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The Growing
It's 2012. Do you know where your androids are? In the near future, the world will grow complacent and a brilliant, if misguided, mind will seek to capitalize on that complacency by providing the common man and royalty alike with just the convenience he needs to aid him in his day to day labors. But what if suddenly those companions were to turn on their masters, sowing the seeds of destruction and death across the land? What if man's helper became his killer, and no one knew why or how to stop it? The Growing is the story of such a post-apocalyptic vision, and of the brave men and women who give everything they have to save the world from its eventual destruction. It is also the story of two lonely hearts, bitter enemies at first, who learn to trust and to love again in a world falling down all around them. Koda Rivers is a Lakota veterinarian and shaman whose roots run deep in her culture and in the soil of her native Black Hills. Kirsten King, Ph.D., is a brilliant cyberscientist and the sole surviving member of President Hillary Clinton's Cabinet. Each drawn by her own mission to destroy the androids, they meet in fire and blood at the North Dakota facility where the insurgent machines are manufactured. The Growing has all the bells and whistles of a classical epic: sweeping battles, a heroic love story, Amazon warriors, a blind bard, the gods of the land and a monster or two. The challenges present are met by our two heroes and their companions. These include Dakota's remarkable father and her warrior brother, Tacoma; Maggie Allen, USAF Colonel and crack pilot; an extraordinary German Shepherd named Asimov; and the spirits of the land in their various forms.
652 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2006
13 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Susanne M. Beck
6 books29 followersSusanne M. Beck was a registered nurse and a published author. She was also a very popular online author under the pen name Sword'n'Quill.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 14, 2017
This was really damn good! If you have seen my updates, this book is massive. While it is technically 650 pages, they are not normal sized pages. I'm guessing here but I would say this is about 5 average sized books, rolled into one. It is a long commitment, but so very worth it. The best way to describe it would be apocalyptic, with some magic, sci-fi, and a fated love story, all rolled into one.
Ted recommended me this book a few months back, but it took me a while to get to it. I had actually forgotten what was taking over the world. I thought zombies, but its not, it is actually worse and more dangerous than zombies. I won't mention what it is here, just encase you want to read this and be surprised too. If you do want to know, read the book's blurb or the book's page on here.
This actually started as an uber X/G. You do not have to be a Xena fan to appreciate this. Believe it or not, I never saw an episode, we didn't get the channel when I was younger. The only reason I knew this was X/G was the green and blue eyes.
Because this book is apocalyptic, humans trying to rise back up, there are sad and dark moments. But there is also funny and warm moments. Tons of excitement too. Huge battle scenes the like I have not read in a long time. And in encompassing all that, is a great cast of characters. The two mains Koda and Kristen, plus wonderful secondary characters, including a few animals even. Koda is a Lakota veterinarian and shaman, with a warrior's spirit. Kristen a brilliant scientist and part of the Presidents Cabinet before the earth crumbled. The two of them make a powerful couple, souls entwined. Since they are a destined couple, the book doesn't have a lot of that courting faze in some romances. But there is a ton of chemistry and plenty of nice and steamy sex scenes. There was a good balance of excitement and time for the characters to actually be together.
As I said above, the book is very long, it does slow down in parts. There is some science and warfare tactics, also some Native American shamanism and spirit walking. This books is not all go, go, go. But I actually liked that. I needed to slow down and catch my breath at times.
It is rare that I give out 5 stars for books anymore. Now, if I love a book it gets 4 1/2 stars. To get 5, I must not only love it, but promise I will make the time to re-read it in the future. With so many books on my to-read list, a book has to be really special for me to re-read it. This books is that special.
Ted recommended me this book a few months back, but it took me a while to get to it. I had actually forgotten what was taking over the world. I thought zombies, but its not, it is actually worse and more dangerous than zombies. I won't mention what it is here, just encase you want to read this and be surprised too. If you do want to know, read the book's blurb or the book's page on here.
This actually started as an uber X/G. You do not have to be a Xena fan to appreciate this. Believe it or not, I never saw an episode, we didn't get the channel when I was younger. The only reason I knew this was X/G was the green and blue eyes.
Because this book is apocalyptic, humans trying to rise back up, there are sad and dark moments. But there is also funny and warm moments. Tons of excitement too. Huge battle scenes the like I have not read in a long time. And in encompassing all that, is a great cast of characters. The two mains Koda and Kristen, plus wonderful secondary characters, including a few animals even. Koda is a Lakota veterinarian and shaman, with a warrior's spirit. Kristen a brilliant scientist and part of the Presidents Cabinet before the earth crumbled. The two of them make a powerful couple, souls entwined. Since they are a destined couple, the book doesn't have a lot of that courting faze in some romances. But there is a ton of chemistry and plenty of nice and steamy sex scenes. There was a good balance of excitement and time for the characters to actually be together.
As I said above, the book is very long, it does slow down in parts. There is some science and warfare tactics, also some Native American shamanism and spirit walking. This books is not all go, go, go. But I actually liked that. I needed to slow down and catch my breath at times.
It is rare that I give out 5 stars for books anymore. Now, if I love a book it gets 4 1/2 stars. To get 5, I must not only love it, but promise I will make the time to re-read it in the future. With so many books on my to-read list, a book has to be really special for me to re-read it. This books is that special.
March 17, 2021
'18 re read: So a week on my TTS app for my commutes and workouts compared to 5 days it took me to read on my kindle. Cool. Not shabby.
Still a 5/6 star book. There just isn't anything to detract from that. Loved it. Again. Makes me want to dive back in the classic X/G fics for a while :)
-------------------------------------
Right. So this took 5 days to read. I'll just cut to the chase so you don't have to read any further to see what my opinion was. That. Was. The. Best. Book. I've. Ever. Read.
There. I'll just graze over why. The Native American spirituality without question fed my soul. I absolutely loved the uber xena/gabbie flow of the novel as well. The sci-fi fed my inner geek. The writing was crisp, the pacing... Gods the pacing. Brilliant. Main characters? Not gonna touch it. Secondaries and tertiaries were fully fleshed out and never felt neglected.
There were half a dozen story arcs within the overarching main. I almost feel like this could have been broken down into a hefty trilogy. Even a 6 book series. There was that much meat and potatoes in it to do so. But the authors felt, in true fanfiction form, to make it a one continuous novel.
Words. Ugh. I think I'm out of em. I think this book is gonna make it on the, you will read this every year from now on list.
Still a 5/6 star book. There just isn't anything to detract from that. Loved it. Again. Makes me want to dive back in the classic X/G fics for a while :)
-------------------------------------
Right. So this took 5 days to read. I'll just cut to the chase so you don't have to read any further to see what my opinion was. That. Was. The. Best. Book. I've. Ever. Read.
There. I'll just graze over why. The Native American spirituality without question fed my soul. I absolutely loved the uber xena/gabbie flow of the novel as well. The sci-fi fed my inner geek. The writing was crisp, the pacing... Gods the pacing. Brilliant. Main characters? Not gonna touch it. Secondaries and tertiaries were fully fleshed out and never felt neglected.
There were half a dozen story arcs within the overarching main. I almost feel like this could have been broken down into a hefty trilogy. Even a 6 book series. There was that much meat and potatoes in it to do so. But the authors felt, in true fanfiction form, to make it a one continuous novel.
Words. Ugh. I think I'm out of em. I think this book is gonna make it on the, you will read this every year from now on list.
September 6, 2019
I simply cannot believe I've never reviewed this book on Goodreads, as I initially did it a while ago on Amazon. But here it is, fairly short and sweet for me. Fairly.
To this day, this is my favorite novel. It has been sitting at the very top of my list for a while now, and I read between one and two hundred books a year. It ticks off a lot of my loves for me: Intelligent, capable, characters, uber X&G, post apocalypse, robots, and science...oh the science! There are pets, friends, battles, magic-like ritual, and so much more. It speaks to me and takes me back to my childhood when my family would go to pow wows to support my cousin who was half Native American. I love the culture and the society that is rife with culpability and oneness with nature. And to top it off, this is a massive epic that keeps me entertained for a days when nearly all other books are mere one-a-day snacks.
This book is a dark and developed post-apocalypse sci-fi epic with high Asimov influence. Science, shamanism, and developed real characters facing both a variety challenges and horrors. Underneath it all is a thread of fated romance. If you can find a copy of this book, you will not be disappointed. I will continue to read it regularly and I hope that it becomes a favorite of yours as well.
To this day, this is my favorite novel. It has been sitting at the very top of my list for a while now, and I read between one and two hundred books a year. It ticks off a lot of my loves for me: Intelligent, capable, characters, uber X&G, post apocalypse, robots, and science...oh the science! There are pets, friends, battles, magic-like ritual, and so much more. It speaks to me and takes me back to my childhood when my family would go to pow wows to support my cousin who was half Native American. I love the culture and the society that is rife with culpability and oneness with nature. And to top it off, this is a massive epic that keeps me entertained for a days when nearly all other books are mere one-a-day snacks.
This book is a dark and developed post-apocalypse sci-fi epic with high Asimov influence. Science, shamanism, and developed real characters facing both a variety challenges and horrors. Underneath it all is a thread of fated romance. If you can find a copy of this book, you will not be disappointed. I will continue to read it regularly and I hope that it becomes a favorite of yours as well.
October 18, 2019
This is one of those books where it is impossible even if I should accept the mission to read it all in one sitting. I had to put it down too many times and bugged PL constantly. I'd seen this book floating around Goodreads with some of my most trusted book girlfriends reading and reviewing it and I just have to note the power of this website and its ability to introduce us to books we never would have heard of before without it. This is one of the reasons we all use this website, to discover new books and further our love of reading - I was proposed a few times but looking at their unimpressive book accounts, I was more than happy to say hell no.
Choosing a life within a cage or finding the strength to fly?
We live in a society where freedom reigns. Where our actions are our own, where we live and breathe on our own terms. We all work for a living, get stressed, have problems but we have freedom. Something, once taken away becomes our sole purpose to get back. But what happens when you don't have freedom, the right to make your own decisions? What happens when you finally get a taste, a sliver of what freedom means?
The pace of this book was something new to me, I was constantly on alert, always wondering what lies around the next corner. It was atmospheric, had an addictive air of danger laced through. The effort the authors took to write and made it available for free, I will feel the heat of hell if I say anything bad about it.
Why not 5⅞? The last part had me biting my nails and checking my pulse, screaming out - what the hell is going on? So many questions left unanswered and a few interesting characters never reappeared.
Many thanks Lex and PL.
4⧻ for this 1179 pages book
Choosing a life within a cage or finding the strength to fly?
We live in a society where freedom reigns. Where our actions are our own, where we live and breathe on our own terms. We all work for a living, get stressed, have problems but we have freedom. Something, once taken away becomes our sole purpose to get back. But what happens when you don't have freedom, the right to make your own decisions? What happens when you finally get a taste, a sliver of what freedom means?
The pace of this book was something new to me, I was constantly on alert, always wondering what lies around the next corner. It was atmospheric, had an addictive air of danger laced through. The effort the authors took to write and made it available for free, I will feel the heat of hell if I say anything bad about it.
Why not 5⅞? The last part had me biting my nails and checking my pulse, screaming out - what the hell is going on? So many questions left unanswered and a few interesting characters never reappeared.
Many thanks Lex and PL.
4⧻ for this 1179 pages book
November 5, 2015
I could not rate it below 4, despite my many reservations, because The Growing is a very well executed and unique piece of.. imagination.
If you're about to read it, you need to get ready for a long, VERY long ride. Sometimes the ride is slow, boring, sometimes it's exciting and you can't take a break.
The Growing has a LOT of.. just a lot of stuff: science and technology (that means robots taking control of the world), spirituality (that means native American culture and language, animals that talk, resurrection, and all that jazz), people fighting battles, people having sex, people trying to survive in the wild, humans trying to rebuild a society, etc. It's a mix of things of the past and things of the future.
It's overwhelming, and sometimes very confusing. It's like reading 5 novels in one, and sometimes it's hard to understand the link between all the themes used in the story. I thought my head was going to explode with all the information and things happening.
So, I'm indecisive. On the one hand, the plot is exciting and different, the romance speaks of true love, of passion, of a timeless bond between two badass girls. It's quite beautiful. It's also very hot sometimes.
But on the other hand, it's too much. Some chapters are unnecessary, some others are incredibly long with so many technical words and warfare gibberish. I skipped the never ending pages describing the battles, because it's just not my thing. I love watching war in movies, but reading about them just does my head in.
This is not a romance. The romance is a very big part of the story, but it's definitely not the typical romance. It drowns in all the action, which is the main story (basically, the humans trying to defeat the droids). So there is no chase, no long build up and everything that is, to me, amazing to read about in love stories. The relationship between the vet and the cyber expert is taken for granted. It's always been there, it's obvious, it's timeless, its "forever and always" from the beginning, and because of that it is a bit boring for us sensitive romantic morons. I would have liked more angst (in the romance part. Because there is plenty of that in the action part).
But I also didn't expect much different from a science fiction novel, so I wasn't really disappointed. However, after a story like this, I feel exhausted and will be looking for a very classic romance to read. Typical fluff and angst and relatable, simple human emotions.
Oh but if you love science fiction, if you love Pocahontas, if you love dystopian stories, if you love action, The Growing is absolutely perfect for you.
If you're about to read it, you need to get ready for a long, VERY long ride. Sometimes the ride is slow, boring, sometimes it's exciting and you can't take a break.
The Growing has a LOT of.. just a lot of stuff: science and technology (that means robots taking control of the world), spirituality (that means native American culture and language, animals that talk, resurrection, and all that jazz), people fighting battles, people having sex, people trying to survive in the wild, humans trying to rebuild a society, etc. It's a mix of things of the past and things of the future.
It's overwhelming, and sometimes very confusing. It's like reading 5 novels in one, and sometimes it's hard to understand the link between all the themes used in the story. I thought my head was going to explode with all the information and things happening.
So, I'm indecisive. On the one hand, the plot is exciting and different, the romance speaks of true love, of passion, of a timeless bond between two badass girls. It's quite beautiful. It's also very hot sometimes.
But on the other hand, it's too much. Some chapters are unnecessary, some others are incredibly long with so many technical words and warfare gibberish. I skipped the never ending pages describing the battles, because it's just not my thing. I love watching war in movies, but reading about them just does my head in.
This is not a romance. The romance is a very big part of the story, but it's definitely not the typical romance. It drowns in all the action, which is the main story (basically, the humans trying to defeat the droids). So there is no chase, no long build up and everything that is, to me, amazing to read about in love stories. The relationship between the vet and the cyber expert is taken for granted. It's always been there, it's obvious, it's timeless, its "forever and always" from the beginning, and because of that it is a bit boring for us sensitive romantic morons. I would have liked more angst (in the romance part. Because there is plenty of that in the action part).
But I also didn't expect much different from a science fiction novel, so I wasn't really disappointed. However, after a story like this, I feel exhausted and will be looking for a very classic romance to read. Typical fluff and angst and relatable, simple human emotions.
Oh but if you love science fiction, if you love Pocahontas, if you love dystopian stories, if you love action, The Growing is absolutely perfect for you.
January 14, 2015
I just couldn't get into this one after many attempts. The early chapters were interesting but after awhile the story just seemed to move forward at a glacial pace and the characters failed to continue capturing my interest.
July 20, 2015
A great read and a wonderful interpretation of a post-apocalypse America. But only for those who aren't squeamish about two women in love.
March 16, 2008
This is an outstanding story! Very well done. The characters and story are incredible. A must read!!!
February 9, 2020
I just re-read this book... I read it not that long ago when I went on a post apocalyptic lesfic binge and something reminded me of it but I couldn't remember details... Luckily it was recommended to me so I was able to locate it again. Though the only one I found available to buy was an expensive print version, I was able to find it on a couple Xena fanfiction sites.. it sucks to read it that way because you can lose your place, and this book is incredibly long. It's Xena fanfiction so I was confused about Dakota being Lakota since Lucy lawless isn't and I couldn't picture it. But idk if the characters were meant to be them.. idk.. it's confusing. And I also wish there were translations for all the Lakota dialect (there was so much of it), and it's not in Google translate.. I was only able to find a website with words and translations but not many words.. so I often didn't know what was being said. I'm not a fan of other languages in books (except Spanish) especially when there's no translation. Also the ending ended immediately after the goal, very abrupt. There was nothing that didn't feel finished I guess, I just wish there was some sort of celebration of sorts.. a happily ever after epilogue.
However those were my only cons with this book. Everything else, which is so, so much, was just amazing. Really nothing like it. Especially it being fanfiction... Top five post apocalyptic ff (which is my favorite kind of story) book for sure.
However those were my only cons with this book. Everything else, which is so, so much, was just amazing. Really nothing like it. Especially it being fanfiction... Top five post apocalyptic ff (which is my favorite kind of story) book for sure.
May 13, 2017
I liked the story as it portrays the way things are in today's world combined with the old wisdom of native Americans. Your learn a lot about their beliefs and I gained so much respect for the way the "treat" the world and what it provides for us. Something I will try to integrate in my life.
The book is a long read and in between sometimes a little boring, especially the war parts. However those moments are brief.
I would have given 5 stars. But the description of the relationship between the two women was for my taste often over the top. Regardless of that I can only say that this is a very good read.
The book is a long read and in between sometimes a little boring, especially the war parts. However those moments are brief.
I would have given 5 stars. But the description of the relationship between the two women was for my taste often over the top. Regardless of that I can only say that this is a very good read.
October 10, 2018
I would not have finished such a long epic, if I hadnt been able to skim whole sections without losing any of the "big picture". While I really enjoyed the premise, I found it hard work to get through repetitive battle scenes, alternating with witchywoo sequences, complete with spirit animals, along with heavy s3x scenes throughout. I enjoyed the first 10 examples of each type of sequence, but the next 50 or so left me numb. Nonetheless, overall I enjoyed the novel, but the 3rd star is for my own personal achievement in being able to get through to the rushed (relative to the rest of the book) and very predictable ending.
January 15, 2020
One of the longest books I have read and that makes it pretty satisfying. I am giving this 5 star ratings because of its length, the creativity and eclecticism of the story, the touch on religion & cultures and to conclude, an appreciated ending
It has some some snags such as being similar to the uber characters Xena and Gabriel, lengthy as there were times I was feeling impatient with the story especially in areas where I felt the progression where just fillers i.e. early occasions when Kirsten wasn't embracing her feelings and the post war field era before the war at westerhaus HQ.
But overall, a fulfilling read.
It has some some snags such as being similar to the uber characters Xena and Gabriel, lengthy as there were times I was feeling impatient with the story especially in areas where I felt the progression where just fillers i.e. early occasions when Kirsten wasn't embracing her feelings and the post war field era before the war at westerhaus HQ.
But overall, a fulfilling read.
June 6, 2020
This was my second time reading this epic book. It only got better durning my second read. The length may seem intimidating, but the story keeps things moving and before you know it, it’s over. It’s very hard to put down and I already know I’ll have to read it again. It has everything that I love in it Sci-fi, adventure, romance with steamy sex, amazons, robots, an amazing pups who are excellent companions, and some epic battles.
December 8, 2021
Book hangover type of book. I wish a sequel existed. This isn’t my usual genre, but I ripped into it and couldn’t put it down. It’s definitely longer than ~650 regular pages because the print is quite small in the paperback.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews