Earthseed by Pamela Sargent
Earthseed, by Pamela Sargent, is the first in a science fiction YA trilogy that follows the inhabitants of a seed ship from Earth sent out long ago to colonize other planets. We pick up the story as Ship (the AI mind which is the vessel personified) is nearing its destination and thus as its young inhabitants must begin their preparations for life outside of Ship’s watchful, protective eyes.
Up to this point, Ship has been the kids’ parent and teacher, birthing them from artificial wombs and then raising them — there are no adults aboard. Now on the cusp of adulthood, the adolescents will soon move into “The Hollow” — a huge open-space area (Ship is a large asteroid) where they will build their own shelters, grow their own food, etc. in order to learn the skills necessary for when they are landed on their new planet. They soon discover, though, that learning how to farm or build homes pale... Read More
Farseed by Pamela Sargent
The interesting thing about Pamela Sargent’s EARTHSEED series is that it doesn’t really seem to matter overly much what order you read the books in. There is a sizeable gap between each book, and Farseed, just like Seed Seeker, does a good job at recapping what has happened in the previous book so people new to the series might not find themselves unfamiliar with what is happening.
That being said, the blurb on the cover says that this series might be the next HUNGER GAMES, and I’m sure that will attract plenty of readers. They’ll see that and think, “hmm… HUNGER GAMES on another planet. That’s just cool.” And probably pick it up. There are a few similarities. First, this is a young adult series, with some pretty adult themes, like THE HUNGER GAMES. Secondly, Sargent doe... Read More
Seed Seeker by Pamela Sargent
Seed Seeker is the third book in Pamela Sargent’s Young Adult EARTHSEED trilogy (following Earthseed and Farseed), but you don’t necessarily need to read the previous two books to get up to speed — Sargent does a great job at catching the reader up without any info dumps. Seed Seeker fairly stands alone. Most of the characters are new, though Nuy, from Farseed, does make an appearance.
Seed Seeker is a rather dark novel wrapped in an exploration/adventure tale and is also filled with enough angst and hope to satisfy any series fan. The dynamics between the civilizations are interesting and complex. Advanced technology has been developed, but much of the world lives a medieval lifestyle and relies on manual labor, ... Read More
More speculative fiction by Pamela Sargent
Watchstar — (1980-1984) Publisher: Alone in the desert, Daiya is faced with a dilemma that will determine her fate. If she can successfully resolve it she will join the Net of her village, but if she fails, her life will be spent with the feared Merged Ones. Confused and torn between worlds near and far, Daiya harbors a secret of her people, and must find a way to move beyond her discoveries to a safe place where she can survive.
Venus — (1986-2000) Dream of Venus is a story collection. Publisher: Iris Angharads, a determined, independent woman, sets herself one massive goal: to make the poison-filled atmosphere of Venus hospitable to humans. She works day and night to realize her dream, with only one person sharing her passion, Liang Chen. It seems impossible to make Venus, with its intolerable air and waterless environment, into a paradise, but Iris succeeds. And in doing so, she also creates a powerful dynasty, beginning with her first born, Benzi Liangharad.
Cloned Lives — (1976) Publisher: The famous astrophysicist Paul Swenson creates five perfect clones in his own image. The Swenson clones are the target of criticism, hostility and abuse from a frightened public that does not understand their strange existence. However, they must survive, for Paul Swenson has cloned them in order to accomplish an important task. This is the story of their loves and battles, triumphs and terrors, as they struggle to save their futures and the collective destiny they were created for…
Starshadows — (1977) Publisher: Starshadows is a collection of short fiction inc — Shadows — The aliens conquered the world for our own good. The Other Perceiver — Oscar was going to change the world into a nightmare beyond imagination. Oasis — What terrible secret forced Simon Atenn to shun all human contact?
The Sudden Star — (1979) aka White Death Publisher: The appearance of a white star bathing the world in a deadly glare turns Earth into a nightmare of fear and death. Rape and murder are as common as suicide. Medical help is allowed only for certain diseases, and only the most resourceful and corrupt survive. Dr. Simon Negron dares to defy the medical code by giving insulin to a diabetic. His crime makes him a fugitive with only a young prostitute as an ally, a haunted man running for his life in a nightmare world of increasing madness.
The Alien Upstairs — (1983) Publisher: When a mysterious stranger appears in Sarah and Gerard’s rural town, the two young lovers fighting a fervent battle to overcome America’s depression and despair, are suddenly faced with a new realm of possibilities. But they find themselves questioning whether this handsome being was an angel sent to rescue them or a dark being bearing terrible dangers.
The Shore of Women — (1986) Publisher: Women rule the world in this suspenseful love story set in a postnuclear future. Having expelled men from their vast walled cities to a lower-class wilderness, the women in this futuristic universe dictate policy and chart the future through control of scientific and technological advances. Among their laws are the rules for reproductive engagement, an act now viewed as a means of procreation rather than an act of love. In this rigidly defined environment, a chance meeting between a woman exiled from the female world and a wilderness man triggers a series of feelings, actions, and events that ultimately threaten the fabric of the women’s constricted society. Trying to evade the ever-threatening female forces and the savage wilderness men, the two lovers struggle to find a safe haven and reconcile the teachings of their upbringings with their newly awakened feelings.
Alien Child — (1988) Publisher: A girl growing up in an insulated though pleasant environment, with a furry guardian for company, comes to realize that she must be the last human left on earth.
Climb the Wind: A Novel of Another America — (1998) Publisher: Something is wrong out West. The Buffalo Soldiers sent to subdue the Cheyenne are deserting and going over to the other side. The Sioux are leaving their barren reservations in hordes. Armed bands of Apaches have been seen east of the Mississippi! Lemuel Rowland, formerly Poyeshao, has spent his life learning the white man’s ways. Now he must choose between his career as a Washington bureaucrat and the ancient dreams of his people. An obscure Lakota chief called Touch-the-Clouds, armed by a Russian spy and inspired by a woman with the gift of prophecy, is uniting the “horse tribes” into an awesome horde that will thunder eastward and reclaim the entire continent for its original owners. It should be Lemuel Rowland’s job to stop thembut he wants them to succeed! Combining the startling insights of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle with the elegiac lyricism of Dee Brown’s bestseller, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Pamela Sargent’s brilliant new alternate history epic asksand answersthe most heartbreaking and troubling question in American history: What if the warlike Indian nations of the high plains had combined under a strong leader? What if they had struck eastward at a weakened America, still reeling from the devastation of the Civil War? What if they had won?
The Mountain Cage: And Other Stories — (2002) Publisher: The Mountain Cage and Other Stories is a collection that includes thirteen short stories by this unique voice in speculative fiction. A few of the stories previously appeared in The Best of Pamela Sargent, but most have never been collected. Included here are gems such as “Danny Goes to Mars” and “Hilary Orbits Venus,” “Dream of Venus,” the extremely clever “The Novella Race,” and the wonderful “The Mountain Cage,” a beautifully written alternate history.
Eye of Flame: And Other Fantasies — (2003) Publisher: In this historical fantasy set in late 12th century Mongolia, an old woman has grown fearful of the magical powers she has misused in the past, and sworn never to use them again. But now she must help a young shaman still learning his craft to save their Mongol chief and his people from their enemies. Several characters in this story, including the boy Temujin (the young Genghis Khan), also appear in Sargent’s historical novel Ruler of the Sky.
Thumbprints — (2004) Publisher: Great science fiction looks outward toward the intricacy of the universe in order to look inward at the complexity of the human condition. In THUMBPRINTS, Nebula and Locus Award-winning author Pamela Sargent brings together short stories from across her career, each filled with rich characterization and eclectic, fascinating plots. From Mongolia to Venus, from the distant past to the near future, these works of short fiction explore what it means to be human. Ranging from lyrically mystical to bitterly realistic to laughably satirical, THUMBPRINTS is a shining catalogue of all that Sargent has contributed to the genre. With an introduction by James Morrow and an afterword by Sargent, herself.
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(1948- )
