Soeur Onden (Sister Onden)
Humanity is in danger and the Panca Brotherhood intend to save it by re-forming a five-link chain or pancatvique; the fifth brother, the end of the chain, will engage in the final combat benefiting from the energy of the other four links.
Onden, benefiting from the energy from the âmnas of the three previous links and in permanent communication with the aliens who have taken possession of her, must find a way of reaching the Tarz Alpha system where there has been a breakdown in contact and hand over to the first brother in the chain.
At the same time the hunt for the Panca Brotherhood continues and two mercenaries have been ordered to locate and infiltrate it. But how to proceed against something that may have no real existence?
Onden finds safety in embarking incognito aboard the Odysseus, an exploration vessel sent by the universal Parliament to explore the Perseus Arm and to renew contact with the human communities already settled there.
In one of these, a young boy, who has ability to time-travel, goes back along a chronological path to meet the person that has for ever haunted his dreams...
After Ewen's voyage in real time, Ynolde's quantum leap transfers and Kalkin's supra-luminary transportation, it becomes clear that it is absolutely necessary to be free from the limitations of time and space.
Pierre Bordage celebrates the "little man». The stars in this huge epic are characters from the working class. He brings to the fore individuals of modest origin who find themselves, with few resources, having to go on a quest whose outcome is overwhelming: "There existed the same uncertainties and the same discouragement in the memories of his brothers and sisters. The feeling of not being up to the task. Having been chosen by mistake." Yet they are able to overcome all this to finish their mission. He shows, through these characters, not only all the variety and complexity of human nature but also its wealth and resourcefulness that it is capable of. He also shows, on the way, that it isn't "the strong arms or the loud mouths" that are best equipped to overcome trials and obstacles.
[...]We can trust Pierre Bordage to plumb the depths of his unbridled imagination for new circumstances. In fact, up to now, even with the recurring theme of the communication of a link, he has brought fresh solutions to each of the four volumes.
In La Fraternité du Panca, Pierre Bordage has created a human fresco of galactic scale, a philosophical tale with universal dimensions, a space opera as varied as the stars, a cosmic human comedy illuminated by a constellation of humanist values.
Serge Perraud, Littéraire.com
It's really exciting to take up with the adventures of the Panca Brotherhood again, in this fascinating saga that presents a variety of characters whose mission is to save humanity, by braving dangers and sometimes experimental time travel. This volume is primordial because it gives us important details about the Brotherhood as well as about the sâtnagas, their hairless enemies that run naked in the street and whose sole aim is to prevent the formation of the five-link chain.
Bordage actually anchors his novel in a historical framework. He recreates origins, invents a past, and explains current information and development by climatic and human events. Thus he manages to give a depth and a reality to his world. He gives it coherence and all these details put end to end give us an idea of the size of this exceptional author's undertaking. We can now appreciate the dimension of this universe. The extraordinary bestiary created by Pierre Bordage contributes strongly to the liveliness and suspense of the narrative. The worlds depicted by the author are all peopled by original animal-types that can be more or less aggressive and which are just as important as the characters, with their own roles in this novel.
In short, this pentalogy never ceases to amaze. We are impatient to find out what happens in the end as we follow in the tracks of the agent for the final mission. What is this incredible writer saving up for us?
Sig, Les Chroniques de l'Imaginaire
The strong points of the previous volumes are still in evidence. A magnificent universe, which we always like to know more about, aided by a clear writing style so pleasant to read, keeping our interest up. The usual high standard is maintained from start to finish, and just for that it's worth reading. Once again we discover new cultures, religions and populations. We could get bored after four volumes, but on the contrary, from that point of view, we have to admit the story is constantly gripping. And not only that, the encyclopaedic articles are always interesting to read.
[...]
Soeur Onden is an excellent novel, head and shoulders above the rest. After four volumes, La Fraternité du Panca is still for me successful: a series which is a cross between Fantasy and Space Opera that you must read. Pierre Bordage has written a great saga, so I have to encourage you, even urge you to read it. I mean it.
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