Halfway Human by Carolyn Ives Gilman

Halfway Human deals with a distant and very different future. It has many classic sci fi elements: the population grows to the point where the planet can no longer support it, large & slow-moving space ships take off in search of new worlds where humanity can start again, many years following the "scattering" of humanity people have organized and are systematically tracking down and getting familiar with "lost" colony ships that have created their own cultures and legends-on new planets-and are vastly different from where they started on old earth. That is where the "normal" sci fi adventure ends. In the novels beginning Val Enrada is the major wage earner for her family including her daughter and husband. Her job is information trading-specifically information about aliens and alien cultures. In Val's society people make their living by selling and trading information and all information, from how to play a simple game-to insights into alien cultures, comes at a price. Val receives an emergency call from her mother-in-law about an alien from a mysterious and closed planet who has tried to kill itself. From there unfolds the story of Tedla and its home planet of Gammadis-a human descended planet featuring three genders-male, female and neuter-called bland. Tedla is a bland and the only (bland) representative of its planet to ever leave Gammadis. Gammadis was first contacted by old earth when Tedla was in our equivalent of grade school, it was a disastrous contact (much of the disaster surrounding Tedla), and everything was hushed. Until Val meets Tedla, 12 years after its exit from Gammadis, after its attempted suicide in a back alley on a pleasure world and tries to help it. Tedla begins by telling about its life story on Gammadis first as a child or "potential" human and then as a "non-human" Bland. What unfolds is a story so shocking and horrific and at the same time familiar to anyone who has ever read a slave narrative or story of indentured servitude or wives owned by husbands or children used and abused by the adults who are responsible for them. On the surface Gammadis is humanity in a very real Utopian-like future making very real choices all human societies will have to make if we plan to continue as a species. I would almost consider Gammadians enlightened, if not for the status and treatment of blands. When humans first colonized Gammadis they lived on the surface of the planet and reverted to their old-earth destructive habits of destroying the environment, over-population, etc. As a forward thinking "enlightened" culture they decided to make permanent cultural changes to forever change Gammadis's destiny from following the destructive path of earth. An excellent and laudable ideal. One such change made was not living on the surface of Gammadis. Instead they developed technology which allowed them to live underneath the surface of the planet, completely underneath. On the surface were temples where Gammadians worship and are one with nature and the environment-but no construction or environmental damages exist on the surface of Gammadis. Instead there are elaborate living quarters under ground which have night and day settings and are very airy. Another cultural change made to protect Gammadis from going the way of old-earth is to change the family unit. This is a brilliant move, which changes much more than simply population control by abolishing familial ties, imagine what politics would look like in this nation if there were no family ties? Also serves to destroy differences caused by social castes-you can not inherit your families wealth, power and position if there is no family-which serves to level the playing field for everyone. There are no longer mothers, fathers and children-much less aunts, uncles, cousins, grand parents-further leveling the playing field. Women still have babies, but after the babies are born they go to a creche where they are raised with all of the children born in their generation. Niether the woman who gave birth nor the man who's sperm was used to impregnate the woman have any knowledge or involvement with the "child", it is simply handed over to the creche. In the creche children sleep in round rooms naked on the floor and play with their peers. They are primarily taken care of by blands and are over-seen by the humans in charge of each particular creche. Abolishing families also abolishes much of the population problem. Women are not really wanting to have one baby, much less multiple children-they can not keep them and so get none of the pleasures associated with parenthood. Without a baby pregnancy is a major inconvenience and woman are financially and socially compensated for giving birth by Gammadian society. Lack of family units also acts as a societal equalizer, there are no family ties or bonds to cause preferential treatment in employment or education. Of course preference still exists, but it is much minimized by lack of family unit. Fascinating solution for population control but the methods to control the population do not stop with an end to families. Gammadis goes one step further with an attempt to end gender issues as well as helping to keep the population down. All children on Gammadis are born neuter with the "potential" to become human(male/female) in their teen years. All children are primarily treated equally, of course more attractive children are doted on, people will be people it seems even in sci fi. At the entrance to the teens,12-13, all Gammadian children become either human (male/female) or non-human-bland (neuter). Blands are considered to be slow, stupid, alternately sullen and happy, lazy and a responsibility for the poor humans (male and females) responsible for making all decisions and caring for them. Tedla has the great misfortune to go to sleep a neutered "potential" human child and wake up a non-human bland. Tedla prepares itself to loose all of the intelligence it currently has, as blands are unable to learn after they leave childhood and become blands and slowly began to forget what was taught them in childhood. Blands live in what is referred to as "grayspace"-a sister community built side-by-side underground with humans. Blands ease their weight on society by being maids, cooks, gardners, butlers, etc to the humans entrusted with the care and responsibility of the world and of course, blands. In essence blands become slaves. No "human" washes clothes or toilets or cooks their own food or even puts their own clothes away. Blands wait until humans have left for their "important" responsibilities to society and then come in through their own doors from grayspace and clean up unseen after the humans. They also prepare all of their food and some blands even serve as "personals"-like a butler, maid and assistant all in one. Tedla is attractive and intelligent and as such starts training as a personal. What Tedla uncovers is the complex social, sexual and personal relationship between an owner and ownee, including respect and love as well as pain and depravity. This social situation explores what power does to those that have it, whether they recognize it or not and not only what it does to those without power but as important the power structure created by those that have no power amongst themselves. Inevitably there is sex between Tedla and the humans men and women she is assigned to. Tedla is neutered and as such does not seem to have any sexual feelings but it can still love and hate. The abuse is horrible and compounded by the fact that Tedla can not even share its pain with any of its bland contemporaries because it is forbidden for humans to have sexual contact with a bland. In addition is considered distasteful and disgusting for a human to have sex with a bland. Gammadis social position on sex between humans and blands is of course that it NEVER happens and if it does is probably inititaed by the blands. Yet like most of societial taboos, occurring everywhere, participated in by most and ignored by everyone. The most interesting part of the book for me is how Tedla views itself. It feels it is not human as blands are considered little better than trained animals and not really considered more intelligent. Tedla never questions its place in Gammadian society nor feels itself mistreated until it comes into contact with a representative from the newly united old earth. Old Earth finds and contacts Gammada and sends a team of researchers to study Gammadian society and its drift from old earth society. Tedla is assigned as "personal" to a researcher who is part of the first contact team from old earth allowed onto Gammada. He is appalled at the treatment and classification of blands and attempts to teach Tedla some pride and at the same time study the role of a bland in Gammadian society. What follows is Tedla's characters growth from a bland into a human. With all of the guilt that goes along with stepping so completely out of the place society has made for you, whatever society that may be and whatever role you may play in it, to a place where you alone are the first to live this change. No one else like Tedla exists and to even exist as it is Tedla must leave home, Gammadis. Yet once away from Gammadis, Tedla gains a university education and has many interesting insights into human culture both Gammadian and old-earth. How much sexuality effects our everyday life, aspects of human culture that is rarely even examined. Its horror at constantly being related to as either male or female. People do not know how to treat or handle a neutered gender, even the word "it" carries derogatory connotations in reference to a person. Choosing, upon leaving Gammadis, not to have a sexual gender but to continue to be neuter. Its startling observation that blands exist in every society, that "blands" are in fact the fodder that allows the wheels of society to turn. Tedla comes to not be angry at what was done to it. To, in fact, see that it began with the best of intentions, as a way to control population. The Gammadian solution to eco-friendly living fascinates me. I can see how it could have begun as a few simple steps to change so humans can live in harmony with their environment. I can even see how neuters were created, as a way to selectively control who procreates. At first I am sure blands were simply members of the population that were learning disabled and/or truly not fit for much more than manual labor and even that heavily supervised. Yet, as with many things that start out with the best of intentions, it went wrong from there. As the society grew and became more compled, there became a need for more and more blands. After all who was going to do the laundry and cook the meals and clean the rooms while the others were involved in the important business of running the world. Then, it became a reward for achievement or a status symbol to have a "personal" bland to see to all of your needs. Well, who wants an unattractive learning disabled neuter as their personal maid, butler and assistant? So, of course, more children were needed to become blands, whether they fit the original "bland" ideal or not. How can this problem be addressed, ever, when it is a societal standard to ignore the existance of blands all together? How often do societies ignore and not speak about or even develop taboos problems or solutions to problems that are not effecting the important or normal members of society? Yet, if Gammadians admit that this practice has gotten out of control, that blands are being mistreated, are in fact becoming slaves-what does that say about their advanced society? Gammadis is a near Utopia allowed to exist by the sacrifice of blands, eerily relevant to how we live as a "civilized" society today. How many on this planet go to bed every single night hungry and malnourished-how much food do I throw away a week? How many people on this planet are dehydrated or unable to grow crops or even maintain basic hygiene and how much water do I waste everyday while I brush my teeth and take 2 showers/baths a day?I have never read a book like this before. One of the main reasons I enjoy sci fi so much, good sci fi, is that it allows the reader to safely look at the failings of our present and past society-morals, values and equality. Sci fi allows us the opportunity to see from a view not clouded by gender, sexual preference, racial ethnicity, religious trappings or often even humanity, not triggering the readers own identification and therefore biased view of a group or class of people. With a fresh eye we are able to see and compare horrors from this fictional world and race of beings to our very real world and human beings. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to have an equal or equitable society? Is it possible to be truly advanced, civilized, enlightened and treat everyone fairly-will we ever have such a society? The world of the Gammadians almost reminds me of the idealistic world of Star Trek where people are honest and work to better themselves-not for personal gain. It also brings to mind where were the unseen "blands" of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek world? For the one thing Halfway Human taught me without a doubt is that the station that blands fill exist in all societies, even or should I say most especially ours.
~~~~Where you go, There you are!

Storyteller by Amy Thomson

In the future space travel is made possible by "jumpers" who have an almost telepathic ability to fold space to other planets and dimensions. However, jumpers pat a terrible price for their gift. They burnout after so many years/jumps. They can no longer jump anymore ever again. Jumping is addictive-like a drug- and without their jumping ability most of them committ suicide-either quickly and efficiently or slowly with drugs and alcohol. Once such Jumper burned out on a new world, the world of Thalassa. Thalassa was an ocean world filled with small islands-kind of like Hawaii world- and populated by sentient beings called Harsels. Harsels are huge-much larger than our largest whales-and bond-telepathetically with humans, called har-Captains, who use them to make cargo runs. Inside of the Hars is empty and they carry around merchandise and people. The burned out jumper discovers the Harsels telepathic ability with humans when she attempts suicide after her burn out. She bonds with that Harsel and when Thalassa is at last colonized she acts a bridge between humans and harsels. The Pilots story is told by Teller-a guild authorized storyteller. History is traditionally passed down through stories and lessons on Thalassa. This novel alternately tells the history of Thalassa, the Pilot and the Harsels and simultaneously follows the story of Teller and her adopted son Samad.
I am a huge Amy Thomson fan. She writes two of my favorite sci fi alien contact novels of all time-Through Alien Eyes and Color of Distance. So, I was very happy to see a new book by her. While I enjoyed Storyteller, it was rather dry. I was never that attached to the characters or the planet really. I did enjoy many of the stories though. It was an excellent novel and taught a lesson like most of the stories told in the novel. It just was not what I was expecting at all.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Crossfire by Nancy Kress

I just finished this book and liked it. I liked the Beggars Trilogy loads better, but this was well done. I really like first contact novels with interesting aliens. I hate the Star Trek aliens-though I like the series and movies-where all of the aliens speak english and basically look very human. I liked that the Vines were not DNA based-like all other known life. I also liked the interesting views on morals in the story. The Vines would not kill the Furs-even though the Furs were mass murdering them. However, they would genetically experiment on Furs in an attempt to incapacitate them as enemies. To the point of creating sick non-functioning experimental groups where many Fur were maimed and killed or listless and had no quality of life. I also liked the morality of the crew. Would you sacrifice the human race to a save an alien race? Would you sacrifice an intelliegent peace loving alien race on the promise of vicious murders that humans would be spared genocide?
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Nothing Human by Nancy Kress

I really liked this novel alot. It reminded me quite a bit of Octavia Butlers Xenogenesis series. The novel covers a span of 100 years and four generations. The first generation are children concieved through invitro fertilization. Nothing special about them until they all fall into comas at the exact same time-when they wake up they all have the same message-the Pribir are coming. The Pribir are aliens-they insist that they are advanced humans coming to help earthlings find "the right way" through genetics. Lillie is a first generation child of invitro fertilization, the novel follows her relationship with the Pribir and that of her children and grand children. Fascinating novel about what makes us human and what could happen to our species if we do not clean up our act.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card

This is another alternate reality/history. This novel begins in the distant future. A future where multiple wars, famine, disease, planetary devastation, etc have led to the creation of an ideal society. In this Utopian society a technology has been developed allowing reasearchers to review history. Actually view it like a movie or reality show. One such researcher-Tagiri-in Africa discovers what she believes to be a fulcrum in the history of the world-Christopher Columbus and his ill-fated voyage to the America's. She decides to try and figure out what would have happened had Chrisopher Columbus not made the mistakes he did, setting into motion slavery, colonization and genocide. Then send people back to make changes and prevent the devastation that befalls the world. But, to send people back you erase the timeline in which exist-you do not die because you never were-nor were your parents, children, friends, mate, etc. How much is it worth it to erase the past horrors of history? Do you sacrifice the Utopia you now have on a hypothesis that the world would have been a better place if a few things had been different?
A fascinating look at history and how one person can make a difference-and not always for the better. I grew up in a time that did not revere Christopher Columbus. I view him as an idiot-he never even at the time of his death realized that A) he was NOT in India and B) that the American continent was just past modern Haiti and the Bahamas. I am also disgusted that he talked some of the native american Taino Indians into returning to Spain with him where he presented them as slaves to the King and Queen. He wanted to bring Christianity to the heathens and savages-by making them slaves and felt he was improving their lives. In short-I hate him and think it is sick that even now that we know true history and his role in it that we still honor his sorry ass with a holiday in his name. But, I digress, Card portrays Columbus as a spiritually driven man who wanted to bring Christs message and glory to all. I liked much of the supposition of the book but was frankly offended by his solution to the issue-which was to change the colonization of America and make everyone Christians-barf. Like the native americans did not have their own religion and it was not good enough or civilized enough. Otherwise a truly good book.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

The Beggars Trilogy by Nancy Kress

These novels are fantastic. I LOVED them. I picked up the first novel, Beggars in Spain at a used book store and had to order the second-Beggars and Choosers and the third, Beggars Ride from Half.com, since the novels were out of print.
The first novel begins in the near future where parents are genetically modifying their children in vitro. Nothing new there-beauty, brains, strength, purple eyes-familiar stuff there. How about sleeplessness? Never in your entire life to EVER need to sleep. 24 hours a day, 7 days week you are able to work or learn or improve yourself. Leisha Camden-whose father is a multi-millionaire wants a child like that. He and his wife go in for in vitro and get more than they bargained for. They get twins, one genetically altered and sleepless and one home grown. Leisha and Alice. Sleeplessness has unexpected side effects-most of the early trials were done with lower or middle class parents who did not account for an infant that never naps or a child in the midst of the terrible twos that never sleeps-ever. Also, sleeplessness has side effects which increase intelligence-drastically-and prevent aging. The country goes through a sleepless boom, everyone wants perfect intelligent kids that live forever. Then there is the inevitable backlash as the first generation of sleepers hits adulthood and become famous and rich through their heightened intelligence and ability to work around the clock. The world becomes divided between the sleepers and the sleepless. The second half of the book takes place about 50 years later. Most of the sleepless have joined Sanctuary-a protected enclosed community where Sleepless can live amongst themselves in safety and isolation. In the meantime, the US has become a welfare state. Where the poor live on handouts from the government- 80% of the population called "livers" and the other 20% called donkeys-run the country and support them.
Sanctuary eventually moves to form a colony on a space station where genetic engineers begin a new population-the supersleepless. Supers are not attractive and they shake and stutter because their minds are moving at about 100 times the speed of everyone else, they have bigger brains, larger heads and can outsmart their parents.

The second book, Beggars and Choosers focuses on a group of livers in an enclave and an undercover "donkey" who lives amongst them. The sleepless and the supers are also in this novel. The Supers are lead by Miranda-who inexplicably wants to liberate the "livers" from their dependence on the "donkeys" for food, clothing and housing. Most livers do nothing all day, they can not read or write, cook, hunt, garden, have no skills and are totally dependent upon the government for everything. The system is based on high revenue from "Y energy" which is patented by a US inventor and sold exclusively in the US for 80 years. Y energy is a super cheap form of energy used by the world. Due to patent limitations it can only be manufactured and processed in the US for the first years, once the patent runs out, other countries are able to manufacture and produce it for themselves and there is no longer any money to support the millions of livers. The system in breaking down. People are starving and have no skills to acquire food or clothing. In a gesture of good will, Miranda and the super sleepless introduce "change" syringes. "Changed" people no longer need food-they can live on air, mud, clothing, wood, any natural fiber is simply absorbed through the pores of the skin, including clothes and shoes. The body has a super metabolism that destroys disease and facilitates massive healing quickly. No more cancer or heart attacks. No more drug addicts or alcoholics-the body absorbs and changes harmful substances too quickly for users to enjoy them.

The third book, Beggars Ride picks up 10 or so years after Beggars and Choosers. The "Change" syringes have run out and the new generation being born has no more life skills than previous generation of "livers" but has no change syringes either. Miranda has not liberated the livers, she has simply changed their servitude.

Fascinating novels, well written and interesting concepts and characters.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes

An alternative history novel.......
What if America had been colonialized by people of African descent? What if the Mayan Empire would have flourished? What if Europeans were enslaved by the Africans? What if Islam was the dominant religion of the world’s superpowers?

Lion's Blood is a satire of race relations in this country in the latter half of the 19th century. On one hand, it is an exercise in polemics and rhetoric, but on the other, it tells an engrossing story of two boys who have a complex master-slave relationship. In many ways, it resembles an inverted Roots.
In ancient times, many Greeks, including Socrates, were attracted to Egypt, especially after a wounded Alexander claimed the throne of the Pharaoh. Alexandrian Egypt, allied with Kush, established trade routes up the Nile and into southern Africa. When Rome became a commercial and military threat, Egypt and Kush allied with Carthage and defeated Rome, which sank in obscurity. When Islam arose, Bilal, a former Abyssinian slave, saved Muhammad's daughter, Fatima, from the Prophet's enemies, carried her to Abyssinia, and married her. Fatima become an impassioned leader, second only to the Prophet himself, leading her followers on the jihad that established Islam throughout Africa.
When a plague swept through the Egyptian royalty, an Abyssinian gained the throne, giving both empires a black royalty. The plague also swept Europe, killing the bulk of the population, and leaving only small villages and scattered barbarian tribes. In 1863, the Egyptian and Abyssinian empires are the two superpowers. Egypt has colonies in Bilalistan, corresponding to the Gulf states from Alabama to southeastern Texas, but most colonists are Abyssinian or Zulu. It's just a matter of time before the colonists declare their own independence.
This novel explores slavery in a dascinating what if scenario. I liked the plausability of the alternate reality. That history fascinated me as much as the story itself. The story focuses on Bilal and Aidan-friends when they were kids before thier roles as master and slave became so real. I also like the Zulu's in this novel.
Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes has a sequel-Zulu Heart which I have not yet read.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Kingdom of Cages by Sarah Zettel

This novel takes place in a distant future in which humans have left Earth-after ecologically destroying it-and made their homes among distant planets. Many generations later a plague is destroying human life on the colonies and space stations. Scientists can not figure out what is wrong, in desperation the colonists seek help from the earth they left behind. Earth is happy to help until the plague begins to spread to earth. The colonies are desperate and turn to Pandora-a colony of anal retentive people who live in on the most earth like planet-in a bubble so they can study the planets naturaly ecology and not make any changes or damages. They have no plague on their world at all, but they do not allow outsiders access. The colony fleet gives an ultimatum, help us cure the disease or we destroy your pristine planet. Pandora in desperation-has their advanced scientists and technicians begin work on the problem immediately.
Twenty years with no cure in site and under constant threat from the colony fleet, the Pandorans find a family with the genetic markers they need to complete their cure Chena and Teal Trust will never be the same again.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Dune: The Butlerian Jihad by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

I am personally a HUGE fan of the original Dune novels by Frank Herbert. After his death his son, Brian Herbert, hooked up with sci fi author Kevin J. Anderson to bring some Frank Herberts notes on the history of Dune to novel format. The result was not nearly as good as the original novels, but better than average regardless.
I really liked the Butlerian Jihad. It takes places 10,000 years before the first Dune novel and relates the war between humans and their machines. Humanity had become too dependent upon machines for everyday life. Humans no longer even had to work at all-mahcines took care of everything. Then they took over. They made slaves of all of the humans they did not kill. A few of the planets managed to form a resistance to the machines. This is about what set off what would become the legend of the Butlerian Jihad which even in the original Dune novels forbid totally and completely the use of thinking machines.
I also read the second installment in this series-Dune: The Machine Crusade. It was ok, but I liked the first book much better.
Lois

From the Publisher
"Throughout the Dune novels, Frank Herbert frequently referred to the long-ago war in which humans wrested their freedom from "thinking machines." Now, in Dune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson bring to life the story of that war, a tale previously seen only in tantalizing hints and clues. Finally, we see how Serena Butler's passionate grief ignites the war that will liberate humans from their machine masters. We learn the circumstances of the betrayal that made moral enemies of House Atreides and House Harkonnen; and we experience the Battle of Corrin that created a galactic empire lasting until the reign of Emperor Shaddam IV." "Herein are the foundations of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Suk Doctors, the Order of Mentats, and the mysteriously altered Navigators of the Spacing Guild. Here is the amazing tale of the Zensunni Wanderers, who escape bondage to flee to the desert world where they will declare themselves the Free Men of Dune. And here is the backward, nearly forgotten planet of Arrakis, where traders have discovered the remarkable properties of the spice melange..." "Ten thousand years before the events of Dune, humans have managed to battle the remorseless Machines to a standstill ... but victory may be short-lived. Yet amid shortsighted squabbling between nobles, new leaders have begun to emerge. Among them are Xavier Harkonnen, military leader of the Planet of Salusa Secundus; Xavier's fiancee, Serena Butler, an activist who will become the unwilling leader of millions; and Tio Holtzman, the scientist struggling to devise a weapon that will help the human cause." Against the brute efficiency of their adversaries, these leaders and the human race have only imagination, compassion, and the capacity for love. It will have to be enough.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

If Looks Could Kill by Kate White

This is the authors first fiction novel and the first in a projected Bailey Weggins series. I gotta admit that this is a book I would likely have never picked up on my own. I mostly read sci fi and fantasy and can occassionally be talked into reading an Oprah book of the month or some such novel. I read this book because it was part of the book club I am in. I liked it. It was an easy read, semi-funny, very entertaining and reasonably surprising as to the who-done-it. You could tell it was the authors first novel and that she is editor-in-chief for Cosmo magazine. She talks too much about desinger clothes, shoes-toe cleavage?-, food and restaurants for my taste and her characters are all extremely shallow-as I highly suspect the author is as well-but it was a good first try.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavis Butler

Octavia Butler is probably my favorite author. She writes fantastic sci fi and fantasy and she is the first African American sci fi and fantasy writer to ever make enough money writing to call that her career. Her characters are strong and well developed and stories are multi-dimensional and thought provoking.
Lauren Oya Olamina is the heroine of the first novel-Parable of the Sower. It takes place in about 25 years in a suburb of Los Angeles. America has become so economically depressed that people who can afford to live in small "walled" communities. Children do not go to school, most adults work from home-it is simply to dangerous to leave the walled communities. Cars are for rich people, the middle class rides bikes everywhere and are lucky to have enough water to bathe once a week. America as we know it is in the middle of an economic depression, compounded by drought and mild famine. Lauren has lived her whole life in her walled community with her father, step-mother and brothers. Laurens father and step mother are both university professors. Laurens father is also a minister to their local community. Laurens mother was a drug addict-a designer drug that heightened intelligence in the users-and she was born addicted. The side effects of the addiction cause Lauren to experience the pain of others she observes. The slang is Sharers. There is some conflict because "sharing" occurs even when the pain is not real and can even cause victims to bleed if they see someone else bleeding.
Lauren sees her world crumbling around her and knows she has to make moves to protect her family. She also knows she is not Christian and that she has found a "set of truths" she calls Earthseed. Lauren plans to leave her community and spread the "truth" of Earthseed. Earthseed a different religion-incorporating ideals of buddhism, zen and neo-paganism. When Laurens walled community is destroyed she is forced out into the world more quickly than she planned for and her journey to spread Earthseed begins in earnest.
God is Change. Earthseeds destiny is to take root among the stars.

The second novel, Parable of the Talents, is told by Laurens estranged daughter. Lauren founds her first Earthseed community-Acorn-where she marries and has her daughter. Acorn is a self-supporting community that takes in run aways and travelers. Shortly after her daughter is born Acorn is over-run by the new US President-Andrew Steele Jarret's "Teachers". They gas the residents, take the children and seperate the men in one house and women in another. They basically become slaves. President Jarrett believes that by getting rid of "heathens" and forcing all Americans to become to Christians-he can make the country strong again. Bands of his followers form "re-education" camps where they rape the women, beat the men, steal the land, take the children and force the inhabitants to become Christians. Many years pass with members of Earthseed in bondage-partners killed, children stolen-it is a bad time. Eventually they are able to make their escape by killing the "teachers" freeing the students and spliting up-God is Change-and Lauren once again begins rebuilding Earthseed. This book is told though the point of view of Laurens daughter through a series of diary entries. What is it like to have a parent who founds a religion?


These novels are excellent and Butler plans to continue the series.

Parable Of The Sower
Parable Of The Talents

~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

This novel is hilarious. In the style of Bridget Jones Diary-only the isues seems a bit more real. The main character is a funny, fiesty over-weight woman who's ex-boyfriend is publishing in a national woman's magazine about their former relationship. Intimate details-and it just gets better from there. His article declares that loving a larger woman is an "act of courage" in our society! She has not met anyone else since she dumped his perpetually high, out of work, living off of his parents loser ass and feeling quite good about it. Until she gets a call from a good friend of hers that her ex is writing in a popular women's magazine about their relationship and love life. Then, to add insult to injury, he meets someone else, someone not overweight and compares Cannie to her, very unfavorably. Nothing worse than being humiliated nationally!
Cannie is a character most women can identify with and enjoy. She is just hilarious from throwing tampons at her ex-boyfriend to leading revolt in her doctor supervised weight loss class demanding better weight loss drugs. This novel will have you in stitches and begging for more.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Kiln People by David Brin

Good book-a very cool what if? scenario, relevant to the fast paced, high-stressed lifestyle we live today. With all of our modern conveniences including: easier, safer life style conveniences-washer, dryer, dish washer, cars, public/mass transit, electricity, plumbing, grocery store, fast food- theoretically we should have lots of free time-time NOT spent washing clothes by hand, growing and canning our own food, walking or taking a horse to and from work, etc. In reality, we work more and are under more work and lifestyle stress than our ancestors who were farmers and walked or rode horses into town. What does such a high stress society call for? Disposable versions of yourself, of course. What if, you really could be in more than one place at the same time? What if you could go to work, clean the house, run errands, do chores AND stay at home in bed resting all day-all on the same day?
If you had Kiln People you could. Brin takes us to a future Los Angeles and to the life of Detective-for-hire Albert Morris. Albert begins his Tuesday with three "dits" or dittoes. Two Greys to do "quality" follow up on some of his detective assignments and one "low level" Green to do dishes, laundry, etc while he catches up on some much needed rest. So begins a week long adventure the likes of which he could never have imagined.
This book is good on many levels. First, you have the sci fi what if society, next you have excellent characters-which are mostly versions of the main character-yet it works really well and finally you have a classic "whodunit" type detective novel. I liked the caste sytem for the dittoes myself-highest mental functioning-ebony, highest sensuality functioning-ivory, highest general intelligence-grey, most common worker drone-green. The book was fast paced and interesting until the end which kind of sucked. I still liked the book but wish the author had just gone ahead and ended the story and left the whole "soul enlightenment" stuff alone.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Jupiter by Ben Bova

From the Publisher:
A novel of one of the strangest places imaginable, a place where hydrogen flows as a liquid, a place with a lightless ocean ten times wider than the entire earth, a place where cyclones larger than planets rage for centuries at a time.
Grant Archer merely wanted to study astrophysics, to work quietly as an astronomer on the far side of the moon. But the forces of the New Morality, the coalition of censorious do-gooders who run twenty-first century America, have other plans for him.
To his distress, Grant is torn from his young bride and sent to a research station in orbit around Jupiter, charged with the task of spying on the scientists who work there. Their work may lead to the disvoery of higher life forms in the Jovian system—a discovery whose implications might destabilize the theocratic power structure back on earth.
What Grant's would-be controllers don't know is that his loyalty to science may be greater than his desire for a quiet life. But that loyalty will be tested in a mission as dangerous as any ever undertaken.
Meanwhile, what lurks in the middle reaches of Jupiter's vast atmosphere is more than any faction has counted on...and stranger than anyone could possibly have imagined.

My Review:
It was alright. Some of the concepts were interesting and it was an easy read. I liked Grant-the main character alot. I also liked that Earth had been taken over by fanatical religious leaders. I thought it was kind of funny, worth a chuckle. I was not too impressed with the native Jovians-Jupiters intelligent species. It was easy reading sci fi and the characters were enjoyable. I liked the Mars series much better.
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

The Kushiel Trilogy by Jacqueline Carey

Kushiels Dart, Kushiels Chosen and Kushiels Avatar....

Dark fantasy, sensual, sexy, spell binding and extremely well written. The main character is a seductive temptress name Phedre no Delauney......
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassed beauty and grace. The inhabiting race rose from the seed of angels and men, and they live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.Phèdre nó Delaunay was sold into indentured servitude as a child. Her bond was purchased by a nobleman, the first to recognize that she is one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one. He trained Phèdre in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber--and, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze.

Phedre is an indentured servant who pays back her training in her trade of sex, pain and pleasure. Her society-Terre d'Ange is different. People are bisexual and there is only one rule: Love as thou wilt. They have a true god of love who was born from the tears and blood of a Christ like diety. Phedre is sold into servitude and a life of politics by her parents because she is not perfect. She has a small mote in her eye-she has been pricked by Kuchiels dart this trilogy follows her adventures. This series is by a first time author and I have read tons of fantasy and never anything this overtly sexual-it is very good and highly reccomended....

Kushiels Dart
Kushiels Chosen
Kushiels Avatar
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!

Hominids, Humans, Hybrids by Robert J Sawyer

I just read a fantastic book trilogy by Robert J. Sawyer. It is sci fi and works on the premise of multiple universes-kind of the same idea as that tv show Sliders. Well, the two universes in this triligy are both on earth-one earth is the world as we know it today-the other earth is populated in a reality where Neanderthals became the dominate species and man died out. During an experiment in the Neanderthal world-they are more technically advanced than us- a member of that world is transfered into ours. His name is Ponter Boddit and he is as surprised to be here as we are to have him here. The first book introduces him and his society. Neanderthals are environmentally friendly-no gasoline powered anything, no agriculture-which means little disease as we know it, very clean, sparsely populated the planet-do not even live all over the planet, peaceful, loving, kind, totally cool society. They are bisexual. Each adult takes a same sex and opposite sex mate-not everyone but most. To control population children are born only every ten years. To ensure that, men live with men and women live with women and only come together for 4 days a month when "two become one". Violence and many forms of inherited disease have been bred out. A violent criminal is sterilized-so is eveyrone else containing 50% of his DNA-that means parents, siblings and children. Scary, yet effective.
It is fascinating and light sci fi-for those non-technical people-such as myself. the characters are fantastic-definetely fully dimensional, life like and well realized. The story is implausible but definetely makes you think about where our species is headed.

Hominds
Humans
Hybrid
~~~~Where ever you go, There you are!