The Green Star Series is a set of five science fantasy novels written by American writerLin Carter, published by DAW Books, from 1972 to 1976. In these novels, the concept of soul-projection is central. The series is written from the viewpoint of an anonymous, rich, crippled 30-year-old who seeks adventure—and finds it on a planet revolving around a green star.
Volumes
Under the Green Star
When the Green Star Calls
By the Light of the Green Star
As the Green Star Rises
In the Green Star's Glow
Storyline
An anonymous, rich, crippled Americangets books from the Tibetan monastery at Qanguptoy, from which he learns the art of soul projection. Longing for an adventure, and restricted by his earthly body, he looks at the sky one night and sees a green star and projects his soul to a cloud-covered planet revolving around it. The texts of the five volumes of the series are ostensibly transcripts of first-person narratives by the anonymous author recounting his adventures: the first after he took the body of Chong The Mighty, and returned to earth after Chong was killed by a brigand; the rest, in his second incarnation as Karn The Hunter. Through a bequest, these come into the hands of Lin Carter, who "edits" them for publication.
Setting
The surface of the planet revolving about The Green Star is largely covered by a tropical forest of multi-mile-high trees in whose tops are the main cities including Phaolon, Ardha and Kamadhong. The human inhabitants of these arboreal cities, known as Laonese, use large moths to draw carriages, and dragonflies for individual transport. Other races of humans include:
the savage albino troglodyte dwellers among the huge trees' roots
the Blue Barbarians, a nomadic race who at unpredictable intervals are afflicted by an insanity causing them to destroy and pillage whatever cities are in their vicinity
the Komarians and Tharkoonians, basically similar to the Laonese, but dwelling on islands in an inland sea known as the Sea Of Komar
the black humans of Calidar, who think of themselves as the only humans and of the Laonese as mere beasts with human shape; Calidar has many captive Laonese whom the ebon men use for experiments
the Kaloodha, an ancient race of winged humanoids who are almost extinct due to foolish experiments to make them immortal
The planet is closer to The Green Star than the earth is to the sun; it is protected from being seared by a thick, almost unbroken cloud-cover. However, the cloud-cover does not protect the planet from tidal effects. In all of the novels, it is assumed that humans retain terrestrial size; he confesses at two points in the series that he does not know if this is the case, or if humans are miniaturised with other creatures retaining terrestrial size.
