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Twin-Bred #2
Reach
Scientist Mara Cadell created the Twin-Bred -- pairs of fraternal twins, one human and one Tofa -- to bridge the profound and dangerous gap between the human colonists on Tofarn and the indigenous Tofa. Unexpectedly, it is the Tofa host mothers who now claim the capacity to bring peace between the two. The Twin-Bred themselves have been forced to abandon their mission and their planet, in the hope of finding a less hostile home. Only one pair remain behind, seeking to build new and separate lives with their own kind.
But Mara and the Twin-Bred should know by now that plans provide little protection. New challenges are in store for all the Twin-Bred, and for those whose lives they touch.
But Mara and the Twin-Bred should know by now that plans provide little protection. New challenges are in store for all the Twin-Bred, and for those whose lives they touch.
- GenresScience FictionAliens
260 pages, ebook
Published May 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Karen A. Wyle
26 books234 followersKaren A. Wyle is the author of multiple science fiction novels, including The Twin-Bred Series: Books 1-3; YA novel Water to Water; and near-future novels Division, Playback Effect, Who: a novel of the near future, and Donation. Her first novel outside the SF category was the afterlife fantasy/family drama Wander Home. She then turned to historical romance with her Cowbird Creek series, including What Heals the Heart, What Frees the Heart, What Shows the Heart, and What Wakes the Heart. She returned to fantasy with 2023's Far From Mortal Realms: A Novel of Humans and Fae. Her novel The Decision/A Novel of Germany is inspired by a crucial incident in her own family history. Her latest novel, That The Dead May Rest, comes out on October 17, 2025 -- a good month for a paranormal story!
Wyle has also published one nonfiction work, Closest to the Fire: A Writer's Guide to Law and Lawyers, a resource for authors or for anyone interested in understanding more about American law. An updated and slightly retitled edition came out at the end of July 2021.
Finally, Wyle has collaborated with illustrators on five picture books: You Can't Kiss A Bubble; When It's Winter; Wind, Ocean, Grass; Where Fireflies Sleep; and A Boy Who Made Music/The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Rodrigo. There are more to come!
Wyle was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. Wyle's childhood ambition was to be the youngest ever published novelist. While writing her first novel at age ten, she was mortified to learn that some British upstart had beaten her to the goal at age nine.
Wyle is a retired appellate attorney, dormant photographer, and mother of two wildly creative adult offspring. Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Wyle's near-future novels and her upcoming fantasy novel draw on her legal experience in various respects.
Wyle's personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.
Wyle has also published one nonfiction work, Closest to the Fire: A Writer's Guide to Law and Lawyers, a resource for authors or for anyone interested in understanding more about American law. An updated and slightly retitled edition came out at the end of July 2021.
Finally, Wyle has collaborated with illustrators on five picture books: You Can't Kiss A Bubble; When It's Winter; Wind, Ocean, Grass; Where Fireflies Sleep; and A Boy Who Made Music/The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Rodrigo. There are more to come!
Wyle was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. Wyle's childhood ambition was to be the youngest ever published novelist. While writing her first novel at age ten, she was mortified to learn that some British upstart had beaten her to the goal at age nine.
Wyle is a retired appellate attorney, dormant photographer, and mother of two wildly creative adult offspring. Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Wyle's near-future novels and her upcoming fantasy novel draw on her legal experience in various respects.
Wyle's personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 23, 2013
Reach continues the tale of the humans and the alien Tofa who live on the planet Tofarn. I would recommend reading Twin-Bred first because Reach only gives the bare bones of the characters and their situation. Spoilers for the end of Twin-Bred, obviously.
Publication year: 2013
Format: ebook
Page count: 343 in pdf
The Twin-Bred are the result of the LEVI project which Dr. Mara Cadell created so that the humans and the alien Tofa could better understand each other. Her idea was to produce human/Tofa twins in host mothers. The resulting twins were raised in the project grounds, away from the other societies. The Tofa don’t have facial features, so it very difficult for humans to understand them. They also have four arms and are taller than humans. They don’t have biological (or social) sexes and reproduce with spores. Yup, wonderfully alien.
At the end of Twin-Bred, almost all of the twins involved in the Project chose to leave the increasingly hostile planet on a space ship. A handful of humans left with them; they had all been teachers in the project. Only one Tofa/human twin set, Jak-rad and Randy, chose to stay on Tofarn because they wanted to explore their own cultures.
The starship Star Seed was launched to seek a new home among the stars. However, all of the passengers knew that the journey would be long and most of the crew where put in suspended animation in a rotating basis. They also have virtual reality chambers for a variety of uses. However, then their main astronomer makes a discovery: a stable wormhole which could leave to alien planets.
Meanwhile, back in Tofarn Jak-rad has been imprisoned by the other Tofa who see him (the Tofa don’t have biological sexes but Wyle uses the male pronoun) as a danger to their society. After two weeks, Jak-rad is released on the condition that he will work for the Tofa. Jak-rad is pleased to do so and is sent to a university which monitors reports from Star Seed.
Before Star Seed left, Mara and a couple of others made a horrific discovery; that one of the scientist in the project was looking for a biological weapon against the Tofa. Mara decided to destroy that knowledge but it’s possible that the knowledge could fall into wrong hands and a couple of former host mothers have to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Twin-Bred was very much an idea science fiction and not an adventure story. It explored the themes of understanding and yet on the other hand, hatred and ignorance. Rearch is also not an adventure story but in addition to continuing the themes of Twin-Bred, it also has a lot of exploration of space and culture clashes. Both don’t have much violence but when they do, it’s sudden and leaves a lasting impression.
Reach has many point-of-view characters, but not as many as Twin-Bred had and they are also familiar from the previous book. On Star Seed, Mara is the main POV character with occasional glimpses of the others. On Tofarn, Jak-rad and the host mother Veda are the main POV characters. Most of the characters are quite sympathetic and it’s easy to empathies even with the alien Jak-rad. Mara is a great lead character: a reluctant leader whom the others look up to and then she has to make the difficult decision and live with them. Veda has a lot of secrets to hide while trying to raise a young daughter. Judy was another characters whom I enjoyed: her Tofa twin died in the previous book and she’s trying to cope without him. However, it turns out that something of her twin survived.
I especially enjoyed the second half of the book but saying more about it would be a spoiler.
Publication year: 2013
Format: ebook
Page count: 343 in pdf
The Twin-Bred are the result of the LEVI project which Dr. Mara Cadell created so that the humans and the alien Tofa could better understand each other. Her idea was to produce human/Tofa twins in host mothers. The resulting twins were raised in the project grounds, away from the other societies. The Tofa don’t have facial features, so it very difficult for humans to understand them. They also have four arms and are taller than humans. They don’t have biological (or social) sexes and reproduce with spores. Yup, wonderfully alien.
At the end of Twin-Bred, almost all of the twins involved in the Project chose to leave the increasingly hostile planet on a space ship. A handful of humans left with them; they had all been teachers in the project. Only one Tofa/human twin set, Jak-rad and Randy, chose to stay on Tofarn because they wanted to explore their own cultures.
The starship Star Seed was launched to seek a new home among the stars. However, all of the passengers knew that the journey would be long and most of the crew where put in suspended animation in a rotating basis. They also have virtual reality chambers for a variety of uses. However, then their main astronomer makes a discovery: a stable wormhole which could leave to alien planets.
Meanwhile, back in Tofarn Jak-rad has been imprisoned by the other Tofa who see him (the Tofa don’t have biological sexes but Wyle uses the male pronoun) as a danger to their society. After two weeks, Jak-rad is released on the condition that he will work for the Tofa. Jak-rad is pleased to do so and is sent to a university which monitors reports from Star Seed.
Before Star Seed left, Mara and a couple of others made a horrific discovery; that one of the scientist in the project was looking for a biological weapon against the Tofa. Mara decided to destroy that knowledge but it’s possible that the knowledge could fall into wrong hands and a couple of former host mothers have to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Twin-Bred was very much an idea science fiction and not an adventure story. It explored the themes of understanding and yet on the other hand, hatred and ignorance. Rearch is also not an adventure story but in addition to continuing the themes of Twin-Bred, it also has a lot of exploration of space and culture clashes. Both don’t have much violence but when they do, it’s sudden and leaves a lasting impression.
Reach has many point-of-view characters, but not as many as Twin-Bred had and they are also familiar from the previous book. On Star Seed, Mara is the main POV character with occasional glimpses of the others. On Tofarn, Jak-rad and the host mother Veda are the main POV characters. Most of the characters are quite sympathetic and it’s easy to empathies even with the alien Jak-rad. Mara is a great lead character: a reluctant leader whom the others look up to and then she has to make the difficult decision and live with them. Veda has a lot of secrets to hide while trying to raise a young daughter. Judy was another characters whom I enjoyed: her Tofa twin died in the previous book and she’s trying to cope without him. However, it turns out that something of her twin survived.
I especially enjoyed the second half of the book but saying more about it would be a spoiler.
May 18, 2013
MY REVIEW
I was given a copy of this by the author Karen a Wyle in exchange for my honest review.
Immediately upon finishing BK#1 in this series Twin-Bred I asked Karen if there would be a BK#2 and when would it be available? So I was pleased to be asked to actually read this book very early on in it's life. In fact I was so lucky when Karen asked me to beta read the book!
I only saw the cover after reading the book so I can't give an honest "first impression" of the cover prior to reading it. So I'll give my opinion from the after I've read the book prospective. I like the use of the wormhole, it's a very large part of the second book. A lot hinges on the wormhole. There's even the possibility everything will end with the wormhole. that entering the wormhole will spell the end for everyone. So featuring it on the cover is a good choice. I like the simplicity of the title & Author name font, as well as their placements.
So do I have anything negative at all to say about the cover? Mmm the only thing I aren't so very keen on is the block black parts, as a lot of self published authors seem to use this style. I would have rather had a plain black surrounding or just the whole wormhole and what surround it. Would I pick this up from a book shelf? Honestly yes but more to do with the fact I've read book one. The wormhole would attract me to this cover.
So the book literally picks up as the other left off. Mara is one again "in charge" even though it wasn't what she wished. The Twin Bred have kind of made her their leader even though she didn't want the role.
The Tofa host mothers play a larger role in this book working together over some fairly political issues that have arisen. Then there's the issues of the murder that occurred in the last book. I won't go into detail as to do so would give spoilers for possibly both books. I did find some of the more political issues a little harder to take in, retain and understand, but then just as you are thinking I'll never understand this everything becomes much clearer.
My favourite parts of the book took place on the "mission" So is a new planet found? If one is found are there inhabitants? Are they friendly? Could that planet's inhabitants accept them settling there too? Would the planet even be suitable for them to live on? What if the planet already has conflict? Should they try to help? Or leave well alone and just try to find another planet?
Yes this may seem like a lot of questions its the way I want to show you the possibilities for what does/can happen this book, hopefully without giving away spoilers.
My most favourite character is Jak-rad, and I'd love a novella to know more of what happens to him. Though I'd still like another book to find out how the mission comes to its conclusion and how and if life goes on for the Twin-Bred.
So did I enjoy the book? Yes on the whole I did. there were times I was a little confused by things in the book, but everything does become clear. Would I recommend the book? If you read book one you must read this one!! Would I read a third book or some novellas? I would yes, I'd love more about Jak-rad and Randy. There are also still things I want to know about the possible new planet too. Would I read other books by Karen A Wyle? Yes, I already have actually!
I was given a copy of this by the author Karen a Wyle in exchange for my honest review.
Immediately upon finishing BK#1 in this series Twin-Bred I asked Karen if there would be a BK#2 and when would it be available? So I was pleased to be asked to actually read this book very early on in it's life. In fact I was so lucky when Karen asked me to beta read the book!
I only saw the cover after reading the book so I can't give an honest "first impression" of the cover prior to reading it. So I'll give my opinion from the after I've read the book prospective. I like the use of the wormhole, it's a very large part of the second book. A lot hinges on the wormhole. There's even the possibility everything will end with the wormhole. that entering the wormhole will spell the end for everyone. So featuring it on the cover is a good choice. I like the simplicity of the title & Author name font, as well as their placements.
So do I have anything negative at all to say about the cover? Mmm the only thing I aren't so very keen on is the block black parts, as a lot of self published authors seem to use this style. I would have rather had a plain black surrounding or just the whole wormhole and what surround it. Would I pick this up from a book shelf? Honestly yes but more to do with the fact I've read book one. The wormhole would attract me to this cover.
So the book literally picks up as the other left off. Mara is one again "in charge" even though it wasn't what she wished. The Twin Bred have kind of made her their leader even though she didn't want the role.
The Tofa host mothers play a larger role in this book working together over some fairly political issues that have arisen. Then there's the issues of the murder that occurred in the last book. I won't go into detail as to do so would give spoilers for possibly both books. I did find some of the more political issues a little harder to take in, retain and understand, but then just as you are thinking I'll never understand this everything becomes much clearer.
My favourite parts of the book took place on the "mission" So is a new planet found? If one is found are there inhabitants? Are they friendly? Could that planet's inhabitants accept them settling there too? Would the planet even be suitable for them to live on? What if the planet already has conflict? Should they try to help? Or leave well alone and just try to find another planet?
Yes this may seem like a lot of questions its the way I want to show you the possibilities for what does/can happen this book, hopefully without giving away spoilers.
My most favourite character is Jak-rad, and I'd love a novella to know more of what happens to him. Though I'd still like another book to find out how the mission comes to its conclusion and how and if life goes on for the Twin-Bred.
So did I enjoy the book? Yes on the whole I did. there were times I was a little confused by things in the book, but everything does become clear. Would I recommend the book? If you read book one you must read this one!! Would I read a third book or some novellas? I would yes, I'd love more about Jak-rad and Randy. There are also still things I want to know about the possible new planet too. Would I read other books by Karen A Wyle? Yes, I already have actually!
November 8, 2013
Twin-bred human-alien pairs cross the vastness of space in search of a new home. Bred as twins to bring unity to their world where human and tofa live in uneasy alliance, they finally took to space at the end of book one, Twin-Bred, rather than cause more strife and controversy. This second novel in the series opens with most of the twin-bred, and their creator, on a space-ship, while beloved friends try to blend in at home.
It’s been quite a while since I read book one, and I’d say most readers could safely start with this book. But they’ll probably want to know more, and book one’s still out there, enticing with its well-drawn aliens, and convincing insights into different ways of life. The same sense of the alien made real is just as vivid in Reach, and readers can quickly identify with a wholly different way of thinking, smiling, smelling, even sitting to relax (these aliens “lean”).
But this isn’t strangeness for strangeness’ sake. Intriguing questions of identity are explored—what makes us real, as well as what makes us human, what constitutes true sharing, and what will it take to make us see ourselves as others see us.
Loss, healing and hope rest in surprising places in these pages. Love and life both prove more than merely physical. And, as two characters work separately, together, it seems entirely right that one should muse, “If our reach proves insufficient, I will know, and move closer.” Would that we could apply that same lesson in life, instead of so often fleeing from what seems strange.
An enjoyable story with great characters, great plot, and intriguing food for thought, Reach is a worthy successor to Twin-Bred and this author’s reach is impressive.
Disclosure: I loved Twin-Bred and I jumped at the chance of a free ecopy of Reach for review.
May 2, 2013
To be published this month! Grab this as soon as it comes out, it is a great sequel to Twin-bred.
This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.
Disclosure: I was given my copy of this book by the author as a pre-release review copy.
The diplomacy continues, life goes on for the twin-bred. Species really can learn to cooperate and live together.
This story continues where Twin-bred ended. The twins are forced to leave their home planet in hopes of finding a place where they can live in peace and harmony. Some of the original Tofa host mothers pick up the task of keeping peace between the humans and natives of Tofarn.
While the struggles to communicate continue in this book, the twins will not give up. The idea that diplomacy and communication can strengthen relationships and allow different groups to live in peace are greatly reinforced. The communication between twins becomes their strongest ability. The difficult timeline of the first book in the series is resolved, since this book is written in the current timeline only.
The plausibility of twins being given the chance to act as diplomats is further explored in this volume. The story expands on the previous ideas presented, expanding the roles of the twins. While very entertaining, the reader can wander and imagine many different "what if" situations. The interaction of the twin-bred, coupled with the individuals who have lost their twin, is well explained and will at times leave the reader to contemplate how much is science and how much is fiction.
If you read "Twin-bred", grab this one! If you did not read "Twin-bred", grab it and "Reach"! I am loooking forward to reading much more from this author.
This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.
Disclosure: I was given my copy of this book by the author as a pre-release review copy.
The diplomacy continues, life goes on for the twin-bred. Species really can learn to cooperate and live together.
This story continues where Twin-bred ended. The twins are forced to leave their home planet in hopes of finding a place where they can live in peace and harmony. Some of the original Tofa host mothers pick up the task of keeping peace between the humans and natives of Tofarn.
While the struggles to communicate continue in this book, the twins will not give up. The idea that diplomacy and communication can strengthen relationships and allow different groups to live in peace are greatly reinforced. The communication between twins becomes their strongest ability. The difficult timeline of the first book in the series is resolved, since this book is written in the current timeline only.
The plausibility of twins being given the chance to act as diplomats is further explored in this volume. The story expands on the previous ideas presented, expanding the roles of the twins. While very entertaining, the reader can wander and imagine many different "what if" situations. The interaction of the twin-bred, coupled with the individuals who have lost their twin, is well explained and will at times leave the reader to contemplate how much is science and how much is fiction.
If you read "Twin-bred", grab this one! If you did not read "Twin-bred", grab it and "Reach"! I am loooking forward to reading much more from this author.
May 21, 2013
In Reach, the story begins where the first novel left off. The Twin-Bred, along with Mara, and a few others leave their planet in a spaceship, hoping to find a new home. Since they had failed to bring the Tofa and human species together and are no longer welcome anywhere on Tofarn, they begin a new and risky journey in space. The issues on their home planet are not forgotten, however, since host mothers and a pair of Twin-Bred have stayed to lead separate lives.
This novel moves along at a much quicker pace than the first one. As they venture into the unknown, you will want to keep reading to find out what will happen to them. Will they find a new home? Will they remain safe out in space? If they find a new home, will they be welcome there? Or will it be even more dangerous than the planet they left behind?
Meanwhile, back on Tofarn, the situation between the humans and the Tofa appears to be worsening. In Reach, the scenes flip back and forth between Mara with the Twin-Bred and the problems that remain on Tofarn. Both are equally enthralling, and as all the events unfolded, I found myself to be drawn into this world, or rather, this universe. Once again, Karen A. Wyle does not disappoint with her flawless writing.
I felt a stronger connection with the main characters in this novel as I rooted for them to finally find some peace. It was fascinating to learn more about the Tofa as well, who have abilities that were never realized before.
After reading the first Twin-Bred novel, Reach is a sequel that will answer any questions you may have had. You will delve further into the story of Mara and the Twin-Bred, and you will see how much this is a reflection on our own world. This is definitely a book worth reading!
This novel moves along at a much quicker pace than the first one. As they venture into the unknown, you will want to keep reading to find out what will happen to them. Will they find a new home? Will they remain safe out in space? If they find a new home, will they be welcome there? Or will it be even more dangerous than the planet they left behind?
Meanwhile, back on Tofarn, the situation between the humans and the Tofa appears to be worsening. In Reach, the scenes flip back and forth between Mara with the Twin-Bred and the problems that remain on Tofarn. Both are equally enthralling, and as all the events unfolded, I found myself to be drawn into this world, or rather, this universe. Once again, Karen A. Wyle does not disappoint with her flawless writing.
I felt a stronger connection with the main characters in this novel as I rooted for them to finally find some peace. It was fascinating to learn more about the Tofa as well, who have abilities that were never realized before.
After reading the first Twin-Bred novel, Reach is a sequel that will answer any questions you may have had. You will delve further into the story of Mara and the Twin-Bred, and you will see how much this is a reflection on our own world. This is definitely a book worth reading!
July 16, 2014
Reach, book 2 in Karen's Twin-Bred series, left off right where book 1 finished.
There was probably enough background for this book to be alright on its own, but I would suggest reading book 1 to get a full understanding of the history.
I liked that things weren't as focused in Mara, there was equal time for other characters. This helped with the story pacing too, allowing for different characters to progress things quickly, but in different ways to Mara.
I really liked the development with the Space travel and the resulting complications (I know that's vague, but I want to avoid spoilers!) I felt that provided real growth for the Tofa, Twin-Bred and the humans associated with them.
The pacing was great, the interwoven stories from different characters allowed for quick progression of multiple plot lines. This gave the story more complexity, but this was just the perfect amount of complexity.
If you like strategy and political themes, this book will draw you. The logic that was applied to the scenarios, was great. Add some of the plotting and duplicitous activity and you have yourself a perfect blend. When you mix in strong emotion (and there was a lot of that too), you'll find you have yourself a jam-packed book of adventure, space travel, politics and human and Tofa growth.
I am pretty confident we'll see at least one more story for the Twin-Bred series. There's plenty left to discover with these characters.
A few things I noticed:
31% - Hd (Had) it begun, already?
34% - Jakrad (Jak-rad)
35% - grainto (grain to) his ingestors...
47% - once he had had had (delete third had) his...
**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**
There was probably enough background for this book to be alright on its own, but I would suggest reading book 1 to get a full understanding of the history.
I liked that things weren't as focused in Mara, there was equal time for other characters. This helped with the story pacing too, allowing for different characters to progress things quickly, but in different ways to Mara.
I really liked the development with the Space travel and the resulting complications (I know that's vague, but I want to avoid spoilers!) I felt that provided real growth for the Tofa, Twin-Bred and the humans associated with them.
The pacing was great, the interwoven stories from different characters allowed for quick progression of multiple plot lines. This gave the story more complexity, but this was just the perfect amount of complexity.
If you like strategy and political themes, this book will draw you. The logic that was applied to the scenarios, was great. Add some of the plotting and duplicitous activity and you have yourself a perfect blend. When you mix in strong emotion (and there was a lot of that too), you'll find you have yourself a jam-packed book of adventure, space travel, politics and human and Tofa growth.
I am pretty confident we'll see at least one more story for the Twin-Bred series. There's plenty left to discover with these characters.
A few things I noticed:
31% - Hd (Had) it begun, already?
34% - Jakrad (Jak-rad)
35% - grainto (grain to) his ingestors...
47% - once he had had had (delete third had) his...
**Note: I was provided with an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**
October 21, 2014
This is the second in the Twin-Bred series. I loved the first one! It was a free book on Amazon; I gave it five stars, and immediately bought book number two. I don't like it. Judging by everyone else's reviews, this is all on me. Everyone else loved it, just like they loved the first one. Everyone except me. This science fiction book is set way in the future. The first one was on a planet that humans had colonized and lived on with the native sapient species, the Tofa. There was an experiment, we were learning about the culture of two people, about a whole planet, as well as about individuals. The second book picks right up where we left off, and now we're on a spaceship to try and possibly discover and colonize a new planet. That sounds exciting! And yet, it's mostly just talking. The people on the ground trying to make sense of everything that happened in the project and adjust to normal life again. The people on the ship trying to make sense of who and what they are, now that they are alone, and what their goals are. But it's done so slowly... There's lots of talking, not as much happening. The idea is there but for someone with a short attention span, it dragged. Reading it felt like when you're on a long car or plane ride and you can't get off and it's taking forever. Which means the author is writing well, since that's what essentially is happening to these young people. It's just not for me. If you've read the first one, certainly, try this, and see what you think. If you haven't read the first one - go do it right now! It was great. I could not finish this book and gave up.
May 26, 2013
A more than worthy sequel to Twin-Bred.
I will confess I had expected Reach to be completely about the humans and Tofa who left Tofarn to find a new world for themselves. So I was surprised when it turned out the story is as much about those left behind as it is about them. I was happy with this choice though as both the storyline set on Tofarn and the storyline following the travels of the space faring Twin-Bred are very suspenseful and intense.
The things happening on Tofan are a continuation of problems that started in Twin-Bred and it leads those of the twin-bred who decided to stay on Tofarn into danger. I really loved this storyline as it showed more of the Tofa and their culture.
Meanwhile the twin-bred who left Tofarn encounter their own problems and they have decisions to make that might have huge consequences. Wyle does a great job in showing how some things are universal and that the best solution to your problems is facing them.
Overall this is a compelling story about acceptance and trust. About the importance of trying to understand each other and accepting each others differences. This story shows we’re a long way from reaching these goals, but it also shows we can learn. All in all I enjoyed this book and I wouldn't mind when Wyle decides to write more books in this series.
I will confess I had expected Reach to be completely about the humans and Tofa who left Tofarn to find a new world for themselves. So I was surprised when it turned out the story is as much about those left behind as it is about them. I was happy with this choice though as both the storyline set on Tofarn and the storyline following the travels of the space faring Twin-Bred are very suspenseful and intense.
The things happening on Tofan are a continuation of problems that started in Twin-Bred and it leads those of the twin-bred who decided to stay on Tofarn into danger. I really loved this storyline as it showed more of the Tofa and their culture.
Meanwhile the twin-bred who left Tofarn encounter their own problems and they have decisions to make that might have huge consequences. Wyle does a great job in showing how some things are universal and that the best solution to your problems is facing them.
Overall this is a compelling story about acceptance and trust. About the importance of trying to understand each other and accepting each others differences. This story shows we’re a long way from reaching these goals, but it also shows we can learn. All in all I enjoyed this book and I wouldn't mind when Wyle decides to write more books in this series.
October 5, 2013
This story picks up immediately after the first one ends, with the majority of the Twin-Bred on a journey into space, with an unknown destination in mind. There were a few times in the beginning where I was confused about situations and characters as there is no recapping or explanations. With that in mind, it would be best to keep the time between reading the two books quite short, as opposed to my 2 years.
I really liked the journey to the wormhole and the destination beyond. I liked how Mara tried to avoid being the designated leader, and instead, tried to guide the Twin-Bred into a democratic situation. It really shows how much the characters have matured over the span of the series so far, and how much Mara respects them.
The situations the Twin-Bred encounter are quite universal in theme, with trust and understanding being the biggest issues. I liked how even though they were basically kicked off Tofarn, the Twin-Bred still tried to use their diplomatic skills to make things better everywhere they went.
Overall, this was an enjoyable space read about humans and aliens that have strong connections with each other. There is excitement and adventure, but the main focus is the relationships between the people, regardless of their species.
I really liked the journey to the wormhole and the destination beyond. I liked how Mara tried to avoid being the designated leader, and instead, tried to guide the Twin-Bred into a democratic situation. It really shows how much the characters have matured over the span of the series so far, and how much Mara respects them.
The situations the Twin-Bred encounter are quite universal in theme, with trust and understanding being the biggest issues. I liked how even though they were basically kicked off Tofarn, the Twin-Bred still tried to use their diplomatic skills to make things better everywhere they went.
Overall, this was an enjoyable space read about humans and aliens that have strong connections with each other. There is excitement and adventure, but the main focus is the relationships between the people, regardless of their species.
May 21, 2013
Reach
A Twin-Bred novel
By Karen A. Wyle
The Twin-Bred are in space with the mission of finding a new planet to colonize. However there are still at least one human and one Tofa Twin-Bred who remain on Tofarn. Humans and Tofa on Tofarn pursue their own interests, sometimes with suspicion and distrust. The spacefarers make exciting discoveries and have important decisions to make.
Reach is a worthy sequel to Twin-Bred. The non-human beings are really non-human, with non-human senses, physical characteristics, and reactions. Even though it would be possible to read Reach without having read Twin-Bred, Reach will be richer for the reader who has read Twin-Bred.
Reach moves smoothly, the characters are consistent. There are so many characters that it may be a little difficult to keep them sorted, but this does not detract from the pleasure of reading the book. Twin-Bred and Reach will both be of particular interest for those who enjoy reading about sentient beings other than Earth-humans.
I received a pre-publication copy of Reach so that I could review it, but this did not affect my review.
A Twin-Bred novel
By Karen A. Wyle
The Twin-Bred are in space with the mission of finding a new planet to colonize. However there are still at least one human and one Tofa Twin-Bred who remain on Tofarn. Humans and Tofa on Tofarn pursue their own interests, sometimes with suspicion and distrust. The spacefarers make exciting discoveries and have important decisions to make.
Reach is a worthy sequel to Twin-Bred. The non-human beings are really non-human, with non-human senses, physical characteristics, and reactions. Even though it would be possible to read Reach without having read Twin-Bred, Reach will be richer for the reader who has read Twin-Bred.
Reach moves smoothly, the characters are consistent. There are so many characters that it may be a little difficult to keep them sorted, but this does not detract from the pleasure of reading the book. Twin-Bred and Reach will both be of particular interest for those who enjoy reading about sentient beings other than Earth-humans.
I received a pre-publication copy of Reach so that I could review it, but this did not affect my review.
May 21, 2013
Reach is a worthy sequel to Twin-Bred, which I praised as one of the most original and beautifully written Sci-Fi novels I’ve ever read. The story line of Twin-Bred is continued and raised in level of depth and complexity. At the same time, a new and exciting story line is added. There is enough back-story provided that Reach can be read as a standalone novel. However, I think readers will benefit greatly from having first read Twin-Bred so as to fully understand how and why the Twin-Bred came into being and why the concept is so different from the usual human/alien encounter books. I trust and hope we are seeing the beginning of one of the outstanding series of Sci-Fi adventure series. Although the scope and focus differ greatly, I compare the emerging Twin-Bred series with Asimov’s great Foundation novels in terms of interest and, particularly, political intrigue. Highly recommended.
March 8, 2015
This enjoyable sequel to Twin Bred sees the human and tofa twins setting out to cross space in search of a new home planet. Meanwhile, back home on Tofarn, their leaving hasn't magically resolved all of society's problems, so the story unfolds in parallel on two ends of an interstellar comm link. I've loved the concept of the twin-bred pairs since the first novel (which you should definitely read first, if you haven't), and their special abilities are further developed in interesting directions The only down-side is that the two storylines, while sometimes intersecting, don't exactly feel related. Other sections of this book feel like they're there to set up storylines for a future sequel, which I hope is in the works.
December 20, 2013
I adored Karen's first novel Twin Bred - in fact, it made it into one of my Top Books of 2011 (http://authorjess.blogspot.com/2011/1... ). So when she asked if I'd like to read her next book in the series, I jumped at the chance! I was definitely not disappointed.
Twin Bred are growing up fast as they set forth toward a new land and a new destiny far away from their home world. We get to find out more about the two who were left behind and find their paths linked once more, and all of the Twin Bred learn that difficulties can arise in any environment. The characters develop nicely, the plot is interesting, and the pace is just right. Another wonderful book by a great author!
Twin Bred are growing up fast as they set forth toward a new land and a new destiny far away from their home world. We get to find out more about the two who were left behind and find their paths linked once more, and all of the Twin Bred learn that difficulties can arise in any environment. The characters develop nicely, the plot is interesting, and the pace is just right. Another wonderful book by a great author!
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April 15, 2017(Not rating it, because I wrote it.)
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