The crew of a sail boat wrecked in a storm is rescued and finds themselves held by an alien civilization under the South Pacific. The Homakuwa city of Ocealla nurses Kent (Kit) Carson and his friends back to health, and then has to decide what to do with them. Established from the rogue nation of Nueva Pacifica of generations before, Ocealla was founded when the residents of Nueva Pacifica escaped as it was destroyed by an international agreement to protect mankind and the world order.
Since then, peace and tolerance have come about with the rise of the United World Government and a new world religion led by a mystical man simply known as the Prophet. With Kit's urging, the citizens of Homakuwa with their Collective mind decide to explore the possibility of rejoining the world community. Katherine Levey, the leader of Homakuwa, leaves Ocealla to meet with ex President Ron Carson, Kit's great grandfather and the United States President during the time of Nueva Pacifica, to investigate the possibility of becoming known again. In the interim since Nueva Pacifica, the United States has been able to maintain a position of power by building the Orbiting Power System (OPS) and selling power to the world's ever-increasing appetite.
Katherine takes Ron to Ocealla to see Kit, and they decide to rejoin the world. They apply to the United World Government for membership and the approval is not without dissent. Not all world citizens are happy with the new world order. With the loss of power and control by the world's major religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, and the autocratic governments such as China and North Korea form a coalition, the Foundation and decides to disrupt the order to gain back control.
In a stunningly successful series of attacks, the Foundation strikes the United World Government. Before they are subdued, China is able to insert viruses into the central computer system that will give them eventual control.
The integration of Homakuwa proceeds, though their isolation from UWG monitoring systems is not viewed well. With their oceanographic expertise they begin directorship of the International Fishing Industry. Their genetic development ability allows them to gain the operating and maintenance contracts for the OPS, and they begin to build habitats with modified citizens designed for life in space. With power being the major impediment to China's world dominance, they strike the computer system controlling the OPS and discredit Homakuwa's ability to operate the system.
Despite not having the OPS contracts, Homakuwa continues to expand and build orbiting habitats and a lunar colony. With the discovery of a meteor swarm heading toward Earth, Homakuwa and Earth send out interceptors to try to divert the most destructive objects. They are successful with those capable of destroying the Earth, but enough smaller ones get through that civilization is devastated. During the Impact Winter, most of the life on Earth is killed, and the surface survivors and Homakuwa combine to bring it back.
Homakuwa continues to expand in orbit with the construction of more habitats. They send a number of these to Mars to colonize it, and then expand throughout the Solar System.
Review :
The Envoy continues the fast-paced character-driven and realistic future portrayed in Clayton's first book, Sea Species. This theme seemed familiar, and then I realized it is Noah's ark and the coming of Christ combined in a secularized version. This future also illustrates that just as the dinosaurs and millions of other species were doomed by catastrophic events on Earth, so could be humankind. The Envoy is thought provoking and not to be missed. What evolutionary step will the third book cover?
Robyn Lester, Author and Editor
I just finished The Envoy. Great book! In this character driven story, the portrayal of politicians shows how those in charge use the system to seek any advantage and stay in power. The catastrophe that befalls Earth is both believable and disheartening. Being a product of our times, I keep looking for someone within Homakuwa to say "ENOUGH!" and take over the world and save the humans. As is rightly shown, that would lead to rebellion and more chaos than is already in our lives.
Robert Koerner
R. L. Clayton astounds us yet again with another view of the future in The Envoy. In his first volume of The Evolution River Series, Sea Species, he took us through the birth of a new species on Earth and the interaction with humans. Two generations later in The Envoy, humankind is now the species left behind, and the new species, Homakuwa, evolves again to do what is necessary to survive. This is truly an epic journey through evolution with a unique slant couched in reality and metaphysics. The teaser for the third volume has me on the edge of my seat.
T. Vonn
"The Envoy by R.L. Clayton, the second installment in the Evolution River Series trilogy, takes readers on an unexpected journey. The non-human civilization called Homakuwa rejoins humanity after 80 years of separation. During this time, Homakuwa developed a synergistic living environment and continued to genetically alter their citizens to create thriving cities throughout the oceans of the world. They re-emerge to rejoin the human race where a Unified World Government (UWG) oversees the citizens of the surface world, and many of the world's beliefs have been absorbed into a single world religion. Faithism creates a sense of peace and tolerance among the once warring nations of the world. But some seek to control or destroy Faithism, the scientific advances Homakuwa has achieved, and the UWG using technology and economics to win their war of domination. Get ready for a surprise ending as a twist of fate threatens to destroy all of Earth's civilization, and Homakuwa evolves into a new species. What will happen next and where will this evolutionary path take this new species as they continue their journey into the universe? It leaves me eagerly awaiting the third volume."
Katharine Nelson, Author and Arizona Community Connection Magazine, Publisher
