Creation date: 3/5/96
Last update: 10/4/96
Carolyn Cooper finds herself stranded in her hometown, but the year is 1987, not 1895! Is she truly lost in time?
I wanted to tell Paul about the dreams and memories I'd been experiencing, especially the ones about John. Yet, where was he? Even someone on foot could have covered Knoxville in two weeks. Was my time traveling lover only a figment of my imagination? I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"Paul, what would you do if you had memories of another -- another place, but you weren't sure if these memories were real?"
He stared at me for a long time before answering: "I'd wonder if I was losing my mind."
All novel chapters are text files, which can be printed or saved for reading later. If you wish to reprint any of this book, please don't forget to give me proper credit! -- Karen D. Morton
Chapter One -- Carolyn Cooper finds herself stranded at a large downtown department store. Fortunately, science fiction fan Judith Wilcox doesn't find her behavior too strange...
Chapter Two -- While Judith helps her roommate celebrate, Carolyn finds herself remembering John, an uninvited guest at another birthday party in 1895.
Chapter Three-- In 1895, Carolyn is approached by a stranger, Minnelkin, who begs her help him stop the man who "hurt his sister" -- John!
Chapter Four -- In 1987, Carolyn is becoming frightened by the alien ring that has grown to her finger. Her only choice is to cut it off, but the ring has other ideas.
Chapter Five -- In 1895, John forces Carolyn to reveal her deep, dark secret.
Chapter Six -- No matter how much Carolyn wants to retreat into her memories, the ring keeps forcing others' passionate memories into her mind...
Chapter Seven -- In 1987, Teri and Paul show Carolyn a turn-of-the century painting... Of herself!
Chapter Eight -- On John's Conveyance, Carolyn finds the "crystal of Lovolus," which will free her from sorrow and shame.
Chapter Nine -- Minnelkin catches up with John and Carolyn on an alien planet. When he sees the crystal ring on her finger, he tries to kidnap her!
Chapter Ten -- Judith refuses to believe that Carolyn is from another time, but John and Minnelkin arrive at her house!
Chapter Eleven -- Oppenheimer forces John to reveal why he erased entries from the Conveyance's data. Unfortunately, the ring is trying to take over Carolyn's mind... And Oppenheimer's missing entries include the coordinates of Lovolus!
Chapter Twelve -- Minnelkin's ship, the Mephistopheles, goes mad because, at last, it learns how to kill the hated Lovoli (keepers of the crystal of Lovolus).
Chapter Thirteen -- On Lovolus, John and Judith must help keep Carolyn from assimilating into the Lovoli.
Chapter Fourteen -- The Mephistopheles nearly kills Minnelkin and Carolyn, before John can stop it! Carolyn must now choose: Does she allow herself to become Lovoli, or does she stop running away from her feelings?
Chapter Fifteen -- Now free from the complexity, Carolyn travels to 1896 and confronts her mother. But Carolyn is now torn between her desire for John, and her growing fondness for another. Could she be truly falling in love at last?
Carolyn Cooper constantly strives to please her mother, who blames her for the death of Ruth, Carolyn's older sister. Four years before she meets "John," Carolyn is courted by Frederick Quarrels, but their courtship ends abruptly. Afterwards, Carolyn doesn't trust men. In spite of this, she feels sympathy for Minnelkin, who begs for help. She also finds John both attractive and fascinating, especially when she realizes that he may not be from Earth at all. Stargazer is the story of her ultimate triumph over her fear of intimacy. Physical description: Carolyn is petite, with a thick waist (by Victorian standards), chestnut colored hair and hazel eyes.
"John" (a.k.a. Greistolon) is from a race that is related to humans, but with disease and aging engineered out of their gene pool. Unfortunately, these experiments had a side effect: The Tolisians are strong empaths! It is his desire to end Carolyn's suffering that draws him to her. John has traveled through time in a vehicle known only as a "Conveyance." During his travels, John traded a crystal from Lovolus to Oliva, the sister of Minnelkin. The exact time frame of John's imprisonment, or his trade with Oliva, are not specified. Physical description: John is tall and fair skinned. His hair is black, and his eyes are light gray.
Judith Wilcox is a modern (late 1980's) science fiction fan who has a habit of "bringing home strays." (This is demonstrated bringing Carolyn home, then later giving Minnelkin shelter.) She got divorced prior to meeting Carolyn, and as a result, Judith is somewhat cynical and bitter about intimacy. Two close friends, Paul and Teri, live with Judith. The trio share their interests in science fiction, art and costuming. Judith works for a small start-up robotics company as a technician. Physical description: Judith is taller than Carolyn, with a slender frame, curly brown hair, and brown eyes.
Driven to the edge of insanity by grief over the assimilation of his sister Oliva into the Lovoli, Minnelkin acquires a time drive to track down and destroy Greistolon (a.k.a. "John). When Minnelkin confronts John in 1895 Knoxville, he finds that Carolyn is very sympathetic toward him. Minnelkin's translator causes his English be fractured, resulting in a tragic miscommunication of both his intentions (and John's offense) to Carolyn. Physical description: Minnelkin is tall and muscular with a hard-chisled face, blond hair and a bulbous nose. (Yes, he's human.)
Paul Martin is Judith's best friend (they went to high school together). He becomes extremely jealous of Carolyn, but he refuses to tell Judith how he feels. (If you want to know why, read the novel!) Physical description: Paul is slightly taller than Judith, with a well-formed body (except for a slight stomach paunch). Paul's eyes are clear blue, and his hair is black.
Oppenheimer describes himself to Carolyn as a "companion." He also serves as control for the Conveyance. At first, he seems to be an irritable but loyal lapdog (an idea reinforced in Carolyn's mind by his appearance). However, toward the end of the novel, it becomes clear that Oppenheimer doesn't just take orders... Physical description: Carolyn calls him a "monkey dog" because he has the body and head of a greyhound, with arms, paws and long tail of a monkey. His mouth is capable of more expression than a dog's but Oppenheimer cannot speak directly. He communicates either telepathically with John (through a translator implanted in his brain) or via a small voice box attached to his collar.
The Complexity of Lovolus has a natural crystalline form. It gains consciousness by attaching itself to living hosts, which in turn try to assimilate others into itself. The initial effect of donning the complexity is a relief from anxiety and emotional pain, which can be replaced by a euphoria. Over time, however, the complexity begins to take over the host's mind by inserting memories from other hosts and establishing telepathic links between the other Lovoli and the new host. The new host is assimilated into the Lovoli when his/her mind is opened to the complexity's history.
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