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The Silver Ship #2
Reading the Wind
The colony planet of Fremont was supposed to be free of all genetically altered beings--a new home for a pure race. So when Chelo and her brother Joseph, along with four other genetically altered teenagers, were abandoned on Fremont, they were not welcome. They vowed to get off the planet by any means necessary. Joseph and the others managed to escape, but Chelo was left behind with her new found love, forced to live underground. Joseph and the others find that their homeworld is full of vengeance. Believing that the people of Fremont killed the teenaged castaways, they sent a technologically advanced mercenary team to Fremont to eliminate the entire planet's population. With the help of Joseph's father, the youngsters head back to Fremont to try to save Chelo.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2008
2 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Cooper
121 books145 followersBrenda Cooper writes science fiction,fantasy, and poetry.
Brenda's most recent novels are EDGE of DARK and SPEAR OF LIGHT from Pyr and POST from ESpec Books. Edge of Dark won the 2016 Endeavour Award for a notable science fiction or fantasy novel by a Northwest author.
Other recent novels include the duology THE CREATIVE FIRE and THE DIAMOND DEEP, also from Pyr.
Brenda released two collections in 2015. Her all science fiction CRACKING THE SKY came out from Fairwood Press and her all-fantasy ebook collection BEYOND THE WATERFALL DOOR was created through a six-author Kickstarter project.
Brenda is the author of the Endeavor award winner for 2008: THE SILVER SHIP AND THE SEA, and of two sequels, READING THE WIND and WINGS OF CREATION. She has written a novel with Larry Niven, called BUILDING HARLEQUIN's MOON, and a solo stand-alone novel, MAYAN DECEMBER. She has numerous stories that have published in a variety of magazines, from Nature to Asimov's. Many of her stories have been selected for Year's Best anthologies.
By day, Brenda is the City of Kirkland’s CIO, and at night and in early morning hours, she’s a futurist and writer. She lives in the pacific northwest o the United States of America.
Brenda's most recent novels are EDGE of DARK and SPEAR OF LIGHT from Pyr and POST from ESpec Books. Edge of Dark won the 2016 Endeavour Award for a notable science fiction or fantasy novel by a Northwest author.
Other recent novels include the duology THE CREATIVE FIRE and THE DIAMOND DEEP, also from Pyr.
Brenda released two collections in 2015. Her all science fiction CRACKING THE SKY came out from Fairwood Press and her all-fantasy ebook collection BEYOND THE WATERFALL DOOR was created through a six-author Kickstarter project.
Brenda is the author of the Endeavor award winner for 2008: THE SILVER SHIP AND THE SEA, and of two sequels, READING THE WIND and WINGS OF CREATION. She has written a novel with Larry Niven, called BUILDING HARLEQUIN's MOON, and a solo stand-alone novel, MAYAN DECEMBER. She has numerous stories that have published in a variety of magazines, from Nature to Asimov's. Many of her stories have been selected for Year's Best anthologies.
By day, Brenda is the City of Kirkland’s CIO, and at night and in early morning hours, she’s a futurist and writer. She lives in the pacific northwest o the United States of America.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 30, 2016
Brenda Cooper’s “Reading the Wind” (Tor, $25.95, 446 pages) is one of those books that you can’t wait to finish – which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
This is Cooper’s second solo effort, and the sequel to “The Silver Ship and the Sea”, with many of the same flaws. But it is also a better book, and bodes well for the next installment of a series about genetically modified humans (and some not modified) on planets far from Earth.
Those flaws, though, make you want to find out what happened more than you want to read every page. Usually, that means some judicious cutting would have helped (it would have) or that it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen next (it is) or that the characters just aren’t that interesting (they are teen-agers, and they aren’t).
But I still looked forward to picking up “Reading the Wind” and did want to know how Cooper was going to put the pieces together, even if the shape of the completed puzzle was never much in doubt. So should you go back and read “The Silver Ship and the Sea” (which, by the way, has nothing to do with either) and dive into the series? Maybe. What about if you already read the first one? Then definitely soldier on.
The final judgment won’t really come until the series is wrapped up, presumably in the next volume – but, as before, a better title and a cover illustration that had some relation to what actually happens in the book would help in the short run.
This is Cooper’s second solo effort, and the sequel to “The Silver Ship and the Sea”, with many of the same flaws. But it is also a better book, and bodes well for the next installment of a series about genetically modified humans (and some not modified) on planets far from Earth.
Those flaws, though, make you want to find out what happened more than you want to read every page. Usually, that means some judicious cutting would have helped (it would have) or that it’s pretty clear what’s going to happen next (it is) or that the characters just aren’t that interesting (they are teen-agers, and they aren’t).
But I still looked forward to picking up “Reading the Wind” and did want to know how Cooper was going to put the pieces together, even if the shape of the completed puzzle was never much in doubt. So should you go back and read “The Silver Ship and the Sea” (which, by the way, has nothing to do with either) and dive into the series? Maybe. What about if you already read the first one? Then definitely soldier on.
The final judgment won’t really come until the series is wrapped up, presumably in the next volume – but, as before, a better title and a cover illustration that had some relation to what actually happens in the book would help in the short run.
April 5, 2010
Well, the last few hundred pages were the same as the first few hundred pages: boring. It got more interesting once there was a threat to the colony, but even the "battle scenes" (and I use that term loosely) were uninspired and not shown (sometimes at all!). Huge chunks of time are glossed over (years, in fact) right as important things are supposed to be happening or as important things are happening. Characters who are at odds suddenly find themselves lovers over the course of a time jump between chapters. What? Too much of what happens is also done "on the nets," a sort of cyberplace some of the "altered" humans can go mentally to affect things. Okay, fine, but have something happen, at least. The characters aren't all that bad, but, like the book, somewhat boring. Let's see some real tension. There was a possibility when one character kidnaps two others, but that peters out pretty quickly.
June 23, 2016
Inter Library Loan
November 19, 2018
After the events of the previous book the altered kids have split up. Half leaving the planet dealing with the far different dangers of silver's world. The other half of the altered are separated from the normal humans and deal with there relationship with each other.
without spoiling too much the climax involves mercenaries trying to wipe out the normal humans.
This book does what most sequels do, widen the world introduce new friends and enemies provide new powers etc... but the story is not just more complex its well handled we get a new view point character in Jacob and there is a lot of depth in the new world and we get a lot added from his view point.
without spoiling too much the climax involves mercenaries trying to wipe out the normal humans.
This book does what most sequels do, widen the world introduce new friends and enemies provide new powers etc... but the story is not just more complex its well handled we get a new view point character in Jacob and there is a lot of depth in the new world and we get a lot added from his view point.
July 10, 2013
On vacation last week, I decided I needed a little more science fiction in my life so I picked up the two sequels to [i]The Silver Ship and the Sea[/i] which I read a few months ago. I read through them both in about two days, and greatly enjoyed them.
In this second book, Chelo, Kayleen, and Liam are still on the planet Fremont, while Chelo's brother Joseph and the other two altered young adults Bryan and Alicia are on their way back to the planet that their parents came from in care of Jenna. The main thrust of the story on Fremont follows the three altered after Kayleen decides to kidnap the other two and take them to the southern continent against their will because she can't take being left alone in the city with the non-altered society. Much of this section of the story drove me crazy, as while Kayleen needed help and support for sure, there should have been consequences for her actions and there were none. In fact, she got everything she wanted, including an addition to the Chelo/Liam pairing to form a triad, complete with synchronized pregnancies. Argh. Additionally, while the setup for the triad is detailed and makes sense (even if I don't agree with it), Chelo does muse upon how they'll be accepted by regular society and yet very little is made of this when they do rejoin society. Their families and friends on Fremont barely bat an eye, which runs counter to how conservative the society has been described, and while I wouldn't expect the story to take a detour around the issue, it deserved more attention and consequences than it got.
Meanwhile, Joseph, Alicia, Bryan, and Jenna make it to Silver's Home where they meet up with other members of the affinity group that originally left to settle Fremont. Joseph is a wanted man due to his high abilities for wind reading, and he is quickly shuffled off in care of Marcus who is Jenna's friend and a strong and independent wind reader. This is where Joseph's story gets interesting, especially as Marcus teaches him how to be a Maker and how Marcus himself has done so as his career and passion. Along the way it turns out that Joseph and Chelo's father lived and was part of the group that escaped from Fremont, and that he has spent the last twenty years saving money to hire a corps of mercenaries to go back and kill everyone alive on the planet.
Okay then, that was out of left field. Granted, this provides a big plot point about how Joseph's father has changed and this affects how he interacts with Joseph and later Chelo, but it still felt kind of odd to me. Revenge is a dish best served cold, indeed.
The remainder of the book deals with the return of all six altered to the main city on Fremont, the attack of the mercenaries, and how both the regular and altered work together to try and stop the attacks. Many people are killed, and eventually the mercenaries are repelled and the altered leave Fremont again, this time likely permanently.
Despite my complaints, I really enjoyed this book. The different worlds are described and distinct from each other, as are the different groups of people. There are many complex motivations ascribed to the characters, and most of the time their actions have consequences. Several of the altered children continue to show growth and change as they learn more about their history and their abilities, and that will lead into the next book for sure. If you enjoyed the first book you should enjoy this one as well, and it is a good science fiction read for sure - and was perfect for summer vacation.
In this second book, Chelo, Kayleen, and Liam are still on the planet Fremont, while Chelo's brother Joseph and the other two altered young adults Bryan and Alicia are on their way back to the planet that their parents came from in care of Jenna. The main thrust of the story on Fremont follows the three altered after Kayleen decides to kidnap the other two and take them to the southern continent against their will because she can't take being left alone in the city with the non-altered society. Much of this section of the story drove me crazy, as while Kayleen needed help and support for sure, there should have been consequences for her actions and there were none. In fact, she got everything she wanted, including an addition to the Chelo/Liam pairing to form a triad, complete with synchronized pregnancies. Argh. Additionally, while the setup for the triad is detailed and makes sense (even if I don't agree with it), Chelo does muse upon how they'll be accepted by regular society and yet very little is made of this when they do rejoin society. Their families and friends on Fremont barely bat an eye, which runs counter to how conservative the society has been described, and while I wouldn't expect the story to take a detour around the issue, it deserved more attention and consequences than it got.
Meanwhile, Joseph, Alicia, Bryan, and Jenna make it to Silver's Home where they meet up with other members of the affinity group that originally left to settle Fremont. Joseph is a wanted man due to his high abilities for wind reading, and he is quickly shuffled off in care of Marcus who is Jenna's friend and a strong and independent wind reader. This is where Joseph's story gets interesting, especially as Marcus teaches him how to be a Maker and how Marcus himself has done so as his career and passion. Along the way it turns out that Joseph and Chelo's father lived and was part of the group that escaped from Fremont, and that he has spent the last twenty years saving money to hire a corps of mercenaries to go back and kill everyone alive on the planet.
Okay then, that was out of left field. Granted, this provides a big plot point about how Joseph's father has changed and this affects how he interacts with Joseph and later Chelo, but it still felt kind of odd to me. Revenge is a dish best served cold, indeed.
The remainder of the book deals with the return of all six altered to the main city on Fremont, the attack of the mercenaries, and how both the regular and altered work together to try and stop the attacks. Many people are killed, and eventually the mercenaries are repelled and the altered leave Fremont again, this time likely permanently.
Despite my complaints, I really enjoyed this book. The different worlds are described and distinct from each other, as are the different groups of people. There are many complex motivations ascribed to the characters, and most of the time their actions have consequences. Several of the altered children continue to show growth and change as they learn more about their history and their abilities, and that will lead into the next book for sure. If you enjoyed the first book you should enjoy this one as well, and it is a good science fiction read for sure - and was perfect for summer vacation.
December 22, 2009
This one was an interesting read for me. Given that it is number 2 in the series and I was starting out with it. However, it was easy to catch up to the plot and get into the story. I really enjoyed it although some of its ideas go against what I personally believe in. I would recommend it to anyone seeking a suspenseful, adventurous novel. Full of mystery and excitement, this one was really fun for me to go through. Towards the end of the novel, I found myself reading faster and faster as the plot picked up speed and the characters developed. The entire novel consists of fully-fantasized worlds and each planet has a developed living system and unique style. Brenda Cooper has an amazing imagination that is put to use as she describes each new world in detail. As for negative critiques, I already mentioned things going against my beliefs, and the style of writing isn't one of my favorites, but overall, it was great. Spectacular job Brenda!
June 22, 2014
This book is decent. But, it didn't always hold my interest. The conflict was brief and abrupt and the build up took too long to deliver and what it delivered was very anti-climatic. I didn't like the pacing of the story: too much time was left out and not enough happened in the time that was used.
I also feel like Cooper could have cut back some of the wordage and held off on some of the unnecessary description of the land around them. I also grew tired of the redundancy of thoughts. I got tired of reading the term, "here and there" used to describe surroundings.
I think this book could have used some serious editing. Cooper has a fair gift for language and some serious potential, and the world and backstory is great, but it just seems like what it could be was not realized. I'll read the next one, anyway.
I also feel like Cooper could have cut back some of the wordage and held off on some of the unnecessary description of the land around them. I also grew tired of the redundancy of thoughts. I got tired of reading the term, "here and there" used to describe surroundings.
I think this book could have used some serious editing. Cooper has a fair gift for language and some serious potential, and the world and backstory is great, but it just seems like what it could be was not realized. I'll read the next one, anyway.
June 8, 2010
I 'ran into' Brenda Cooper on Twitter (http://twitter.com/brendacooper) in an 'ask the author' chat hosted by @scifichat. I bought the first two books of The Silver Ship series based on my enjoyment of that chat and have really enjoyed them.
Ms. Cooper describes herself on her Twitter profile as a futurist and it certainly shows in her writing. Her science fiction blends a well thought out world-scape along with engaging characters in compelling situations.
I'd recommend them to anyone who enjoys Science Fiction.
Ms. Cooper describes herself on her Twitter profile as a futurist and it certainly shows in her writing. Her science fiction blends a well thought out world-scape along with engaging characters in compelling situations.
I'd recommend them to anyone who enjoys Science Fiction.
August 5, 2009
Fantasy
Two years have passed since the first book The Silver Ship and the Sea. Joseph is flying the ship towards their home planet while his sister Chelo remains on Fremont. About 6 years of action happen in this installment. There’s a lot happening and this series is well-worth reading. Basically, you have genetically advanced humans with/against non-enhanced humans.
Two years have passed since the first book The Silver Ship and the Sea. Joseph is flying the ship towards their home planet while his sister Chelo remains on Fremont. About 6 years of action happen in this installment. There’s a lot happening and this series is well-worth reading. Basically, you have genetically advanced humans with/against non-enhanced humans.
February 12, 2012
Reading the Wind was too obviously a sequel, and I did not find it to be as strong as the first book. The parts that took place on Silver's Home were not cohesive and didn't felt forced. The book also seemed too long to me; I kept waiting for the author to get to the point while the plot seemed padded and meandering.
April 12, 2017
I enjoyed this sequel, which split the novel into two perspectives: Joseph, taking the readers into a fascinating world of complex science; and Chela, remaining on Fremont, trying to work out what to do with the love triangle she created by sending Bryan away. Both of them desperate to stop the entire population of Fremont from being murdered.
August 4, 2009
Chelo, Kayleen and Liam remain on Fremont. Joseph, Alicia and Jenna take off for Silver's Home. And then return. Three way relationship between the Fremont teens. Slow moving. Lots and lots of nanotech and data nets. Credible worldbuilding.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2014
Good sequel to a book I did not remember much about. Fast paced with some unique ideas. There was a bit too much coincidence in the time frames and the end got kind of confusing, but it was overall very enjoyable.
June 20, 2014
I found this one a little less than the first book in the trilogy. The scenes on Fremont I found silly and implausible...and the new characters from Silvers Home were too rushed and not fleshed out enough.
March 22, 2013
Yes, the future-world details, the enhanced abilities, the extraordinary young people. Classic sci-fi fantasy, for young adults, I would say. Perhaps not as good as the first one.
April 6, 2011
This sequel didn't disappoint, either. :)
November 4, 2012
Excelant read, most characters well rounded except pore Bryan who is flat and left out, ending could havebeen more conclusive but ok.
May 11, 2016
Yet again I read a second book, and had to track the rest down. Bless librarys! Tantalizing concepts, and a good handling of the various character's thoughts and feelings
October 24, 2016
I wish this book had more content. It's basically just one part of a boring two-way journey on a ship and another part of a too-quick-to-matter exploration of a continent that is not very known.
October 9, 2010
I got sucked into the story and couldn't resist continuing.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews