Liz
Names: LizmommyLiz VernonMumMrs. Vernon
First appears in Book 1: Pandora's Star, chapter 7 (SIX)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: Pandora's Star
- Ch 7Mark's wife, much older and more experienced than him; she refused pregnancy, so their children came via a rented womb tank.
- Ch 7Liz is Mark's wife, a rejuvenated multi-lifer who works at Bitor-UU; she looks ten years out of rejuve and has two children with Mark.
- Ch 7Liz agrees to emigrate with Mark to a different world, perhaps a phase three world, and tells him to resign the next day.
- Ch 16Liz, Mark's wife, works at the Dunbavand vine nursery.
- Ch 16Liz is growing the family's permanent drycoral house over inflated membranes, a cheap method she found through a company on Halifax.
- Ch 22Liz works at the Dunbavands' vine nursery, is immune to Simon Rand's charm and mocks his pomposity, but supports Mark's principles.
- Ch 22Liz believes the edited interview is the navy's response to the blockade, meant to pressure Simon Rand into letting the convoy through.
- Ch 23Liz is nearly finished cracking the rhizome sequence of the Kinavine vine so it can fix its own nitrogen.
- Ch 25Liz carries a concealed ion pistol from a friend and gave Mark his laser hunting rifle.
- Ch 25Liz refuses to leave Mark and stays to fight alongside him in the rear guard.
- Ch 25Liz carries a captured Prime weapon and is Mark's lover; she keeps him moving when he despairs.
Book 2: Judas Unchained
- Ch 5Liz has biotechnology skills; she is cold toward Mark, drinks heavily, and distrusts Giselle's too-good-to-be-true offer but agrees they are broke.
- Ch 9Liz hates the barren landscape of the town where they live, calling it a vampire planet, and is anxious about whether the fleet will be enough.
- Ch 9Liz dislikes the sterile, bot-run lifeboat town, comparing it to a Cold War Russian spy-training replica of an American town, and feels helpless.
- Ch 9Liz accepts Mark's reassignment to the frigate project reluctantly, though she dislikes the idea of him working on weapons.
- Ch 20Liz is Mark's partner; she designed the big new house with an architect and is annoyed by delivery and fitting mistakes.
Connections
- family ofMark Vernonhusband and wife
- family ofSandydaughter
- partner ofMark Vernonmarried couple
- related toDavid and Lydia Dunbavandworks at their vine nursery
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 7Mark comes home to his father and Amanda
After a bad day, Mark arrives home in Santa Hydra, finds his family at the pool, and meets Marty's teenage girlfriend Amanda.
- Book 1 · Ch 7Family barbecue debate
At a family evening, relatives argue over the Commonwealth Cup, the Guardians' shotgun, and the starship project, and Mark reveals his promotion was delayed again.
- Book 1 · Ch 7Liz agrees to emigrate
Mark confesses he hates Augusta and feels overwhelmed by his relatives' experience. Liz proposes he resign and that they move to a different world together.
- Book 1 · Ch 16Evening at the Vernon home
Mark returns home to Ulon Valley, hears about Barry's day and cares for sick Sandy, while Liz cooks tea; later he and Liz banter about chickens and the house.
- Book 1 · Ch 22Vernon family joins the blockade
Mark, Liz and the children, with Panda, drive up to the Randtown blockade on MtZuelea, where Simon Rand leads residents blocking the navy's convoy in a picnic-like protest.
- Book 1 · Ch 22Mark humiliated on Alessandra Baron's show
At the Phoenix bar, Mark discovers the reporter he spoke to was Mellanie Rescorai, whose edited interview portrays him as a backward, antihuman simpleton. Messages of abuse flood in.
- Book 1 · Ch 23Day on Trine'ba
Mark and his family and friends dive and sail on Trine'ba, until they spot navy helicopters landing near Goi'al, bringing in the detector station despite protests.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Carys offers Mark PR help
Carys visits the Vernons' vineyard and tells Mark he needs PR help after the media backlash; a bright flash and Sandy's squeals interrupt them.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Regents detector station nuked
A nuclear explosion destroys the Regents detector station; Mark's family watches the mushroom cloud rise as electronics fail.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Mark's family heads for Randtown
After the blast damages their home, the family packs the repaired pickup and sets out toward Randtown to find neighbours and news, armed.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Rear-guard fight at Randtown
Simon Rand's guerrillas fire on landing Prime troops; the aliens retaliate, destroying many buildings and causing panic among the defenders.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Mellanie halts the aliens
Mellanie walks into the street and, with the SI's help, freezes the Prime troops and grounds their flyers, telling the humans to take their weapons and retreat to the convoy.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Mellanie stops the Prime soldiers at Randtown
Mellanie and the SI disrupt the Primes' communications, freezing the soldiers, so Mark's group can take weapons. The SI confronts MorningLightMountain, which vows destruction. Mellanie escapes through a wormhole as flyers fire.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Randtown convoy reaches Turquino wormhole
The convoy flees to the Turquino Valley, where Mellanie has opened a small wormhole, and Carys's group begins to pass through.
- Book 1 · Ch 25Defense of the Turquino Valley
Mark, Liz and Simon fight Prime flyers; Mellanie hijacks one. Mark's battery bomb wrecks the advancing aliens while the last Randtown refugees reach the wormhole.
- Book 2 · Ch 5Giselle Swinsol recruits Mark
Giselle visits unannounced, offers Mark a secret, well-paid job on Cressat that clears his Elan debts; after pressure, Mark and Liz accept and must leave next morning.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Randtown destroyed; Mark reassigned
Mark and Liz watch Randtown's nuclear destruction on Michelangelo's show. Giselle then visits, grants them lifeboat berths and orders them to move to starship assembly.
- Book 2 · Ch 7The Vernons see the gigalife
Giselle takes the Vernons through a gateway to the new world, showing groundplant gigalife and a spaceflower moon, and explaining the Planters.
- Book 2 · Ch 9Family breakfast
Mark spends a rare day off at breakfast with Liz and the children, promising to try to take them to the orbital starships, while talking of the fleet and the war.
- Book 2 · Ch 9Mark tells Liz about the frigate assignment
At a mountain tarn, Mark tells Liz he is being moved to the Dynasty's warship frigate assembly. She reluctantly accepts it.
- Book 2 · Ch 16Mark learns of another frigate flight
Mark wakes with Liz, and Otis tells him Nigel wants more frigates flown soon, revealing the Dynasty believes the Starflyer is behind the war.
- Book 2 · Ch 20Mark's family moves into their new house
Mark and Liz settle into their huge new house near Tanyata, receive Ozzie's gift, meet neighbors, and watch Michelangelo's show featuring Nigel, Ozzie and the Bose motile.