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Siberia
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
233 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
9 people are currently reading
485 people want to read
About the author
Ann Halam
38 books35 followersAnn Halam is a pseudonym of Gwyneth Jones.
As well as being a children’s author, Ann Halam writes adult science fiction and fantasy books as the popular and prizewinning author Gwyneth Jones. Her most recent titles for Wendy Lamb Books are Dr. Franklin’s Island, Taylor Five, and Siberia. She lives in Brighton, England.
As well as being a children’s author, Ann Halam writes adult science fiction and fantasy books as the popular and prizewinning author Gwyneth Jones. Her most recent titles for Wendy Lamb Books are Dr. Franklin’s Island, Taylor Five, and Siberia. She lives in Brighton, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
April 14, 2020
At a glance, Siberia looks like such an unassuming little novel. Let's see; a vague title which could mean anything, a seemingly simple story, a bland synopsis, a dull and uninspiring cover. But how wrong was I!
Sure, in the beginning, it was boring, soporific even. But this is by far one of the most incredibly well-written fantasy novels, excellent pacing, better plotting, a believable MC who is human and humane. Though what she is wearing on the cover of this edition is a little misleading. Looks like designer wear to me, when in the book she barely has adequate clothing for the winterlands.
But seriously, this is dystopia done right. Which False Hearts could have been. Oh please, False Hearts wished it was this amazing. Heck, I enjoyed this more than the Wolf in the Attic and I really did like that one, sort of.
Siberia is another great find from 2013. What I love about this is that I came across northern lights. Twice! Too bad it wasn't Aurora Aksnes and that this reminded me of Book of Blood by Clive Barker I read last December. Love that month.
What exactly had happened to the world in this book? To get to the point of the current setting? What had set off the eternal winter? The Cause and Effect are kinda kept mysterious here. Though it is more than hinted that the climate change and the damage we have done to this planet were a factor and that is the main reason. Let's face it, we are exhausting our world. Don't worry, not gonna preach here, haha. What we are doing to each other and to this earth is an issue. The premise is plausible because that could happen in reality too. Which is always scary. Because it feels inevitable.
Despite all that, the novel did end fairly well. The ending was fair and I am all about the endings, the good ones at least. I thought it will be a copout but it wasn't. It concluded, with my many thanks. For the briefest moment, I got a sense of Mad Max Road Fury from it too, go figure.
oh, I also liked how springtime was deemed more dangerous than the winter. I love when they change things like that. The reason this doesn't have five stars is that there wasn't more snow in it. By that I mean, the wastelands should have been explored more, the adventure could have been more grander. That's why it felt it was finished before it actually got started.
Speaking of epic adventures being done just right, everyone should look up Kubo and the Two strings. In fact, if you are going through some things and you need to smile, I highly recommend Kubo and the Two strings and Pixar's Inside Out. Sheer storytelling. They can help you get over anything.
Addendum: Oh, how I love this excerpt from the author's note; the Seedsavers at the end :
you could, if you like, imagine that Sloe's journey starts somewhere to the east of Warsaw; she travels to the Baltic coast, and the city where the sun always shines is across the sea in the south of Sweden... somewhere around Malmö? But maybe not. You can imagine the adventure happening wherever you like. The Siberia I'm talking about in this story is not a place. Siberia is a state of mind.
Last Word: But tell me, how can I think of the cold, snow, Winter, any winter and not think of this from Dec 2015 :
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
August 16, 2014
I picked this book up from a charity shop, the synopsis sounded interesting and I thought it would be good to have on standby. To my amazement, by page 2 I was hooked! I didn't realise it was a young adult book, but in some ways it reminded me of Fuse, Delirium or Divergent. The difference for me, is that Siberia is almost believable; it is a possible future that could be closer than we think; it''s 21st century meets sci-fi meets World War 2....and I loved it. Being a short novel, I read it over 2 nights. Brilliant heroine and great scenery, a full 5/5 from me :-) A modern fairy tale which makes you feel a little bit magical and about 8 years old again.
August 29, 2016
Meh. 2,5 stars
May 23, 2024
this book is wondefully strange.
September 20, 2022
Hace semanas estaba en un bazar cuando pasé frente a un stand donde tenían libros, uno de ellos me llamó bastante la atención por lo que podía ver del lomo. Cambié de dirección inmediatamente para tomarlo y hojear su sinopsis. Mi procedimiento cuando me interesa un libro consiste en mirar la portada, echarle un vistazo a la sinopsis y ver un poco cómo es por dentro (por el tamaño de la letra, más que nada). Como estaba barato y tenía suficiente dinero, lo compré. Honestamente, fue más que nada por lo llamativa que me pareció la portada.
Aquí vemos la vida de Zarza, una niña que crece en un lugar alejado de todo, sin esperanza, sin saber qué las llevó a ella y a su madre ahí. Ya no existen los animales, solo las plagas. Las personas ahí no tienen libertad. Sin embargo, no todo está perdido, pues su madre posee algo casi mágico que puede restaurar la vida animal, y ahora a Zarza le toca cuidar de ese secreto y llevarlo a donde puedan usarlo sin que caiga en malas manos.
Bien, la historia en sí es interesante. Todas las cosas por las que Zarza pasa incluso antes de tener que proteger ese secreto mágico que pertenecía a su mamá me impulsaban a seguir leyendo hasta que llegara a aquel lugar en el norte. Pero, Dios, qué manera tan aburrida de contar todo. Apenas a la mitad empieza el viaje de la protagonista, antes de eso tuve que esperar bastante antes de que los animalitos volvieran a aparecer. Que sí, me gustó ver las cosas que hizo la niña en esos años, pues estas la transformaron en esa persona tan distinta que era al empezar como tal la aventura, sin embargo, me aburrió mucho.
Sigo pensando en que me habría gustado que narraran las cosas en un orden distinto, empezando en un punto donde hubiesen más cosas llamativas pasando y contando a través de flashbacks los primeros años de Zarza. Quizás así no me habría costado terminarlo. Aunque debo darle crédito por atraparme con los últimos capítulos.
Lo que más me gustó de esta historia fueron los animalitos, la verdad. Tanto cuando los veíamos así todos chiquitos como las veces en las que la protagonista los crio para que le fueran de ayuda. Fueron mis personajes favoritos del libro. Los humanos, por otro lado, no me gustaron tanto. Este libro nos muestra como puede haber gente buena, mala y «gris», por así decirlo; nos cruzamos con personajes que parecen pura bondad y otros que parecen todo lo contrario, pero conforme la historia avanza vemos también personajes que entran en el medio, incluso la misma protagonista. Mi problema con Zarza era que, aunque estaba muy justificado, desconfiaba de todo y todos. En verdad tenía sentido que fuera así, y al final esa desconfianza resultó ser acertada varias veces, la cosa es que era molesto en las ocasiones donde no tenía que desconfiar tanto. No sé si me explico.
También me agradó la nota de la autora al final del libro, donde hablaba sobre lo que usó de inspiración para el libro. Fue lindo.
En fin, El legado de Siberia tiene una trama muy intrigante, aunque se hace demasiado lenta, al menos para mí. ¿La recomiendo? Aquí tengo como un dilema, porque me gustaría recomendarla, pero se me hizo tan aburrida en tantas ocasiones que desisto de hacerlo. Solo puedo decir que si tienen ganas de darle una oportunidad háganlo. Siendo honesta, no me arrepiento de haber comprado este libro, ya que así pude conocer esta historia
Aquí vemos la vida de Zarza, una niña que crece en un lugar alejado de todo, sin esperanza, sin saber qué las llevó a ella y a su madre ahí. Ya no existen los animales, solo las plagas. Las personas ahí no tienen libertad. Sin embargo, no todo está perdido, pues su madre posee algo casi mágico que puede restaurar la vida animal, y ahora a Zarza le toca cuidar de ese secreto y llevarlo a donde puedan usarlo sin que caiga en malas manos.
Bien, la historia en sí es interesante. Todas las cosas por las que Zarza pasa incluso antes de tener que proteger ese secreto mágico que pertenecía a su mamá me impulsaban a seguir leyendo hasta que llegara a aquel lugar en el norte. Pero, Dios, qué manera tan aburrida de contar todo. Apenas a la mitad empieza el viaje de la protagonista, antes de eso tuve que esperar bastante antes de que los animalitos volvieran a aparecer. Que sí, me gustó ver las cosas que hizo la niña en esos años, pues estas la transformaron en esa persona tan distinta que era al empezar como tal la aventura, sin embargo, me aburrió mucho.
Sigo pensando en que me habría gustado que narraran las cosas en un orden distinto, empezando en un punto donde hubiesen más cosas llamativas pasando y contando a través de flashbacks los primeros años de Zarza. Quizás así no me habría costado terminarlo. Aunque debo darle crédito por atraparme con los últimos capítulos.
Lo que más me gustó de esta historia fueron los animalitos, la verdad. Tanto cuando los veíamos así todos chiquitos como las veces en las que la protagonista los crio para que le fueran de ayuda. Fueron mis personajes favoritos del libro. Los humanos, por otro lado, no me gustaron tanto. Este libro nos muestra como puede haber gente buena, mala y «gris», por así decirlo; nos cruzamos con personajes que parecen pura bondad y otros que parecen todo lo contrario, pero conforme la historia avanza vemos también personajes que entran en el medio, incluso la misma protagonista. Mi problema con Zarza era que, aunque estaba muy justificado, desconfiaba de todo y todos. En verdad tenía sentido que fuera así, y al final esa desconfianza resultó ser acertada varias veces, la cosa es que era molesto en las ocasiones donde no tenía que desconfiar tanto. No sé si me explico.
También me agradó la nota de la autora al final del libro, donde hablaba sobre lo que usó de inspiración para el libro. Fue lindo.
En fin, El legado de Siberia tiene una trama muy intrigante, aunque se hace demasiado lenta, al menos para mí. ¿La recomiendo? Aquí tengo como un dilema, porque me gustaría recomendarla, pero se me hizo tan aburrida en tantas ocasiones que desisto de hacerlo. Solo puedo decir que si tienen ganas de darle una oportunidad háganlo. Siendo honesta, no me arrepiento de haber comprado este libro, ya que así pude conocer esta historia
February 8, 2018
excellent! i think the GOP and Trump should read this cautionary tale of a dystopian , global warming society.
May 23, 2016
My first impression of this book is that it is not well written. Much of the grammar seemed off, but to such a large extent that I'm guessing Siberia wasn't originally published in America. Aside from that though, I felt many of the sentences were weak, there were loose ends that sort of floated around, and the book was generally confusing. Also, parenthesis should not be that prevalent, not if it's a well-written novel. There was some brilliant passages, where the talent of the author really shown through, but those excerpts were few and far between. There was an entire paragraph about "following your heart," a cliche that had absolutely no relevance to the rest of the book. And the entire end of Rescue City? Way too rushed and anticlimactic, not to mention cliche. To make matters worse, the protagonist's mom was badly written, intended to be a loving, wise mentor-figure that instead came across as a misty-eyed idiot. Badly done.
Another point that really bothered me was that the author did a terrible job of setting the initial scene. I started the book with no knowledge of the genre; I should have figured out by the end of the first chapter what general area I was reading, but I was instead feeling Holocaust, Soviet Union, fantasy, dytsopian, and other genre-vibes, which left me feeling more grumpy than intrigued. I had to read reviews to determine that Siberia was, in fact, a dytopian version of our world.
But the novel did have quite a few redeeming qualities. I found the central plot to be pretty unique for a dystopian novel. I also really enjoyed the protagonist's character growth and her harsh background, especially her desire to trust others despite the practical knowledge that it was a bad idea. The subplots of her journey, such as New Dawn and Little Father, were also pretty fun to read about.
But gosh, the writing was awful. I felt like taking a red pen to the book to adjust the sentences. It makes me wonder if this book was self-published, because there doesn't seem to have been an editor.
Another point that really bothered me was that the author did a terrible job of setting the initial scene. I started the book with no knowledge of the genre; I should have figured out by the end of the first chapter what general area I was reading, but I was instead feeling Holocaust, Soviet Union, fantasy, dytsopian, and other genre-vibes, which left me feeling more grumpy than intrigued. I had to read reviews to determine that Siberia was, in fact, a dytopian version of our world.
But the novel did have quite a few redeeming qualities. I found the central plot to be pretty unique for a dystopian novel. I also really enjoyed the protagonist's character growth and her harsh background, especially her desire to trust others despite the practical knowledge that it was a bad idea. The subplots of her journey, such as New Dawn and Little Father, were also pretty fun to read about.
But gosh, the writing was awful. I felt like taking a red pen to the book to adjust the sentences. It makes me wonder if this book was self-published, because there doesn't seem to have been an editor.
April 22, 2011
I don't how I felt about this book.
I liked the Lindquists, although the idea was very strange and certainly isn't possible, yet.
Not sure I liked the main character though, and it had, what I felt, was a pretty sudden ending.
I liked the Lindquists, although the idea was very strange and certainly isn't possible, yet.
Not sure I liked the main character though, and it had, what I felt, was a pretty sudden ending.
April 12, 2023
I enjoyed this book as a quick little read on my commute, but I was left with a few questions at the end. The lindquists were a delightful invention, and it was nice to see Sloe's development throughout the book.
April 25, 2007
Dystopic YA novel. Great main character.
November 20, 2014
Again, she combines heavy ideas (extinction, genetic engineering) with action, but again I'm not sure about the pace.
September 30, 2011
This was interesting. Quick paced, fairly easy to read.
April 24, 2023
Para hablar primero de esta historia, es necesario que conozcáis el banco global de semillas que hay en Noruega. No es un banco genético de investigación, sino que fue creado para almacenar muestras y así poder replicarlas en caso de algún desastre natural o conflicto bélico.
Esta historia es una extrapolación entre catástrofes naturales y todo el desastre ecológico que estamos causando. En vez de conservar muestras de plantas, se conservan semillas que contienen el ADN de todos los animales. Con un pequeño mutágeno que existe realmente y del que se habla al final del libro, estas pequeñas semillas permiten cambiar a distintos tipos de Animal y les permiten evolucionar. Rosita, la protagonista no comprende la ciencia que hay detrás de todo esto y entiende que es un proceso mágico y espiritual.
La novela es juvenil con una narrativa fácil y bonita, no ahonda mucho en los personajes, pero aquí lo verdaderamente importante el viaje de la protagonista que debe enfrentarse a un mundo postapocaliptico. Traficantes de esclavos, Mafias, Saqueadores. Siempre esta ocurriendo algo malo.
PEROS
La única pega es que a nivel de narrativa tiene varias disonancias sobre las muertes. En este mundo hay gente que desaparece si hace lo incorrecto para la policía. Entonces se podría comprender que algunas desapariciones o fallecimientos afectasen más que otros. Pero llegando al final de la historia la muerte de X, que le importaba sobremanera le resulta indiferente. De una página otra o de un párrafo a otro, algo que le importaba mucho deja de importarle y no recibe mención alguna. Considero que la autora tendría prisa por terminar la novela.
Aún así recomiendo leerla porque es de lectura rápida, y con tanta desgracia te implicas mucho en la historia, estás constantemente diciendo "POR DIOS QUE LE SALGA ALGO BIEN". Y Creo que hoy en día en pocos libros puedes implicarte así.
Esta historia es una extrapolación entre catástrofes naturales y todo el desastre ecológico que estamos causando. En vez de conservar muestras de plantas, se conservan semillas que contienen el ADN de todos los animales. Con un pequeño mutágeno que existe realmente y del que se habla al final del libro, estas pequeñas semillas permiten cambiar a distintos tipos de Animal y les permiten evolucionar. Rosita, la protagonista no comprende la ciencia que hay detrás de todo esto y entiende que es un proceso mágico y espiritual.
La novela es juvenil con una narrativa fácil y bonita, no ahonda mucho en los personajes, pero aquí lo verdaderamente importante el viaje de la protagonista que debe enfrentarse a un mundo postapocaliptico. Traficantes de esclavos, Mafias, Saqueadores. Siempre esta ocurriendo algo malo.
PEROS
La única pega es que a nivel de narrativa tiene varias disonancias sobre las muertes. En este mundo hay gente que desaparece si hace lo incorrecto para la policía. Entonces se podría comprender que algunas desapariciones o fallecimientos afectasen más que otros. Pero llegando al final de la historia la muerte de X, que le importaba sobremanera le resulta indiferente. De una página otra o de un párrafo a otro, algo que le importaba mucho deja de importarle y no recibe mención alguna. Considero que la autora tendría prisa por terminar la novela.
Aún así recomiendo leerla porque es de lectura rápida, y con tanta desgracia te implicas mucho en la historia, estás constantemente diciendo "POR DIOS QUE LE SALGA ALGO BIEN". Y Creo que hoy en día en pocos libros puedes implicarte así.
January 24, 2025
This is not a well-known novel but I first read it when I was about fourteen and I’ve never forgotten the story. This book is more about the journey of a girl in a dystopian future and less about Siberia as a literal place. Siberia has more of an allegorical meaning in this novel which is set in this bleak snowy futuristic world. It’s a really beautiful book and completely captivated me as a teen, would recommend for young adult readers.
December 13, 2019
This book was not what I expected. Although the story grabbed my attention and kept me engaged, I found it difficult to picture the events as they unfolded. The author's attempt to describe the animals without using their actual names seemed insincere. I would have preferred to watch this as a film.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2020
Una historia tierna, donde nos enseñan que tal vez no estamos muy lejos de ese futuro, donde no hay lugar para la vida, nosotros somos los causantes de nuestra perdición, la ambición del poder político y poder sobre la vida, porque nos creemos superiores a los demás, una enseñanza que no podemos dejar atrás.
December 12, 2019
I read it when I was about 9-10 years old... Back then I really liked it and I think I read it over a few times! I guess my preferences have changed... but it surely is good memory.
I guess you could say is Dystopian literature for kids.
I guess you could say is Dystopian literature for kids.
October 10, 2020
Un futuro distópico, sin animales salvajes. El legado de Siberia te hace pensar en lo que puede ser el futuro de la tierra, si seguimos por el camino por donde vamos, sin entender que vivimos en este planeta como inquilinos y no como dueños.
March 26, 2025
I still think about this book to this day (2025). While most of the plot and details escape me, I remember being swept away by the atmosphere and the character and the almost possible magic. Definitely one I’d like to pick up again and refresh my memory!
February 15, 2020
Geweldig boek, ik heb het al sinds ik 14 ben in mijn kast en het blijft mijn favoriet! De karakters zijn uniek en het verhaal is heel inspirerend!
October 4, 2024
Amo este libro, el mejor que puede existir en todo el planeta tierra, te transporta a un gran mundo lleno de incertidumbre y de imaginación en la vida de la pequeña rosita o zarza
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2021
I didn't know what to expect in the book. The description and the title felt vague. But the cover caught my attention. Plus I read it in a plane journey. It was a good read.
December 27, 2014
Synopsis: When Sloe was tiny, her Papa disappeared and she and her mama went to live in a prison camp in the snowy north, in a time and place when there are no more wild animals. Mama’s crime: teaching science, and her dedication to the hope that the lost animal species can be reborn. To Sloe, Mama’s secret work is magic, as enchanting as Mama’s tales of a bright city across the ice where they will be free.
Years later, Sloe is sent to a prison school, and Mama disappears. At 13, Sloe escapes, pursued by a mysterious man. With only hope to keep her going, Sloe sets out on a solitary 1000-mile journey. But she is not truly alone for Mama left Sloe a gift: the seeds of five missing species and the knowledge to bring them to life.
This strange and beautiful book was borrowed from my Aunt and I am so happy to have read what it probably considered to be young teen fiction but has so much more depth, detail and almost prosaic parts. In the author's note, Ann Halam said that Siberia wasn't a place in this book, more so a state of mind and that is definitely how it felt. When I book is all in the first person for the same character, I am always worried I will grow to hate them and grow tired of them - more so if they are female! However, I grow to love Sloe and am careful for her, am scared for her and throughout her journey, really enjoyed seeing the immense character development that happens - which you would expect from a girl hardened by a 1000 mile journey across ice. I began to realise that she also wouldn't annoy me because Ann Halam did not create an obnoxious protagonist who thinks the world revolves around them, instead Sloe knows not to wallow in self pity as she knows it will only hold her back.
Each scene had something different, something new but kept it realistic and kept the reader's prior emotions and opinions about the characters and events. Something about this book really made it special to me. Whether it was the charisma of the main character, or the heart-warming, heart-wrenching nature of the journey she had to undertake, it's definitely a book that will stay with me for a long while now that I have read it.
It also has some dystopian elements to it too. In the author's note, it is mentioned that Halam wanted to portray her ideas about the future of Earth's wild animals due to things like global warming and how they might be preserved and kept with us, maybe or maybe not by the 'seed banks'. Although you might think it a depressing subject as a bleak 1000 mile journey across frozen wasteland could not possibly be made joyous, Ann Halam's writing style and voice somehow make it readable and enjoyable, rooting for Sloe.
I have to mention though why not the 5/5 stars and it is only because, in some of the settings that Sloe found herself in, it wasn't fully transparent to me where she was in relation to where she had just been and how she got there - although this may be just me, it did confuse me a little and cause me to go back and re-read the previous page.
I will also be reading a few other books by Ann Halam, as I was intrigued by the intros to them at the back of 'Siberia' such as 'Taylor Five': Taylor Walker seems like any ordinary 14-year-old. Ordinary—if you overlook the fact that she lives on the island of Borneo, on a primate reserve run by her parents, and knows how to survive in the jungle. Obviously, Tay isn’t just like everyone else. But she is like one other person. She’s exactly like one other person. Tay is a clone, one of only five in the world, and her clone mother is Pam Taylor, a brilliant scientist.
Years later, Sloe is sent to a prison school, and Mama disappears. At 13, Sloe escapes, pursued by a mysterious man. With only hope to keep her going, Sloe sets out on a solitary 1000-mile journey. But she is not truly alone for Mama left Sloe a gift: the seeds of five missing species and the knowledge to bring them to life.
This strange and beautiful book was borrowed from my Aunt and I am so happy to have read what it probably considered to be young teen fiction but has so much more depth, detail and almost prosaic parts. In the author's note, Ann Halam said that Siberia wasn't a place in this book, more so a state of mind and that is definitely how it felt. When I book is all in the first person for the same character, I am always worried I will grow to hate them and grow tired of them - more so if they are female! However, I grow to love Sloe and am careful for her, am scared for her and throughout her journey, really enjoyed seeing the immense character development that happens - which you would expect from a girl hardened by a 1000 mile journey across ice. I began to realise that she also wouldn't annoy me because Ann Halam did not create an obnoxious protagonist who thinks the world revolves around them, instead Sloe knows not to wallow in self pity as she knows it will only hold her back.
Each scene had something different, something new but kept it realistic and kept the reader's prior emotions and opinions about the characters and events. Something about this book really made it special to me. Whether it was the charisma of the main character, or the heart-warming, heart-wrenching nature of the journey she had to undertake, it's definitely a book that will stay with me for a long while now that I have read it.
It also has some dystopian elements to it too. In the author's note, it is mentioned that Halam wanted to portray her ideas about the future of Earth's wild animals due to things like global warming and how they might be preserved and kept with us, maybe or maybe not by the 'seed banks'. Although you might think it a depressing subject as a bleak 1000 mile journey across frozen wasteland could not possibly be made joyous, Ann Halam's writing style and voice somehow make it readable and enjoyable, rooting for Sloe.
I have to mention though why not the 5/5 stars and it is only because, in some of the settings that Sloe found herself in, it wasn't fully transparent to me where she was in relation to where she had just been and how she got there - although this may be just me, it did confuse me a little and cause me to go back and re-read the previous page.
I will also be reading a few other books by Ann Halam, as I was intrigued by the intros to them at the back of 'Siberia' such as 'Taylor Five': Taylor Walker seems like any ordinary 14-year-old. Ordinary—if you overlook the fact that she lives on the island of Borneo, on a primate reserve run by her parents, and knows how to survive in the jungle. Obviously, Tay isn’t just like everyone else. But she is like one other person. She’s exactly like one other person. Tay is a clone, one of only five in the world, and her clone mother is Pam Taylor, a brilliant scientist.
January 24, 2011
A dystopia told from the point of view of Sloe (Rosita), Siberia begins when Rosita (age 4-5?) & her mother arrive at a work camp in the country. Her father has disappeared, her mother is put to work making nails from pieces of metal, and Rosita is left to her own devices in their cabin until she is sent to school a few years later.
While many people assume this novel is set in Russia, it seems to me that this could be anyplace after pollution/climate change have occurred, damaging the environment and resulting in a government that limits the access of people to resources and education.
There are, perhaps, a few wild animals in this world, but people are mostly on the lookout for pests (roaches, rats, seagulls) and 'muties which must be killed to prevent their spreading to the fur producing animals grown on the fur farm near the camp.
Rosita's mother teaches her at home to start with, and Rosita discovers some "magic" her mother can do to create live animals from dust with a secret Lindquist kit. (In actuality, biology.) Rosita & her mother plan to wait until she is older & escape from the camp to take the kit across the plains, through the forest & across the sea to the "other side."
School presents its own problems, getting along with the other children being a major one. This results in the choice of a new name for Rosita: Sloe (the name of a sour plum that grows on some shrubs at the border of the camp.)
Sloe is sent to New Dawn school as an adolescent where she continues to do well academically and falls in with a group of students stealing and selling goods from the school on the black market. The death of one of these students when he is caught, and the discovery that her answering a teacher's questions about her mother and the Lindquist kits result in the disappearance of her mother make Sloe feel guilty and despairing. One of the guards seemingly befriends her, but she is eventually kicked out of school and sent back to the camp.
Sloe does discover that her mother's Lindquist kit was not found when her mother was taken away, but her neighbors are asking if her mother didn't leave her a legacy, and Sloe decides to make the trip she and her mother planned on alone. The remainder of the book are about Sloe's travel & adventures as she seeks to find "the city on the other side."
The presentation of the atmosphere of distrust with an emphasis on survival at any cost in both the camp & the schools is good, as is the question of who Sloe can trust.
While many people assume this novel is set in Russia, it seems to me that this could be anyplace after pollution/climate change have occurred, damaging the environment and resulting in a government that limits the access of people to resources and education.
There are, perhaps, a few wild animals in this world, but people are mostly on the lookout for pests (roaches, rats, seagulls) and 'muties which must be killed to prevent their spreading to the fur producing animals grown on the fur farm near the camp.
Rosita's mother teaches her at home to start with, and Rosita discovers some "magic" her mother can do to create live animals from dust with a secret Lindquist kit. (In actuality, biology.) Rosita & her mother plan to wait until she is older & escape from the camp to take the kit across the plains, through the forest & across the sea to the "other side."
School presents its own problems, getting along with the other children being a major one. This results in the choice of a new name for Rosita: Sloe (the name of a sour plum that grows on some shrubs at the border of the camp.)
Sloe is sent to New Dawn school as an adolescent where she continues to do well academically and falls in with a group of students stealing and selling goods from the school on the black market. The death of one of these students when he is caught, and the discovery that her answering a teacher's questions about her mother and the Lindquist kits result in the disappearance of her mother make Sloe feel guilty and despairing. One of the guards seemingly befriends her, but she is eventually kicked out of school and sent back to the camp.
Sloe does discover that her mother's Lindquist kit was not found when her mother was taken away, but her neighbors are asking if her mother didn't leave her a legacy, and Sloe decides to make the trip she and her mother planned on alone. The remainder of the book are about Sloe's travel & adventures as she seeks to find "the city on the other side."
The presentation of the atmosphere of distrust with an emphasis on survival at any cost in both the camp & the schools is good, as is the question of who Sloe can trust.
August 12, 2011
Rosita and her mother are taken to a prison camp when Rosita is just a young child. Her father left them prior to their expulsion from the city and Rosita knows nothing about what has happened to him. Her mother is a scientist, and to keep Rosita occupied, she starts to teach her things about science and about the Lindquists - copies of the wild creatures that used to roam the earth before it got cold and before humans killed most of them. Rosita learns how to grow and care for the Lindquists herself and her mother tells her that one day she will be responsible for their care. Rosita becomes “Sloe” at school after her classmates attack her for having an unusual name. She comes away from the incident with a permanent limp. After that she distinguishes herself in school and they send her away to a school for the brightest prison camp children. There she makes a terrible mistake – revealing that her mother was scientist. Her mother is taken from the camp and punished for refusing to give up her former career and beliefs. Sloe is miserable, and eventually is expelled from the prison school and returns to the prison camp where she and her mother used to live. She discovers that her mother was able to hide the Lindquists and that she’s left her a map so that she can find her way to them. Sloe decides to make the journey. She encounters all kinds of trouble along the way and others discover that she has the Lindquists. The most persistent of her pursuers is Yagin, who is an ex-scientist and now works for the Fitness Police. He manages to capture her several times. Although he claims to be her friend, Sloe doesn’t trust him. She eventually makes it to safety and learns her mother is still alive.
Part science-fiction, part history, and part vision of the future, Siberia is an excellent, suspenseful tale of a young girl’s mission across the frozen wastelands of a possible future Russia.
Part science-fiction, part history, and part vision of the future, Siberia is an excellent, suspenseful tale of a young girl’s mission across the frozen wastelands of a possible future Russia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2011
Quite a fascinating story, with a very different premise. At first it reads like something similar to The Endless Steppe - a favourite of mine, hence my attraction to this book - but then it's not just a straight forward "family exile to Siberia" story. Because this isn't the 40s, it's in a dystopian future and the crux of the matter isn't some war or the exile at all, really.
Sometime in the past of this strange future, most wild mammals fell into a huge decline and "the government ordered that seedbanks should be made", DNA storehouses for all the diversity that was being lost. The idea was that when the climate again improved, the earth could be repopulated. Well, that was one idea. The other, secret idea was to push all wild mammals to extinction so that humans would not have to compete with them for the scant resources in this frozen world.
Where Sloe comes into this, is her mother has one of these seedbanks. And when her mother is taken away while Sloe is at boarding school, it's up to Sloe to take care of the "Lindquists", one for each order of mammal (besides cetecea and pinnipeds, which were thought to be lost), and get them to safety. And there begins her huge adventure, where she ends up "creating" a half dozen different animals to help her. The fun part there is she doesn't know what they are, so you can only guess based on her descriptions, until she learns some names!
Sometime in the past of this strange future, most wild mammals fell into a huge decline and "the government ordered that seedbanks should be made", DNA storehouses for all the diversity that was being lost. The idea was that when the climate again improved, the earth could be repopulated. Well, that was one idea. The other, secret idea was to push all wild mammals to extinction so that humans would not have to compete with them for the scant resources in this frozen world.
Where Sloe comes into this, is her mother has one of these seedbanks. And when her mother is taken away while Sloe is at boarding school, it's up to Sloe to take care of the "Lindquists", one for each order of mammal (besides cetecea and pinnipeds, which were thought to be lost), and get them to safety. And there begins her huge adventure, where she ends up "creating" a half dozen different animals to help her. The fun part there is she doesn't know what they are, so you can only guess based on her descriptions, until she learns some names!
November 13, 2015
I did enjoy the story of Sloe and her adventure, but there were a couple of questions I never got answered. Everyone likes a point of reference in time when they are reading a book, especially if it takes place in the future. What year does this book take place? At first I figured it was the near future, but that changed as I read on. It has to take place pretty far into the future, maybe hundreds of years. As bits and pieces begin to far into place, the reader slowly gains a thin grasp on what is happening, but the truth is never completely revealed. This left me with a sense of incompleteness at the end of the story. There are a lot of questions that the reader has that are never answered.
It seems that Russia has dropped Capitalism in the future and gone back to its old, suppressive ways when it was a Communist country. Why? Also, why is the world so cold? That is never explained. Why did humans kill off all of the animals? Why are they called mutants? Was there a nuclear war that mutated all the animals and is causing a Nuclear Winter. If so, why haven't the humans mutated too? These are just some of the questions that the reader needs answered . . . and they never are. Still, I did like Sloe and her journey to find the City of Lights, but never really bonded with the character. Trying to figure out what the Lindquist kit was was also frustrating.
Overall, Siberia by Ann Halam is not bad, but could have been a lot better if more thought was put into explaining why things happened to the reader instead of just leaving them wondering.
I rated this book a 6½ out of 10.
It seems that Russia has dropped Capitalism in the future and gone back to its old, suppressive ways when it was a Communist country. Why? Also, why is the world so cold? That is never explained. Why did humans kill off all of the animals? Why are they called mutants? Was there a nuclear war that mutated all the animals and is causing a Nuclear Winter. If so, why haven't the humans mutated too? These are just some of the questions that the reader needs answered . . . and they never are. Still, I did like Sloe and her journey to find the City of Lights, but never really bonded with the character. Trying to figure out what the Lindquist kit was was also frustrating.
Overall, Siberia by Ann Halam is not bad, but could have been a lot better if more thought was put into explaining why things happened to the reader instead of just leaving them wondering.
I rated this book a 6½ out of 10.
August 26, 2009
A girl & her mother are sent to a prison camp because of her father's actions against a politically oppressive regime. Her new life is one of great hardship, where science becomes a taboo subject & knowing too much can get you killed.
This is written as a children's/teenage book, yet it has a very bleak & tragic setting. The tale is cunningly presented in a simplistic way, which draws you in through its very lack of explanation, the mystery is held in suspense.
The I felt the story was written from a teenager's perspective, looking back upon her childhood & realising that she knew so little. Her descriptions of the manipulative children she meets are child-like yet shrewd - she is aware that all relationships are a double edged sword. She survives the indignities of a brutal school & the vacillations of her peers during which time she almost forgets the great secret she must keep. The adventure picks up and becomes more optimistic as she begins to travel & the limits of her knowledge broaden. She meets a shadowy character, who sheds some light on her parents' past & the reasons for her plight, but she doesn't know if she can trust him with her secrets.
I stayed up until 5 in the morning to read the last few chapters, which seemed to end all too soon, so now I miss the character & would like to read more about her.
This is written as a children's/teenage book, yet it has a very bleak & tragic setting. The tale is cunningly presented in a simplistic way, which draws you in through its very lack of explanation, the mystery is held in suspense.
The I felt the story was written from a teenager's perspective, looking back upon her childhood & realising that she knew so little. Her descriptions of the manipulative children she meets are child-like yet shrewd - she is aware that all relationships are a double edged sword. She survives the indignities of a brutal school & the vacillations of her peers during which time she almost forgets the great secret she must keep. The adventure picks up and becomes more optimistic as she begins to travel & the limits of her knowledge broaden. She meets a shadowy character, who sheds some light on her parents' past & the reasons for her plight, but she doesn't know if she can trust him with her secrets.
I stayed up until 5 in the morning to read the last few chapters, which seemed to end all too soon, so now I miss the character & would like to read more about her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2010
As a little girl, Rosita is sent with her mother to a Wilderness Settlement, after the mysterious (to Rosita) disappearance of her father. During the day, her mother makes nails to earn a living, but at night, she does what Rosita thinks of as her magic, biological work which holds the key to the continued existence of the planet's wildlife. She tells Rosita of a great journey they will have to make when Rosita is older, taking her mother's magic to a safe place, but when Rosita (now called Sloe) comes back from the boarding school to which she is sent, her mother is gone, and Sloe must make the journey on her own, braving the cold, the wilderness, and many other dangers to save her mother's work.
I liked this a lot: excellent main character with a distinctive voice, lots of shiny ideas, and a future which even though it's stark and discomfiting is not without hope. (In fact, so far this is the only Halam I've read which I didn't find too depressing to contemplate reading again, unlike Dr. Franklin's Island or Taylor Five.)
I liked this a lot: excellent main character with a distinctive voice, lots of shiny ideas, and a future which even though it's stark and discomfiting is not without hope. (In fact, so far this is the only Halam I've read which I didn't find too depressing to contemplate reading again, unlike Dr. Franklin's Island or Taylor Five.)
April 8, 2011
While the tale and the structure of the tale is enthralling, especially in the way that this title relates to fairytales with the different animal helpers, parts of it are at the same time too predictable and too undefined to make a great story. Regardless, I think the telling of the story is well written and the character has a strong voice and is easy to get into despite being far from perfect. My objections are mostly with the main evil which is not really as mysterious as the author would like to make out and with the world building. There is a pretty clumsy scene in which some of the world, at least in its environmental plight, is delineated but what draws me to dystopias is usually the social commentary which here did not get fleshed out. The author gives no reason for the motivations of both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" which makes the background movements that construct the story mostly meaningless- an obvious set. Thus its difficult to pick out what Halam really wanted to get at in this book- definitely something about animals and environment, but despite the story happens to stumble upon the idea that neither of these exist in a vaccuum without human, now or in the future, this isn't addressed well.
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