented by the species H. fortis...
, land-bound Marella, and giant Anomalocaris
Anomalocaris
Anomalocaris is an extinct genus of anomalocaridid, which are, in turn, thought to be closely related to the arthropods. The first fossils of Anomalocaris were discovered in the Ogygopsis Shale by Joseph Frederick Whiteaves, with more examples found by Charles Doolittle Walcott in the famed...
. Most of the creatures of this mode seem largely predatory in nature. For example, the beach area is populated by shears, flying creatures with scissor-like beaks that attack in swarms, and the ground of the plains area conceals huge carnivorous underground worms. Hivers such as Burgess appear to be the only creatures that have created a form of civilization.
Primary characters
Colene:Colene, the protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, is a fourteen-year-old girl, a high school freshman from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Though pretty and popular, she has a dark secret: stresses from her dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
and lasting depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
from a past rape have made her suicidal. Incredibly intelligent and creative, she is also stubborn, willful, and somewhat immature at times. Her past experiences have given her an urge to flirt with death and a tendency to sexual exhibitionism. Colene has a great love of horses, and writes letters to an imaginary friend named "Maresy Doats" based on a picture of a horse.
Darius:Darius is Cyng of Hlahtar, the one responsible for the emotional transfer of joy to the people of his homeland. Darius is handsome and intelligent, but without great physical prowess. Though mature, he is still considered a young man in his culture, and he holds somewhat romantic notions about the nature of his post. Darius’ code of ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
is rigid, like Piers Anthony’s own, and he considers his honor binding and ultimate.
Seqiro:Seqiro is a telepathic horse, a large stallion of approximately eighteen hands
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
. Though he possesses little native intelligence, he is adept at relating to human minds and using their intelligence to buttress and enhance his own. Because the other leading stallions felt threatened by Seqiro, they attempted to confine him to his stall. Seqiro appreciates female human company, particularly Nona’s, but his ultimate love and loyalty lie with Colene.
Nona:Nona is the "ninth of the ninth"—the ninth daughter of the eighth daughter of the seventh, back nine generations. The significance of her birth gives her strong magic and the ability to bring the anima, the female magical force. She also possesses significant physical beauty and musical skill. Though she is kind and relatively intelligent, her extreme innocence and naïveté hamper her ability to adapt to some situations.
Burgess:Burgess is a hiver, the evolutionary equivalent of a human being in the Shale Mode. Because he is unable to return to his own hive, he joins the party of anchor persons out of necessity. He soon adapts to their mode of communication, even though he is unaccustomed to individuality and emotion. Unhampered by human foibles, he is direct and honest, and sometimes surprisingly insightful, particularly regarding Colene.
Pussy:Pussy is a seductive null of the Feline
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
persuasion. Like other female nulls, she is trained to provide for her employer’s sexual and emotional needs.
Cat:Cat is a neuter null of the Feline persuasion. Imminently calm and rational, he is the intellectual backbone of his null trio.
Tom:Tom is a muscular male null of the Feline persuasion. Though trained to be relentless in physical combat, he is rather insecure in emotional matters.
Significant secondary characters
Provos, an older woman who can effectively remember the futurePrecognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
but cannot foresee the past. She becomes an anchor because her memory of future events has become foggy — there’s a blank space which troubles her, and she quests to recover these lost memories. Because of her backward memory, the others have difficulty communicating with her to any great extent.
Maresy Doats, a fictional mare to whom Colene addresses her journal entries. She represents Colene’s mature and rational self, and Colene considers Maresy her best friend until she meets Seqiro. Late in the series, Maresy becomes incarnate in a telepathic mare from Sequiro's Mode whose memories and personality have been erased due to persecution from the dominant horses of that society. Rather than leave the mare mentally impaired, Colene uses her improving telepathic power to imprint the personality of "Maresy Doats" upon the mare; in the process, Colene essentially creates the perfect mate for Sequiro.
Ddwng, pronounced d.d.wŋ, is the emperor of the DoOon. Ruthless and unethical, Ddwng is determined to coerce Darius into giving him the Chip that will allow him to travel to and exploit the Virtual Mode. Though clever, he is extremely suspicious, particularly after having been previously balked.
The mind predator, a creature of the Virtual Mode who attacks travelers whose minds are in conflict. It first attempts to feed on Provos, but later pursues Colene. It can be escaped by crossing into anchor modes, where it cannot pursue.
Prima, a mode traveler from a mode similar to Darius’ home who was captured on the Virtual Mode. Prima possesses an ability to magnify joy which rivals Kublai’s; in their youth, they sought to place Prima in post as Cyng of Hlahtar, but were denied because of sexual bias
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
.
Doe, a null of the Caprine persuasion, has the appearance of a beautiful woman with a face suggestive of that of a goat.
Garret, Colene’s father. A victim of depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and the spouse of an alcoholic, Garret seeks to avoid troubles at home by having extramarital affairs. Though often absent, he attempts to be understanding to Colene and encourages her when she seeks to become more independent.
Morna, Colene’s mother. A victim of chronic, untreated depression, Morna turns to alcohol to dull her pain. Though she is aware of her husband’s infidelity, she generally avoids conflict lest he criticize her for her alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. Brought up Roman Catholic, she attempts to instill many of her traditional values in Colene.
Amos Forell, aspiring biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
and Colene’s former eighth grade science teacher.
Kublai, a former Cyng of Hlahtar who assumes Darius’ post while he is traveling the Virtual Mode. After being forced to marry and discard many women during his tenure, Kublai has finally married Koren, the woman he loves.
Koren, once Kublai’s wife, must instead become his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
while he performs the role of Cyng of Hlahtar.
Angus, a giant from the planet Jupiter in the Julia Mode who helps Nona after becoming enraptured with her music.
Slick, a member of the criminal underworld in Colene’s home town. Though he is a hired killer
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
who carries a straight razor, he longs for a normal life. Slick longs to see his niece Esta, but her mother, his sister, has barred him from doing so because of his unsavory connections.
Esta, Slick’s niece, is a depressive twelve-year-old with an unhappy home life.
Stave, a peasant of Oria, is a friend and possible love interest of Nona.
Significance of character names
Colene is the anglicized form of the name Cailín, which means "girl" in IrishIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
Darius was a common name for kings in ancient Persia.
Maresy Doats is named for the song "Mairzy Doats
Mairzy Doats
Mairzy Doats is a novelty song composed in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. It was first played on radio station WOR, New York, by Al Trace and his Silly Symphonists. The song made the pop charts several times, with a version by the Merry Macs reaching No. 1 in March 1944...
." Colene was unaware of the proper spelling at the time she named her imaginary friend.
Kublai is reminiscent of Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
, a Chinese emperor.
Koren is possibly derived from the Greek word kore, "maiden."
Prima may be a feminization of Primus, which means "first" in Latin.
Tom is the name for a male cat and may also be a shortened form of tomcat, a slang term indicating sexual promiscuity.
Pussy
Pussy
Pussy is an English word meaning:* Cat* The human female genitalia, for the slang term related to genital anatomy.* Pejoratively, cowardice or weakness as an insult in general- Etymology :The origins of the word are unknown...
is a double-entendre on the name for a female cat and a slang term for the female sex organ. Female cats are more commonly called "queens."
Nona means "ninth" in Latin.
Burgess’ real name is a series of electrical impulses, so Colene calls him after the Burgess Shale
Burgess Shale
The Burgess Shale Formation, located in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the world's most celebrated fossil fields, and the best of its kind. It is famous for the exceptional preservation of the soft parts of its fossils...
.
Doe is a generic name for female animals of several hoofed species. Though a female goat may be called a "doe," they are often called "nannies" as well.
Morna is the anglicized form of Muirne, which means "beloved" in Irish. It also sounds similar to the word mourn, meaning "to grieve."
Patterns
- For much of the series, the anchor persons are telepathically linkedTelepathyTelepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
with the help of Seqiro. Thoughts are written as italics. - The Mode series is written in alternating third person limited perspectiveThird person limited omniscientThe third-person omniscient is a narrative mode in which the reader is presented the story by a narrator with an overarching point of view, seeing and knowing everything that happens within the world of the story, regardless of the presence of certain characters, including everything all of the...
. Out of all four novels, Seqiro’s perspective is used in only one chapter. - Seqiro’s voice is usually written as italics. Only in Burgess’ perspective are Seqiro’s thoughts voiced with quotation marks.
- Burgess’ voice is written as narration, or indirect quotes.
- Each of the first three novels ends with a member of the party letting go of their anchor and a new member taking hold.
- Each of the first three novels ends with Colene saying, "Uh-oh," or "Oh, no," as the party meets the new anchor person.
- The titles of the novels generally indicate where the most time is spent in each. In Virtual Mode, much time is spent on the Virtual Mode itself. In Fractal Mode, the primary setting is Julia Mode, a fractalFractalA fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
universe. Chaos Mode is fragmented, with several sections set in various anchor modes and a great deal of time spent on the Virtual Mode as well. DoOon is the setting for approximately half of DoOon Mode. - The Earth Mode is visited at least once in each novel.
- Colene recounts her rape in each novel.
Publication
According to Piers Anthony in the author’s note to DoOon Mode, the series achieved limited release due to an error on the part of a representative of the initial publishing company, Ace/PutnamAce Books
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
. Because the number of paperback copies ordered is based on the number of hardcovers sold, the series never achieved the widespread popularity Anthony had hoped for. Subsequent novels in the series continued to suffer from the inadequate sales of the first, finally finding Anthony unable to find a publisher for the fourth novel. Anthony credits the Internet with raising his awareness of fan support for the series and of alternative publishing methods. Though the final book, DoOon Mode, was eventually published by Tor
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, its publication was delayed until 2001, eleven years after the writing of the first book, Virtual Mode.