Synopsis: The
spellbinding story of an isolated post-holocaust community determined to
preserve itself, through a perilous experiment in cloning (from the online description)Review: Where to start about this book? First, its prediction of the “end of the world” is so close to our current issue with Global Warming and Climate Change, it is almost terrifying.
But the real cleverness in this book is the characters and
the idea these grapple with – how much would one sacrifice to see the human
race survive? And what is the balance between self and community?
The book is divided into three parts. The first concerns the
beginning, when the last humans created the clones. The middle tells what
happens when the clones inadvertently trigger the individuality that had been
buried in them. And the last section, what happens when a true individual gets
tossed into a community of clones.
It’s hard to explain why this book is so good. But the
characters are what compel the story forward. It is the characters, rich and
complex, that snares the reader and drags them into the story, only to let one
surface at the end.
For anyone who wants a truly great science fiction read,
this is it!
Bookmarks: 4.5 of 5
Awards: The Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1977 / The Locus Award and Poll for best novel in 1977 / The Jupiter Award in 1977 / The John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1977, Third Place / Nominated for the Nebula Award in 1977
ISBN: 0-671-80912-1
Year Published: 1974 / 1976
Date Finished: 01-21-2019
Pages: 207
No comments:
Post a Comment