The Sky People

Lore & Background

The plot involves a civil war between the Neanderthal Cloud Mountain People and other Neanderthals, an alien AI that can control both species, and the discovery that the Cloud People speak a Proto-Indo-European language, suggesting that a creator race seeded Neanderthals on Venus. The rescue crew, including Marc, Cynthia Whitlock, and Wing Commander Christopher 'Kit' Carson, sides with the Cloud Mountain People. After their lands are destroyed by a biological weapon, Marc leads them on a five-thousand-mile journey to Jamestown, bringing an alien artifact.

Reader's Guide

The Sky People is significant as a work of alternate history science fiction that draws heavily on the styles of writers such as Ray Bradbury, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C. Clarke, and Larry Niven. It explores themes of parallel evolution, neocolonialism, and the consequences of space exploration. The novel received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly, which praised its use of old-fashioned literary tropes and realistic scientific elements, and from Kirkus, which noted its atmospheric tale and lively characterization. The book sets up its sequel, In the Courts of the Crimson Kings, which is set on Mars.

Did You Know?

• The novel was published in hardcover by Tor Books in November 2006, with a book club edition in December 2006.
• Audiobook editions were published by Tantor Media in January 2007.
• The sequel, In the Courts of the Crimson Kings, is set on Mars.
• The Cloud Mountain People are Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis), not Homo sapiens, and speak a Proto-Indo-European language, indicating seeding by a creator race.