''Vigilant'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel written by the Canadian author

James Alan Gardner James Alan Gardner (born January 10, 1955) is a Canadian science fiction author. Raised in Simcoe, Ontario, Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in applied mathematics from the University of Waterloo. Gardner ...

, published in 1999 by HarperCollins Publishers under its various imprints.HarperCollins, Avon, SFBC/Avon-Eos; paperback edition 1999, Eos Books. The book is the third volume in Gardner's "

League of Peoples {{Short description, Fictional association The League of Peoples is a fictional interstellar polity present in a series of novels by Canadian science fiction author James Alan Gardner. Although theoretically made up of every sentient race in the ga ...

" series, after ''

Commitment Hour ''Commitment Hour'' is a science fiction novel by Canadian writer James Alan Gardner, published in 1998. The novel is set in Gardner's " League of Peoples's" futuristic universe, and plays out in the small, isolated village of Tober Cove. Set on ...

'' (1998).

Backstory

By the mid-25th century, humanity is integrated into a pan-galactic civilization called the League of Peoples, dominated by species of intelligent life evolved far beyond the human level. The benefits of this association are major advanced technologies, including effective

interstellar travel Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft from one star system, solitary star, or planetary system to another. Interstellar travel is expected to prove much more difficult than interplanetary spaceflight due to the vast dif ...

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

, and

terraforming Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make ...

. The League's cardinal rule is that sentient beings who do not sufficiently respect life are not allowed to travel between solar systems.

Synopsis

Faye Smallwood lives on the colony planet of Demoth, which humans share with the

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...

-like Oolom. During her adolescence, the Oolom population was nearly wiped out by a plague before her father discovered a cure for it; at 40, her residual

survivor guilt Survivor guilt (or survivor's guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor's syndrome and survivor disorder or survivor's disorder) is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumati ...

leads her to join the Vigil, a Demoth-wide organization of

ombudsmen An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

. As a result, she finds herself enmeshed in an ancient mystery involving murderous androids and

biological weapon A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterroris ...

Reception

At the ''

SF Site SF may refer to: Locations * San Francisco, California, United States * Sidi Fredj, Algeria * South Florida, an urban region in the United States * Suomi Finland, former vehicular country code for Finland In arts and entertainment Genre ...

'', Rich Horton praised Gardner's depiction of Faye as "less than perfect but still likable", and called the book "enjoyable" and "fast-moving", but faulted it for its "elaborate edifice of motivations and plots" (while conceding that the "coincidences are generally well explained", and that the book has a "fairly tightly constructed

denouement Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and scholar ...

").Vigilant
reviewed by Rich Horton, at the ''

''; published 1999; retrieved July 9, 2017 At ''

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Gerald Jonas described Faye as "engaging", with an "unquenchable spirit and pure heart", but noted that the narrative "stops for nothing, not even common sense", and that it is "wish-fulfillment fantasy of a high order".Science Fiction
by Gerald Jonas, at ''

''; published May 30, 1999; retrieved July 9, 2017

References

{{reflist 1999 Canadian novels Novels by James Alan Gardner Novels set in the 25th century