Starseed: The Ripping of Innocence

by Mardi Sayles-Smith

There’s an unlikely hero in each of us. Even those who feel vulnerable and weak. Eve first rises as a caretaker of her ailing creator, the geneticist who pioneered her people's development. She does her best to keep this father figure alive not fully realizing she’s tied all her strength to him. Eve is the last Original Phylosapian. They are an artificial hybrid which was the result of two generations of his family’s research. The breed is a cross between humans and plants, who are capable of living in harmony with nature and give more back to the environment than they consume. They are a spirited helpmate to humanity. But they became feared, because of their versatility, and Allshire replaced the Originals with a more dependent version. Her father, Amos, is continually haunted by his betrayal which made their race little more than bondservants and a controlled populous. Eve doesn’t know why the Originals disappeared, nor why she was spared.
While caring for her father, she accepts a love interest’s proposal for union. Love is sincere, but what about his affiliations? Is she prepared to handle those? When he requests to bond with her and create a family, it is the happiest day of Eve’s life. It is also one which delivers a shocking insight when she asks permission to do so. Upon telling Amos about the union and the couple’s request to have a child, the ailing geneticist reveals the secret of how she survived the purging. The science community which employs them and sponsored the research will never allow Eve to bear a child. To ensure the contract is upheld, spies from Allshire monitor their every move. Defiance roots in her aging father, who feels he has nothing left to lose. While following his instructions to retrieve items from their laboratory, Eve learns of the dangerous repercussions. With Amos’ health failing before permissions are complete, she realizes just how quickly life and dreams can crumble. Will her family become another hidden statistic of Allshire’s politics?
Eve isn’t the only one watching their situation. A network of phylo and human activists are aware of the family’s predicament. They eagerly await Eve’s ascension into leadership. The young race will look to her for guidance after her father’s passing. Some believe she’s the only Original left and must hold the key to freedom. However, a colony of cultural fall‑outs living outside of the city has chosen to forego modern conveniences and live more harmoniously with nature. They hold a secret. Is there another who survived the Allshire's culling? One who could be a stronger leader than her? Eve is exposed and threatened on all sides. Who does she become after experiencing conflict, abandonment, and loss? As Eve discovers healing will she share the new strength with her people and then the remaining peoples of Earth? Or will she retreat back into complacency?

659 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2024