History Literature / TheMadnessSeason

Centuries ago, Earth was invaded and subjugated by an alien race known as the Tyr. In order to make humanity more docile, the Tyr destroyed all of Earth's history before the invasion so that they would forget what a world ruled by humans might have been like. For the most part, the Tyr were successful. But there was one native of Earth who never forgot that old world.

* HiveMind: The Tyr.

* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The reason that the Tyr can travel between stars while everyone else collapses into a state of terror.

''The Madness Season'' was written by CeliaSFriedman in 1990.

* BodySurf: Marra is forced to survive this way when she first encounters the Tyr.

* TheFogOfAges: Despite being a better shapeshifter and a neater feeder than Daetrin, the Marra eventually forgets everything that happened to her more than a few centuries ago.

** When Daetrin asks if she's reading his mind, she replies "That would be impossible -- and rude."

* TouchTelepathy/Psychometry: Marra, or at least the smarter and more experienced ones, can do a form of this. The protagonist Marra has taken on so many alien forms over her lifetime that she can very quickly get a very close approximation of how a new life-form moves, speaks, behaves, and mates just by copying and analyzing their brain structure. She's thrown for quite a loop when a new species, the Tyr, doesn't match any of her previous experiences (they're a hive-mind, which she's never encountered before.)

** Daetrin is effectively a blood-sucking vampire (though he doesn't care to admit it). Through the use of modern chemistry, he lived for centuries without requiring human blood, however this dulled his senses, and greatly weakened his shapeshifting abilities. Some fresh blood cured him of these handicaps very quickly.
** The Marra are energy vampires and do not even have to inhabit the same body at all times. They are also not native to this universe. The only character specifically called a vampire is a Marra.

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Averted. Daetrin, having evolved on Earth, is not able to transform on his own into a life form that is not native to his home planet.

* HealingFactor: Daetrin and Marra can both heal from what would otherwise be fatal injuries, so long as they have enough blood or energy to do so.

* NinetyPercentOfYourBrain: This appears to be the main difference between Daetrin's variety of vampire and Marra's. When Daetrin transforms into, say, a wolf, his neural activity matches that of a normal wolf. When Marra does the same, her entire brain is used to house her consciousness.
** Actually none of the Mara consciousness resides in the brain. The Marra consciousness exists completely independently of the body, but they will activate specific areas of the brain in the bodies they inhabit as needed, because it's easier than controlling the body directly. So The Marra actually do only use a small fraction of their (body's) brain at any one time.

* GodGuise: One Marra encountered acts as the leader of a cult and uses his powers to convince the naive human colonists that he is a god. When he is finally "banished", he even does a fairly convincing impression of the Burning Bush.

* TheFogOfAges: Despite being a better shapeshifter and a neater feeder than Daetrin, Marra eventually forgets everything that happened to her more than a few centuries ago.

* PlanetOfSteves: All of the Marra are called Marra, differentiated by a suffix denoting their current role (the Marra masquerading as a human priest, for example, is called "priest-Marra" by his fellows.) Likewise, the majority of the Tyr, being extensions of the HiveMind, are designated only by the biological caste that they belong to. When one of the Tyr gets an individual name, it's a big deal.

* PlanetOfSteves: All of the Marra are known only as Marra. Likewise, the majority of the Tyr, being extensions of the HiveMind, are designated only by the biological caste that they belong to.

Deemed by the Tyr to be a threat to their dominion over Earth, Daetrin is banished from Earth, doomed to live the rest of his many days on a distant research world. But he is a survivor. Cut off from what he needs to stay alive while being transported on a Tyr starship, his instincts take control and allow him to escape by jumping ship during a stop at a Medieval-level human colony world. There, he meets an energy being named Marra who also requires the life force of others to survive and is also able to change her shape.

Together, Daetrin and Marra travel through the Tyr-dominated worlds in an attempt to discover the origins of the Tyr which ultimately prove to be the key to destroying their empire.

** Actually none of the Mara consciousness resides in the brain. The Marra consciousness exists independently of the body, but they will activate specific areas of the brain in the bodies they inhabit as needed, because it's easier than controlling the body directly. So The Marra actually do only use a small fraction of their (body's) brain at any one time.

** The Marra are energy vampires and do not even have to inhabit the same body at all times. They are also not native to this universe.

* VoluntaryShapeShifting: Daetrin is able to transform into any living thing that has evolved on Earth (though he does not like the idea of turning into a bat because of the stereotype). The Marra are able to transform into anything, living or inanimate, period. One even managed to do a pretty good impression of the Burning Bush.

* BizarreAlienReproduction: The Tyr reproductive cycle is based on their home planet's roughly century-long highly eliptical orbit. [[spoiler:At the planet's closest approach to their sun, the Raayat-Tyr, which effectively act as drones, enter a state of madness and enter the Tyr hive where they fight each other for the chance to reach the queen's chamber. If a Raayat mates with the queen, he will die. If he kills her, though, he transforms into the new queen.]]

* DeathWorld: The Tyr Homeworld is perfectly habitable for two months out of its year. Unfortunately, that year lasts for over a century. For most of its elliptical orbit, it is covered in ice. For the brief period when it is close to its sun, it is a fiery hellscape.

''The Madness Season'' was written by C S Friedman in 1990.

Deemed by the Tyr to be a threat to their dominion over Earth, Daetrin is banished from Earth, doomed to live the rest of his many days aboard a Tyr starship. But he is a survivor. Cut off from what he needs to stay alive, his instincts take control and allow him to escape, disguised as an animal bound for a Medieval-level human colony world. There, he meets an energy being named Marra who also requires the life force of others to survive and is also able to change her shape.

** Daetrin is effectively a blood-sucking vampire (though he doesn't care to admit it). Through the use of modern chemistry, he lived for centuries without requiring human blood, however this also made him allergic to sunlight, dulled his senses, and greatly weakened his shapeshifting abilities. Some fresh blood cured him of these handicaps very quickly.

* TitleDrop: The title of the book referrences [[spoiler:the mental state of the Raayat-Tyr as they enter the breeding season.]]

* VoluntaryShapeShifting: Daetrin is able to transform into any living thing that has evolved on Earth (though he does not like the idea of turning into a bat because of the stereotype). The Marra are able to transform into any living thing, period. One even managed to do a pretty good impression of the Burning Bush.

Centuries ago, Earth was invaded and subjugated by an alien race known as the Tyr. In order to make humanity more docile, the Tyr destroyed all of Earth's history before the invasion so that they would forget what a world ruled by humans might have been like. For the most part, the Tyr were successful. But there was one human who never forgot that old world.

Daetrin Ungashak To-Alym Haal (as he is known by the Tyr numerical designation) is an immortal who had lived for so long that he does not even remember his true age. For the entire time that the Tyr ruled the Earth, he had fabricated seventeen separate identities until they finally learned what he was. Deeming Daetrin a threat to the stability of their dominion, the Tyr transport Daetrin into space so that he might be studied.

But Daetrin does not remain in captivity for long. Despite wanting to admit it, he is more than an immortal: He is an ancient vampire, capable of superhuman strength and changing his physical form. He uses his powers of shapeshifting to hide among animals set to be transplanted to a human prison colony. There, Daetrin meets an energy being that calls itself Marra, who also feeds on life force and can change shape.

Together Daetrin and Marra travel through the Tyr-dominated worlds in an attempt to discover the origins of the Tyr which ultimately proves to be the key to destroying their empire.

* YouAreNumberSix: Daetrin Ungashak To-Alym Haal is not a name so much as a Tyr numerical designation assigned to all humans living under them.

* VoluntaryShapeShifting: Daetrin is able to transform into any living thing that has evolved on Earth (though he does not like the idea of turning into a bat because of the stereotype). The Marra are able to transform into any living thing, period. One even managed to do a pretty good impression of the Burning Bush.

* ImmortalProcreationClause: The Marra are not able to breed. Or, if they can, they [[FogOfAges have forgotten how]]. Daetrin, as Marra describes, produces just enough life force to survive and no more, making him essentially sterile. [[spoiler:Subverted for Daetrin as it later turns out that, for his kind to breed, they have to be freely given blood rather than taking it by force.]]