The Madness Season

By: C. S. Friedman

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

He'd had so many names over the centuries, so many new identities that he could scarcely remember who he had originally been. Now his name was Daetrin, a name given by the alien conquerors of humankind, the Tyr.

Three hundred years had passed since the Tyr conquered the people of Earth as they had previously overcome numerous races throughout the galaxy. In their victory they had taken the very heart out of the human race, isolating the true individualists, the geniuses, all the people who represented the hopes, dreams, and discoveries of the future, and imprisoning them in dome colonies on planets hostile to human life. There the Tyr, a race which shared a unified gestalt mind, had left these gifted individuals to work on projects which would, the conquerors hoped, reveal all of humankind's secrets to them.

Yet Daetrin's secret was one no scientist had even uncovered, for down through the years he had succeeded in burying it so well that he had even hidden his real nature from himself. But, taken into custody by the Tyr, there was no longer any place for Daetrin to run, no new name and life for him to assume. Now he would at last be forced to confront the truth about himself-and if he failed, not just Daetrin but all humans would pay the price....

©1990 C.S. Friedman (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Quickly becoming a fan of C.S. Friedman

What did you love best about The Madness Season?

I am quickly becoming a fan of C.S. Friedman. Audible Frontiers has recently produced all her novels in audio format, so I snatched them up and I’m happy I did. Her science fiction is original, imaginative, and super smart.

In The Madness Season, a man named Daetrin is old enough to have fought in the last battle when the Earth was conquered by the aliens of Tyr. That was three hundred years ago and the Tyrians want to know how Daetrin is still alive. So they’ve captured him, just like they’ve rounded up all the humans who they think they can learn something from. The Tyr have been genetically engineering the humans who are left on Earth — breeding out creativity, intelligence, and rebelliousness in the hopes of making them more biddable — but some humans have found ways to resist their captors’ plans. Daetrin is worried about what they intend to do with him. If he cooperates with them, will he doom the future of his own people? Should he try to find some allies and fight back? Or is it possible that there are values more important than survival?

The Madness Season showcases many of C.S. Friedman’s admirable skills: inventive and perfectly leak-proof plot, excellent character development (this book contains some of my favorite Friedman characters so far), elegant writing style, a nice balance of tension and release, a touch of understated humor, and a foundation of science (math, physics, biology, comparative anatomy, neuroscience, evolution, sociology) that informs without being at all teachy.

Perhaps what I appreciate most about C.S. Friedman is that she creates wonderfully inventive worlds, species, languages, and cultures that truly feel alien rather than just variations on humanity. Friedman’s aliens are so alien that they’re frightening. They have different language processing equipment, different sensory systems, and completely different ways of thinking. All of their physiological and psychological details are different from ours, but Friedman uses her scientific knowledge to construct them so that they make sense. Friedman also has interesting insights and ideas about human behavior — again, backed up by research findings about memory, perception, consciousness, sleep, etc.

Jonathan Davis, as I’ve said so many times before, is one of the very best audiobook narrators. As usual, he gives a terrific reading of The Madness Season. Even though he speaks a little too slowly (I had to increase the playback speed), Davis has perfect cadence and makes it possible to forget that we’re being read to. If you see Jonathan Davis’ name on the cover, you can be sure it’s a good production. I highly recommend The Madness Season — especially in audio format!

(print 1990, audio 2012) He’d had so many names over the centuries, so many new identities that he could scarcely remember who he had originally been. Now his name was Daetrin, a name given by the alien conquerors of humankind, the Tyr. Three hundred years had passed since the Tyr conquered the people of Earth as they had previously overcome numerous races throughout the galaxy. In their victory they had taken the very heart out of the human race, isolating the true individualists, the geniuses, all the people who represented the hopes, dreams, and discoveries of the future, and imprisoning them in dome colonies on planets hostile to human life. There the Tyr, a race which shared a unified gestalt mind, had left these gifted individuals to work on projects which would, the conquerors hoped, reveal all of humankind’s secrets to them. Yet Daetrin’s secret was one no scientist had even uncovered, for down through the years he had succeeded in burying it so well that he had even hidden his real nature from himself. But, taken into custody by the Tyr, there was no longer any place for Daetrin to run, no new name and life for him to assume. Now he would at last be forced to confront the truth about himself-and if he failed, not just Daetrin but all humans would pay the price….
Originally posted at FanLit.

Intimate narration of an intricate story

This is the first book I read by one of my favorite authors, the one that made me look for others, and an excellent example of her work. The narrator has a very warm, clear and intimate style, and is perfect for this book; the voice characterizations are excellent and subtle. This tale has several different story arcs that are related and intertwined, but not tangled or confusing, and are each as satisfyingly resolved as a short story could be, yet are important enhancements to the whole. The level of scientific speculation, while integrating wonder and even a nod to archetypal horror fantasy elements, is simply amazing. There is one first person protagonist, and several secondary characters who are presented in intimate third person, and even tertiary characters are well developed; the reader gains a great view of their motivations and development, and true empathy for many. This is a rich stand-alone story and rewards any number of re-readings, more complex even than the Black Sun Rising trilogy (also among my favorite books); highly recommended idea and character driven speculative fiction. Only possible improvement would be a Kindle edition with Whispersync (but not truly necessary).

Pleasantly Surprised

Enjoyable, what a great few days listening to this story. The performance is good, the writing, superb. The twists and turns, the expected does not happen.

Every C.S. Friedman book that I have listened too has been great. The story is unique. A well spent credit.

SciFi take on the vampire mythos.

This is an interesting attempts at making vampires scifi instead of fantasy, along with some fascinating alien species. It loses a star for too much angst, on ocassion, from both the story and the narrator. It's perfectly logical for the character, under the circumstances, but it can be a little wearing to listen to. Still worth a listen, though.

Completely awesome

The narrator was perfectly paired with the novel. He really brought all the characters alive.

One of my favorites of all time

From the first time that I read this book when I was a teenager until now, this has remained one of my favorite books. it hits on a deeply personal level, describing some of the same challenges I feel like I have dealt with in society.

Madness is right

Angsty, morose, and confusing. Great world-building, but horrible characters no one could relate to. Like a bad LSD trip. Lot of promise, but did not deliver. Do not read if you are depressed - could provoke suicidal thoughts in a totally balanced person. This is really no fun and painful. Jonathan Davis is pretty good if speeded up - too slow and angsty for a pleasure read.

One of My Favorites Performed Well

I love this book, and the performance was fantastic. The characters, and there are a large variety were superbly acted. It just gave one of my favorite books additional depth.

Revisiting a book I loved.

I first read this book along time ago in the 90s. I was afraid it might not live up to my memories of it. I was completely wrong to fear because this book is awesome. I absolutely love the concepts and characterizations of this book. This is one of my all-time favorite sci-fi novels and I’m happy that this audiobook version is performed so well by Jonathan Davis.

Amazing book to read or listen to

I was hesitant to get the audible version of this. CS Friedman is one of my favorite authors, and her books are amazing at delving into the inner working of “alien minds”. I’ve read this book at least 6-7 times and it’s hard to listen to a narrator that voices the characters differently than you imagine them. However, I am so pleased with how the narrator did on this book. Sometimes with audible books, the story is carried by the phenomenal writing and a listener can overlook the narrator’s reading of it. That is not the case, here.

I’m halfway through listening, and it has been engrossing.
It’s a beautifully written book, and the narrator has added to the richness of the story. Truly a pleasure to listen to.