Windhome

by Kristin Landon

Earth has sent out exploratory expeditions in a desperate attempt to discover the nature of the alien force that wiped out at least one extrasolar civilization and now threatens Earth itself. One of the exploratory starships is stealth-attacked by the hostile aliens. The survivors, marooned among the pre-technological inhabitants of the icy world of Windhome, struggle to survive, to understand this harsh world and its few, grim people—and, somehow, to fulfill their mission. Thrown into an unwilling alliance with a Windhome outsider faction, exiled into wilderness, two of the human crew must live by this world’s bitter laws, accept the ways of its people—and eventually make a terrifying choice.

Genres: Science Fiction

346 pages, Paperback

Published December 11, 2017

About the author

(From "About the Author" on her website)
A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, Kristin Landon has been reading science fiction since the age of seven, when she discovered H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds in the school library. Love of SF led to a love of science, and she earned a degree in chemistry and worked as a research lab technician for a number of years, before following her talent for writing and editing into a new career in technical publishing. In addition to her novel writing, she works as a freelance copyeditor of medical, scientific, and technical books.

Reviews

[Paul Weimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel of first contact in the tradition of Ursula K LeGuin and Eleanor Arnason, Kristin Landon's Windhome is a character focused study of what happens when three humans, last survivors of an expedition find themselves on a cold and very alien planet. Landon does an excellent job making the native Anokothu far more than rubber headed aliens, with a strong and unique culture, ethos and characters of their own that make for a rich tapestry of a narrative.

More of my thoughts at Skiffy and Fanty
https://skiffyandfanty.com/2017/12/06...

[Nicasio Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for roughly the first 2/3 and 3 for the last third, unfortunately. There was a lot in here that I was very into (the creeping horror of the opening, the trek across the winter, the differing attitudes towards history), but in the end I didn't buy the romantic weight that was given to Vika and Pierre's relationship, which ended up so emotionally central to the closing third, and so my ability to invest in their characters diminished. I was also disappointed by how predictably gender and sexuality were depicted for the alien species.

[A]

this smacks of gender

[Jeanette Greaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proper sf!

[Truehobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really engrossing yarn.

Some humans travel to a distant (though, in terms of space, 'neighbouring') planet to find out about a hostile force that threatens humanity and has already destroyed large parts of this planet. Only a small part of their exploration force arrives intact, so survival on the new planet becomes the main task. The main part of the book is about the humans getting to know and coming to terms with the native culture they encounter.

I found this a pleasant page-turner, told at just the right pace. I kept wanting to know what happens next, and that is saying something, since I quickly developed quite a dislike of the human characters. Fortunately, some of the natives (generally called 'aliens') were very likeable, and those that weren't were quite fascinating.

When about a third into the book the story seemed really only just beginning, I started to worry it would be just the first of a series (there is no hint anywhere else on the book that it might be) and would end on a cliffhanger, but luckily that didn't happen: it is a completed story, but there is definitely room for a sequel.

[K. L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

*environmental science and anthropology student screaming*