Greg Vancover is the main character in the Unium books, a science fiction series by James Michael Moody.
- Initial Situation: The series begins in Pioneers On Unium, where Greg Vancover and his friends, after rescuing a baby in a boating accident, accept a vacation offered by the parents of the rescued child. Greg leaves one week earlier than his two friends, Wild Bill and Jack Blair, due to prior commitments. The passenger plane en route to Puerto Rico is captured by a flying saucer while traveling through the Bermuda Triangle. After losing consciousness during the kidnapping, the passengers recovered consciousness, still seated on the plane. The aircraft was no longer in flight, however, but was now sitting in a large grassy field on a planet other than Earth.
- Mysterious Awakening: The story begins when the main character, Greg, is mysteriously aneathetixed. He then wakes up on the planet'Unium,' which is described as an "unknown and incredibly outlandish" world, unique and different from Earth in "every imaginable way,"
- The Unium Landscape: As Greg regains consciousness, he is startled by the plant's unique and dangerous features, which include;
- Two moons.
- Gigantic mountains that soar through the clouds and were much larger than any on Earth.
- Four hours of immense night darkness where even the moons diped below the horizon.
- Vast plains with brutal half-man raiders forging for their prey.
- Fearless savage predators, small and large, are trying to make you their next meal, or in some cases a snack.
- A Struggle for Survival: Greg is thrust into a desperate struggle for existence on this strange and dangerous landscape.
- Conflict and Banishment: Greg makes "an unwise but common decision" by having a relationship with two women at the same time. This leads to trouble and violence with the influential father of one of the women, resulting in Greg Vancover being found guilty of a crime specifically, the forcible rape of the fort's nurse, Sally Swift.
- Exile: Greg's death sentence is reduced to a life banishment from the settlement, "Fort America," and he is exiled into the surrounding "savage land" of Unium in a canoe.
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| Pioneers On Unium |
The story of Exiled On Unium centers on Greg Vancover's banishment from the settlement of Fort America.
Here is a summary of his situation and journey in the book.
- Criminal Conviction and Sentence: Greg Vancover has been found guilty of the forcible rape of Sally Swift, the fort's nurse.
- Failed Execution: After a failed hanging attempt, his death sentence was reduced to life banishment from Fort America.
- Terms of Exile: He was declared an excommunicated criminal and if caught within a days march of the town, he was to be killed on sight.
- Provisional Banishment: Due to past service the town council voted to provide him with a light bark canoe, food, and weapons.
- The Exile's Journey: He says farewell to all his closest friends and paddles downstream into the unknown, savage wilderness. He must now survive alone, feed himself, and protect himself from the dangerous creatures of the forest.
The central tension of the book revolves around his fate:
- Will he die from a hungry predator?
- Will he live to see his friends, including Laura again?
- Will fate lead him in a new, unexpected direction?
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| Exiled On Unium |
The third book, Swordsman On Unium, continues Greg Vancover's difficult life on the alien world.
- A Struggle for Survival: Greg is thrust into a desperate struggle for existence on this strange and dangerous landscape.
- New Allies: While exploring the unknown clifftop, Greg finds an unexpected lifeline and ally, Star, a courageous young girl, and her father, In-kor, who is a legendary swordsman.
- Confronting a Dangerous Society: The three must confront the perils of Unium, a world described as being "ruled by fear" where the weak are preyed upon by ruthless slavers, tyrannical kings, and half-human savage raiders.
- Uncovering Conspiracies: As Greg delves deeper into the mysteries of this alien society, he uncovers a web of conspiracies that threaten not only his survival but the "very fabric of Unium itself." He is forced to learn to trust, to fight, and to forgive unlikely bonds with those he meets.
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| Swordsman On Unium |
